Join us for Food, Fun and Baseball at Minas International’s Baseball Clinic & Picnic on May 18th!

Adults and Kids Are Welcome! (T-Ball will be available for kids)

Clinic run by:
Associação de Beisebol e Softbol de Belo 
(Baseball and Softball Association of Belo)

Register HERE

WHERE:
Pampulha Ecological Park (see specific directions below)

WHEN:
Saturday, 18 May
1:00 – 5:00

WHAT TO BRING:
A dish to share with the group, drinks for yourself and/or your family, and a picnic blanket. Minas International will provide plates, cups and cutlery.

Associação de Beisebol e Softbol de Belo will provide the baseball equiptment, but feel free to bring your own if you own a baseball glove, ball, and/or bat.

COST:  

Minas International Members:
Kids = R$3.00
Adults = R$5.00

Non-Members:
Kids = R$5.00
Adults = R$7.00

LOCATION:
The event will be held inside Pampulha Ecological Park. Enter the park at either of the entrances on Av. Otacilio Negrao de Lima (the avenue that goes around Pampulha Lake). Portaria 1 is closer to our event space.  We will set up our picnic blankets near the Coreto (marked on the map below). The Coreto is a gazebo-like structure in the middle of the “bosque” area of the park (near the bicycle rentals).  We’re not allowed to hang any signs in the park, so keep your ears peeled for the Englihs speaking group!

You can arrive at Pampulha Ecological Park by car, taxi or bus.

By Bus: Line 3302 stops in front of the park.  You can also take any Pampulha directioned bus (5102, 2004, 2212, 2213, 2214, 2215, for example) to the Federal University (UFMG) and catch a cab from there.

Parking: There is free parking at both entrances of the park, but the lots tend to get full fast.  Parking tends to be better at Portaria 1. You can also park on the lake avenue itself.

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DIY Workshop: Decoupage Box

Don’t worry if you are not artistic – if you know how to use glue and scissors, you can decoupage! Decoupage is the technique of decorating a surface with cutouts (decorative paper and/or napkins, photographs, etc). Layers are then sealed with varnishes until the “stuck on” appearance disappears, resulting in a painted appearance.

This three hour workshop will focus on the basic techniques of decoupage. In this workshop you will use contemporary decoupage techniques to change a plain chipboard box into a beautiful decorative item, customizing it to reflect your own personality! No prior experience is necessary.

Workshop Date and Time:

Monday, May 20
10:00 am to 1:00 pm

Workshop Location:
Giverny – Espaço da Arte (Located inside Shopping 5a Aenida / Piso: C – Loja: 31)
R. Alagoas, 1314 – Savassi, Belo Horizonte – MG, 30130-160

Workshop Instructor:

Rosangela is a native Brazilian who is fluent in English.

Workshop Fee:

Option One: Premade Kit
All materials included. You do not have a choice of the box shape and size or paper designs*.

Members: R$90 (includes coffee break)
Non Members: R$100 (includes coffee break)

*You may also bring your own images from home (magazine clippings, decorative papers, wrapping papers, photographs, etc).

Option Two: You Choose the Materials 

You choose the size and shape of the box (prices from R$7 to R$60 depending on the size) and your own paper (prices vary by design).

Members: R$40 + materials* (Includes coffee break)
Non Members: R$50  + materials* (Includes coffee break)

In addition to the box and paper, you will need to purchase:

Double Sided Tape (one narrow roll, one wide roll) = R$15.00
Glue (two types) = R$6.80
Ink Stamp = R$5.50
Gomalaca (if you choose an unlined box only)= $6.90
When buying the required materials, you will receive enough to share the materials with another person. Or, save the extra materials to complete a projects at home.

Approximate Total: $34.20 (-7% discount) plus cost of box and paper

*Materials:  All materials will be available for purchase at the workshop. The store has a wide variety of scrapbooking papers and decorative napkins that you may purchase. Participants will recieve a 7% discount.  You may also bring your own images from home (magazine clippings, decorative papers, wrapping papers, photographs, etc).

Maximum Number of Participants:

This workshop is limited to six people. Register today to ensure your spot!

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This isn’t a walk through the market.  

This is a journey through history, tradition and taste.

Join us for a very special tour of one of the most visited spots in Belo Horizonte, Mercado Central.  We’ll start with a few words from one of the market’s Administrators and then our English speaking host will guide us around giving us history and interesting facts.  We’ll stop at some of the most traditional and exceptional locations in the market and sample traditional cheeses, sweets, fruits and meats.

You may want to bring a shopping bag… it will be hard to resist buying a few goodies!

Stay for Lunch! 

After the tour everyone is invited to join us for lunch* at one of the most traditional locations in the market!

Register HERE

COST:

Minas International Members: R$5,00

Non-Members: R$15,00

*lunch is not included in the price of the tour. 

SPACE IS LIMITED TO 15!

WHERE:

Mercado Central.  We will meet at the Information Desk at the main entrance of the market which is located at:  Av. Augusto de Lima 744 – Centro – Belo Horizonte  30190-922

WHEN:

Friday, 7 June  -  10:00 – 12:00

PARKING:

Mercado Central has its own parking garage.  The entrance is on Av. Augusto de Lima.

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from http://christchurchreformed.com/

Oooh, bad picture from the cell phone...

Yet another bad picture from the cell...

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Brazil is not known for it's quality chocolate.  This is very odd to me, since cacau is from the Amazon.  Don't get me wrong: Brazilians love chocolate.  But for the most part, they like milk chocolate.  And less expensive, lower quality chocolate. I realize I'm speaking in generalizations, but go to any Lojas Americanas, and you'll find at least one whole row devoted to the following:

There's a reason it's called baton (lipstick).  Eww.

I bought a box of these on a recommendation, and gave it as a gift to my sister and family.  They said it was just bad chocolate.  I feel bad that their first exposure to a Brazilian product was bad chocolate!

In terms of candy bars, there are these:

Crunchy outside, nougat-ty middle.  Not bad, but cheap chocolate.  And sometimes the chocolate gets a little soft.  Not good.

Inexpensive milk chocolate with air bubbles.  Meh.

These are yummy.

But the WORST WORST WORST are these chocolate soccer balls.  My kids won't even eat them.  They are literally plastic.  We got a bunch at a birthday party, and I threw them all out today.

Yuck.

You can find good stuff.  Talento makes some dark chocolate bars.  I love chocolate bon-bons, like Seranata do Amor and Sonho de Valsa.  And Diamante Negro is good (crunchy toffee pieces in chocolate).

One thing I've noticed in our three years here, is the introduction of American candy bars into the mix.  First it was Snickers.  They were more expensive when they arrived, but now you can find them for R$1.49 (or so).  Then came Twix.  These also have gone down in price.  From a brief google search, it looks like they have been in Brazil since 2000 and 2001 respectively, but I didn't see them in Belo Horizonte until at least 2011.  Maybe I was just so absorbed with daily life and adjusting that I never noticed.  But it can be verified that  KitKat arrived in 2011, which is still about R$2.50.  And now I can find Milky Ways!  I used to eat a Milky Way a day in high school when I was playing volleyball.  Oh my.  What will arrive next?  

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http://www.nola.com/opinions/index.ssf/2010/08/tropical_depression_5_coming_b.html

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Our weekend was full of the fun things you do when you move house: cleaning, packing, unpacking, spending 3hrs in a supermarket, eating takeaways, arguing etc. And since then, trying to entertain myself without a TV or the Internet has been interesting. What did we do all those years ago?

The supermarket shop was an eye opener. We opted to go to Extra, which is possibly the biggest supermarket I’ve ever seen in my life. Soon after arriving I noticed a young boy, maybe 11 years old, following me and my husband around. When I caught his eye he would be wide-eyed and smiling, like he had seen some strange amusing creature for the first time. Apparently, either I look really weird to him (blonde & pale-skinned is less common in BH) or he had never witnessed a couple speaking in English before. He seemed mesmerised and hours later, when we were paying for our two trollies-worth, he went and asked my husband what my name was. I’m not sure what the fascination was, but I’m always happy to entertain! I feel I can now empathise with animals in the zoo…

I also finally got to buy groceries for myself, and this too was pretty different compared to back home. We bought some salmon, wrapped in a polystyrene tray with cling film, which leaked stinky fish juice all over the bags on the way home. We bought a roll of cling film and when I came to use it, I found it has no box or anything provided to tear a piece off (I find this kind of thing infuriating!). We bought several different types of biscuits I had never tried before – all delicious – and several different brands of pão de queijo, to officially launch my ‘Project Cheese Bread’, ie finding the very best pão de queijo. I am looking forward to that

One thing that is really great here, is that the supermarkets no longer give out plastic bags for your shopping. You have to bring your own, or buy their reusable bags. I know they have been trying to encourage this in the UK too but with limited success. You do have to be organised though and remember your bags, otherwise fork out for new ones.

One thing we came across in the supermarket that didn’t find its way into my trolley was this – a bag of frozen chicken hearts! I am learning to try new things, but my stomach is just not strong enough for these.

Chicken hearts

Now that we’re living on our own again for the first time in nearly a year, we have to remember how to cook! On tonight’s menu, chicken stroganoff. Wish me luck!

Edited with BlogPad Pro

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On June 1, 2013, we continue our Minas International visits to the new museums that are part of the Circuito Cultural Praça da Liberdade. From 2:00 – 3:30 we will tour the Memorial Minas Gerais Vale, which presents a fun, interactive slice of Minas Gerais history and culture.

Tour to be conducted in English.

Register HERE for the tour!

More information about the museum available on the Circuito Cultural website.

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