Working in Rio

Working in Rio has been an interesting experience so far. I'm a chefe de fila or junior manager for a restaurant/bar at a posh hotel in Copacabana. It has been exhausting not only because I'm on my feet all day, but the work week in the service industry in Brazil is 6 days a week. After being a lady of leisure for a year this takes time getting used to and one day off a week is not enough rest. 

Part of my job involves managing schedules and vacations for my team and that has been truly eye-opening. What's impressive is that in Brazil employees get 30 vacation days, 30 sick days and about 25 public holidays per year. It sounds wonderful, especially compared to the US and UK, but it can be problematic at times. It's nice to know that I'm compensated when I'm sick here, whereas in all my previous restaurant jobs I didn't get paid if I didn't come to work. However, I do get the impression that people take the piss and abuse their sick days in this industry. On one hand they are there for the taking, but when you know people call in sick and aren't sick it disrupts the whole team. There is one catch though - in order to get compensated for your sick day you have to provide a doctor's note. I've never had to do that before and I hate going to the doctors.

It's also very difficult to motivate a bad employee. In Brazil if you want to dismiss someone for whatever reason, you have to pay 6 months salary compensation. Can you believe that! So apparently companies avoid letting go staff at all costs and employees know that they can get away with a lot of shit, especially in the industry I'm in. What's also challenging is that most of the people I work with aren't really into food or the restaurant industry. It's a stark contrast to my experience in New York and London, where people had to consistently perform well to keep jobs but there was also a kind of foody passion within the team. I really miss that.

I'm also aware that salaries and culture play huge factors. My income pales in comparison to London, but the cost of living here is really high. I make about a third of what I was making in my last job, but our rent is just slightly below what we were paying in Hackney. Also Rio's food culture is centered around butecos, dive bars and street food. I feel like the growing restaurant culture here is driven by the small percentage of gringoes like me and affluent Brazilians. 

On the positive side everyone at the hotel has been so welcoming and my Portuguese is really improving. I've noticed that I'm translating less in my head and able to speak more fluidly and naturally. Next week is the beginning of Carnaval, so that should be interesting. I'll let you know how working that goes.

Bemvindo a São Paulo

Last week Hub and I went to São Paulo for his work and we had such a great time. I'd been dying to check out Sampa for a long time. I'd heard it was a sprawling metropolis with modern culture, a great grub scene and cool city parks and I really miss that here in Rio. São Paulo did not disappoint. I loved it. 

We rented a flat on Avenida Paulista near the MASP museum which was fantastic. It was central, there were great restaurants nearby and it was very safe. In Rio I always feel like I have to be on guard, but I felt more relaxed in our neighborhood. 

view from our flat

When Hub wasn't working, we were exploring all the good food that SP had to offer. In Rio we are deprived of restaurant culture; the city lacks variety and the level of service and quality is often disappointing. So on this trip we were on a mission to eat and eat well.

SP has a diverse mix of lanchonetes, simple eateries where you can get quick, yummy food for a cheap price. We were staying near Rua Augusta which has loads and tried massive falafal sandwiches at Maoz Vegetarian, tacos from Taqueria La Sabrosa and coconut curries at Made in Thai. Everything was delicious and I was amazed at how every single place had vegetarian and vegan options. I even found vegan salgadinhos!

We didn't get a chance to check out any of the great museums in SP, but we did take a few strolls through their parks. I loved Parque Ibirapuera, which was massive and felt like Central Park.

And there was also Parque Trianon, which was like walking through a rainforest.

One evening we went to this Peruvian restaurant called El Huaco and the food took me back to Lima.

happy girl

São Paulo has the largest Japanese population outside of Japan so naturally we had to squeeze in some sushi. We went to this fantastic place called Mori Sushi and indulged in a rodizio of vegetarian and seafood sushi. Amaze.

On our final day we had lunch in Liberdade, which is where the majority of the Japanese community is based. Since we already had Japanese we decided to try Chi Fu, a Chinese restaurant that got rave reviews. As we walked around it dawned on me that there are no expatriate enclaves in Rio whatsoever - no Chinatown or Little Tokyo or Little Buenos Aires. It's surprising because Rio is a huge city and how much I miss that.

love

I loved Chi Fu. The food was very simple and light on flavor, but everything felt authentic from the Chinese staff who spoke little Portuguese and no English to the family style service.

 I heart you Sampa. Until next time!

Coming Home

I've got good news...we finally got our permanent visas! We had to fly to Buenos Aires to collect them from the Brasilian consulate because you can't withdraw visas from within country. It's been a rather stressful process for Hub and I, but now we can finally relax and I can resume my job hunting in Rio. 

We are having a wonderful time in Buenos Aires and I can't wait to share with you all the cool new places we've checked out since our last trip. I love this city, but I feel ready to come home. It's a strange new feeling because Rio is starting to feel like home to us now and we have so much to look forward to upon our return like a new home, a long trip and a wedding.

Exciting times.

P.S. Apologies for not writing as much, but Hub and I have been sharing a laptop for a few weeks now while the other is getting repaired. It's a logistical nightmare for a writer, but hopefully soon MAC balance will be restored in the Jordan-Hewitt household. 

Welcome to Pedra do Sal

Last weekend our friends invited us to hear live music at Pedra do Sal, a tiny little square and massive rock with a meaningful past rooted in Afro-Brazilian culture. It's located in a neighborhood called Saúde, which is where the first African migrants from Bahia settled in Rio. There was a huge slave market in Pedra do Sal, but it later became home to escaped and freed slaves. Saúde quickly became known as "Little Africa" by locals with Pedro do Sal as its epicenter. It is the birthplace of samba music and every Monday and Friday, the square fills with samba music and dancers.

A massive rock dominates the square with a set of shallow stairs leading to the top and people gather on either side. The neighbors living around the square seemed to be enjoying a live music too, windows were wide open and some peered down. 

That Saturday night we grooved to the sounds of  Fela Kuti. I had never heard of Fela, but he lead a very interesting but short life. He was a Nigerian musician known for his Afro-beats and for speaking out against political and social issues through his music. There's a documentary out now called Finding Fela! which recently premiered at Sundance.

The band and DJ were fantastic and the evening reminded me of that amazing block party in Lapa. Here's a clip of some of the music from Pedra do Sal. 

Gettin' 360Fit with Shanna

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Before the big move Hub met this great American couple, Ky & Shanna, who were also living in Copa. He also mentioned that Shanna is a professional fitness trainer, runs her own fitness company 360Fit, and teaches great fitness classes on Ipanema beach. I was really excited to meet her and Ky and gab about health and fitness. We have since become great friends and not only have they shown us the best suco spots in Copa, but Shanna has been kickin' us into shape. She's an amazing trainer and I really admire her healthy lifestyle. With the holidays next week and our departure to America, I wanted to take this opportunity to pick her brain about getting fit in Rio, staying healthy over Christmas and how to train with a baby on board.

What is 360Fit

The name 360Fit came from the idea that fitness is not just one part of your day (when you go to the gym), it's about all the factors in your life that impact creating this new healthy and fit lifestyle. With my clients, my focus is on creating a healthy lifestyle, creating a fitness routine that makes sense for their work/home life and nutritional goals that get people eating more natural [foods] thus causing them to lose weight healthily. My studio in New York City and my classes on the beach in Rio are purposefully without exercise equipment and gimmicks, an environment where athletes and people new to fitness can all benefit from my workouts. I generally only do body weight resistance exercises or use a few things like light dumb bells or resistance bands.

Why did you start 360Fit?

I started 360Fit with one main goal in mind: to teach others that everyBODY can be fit and that you can workout anywhere without having to feel tied to a gym. For many people, just going to the gym takes a huge toll on their self-esteem and the intimidation factor of working out is actually what prevents them from living a healthier, happier life. It can be a very emotional journey for those who have insecurities or illnesses, have always been overweight and grown uncomfortable with looking in the mirror, have never been athletic or taken a gym class before.

You moved from NYC to Rio de Janeiro. How have you managed to maintain 360Fit?

I now have created most of my business online, which includes a virtual program where members can receive daily or weekly workouts with recorded exercises they can use in the gym. I also do one-on-one personal training sessions through Skype and FaceTime with clients from all over. Basically, clients set up their mobile device in the room at an angle where I can see from their head to their toes and I train them just as if I were in the same room. I am able to see their knee alignment, make sure they are keeping their toes forward, and I can even listen to make sure they are exhaling at the right time during the exercises.

What are the benefits to online fitness training?

Online training has opened up many doors and offers a lot more flexibility. For example, I work with a woman in Brooklyn who gets home from work, tucks her children into bed and then turns her iPad on five minutes later for her training session. Before she was always trying to find time to get to the gym after work, but then had to miss out on that important time with her kids. People find the ease of being able to keep up with their workouts while they travel one of the biggest benefits. They can do their virtual workouts in their hotel room, the gym or even outdoors. I have more flexibility with my own travels as well. I went back to New York for work for about 3 weeks. All of my clients who live in Rio were able to continue with their regular times to train by using the virtual system.

Have you noticed a difference between your Brazilian clients and your American clients, particularly the women? It seems in Rio women really value their curves and have a healthier body image.

This is a very interesting question because while Brazilian woman are much more comfortable with curves, I still find that they can be critical of their bodies. Unfortunately, I think this holds true for women around the world. Even the most beautiful women I have worked with can always find something they believe is a big imperfection. I do think media does and always has portrayed women in an unrealistic way and made us feel that things we never even noticed about our body shape or skin make us imperfect. 

Rio food is very tasty, but also very fattening. Lots of fried foods, steak and sweet treats out here. How do you stay healthy in this environment? Anything you avoid altogether?

Since moving to Rio I learned to cook! When you cook at home you have so much more control over what is going into your body. It is very hard to make healthy choices in a restaurant, there aren't options like a hearty salad as a meal and it can actually be hard to find greens on the menu. They do have the kilo buffet places, which have a lot of freshly cooked food and here you have many more options. In general, I tend to stay away from red meat, soda, cheese and heavily fried foods.

What’s your food vice in Rio?

That would have to be acai! There are a ton of anti-oxidants in acai, but they [Rio] prepare it like a sorbet, so the syrup they use contains a lot of sugar. So I do little things like have them make it with less syrup and add strawberries or substitute the syrup for honey.

Christmas is just around the corner and I’m heading to the States next week. Let the indulging begin! Do you have any tips for me and others who want to pack it in without packing it on? How do you manage during the holidays?

It's easy to say to people don't overdo it, but it's not very likely. The best way to go is to plan to indulge. Prepare for it by really eating clean and getting your workouts in weeks before the travels or holidays begin. And while you still might go for that pumpkin pie or second glass of eggnog, try to first fill your stomach up with the healthy choices. By the time you get to the temptation foods, you aren't quite as likely to stuff yourself. My rule of thumb is during a big family meal, I try to fill half of my plate with green foods so a good portion of what I eat will be healthy, leaving only a quarter of the plate for my protein and a quarter for starchy foods.

You are pregnant, congratulations! Is it okay for women to workout during their pregnancy? How are you planning to exercise throughout your pregnancy?

Women who regularly workout can absolutely workout during their entire pregnancy, if their doctor has okayed them. Women who workout during their pregnancy are shown to have easier births and recovery. If you are not someone who works out, but want to start once you’ve discovered you are pregnant, I would highly recommend talking to your doctor first. Then find a fitness professional that is prenatal certified; they will help you with how to work out properly during your pregnancy.

Prior to getting pregnant I was running about 3-4 times a week, strength training a few days and playing soccer at least once a week. I slowed my workouts down to what my body felt like doing, which was nothing more than brisk walks about 4 days a week and shorter strength training days 3 days a week.

Do you have any advice for women who want to exercise whilst pregnant?

My number one advice for pregnant women is to listen to your body it knows what to do! When your body tells you to rest, it is giving those signs for a reason. I felt great during my first trimester, but I also was very tired. During your first trimester your body is doing an enormous amount of work, giving most of your energy to your fetus, and chances of miscarriage are at their highest. Sometimes this is particularly challenging for athletic women who regularly workout at an intense level. You can continue with the same workouts you always do, but should you? Listen to your body.

If we wanted to train with you, how do we get in touch? Where do we start?

The best way to get in touch with me personally is through the 360Fit Facebook page or my website. I personally will answer any email messages that come through and respond to posts. Additionally you can follow @360Fitgirl on Instagram and Twitter and I put all sorts of workouts up on my YouTube page.

Thank you Shanna! You heard it here first friends and family...now put down that Christmas cookie, get moving and hold off on feasting until next week!

Checked In: Oke Ka Baiana Tem

There's a beautiful neighborhood near us called Lagoa or the lake. It's massive and you can run or bike around the thing, SUP night or day, and catch live events during the week. Our first week in Rio we went to see Branford Marsalis play a free concert at the outdoor amphitheater.

Our friend Charlie recommended we go check out this Baian restaurant called Oke Ka Baiana Tem in Lagoa and so we went on a date. It was such a nice evening, the weather had cooled down and there was a beautiful thunderstorm happening in the clouds.

Lagao and Christ

The restaurant is open air, with dirt grounds and white fabric draping all around. They had great wooden tables out front perfect for snacks and cocktails underneath the stars, but we decided to sit inside. We started off with pastel de camarao, fried savory pastries stuffed with shrimp and a yummy sauce. Pastels are everywhere and every place does them differently. These were fantastic because they had a lovely spice to them that is typical of Northern Brazilian food. In general the food in Rio is not heavily spiced, they don't use a lot of herbs or fiery chillies in their food.

We heard great things about the moqueca, a fish stew made with coconut milk and palm oil, but for some crazy reason that night I was really craving pasta. Massas are very popular in Rio and you'll find it on almost every menu. Our waiter recommended the special pesto pasta with it's own Baian twist. It was delicious and very different, they used cashew nuts in the sauce and it really came through.

We had a wonderful evening and I would love to go back and try some of the other dishes. That night we finally got to see the Rio Christmas tree, which floats around on the lagoa and changes colors as it moves around. The only strange thing is even with all the decorations on the streets and in every building, it just doesn't feel like the holidays. Hub says you can't have Christmas in a hot country and we are heading to the states on Monday, so we'll be feeling the cold very very soon. I'm actually looking forward to some crisp cold weather, but maybe I'll change my mind once I feel the bite.