Independence

The Bock Family in Brazil is mobile! We are enjoying the city but after two months of looking at these beautiful hills from our apartment we were ready for some independence!

We love the friendly cabbies in Rio but we were ready to start to navigate the Cidade Maravilhosa ourselves!

After years of being independent adults in the US it was an interesting experience to rely on the kindness of others to buy a car. Everything from car shopping to writing out the checks had to be done in Portuguese. It was the ultimate experience in letting go and, more importantly, feeling gratitude for the kindness of others! Thank goodness for our good friends Murillo, Grace and Clarissa! Anyone who has ever car shopped knows it is definitely NOT a great place for kids. Grace, friend and fellow Kindergarten teacher at EARJ, watched the boys while her husband, Murillo, took us car shopping. Clarissa, Kelly's Assistant Teacher, enlisted the help of her father in Sao Paolo, who knew a trustworthy car dealer in Rio. She helped us shop for a car, went to the dealer with us, wrote out the checks and, with her winning smile, helped us secure a fantastic payment plan for our new Honda Fit!

After purchasing our car we were able to take a weekend trip to Itaipava in Petropolis. It is only a two-hour drive from Rio but it felt thousands of miles away. It was a great weekend and our first taste of freedom in Brazil! Check out our photo album here

Itaipava

If we ever had any doubt in the kindness of our fellow humans, it has been restored here in Rio. It is still amazing to us how our lives have been touched by the kindness of others. People we have only known for days have fed us, given us rides, called doctors for us, paid bills for us, gone to the bank for us, helped us get cell phones, translated for us, called taxis for us, cared for our children and invited us into their homes and lives. We are PROFOUNDLY grateful for you and proud to call you our friends!