Spring Break

           The spring break was a wonderful opportunity to know better New York and all it's great attractions that we can find here. Also the weather helped a lot because it was sunny and warm very attractive to walk and explore this magnificent city. So, I explored some museums. It is better to expand our  knowledge visiting museums and happier than spending time and money in material purchases like clothes and handbags. I love to shop, I’m a normal girl but I prefer doing something more intellectual and cultivate this time. So I spent two days in MOMA, one half day in the museum of New York City, another day in Jewish museum and one evening in MAD (Museum of Art and Design) museum. It was a surprising experience because these hours in these museums provide me one positive and relax experience. Going to the museum is like traveling in the time or stepping it. We always learned a lot with this interaction and also provide us a lot of inspiration.

       I was alone in this big city because my husband was traveling for work. Here in New York I have some friends that we are used to go out to try the New York restaurants. They love food as much as I love it. Also is nice to try a new place with good company. So a couple of friends that knew I was alone this week invited me to go out with them. So I accepted and also I asked if I could bring my friend’s husband with me. Of course I asked my friends permission to ask her husband to go out with me. We went out to an Italian restaurant in upper west. I enjoyed a lot in this dinner. 

        In the end of my spring break my husband came back from his business trip and was so nice. Some Brazilian friends of us were in New York so we booked one table in “Boulud Sud”, a new Mediterranean restaurant. At the end we ate alone because ours friends was stuck in 5th Avenue in the Saint Patrick’s pared. In the end was great because we had a romantic lunch with champagne and also some special dishes because I have a friend of mine who cooks there. She used to work with me in Paris as an intern. It was a pleasure experience and also was great to share this moment with my lovely husband. If you are lucky enough to live in a town like New York where there are plenty of restaurants we need to start having fun with trying new ones. It can be risky to eat at a new restaurant but think of it as a wonderful opportunity to find the pearl rare. If you don't like it, at least you gave it a try.

          In the evening we went out to see a great Japanese documentary “Jiro Dreams of sushi”. It was a great and inspiring movie. Sunday we went to take our brunch in the MAD(Museum of Art and Design) restaurant a interesting spot to be with a wonderful view to the central Park and upper west. The food was good and we have a great time with Jazz live music. Finally my spring break was a nice with cultural moments and some great food experiences.

Travel and Living in Another Country

The best thing to do is travel. It’s so nice to do something only for pleasure. I’d had a lot of chance in my life because I had an opportunity to visit a lot of different places in the world. Also l lived in three different countries. I use to live in Barcelona (Spain), Paris (France) and now New York (USA). Living in another country we need to habituate so I’ve learn a new language like, Catalan, Spanish, French and in this moment I’m learning English. Living away from your country can be a really interesting and unforgettable experience, but at the same time it has very important effects on one's life. The most significant effect of living away from home is the independent behavior that grows inside of you also my husband became also my best friend. It’s nice? Isn’t it? When I lived in Barcelona I felt the pound of responsibility. For the first time in my live I was obligated clean my room, wash my clothes, and organize my expenses, for the first time I have a good and strong meaning of responsibility. Being independent and responsible will help you get through life every goal you want to achieve. Living far from home, even for a short period of time, can be really hard at the beginning. We have to remember that all changes are difficult, but they are necessary to go through them to build character. Most important of all, it helps us appreciate everything we have. Not realizing how lucky we are can be a really bad mistake because things don't last forever. Living on your own far from your family gives you a lot of experiences. I’m incredibly grateful to have lived in so many beautiful places around the world. I’m from an amazing country and I love having the opportunity to share it with others. I truly live a full and abundant life!

 Dubai was a disappointment for me.

Dubai was my travel consume dream .My husband used to travel a lot there for work. I was all the time complaining because I wanted to go with him to see this mysterious land. Last winter was very cold in Paris and my husband invited me to go to visit Dubai, the most famous glamour city for tourism in this moment. I was so happy to finally know this place built in the middle of desert a real modern oasis. The Dubai Government is not a monarchy, aristocracy, democracy or communist. It’s a hybrid of a few types that became the kingdom of Sheikhs, whom rules the Emirate. Since 1833, one royal Sheikh family has ruled Dubai. Family Al Maktoum.The climate in Dubai is warm to generalize. In winter the temperatures are better, when It gets real hot and often humid is in summer. It’s common for the temperature to be over 100°F. It’s desert after all! This experience was a disappointment for me. I was expecting a city with a lot of traditions and customs, but I found an occidental city with a lot of traffic, pollution, and no sidewalk.

Firstly, when I arrived there I realized that you are obligate to take a boat, car o taxi to do everything because they don’t have sidewalk. Even in the beaches you need to take a taxi because they are private and they have walls separating them. My dream a modern Oasis built in nowhere, became a deception for me.

Dubai is not very big. There are a lot of people in a small landmass, more cars, more traffic and congestion, more pollution as a result of vehicle emissions and never-ending construction. When you think you are in the middle of nature in desert, fresh air, but it’s not truth. Dubai attracts tourists, expats that move to work. As of Dubai’s infrastructure was not built to handle this people movement. The culture is very diverse. The population are mostly immigrants who are working in Dubai. The biggest immigrant population is from India, leban followed closely by Pakistan and Iran.

A big wave of Europeans and Americans has also flooded Dubai since 2001 mainly for career reasons. Sounds like America don’t it? It’s quite surprising to observe the diversity in Dubai. When I go there I was surprised. It was like New York you can find there all country, languages etc. But there they are not integrating like in New York. The poor are looked down upon and you won’t find the equal treatment and respect that you see here in the USA. That is one thing I absolutely cannot tolerate. My blood boils when I see one human being treating another with such harshness and rude attitude.

I absolutely hate Dubai freeway driving. Not only are people nuts, but the roads were just not set up to handle the massive traffic volumes. This city is empty, cold without personality. What I want to saw is on city artificial, and all the amazing things like culture and customs are lost. For example you can’t walk in the streets or beach. You need a taxi because all are private. I felt like I was in the middle of a railroad with building.

Although I have written about the many negatives about Dubai is that I personally dislike. Dubai is beautiful there is no doubt about that. It’s a charm city with all beautiful architectural building and beaches.  It’s amazing to know that before was a desert, without noting even water, electricity and now we can find every thing we want or desire. In this city in the Middle East offers also an amazing snow setting. How I sad before every thing is possible. Also the food is delicious tastfull. It's funny being around a city like this. The Park Hyatt Hotel were I was being, Its a magic place. It was a pleasant experience this incredible nice Hotel.

I didn’t find all the scenarios that I had imagined. It’s a metropolis like ours, one copy of a occidental a city with the same hotels and restaurant branches. However, I’ve learned that with all the traditions they have, they want to be like the occidentals. It was interesting to see those transformations, but is somewhere I’ll not return to, because it is empty without soul. 

It's all about horses.

When I’m not cooking or thinking about food. I have a second hobby which is horse ridding. It is much more than a ride it is a family tradition. 

I love horses. In my family we learn how to ride a horse like every body learns how to ride a bike. We are crazy about horses. My family have a breeding of horses in a small village 4 hours from Sao Paulo. It’ s a very lovely place with beautiful landscape, lots of flowers and trees. We can also see sugar cane fields, soy been and corn. My family plays Polo, very beautiful sport, but only for men. Nowadays women can do Polo also, but when I was young it was a sport for man.

            What I like most is riding with my friends and my family because it’s a very pleasant experience. We can get a new perspective when we ride a horse. When I was younger I did endurance as sport and competition. It’s a very hard competition because you are given only one map with times and kilometres and you need to know very well your horse and find how many kilometres your horse does on step, galloping and trotting.

            Riding a horse is also something very personal.  A horse is very smart and he can really learn a lot if you teach him. Also I think horse is the best friend we can have.

            When we are not in Brazil, my husband and I enjoy to see jumping and dressage competition. Last year We went to Hermes competition in Paris and a very closed brazilien friend Doda win the competition. My twin sister she was for a moment one the best jumping amazon in Sao Paulo.

            Every winter I go to Brazil with my husband to my family farm and we spend a lot of time riding horse. My husband learned also to love horse and ride them. We use horse also to go to another farms and see friends and family. We do once a year a family ride, that every body all ages can enjoy to ride a horse. It’s a magic moment, there are some carriages with water, juice and beers and others with food. In the middle of day we stop to have a barbecue and in the end we have evening party.

            I miss a lot my horses. I’m lucky that my husband loves horses also, so we go once a year to my family farm to enjoy them.

Something Forgot. My scariest night in New York.

Once, I was in New York inside a taxi and I though I was die. Un Friday, November 2012, I was just moving to New York and I was crossing the city between Upper West and Downtown to do my relocation. I was living in Third Street with Forty Second Street in my husband enterprise apartment. Waiting for the end of our movement we lived there. It's taken a lot of time because we bring all ours stuffs from Paris to New York. For some days I had this routine to go organizing the new apartment during the day, and come back to the other for open the door to my husband. We have only one key. In these days I was not habituated with the New York subways so I done the crossing street by taxi. I choose taxi, first because I was afraid to be lost and secondly lot for convenience. My scariest night begin when I was in the taxi and I saw that I forgot my wallet in Upper West.

This day in special I was so tired, I had a very long journey and when I saw my watch was so late and I thought that perhaps my husband was waiting for me in the another apartment without key and I realize that I forgot my mobile in Third avenue. I closed the apartment and took a taxi as fast as I could to try to arrive and open the door for my husband.

My husband is a very kind person, lovely but he hates my way to forget always my mobile and every thing. He thought that I lived in a very dangerous way.

I took a taxi. I was relieved when I picked one. I was talking naturally with my taxi chauffer, very kind person, how loved Brazil and soccer. We were very near third street when I started to look for in my handbag for my wallet to see if I had enough money for the tip, and nothing. So I try to find my telephone and I also wasn’t there because I forgot in Third Street. I didn’t know how the better way to say my taxi that we need to come back, because I didn’t have enough money.

When I said him that I have a problem and we need to come back because I forget my wallet in Upper West and I was truly sorry. He asked me to call my husband and I said that I forgot also my phone. His face stays serious. He clearly has no interest in my deposition. “Look young lady, I’m habituate to theses story about money and Brazilian are always so cleaver and you don’t have also a mobile phone? Are you from this planet? The way he said it, made my stomach hurt. It isn’t really the stomach pain I have before, it was like nervousness before final exams, I was really afraid.

He was crazy, very upset, and said that Brazilian people were the thieves, and only a lunatic can be out home without phone. I was afraid. Suddenly I realize that probably he will kill me and send my body pieces in Hudson River.

         So we came back for upper west, but in the way he stopped in a junky food store and said me to wait because he was hungry and now was my time to wait. He looked the door. I was afraid, and also afraid that my husband could also go to the another apartment and took my wallet before me. So he came back to taxi with a plastic bag smelling strong, but I was speechless. We arrived in sixty Two west, sixty second, I went to my apartment and when I took the elevator my husband was inside. I was relieved and he said that he had my wallet with him.

         In the end we paid the taxi and took the same chauffer for came back again to Third Avenue. My husband said to me that like always I loved to live in dangerous I was almost relaxed and safe in my husband arms. All this complications is normal for human complexity and for the first time I feel part of this big city and I thought that this evening was the first of many adventures in New York.