Brasilia: first impressions

It took me 48 hrs to LIKE Brasilia! I know myself too well that I should not judge in the first few days but I am very glad to say that I think I really like it! It’s such a different place than Jakarta and Manila. It’s 90% green, no traffic, no pollution, very well planned city, super modern (built in 1960s!), very family friendly, small city (I can get to everywhere within 20 min by car). What not to like for us that is seeking green city with lots of outdoor activities!

I arrived Friday midnight and went to sleep 2:30am. I slept 3.5 hrs and felt terrible the next day. On Saturday I spent the morning visiting houses (7 in total), and then went to visit one of my team’s house, which was super nice of him. Then I went to the mall to check prices, and bought a pair of heels (who does that?). Yet, that night, when I went back to the hotel, I felt very down, miss my family, upset that my body is so mixed up and tired. I went to bed 7:30pm.

Sunday: I slept solid 9 hours, recovering physically and mentally. I wanted a run so I went out, not sure where to go. Just few minutes later I saw a group of runners, apparently there was a race, so I just followed them. I ended up following most of the 21km race course with others. The race course went by the main roads and monuments. Brasilia looks like an airplane, all government buildings are the body of the airplane, while the residential areas are the wings.

this crown shape building is the cathedral

both sides have these buildings that are ministries

I met with a brasilian couple that I knew from Jakarta for lunch, then I explored a near by mall before meeting with a colleague family for pizza. I love the color of the sky when I was waiting for uber (super easy and affordable).

Monday: I explored a new route at Parque da Cidade which is one of the largest urban parks in the world, and the largest in Latin America. It’s larger than New York Central Park. It has a lake and clearly marked running and biking routes. I absolutely love it!

food wise I haven’t explored much and really missing my vegetables. But let me show you something that I found super inviting for my girls, dessert pizza! It was part of the buffet pizza, as last course. I’m sure my girls will love it.

this is the most vegetable centered meal I could find.

Progress made in 3 days:

• Visited 8 houses, really like one. Will visit it again before making an offer.
• Visited the school and really like it. Both girls will start next school year. Yes, Lizzy got a spot too.
• Visited a car dealer to know about the process of getting new car.
• Visited few markets to know the price of essentials.
• Got a good sense of the city planning.

I still have the rest of the week to explore more houses, find out about furniture prices, my next long stay location, visit the office and teams.

I am really looking forward to the move!!!