Yes, the water is heated in the showerhead...

The product Tara calls the "widow-maker."

So, another oddity for us here in Brazil is the building practices of those in a developing country.

For example, we live in a city of roughly two million people. In this city we have numerous buildings that rise from the city more than fifteen stories with some as high as fifty stories plus. However, no matter how high the buildings, the builders do not use steel beams. Rather, they use concrete beams made on location and bricks to make the exterior walls. I do not know that I have seen a building built in the United States that high without the use of steel girders.

Also, our electrical system is not what we are use to. The system is like that in the United States, in that it uses a similar voltage (127 volts here versus 110 volts in the U.S.). However, it seems that Northern Brazilians do not know what it is to ground a house. You know that third plug that many products have in the United States, well, you can find it on products here but it is of no use for houses and apartments are not grounded. Why you can buy and use three prong outlets and produces is beyond us when they guard against nothing.

Finally, the electrical work in the bathroom is quite different. In the United States, it is required that you have plug-ins in the kitchen and bathroom which have a breaker system that shut off the electricity to protect you since you are close to water (a great conductor of electricity). Not only are these unheard of in Belém we actually have an electrical product, a showerhead, which heats the water which runs through it in our bathroom. Yes, that is what I said, our water is heated in the showerhead. No, we do not have a hot water tank. Some extremely rich people may have one (the same people who have central air-conditioning which is unheard of in homes here). We have only hot water in the bathroom with the special showerheads installed. The strange thing about these showerheads is that you regulate the temperature two ways, one by turning a switch from off to warm to hot and the other is by how high you turn on the water pressure. To take a truly hot shower, you must turn the switch to hot and turn the water on really low but then again, who wants to take a hot shower in an equatorial climate.

yes, since this picture we have had the electrician put an outlet and plug to make the shower safer.

No cereal or candy for the weary …

Life is different here for the Gilpin family…

For those of you who know Matthew, you know that two of his favorite things are snack foods and breakfast cereal. The lack of adequate items in both of these categories has been difficult. How can one start a good day without ‘Captain Crunch’ or ‘Apple Jacks’ is beyond us? Below are some of the oddities when it comes to food and shopping which the Gilpin family has experienced.

1. The cereal isle consists of corn flakes and frosted flake like cereal only and is only a small section.

2. No breakfast isle exists in the supermarcados (supermarkets).

3. The candy isle consists of different types of chocolate bars and halls cough drops (and yes they are candy).

4. The soda isle is missing Pepsi products (especially Mountain Dew) and has more generic than name brand sodas.

5. You can buy a whole fish (head and all) or some fresh, stinky shrimp in the open market.

6. One can of Pringles in the grocery store costs about $8.00 American. (I got one can in my Christmas stocking – it was exciting!!!)

7. If you put groceries on your credit card you can decide how many payments to divide it up into – that goes for most anything that you buy here.

8. The rice and bean isle is huge, and the variety is mind-boggling.

9. The eggs here are not refrigerated, but they taste okay.

10. Yogurt is drinkable – you really need a straw because a spoon just won’t work – Lydia and Sammy love it.

11. You take your fruit to a person in the fruit section and get it bagged and priced by him or her before checking out.

12. When buying a light bulb you must test it before buying (if you do not they will send someone to do it for you).

13. When buying gas you are not allowed to pump it for yourself (and for those of you who wonder, gas is about $6:50 in U.S. Currency).

These are just some differences – all in all the food is really good, and besides the fact that you can’t buy anything pre-packaged, it’s not bad. We have not suffered in our eating habits – like all good things, they just have to change a bit. Lydia and Sam have transitioned well, and they really like Brazilian food. However, if you were thinking of sending a care package, we won’t turn it away:)