16 February 2011

Piracanga: Two Weeks In

PiracangaWe have been here only a fortnight, yet have settled in quite quickly. Piracanga has given us what we felt was missing from life in a big city like Buenos Aires: intimacy; clean air; an outdoor life; a sense of community; greater sociability; child interaction for Zenchai; more freedom.

It’s not perfect – and what place is? – but it feels more like home each day. Such a life requires an adjustment, especially when you have arrived from some place busy. You can feel lost in the early days.

Our Romanian friends who live with us call it ‘Piracanga Syndrome’. I didn’t have much difficulty adjusting. After a year travelling, I find it much easier to settle. I enjoy silence and introspectiveness. Piracanga, being so tranquil, has offered me that.

There is nature everywhere. It looks like the Garden of Eden. There is no rush to life. We try not to live by the clock, but, ironically, had to buy one – to ensure Zenchai gets to school on time and we make it for lunch at 1pm and dinner at 7pm.

Piracanga childrenI’d prefer not eat by the clock, though. Some days I don’t even feel hungry when food is served. But I eat because, for now, the restaurant is our only food source. Next month, when we move into a beautiful house to ourselves, we shall cater more for ourselves.

However, that will mean more frequent trips to Itacare. That’s not a problem, though. The mosquitos are a nuisance, however – particularly for Zenchai. He gets nibbled on every night. They don’t seem to like me as much. And Zenchai can’t stop scratching. That’s the worst part.

Mosquitos are something you have to get used to. This is their land. They were here first. We are the invaders. The other species don’t trouble me at all – even the family of bats that flap around in our bedroom sometimes in the early morning. Actually, I can only marvel at how brilliant they are at flying at great speed in darkness.

Piracanga riverZenchai isn’t scared either. He’s really comfortable outside playing in the sand, bushes and under the trees. This is a world of great discovery for him. And he’s delighted with himself for learning to dive underwater, even if he can’t yet swim.

The river, especially at low tide, is the perfect place to learn. He has found a new friend, a five-year-old girl from Canada. She came at the perfect time, because his other buddy, a young boy from Greece, returned home.

Stella, the girl, is here only for another week. Zenchai will have to grow used to people coming and going. It’s the same for Jamie and I. We have met some fabulous people. There are groups arriving all the time.

P1010007At present there is a 65-strong contingent of Moksha yoga teacher trainers. But learning to accept that nothing stays the same is a great lesson in life. If you resist, everything feels much harder. Here, we try to go with the flow, which isn’t the same as conformity, but is about sailing smoothly through what each day brings you, be it ‘good’ or ‘bad’.

I’ve found it easier to devote time and attention to Zenchai. It’s an important time for him, what with starting school and a sibling on the way. He seems more contented than in the city, where he was being dragged around. Here he often goes out and plays by himself and we don’t see him for a long time. He even ventures to school by himself.

We don’t have any reason to worry for his safety. It’s a comforting feeling. That doesn’t mean Piracanga – long-term – is the place for us, but that is the type of environment we have been searching for in order to raise our children. I think every parent would like that.

Piracanga riverTalking of ‘our children’, everyone seems to think we are having a girl. The track record in Piracanga suggests that will be the case. Of the eight children born here, the first was a boy and the last seven all female.

Jamie is doing well and was growing so large several people thought she was carrying twins. She is definitely larger at this stage second time around. Three other women are due to birth around the same time in mid-April (two of whom have confirmation they are indeed having girls, too).

The midwife is going to have her hands full!

Claude Abrams
By Claude Abrams
16 Feb 2011 10:37:10 | Beaches, Brazil, Buenos Aires, Argentina, Bugs, Children's Activities, Food and Drink, Insects, Itacare, Brazil, Kids, Living Abroad, Outdoor Play Abroad, Piracanga, Brazil, Pregnant Abroad, Restaurants, Tales from Abroad, Travelling As A Family, Travelling with Children, Travelling With Spouse, Vegan Food, Zenchai

21 Comments

Chelly

When we were island living the mosquitos loves my little girl too. My husband made raw coconut oil and I added eucalyptus and lemon grass essential oils to it. Worked great and the lemon grass smells so good. There's also some other good oils to add to it, but I'm not sure of what they are.

You can also grow lemon grass around your home and your garden and it will help keep them away.

Looks like a wonderful place. I noticed people are barefoot, is the grass soft there? When we were living in the south pacific, the grass was rough and prickly so we always had to have foot covering.

What's the cost of living there, if you dont mind me asking?

Posted by: Chelly | 17 February 2011 at 04:07 AM

Claude

Hi Chelly. Thanks for the tip. We've tried just about every natural remedy and they keep biting. It seems they like some people more than others. Zenchai gets bitten a lot and I don't. We move to a new place next month and they have lemon grass growing, so we shall try that. Piracanga is a wonderful place. There is some grass, but not much. Some of it is prickly and in the sand the roots coming through can be prickly also. I'm putting up a post soon about barefoot running. The cost of living here? With food and accommodation, you could live here for about £1,000 per month. Not bad for having the ocean on your doorstep and wonderful weather.

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