Last days of summer vacation - São Paulo

Sun over the yard-arm at 11 am.

It comes with great regret that I must inform you that today is the last day of my kids' summer vacation. Tomorrow they begin the second half of Year 2. Silent cheering is expected and pre-approved.

On one of the last days of vacation, the kids had soccer at 10:30 in the morning. This is not their usual field but the regular classes don't start for another two weeks. The "temporary" field had a bar (closed) and a really nice looking large beer cooler (locked) next to it. My dad mentioned to another kid's father that it was so hot out that morning, he wished he could have a beer. Dad was (mostly) joking.

Two minutes later this kid's father had called over the secretary of the soccer school and asked her if there was any way to get the beer. She said that the area was run by a separate organization and she couldn't help. So we laughed about wanting a beer at 10:30 in the morning and then started chatting about other stuff.

At 11 am, a large really cold beer with two glasses appeared on our table. The secretary had seen the bar guy arriving with a delivery and asked him to open up the cooler. The waiter smiled and served the beer, not blinking an eye at the hour. I declined to participate as I was driving four kids to my house at 11:30. So this father and my father toasted the end of summer, the soccer boys, and, I suppose, life in general.

Add another to the list of things I will miss about Brazil. No, not the beer at 10:30 am. The Brazilian folks who want to accommodate you no matter what you ask for at whatever hour. 

This would never happen in the US. Beer at 10:30 am, locked bar? No.