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The main part of my trip, I thought, would be taken up with moving my mother to a new home and dealing with the condo where she had lived in Burlington, near Toronto, and it’s contents. As it turned out, my mother had already moved to the her new home by the time I got to Toronto on the first of August and the only real work I got to take part in was dividing up contents in the condo, which I could have done by phone from Brazil - which would have saved me a large sum of money, as I already had a return ticket to the US and Canada, required if you are not a permanent resident. My ticket was dated for October but got blown off in this process, so basically I had already lost around US$400! I did visit with my daughters and son in Toronto for a week or two, before heading to San Diego to try and pare down the amount of “stuff” I had in storage there. The last couple of weeks of August were probably the most difficult I've had in the past couple of years. Not only was I away from Thieny, and the rest of my friends in Brazil, but also still dealing with my ex-wife and trying desperately to divide up “things” so that I could at least fit them in a smaller storage space were very unpleasant tasks! Thieny and I still remember one night in particular when, feeling really down, I stayed a little too long drinking wine at my hotel in San Diego, InnSuites in Hillcrest - they offer great service and great wine. I called Thieny in Brazil when I got back to my room, completely forgetting about the time difference! It was 1am in Fortaleza! I went on for some time trying to tell her how unhappy I was, and she told me later that, even though she still did not speak much English, or I Portuguese, she could hear my loneliness and frustration at having to be so far away. After reducing the number of my belongings in storage in San Diego to the point they fit the minimum size available…things I either couldn’t sell, give away or didn’t feel comfortable giving up, no one was happier to climb back on a plane to Brazil than I was at the end of August! I had arranged for my friend Mark to come to the airport. I had called Thieny and she said she would come to the airport as well. When I came
through the international arrivals area at Pinto Martins Airport in Fortaleza,
Mark was there, but I really didn’t even notice him! Beside him stood this
incredibly beautiful lady, with the dark Morena coloring and jet-black
hair and brown eyes, with the exotic face, and wearing a gorgeous white
dress and high heels and carrying a white handbag.
I think that was the first time I had seen her dressed up completely and my jaw must have dropped a foot! I was very glad to be back, to say the least! Mark took my bags in his truck and Thieny and I took a taxi. We all arrived at my apartment at the same time and I was home! During the next couple of weeks, talking with Thieny, my thoughts on our future together became clearer, and I realized even more strongly how much I wanted us to be together. This decision was not easily made, because Thieny had a 4-year old son, Israel, and anything we decided had to include him. As Thieny pointed out, most men, particularly those who come to Brazil in search of a female companion, either short or long term, are not much interested in having an instant family. Having a family in Fortaleza was exactly what I wanted so the decision became much easier…not totally simple, but easier, and the third week in September, I asked Thieny to marry me. Thankfully, she said yes! The next part of the saga becomes very interesting in terms of what can be done when you know someone who can bend rules. Most of what
I had seen written about getting married to a Brazilian told me I should
start the process while outside the country and have all documents translated
officially into Portuguese, which had caused problems for many who contributed
postings on-line to forums like the one at http://www.brazzilforum.com.
I learned of
a person who spoke and taught English and did translations, although not
official ones, and upon meeting him, was recommended to a Brazilian who
could help me. The connection with this “fixer”, Ze Braulio, turned out
to be a very mixed blessing and you will read more later about the problems
Gringos can run into caused by not speaking the language completely.
Thieny and I (along with Israel) began life as a married couple, living in one of the most exciting cities in the world. We had been living together since around the first of September in my apartment, containing a suite (bedroom with attached bath) and another bedroom and bathroom, at that time still on the 13th floor of a condo building three blocks from the warm South Atlantic off Beira Mar, the Oceanside avenida. Israel had been spending a good many days at his grandmother’s home but moved to the apartment for good when school started. He began attending first grade at a private school in Aldeota in September. In the next installment, more about getting things done in Brazil when you speak only a little Portuguese! Also some insights into Brasileiras who, I think, are probably the most complicated women in the world! The following articles are the previous articles Andy wrote for the magazine:
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Brazil
Or Bust ~ 