A Bikini for International Women's Day

The boy woke up at 6:30am, so, a perfect time to hit the beach. I set him up with a pile of toys and spent a good 10 minutes completely still, camera in hand, waiting to take a shot of a little crab that kept darting in and out of his hole in the sand. He was very camera shy, so I never did manage to get a shot of him. Meanwhile, a long pink line of early risers like us were power-walking on the sidewalk. I confirmed with one sweaty woman: "Voces tem as roupas rosas porque hoje e o dia da mulher?" My choppy Portuguese surprisingly understood, she responded, Yes! We're wearing pink because it's International Women's Day today."

So what does a mom like me do on International Women's Day?

1. Put on the only pink thing I have: a beautiful necklace from my friend Christy.
2. Get in the car for the first time and drive it out of the underground parking without scratching it. (Major challenge)
3. Drive myself and the kid to our first playdate without hitting motorcycles and getting lost. (Nerve-racking)
3. Manage to park the car in a safe place. (Miracle)
4. Chit chat for a few hours with a wonderful woman from Melbourne, Australia who is in Rio for a few years with her husband and her three year old son while the boys played in the park. (My boy was mad with excitement)
5. Share tons of ideas and information, encouragement and good laughs with our new friends.
6. Use my credit card successfully at the market, buy a bottle wine which sadly turns out to be gross, and head home to make dinner.

Not bad, eh? I was pretty proud of myself. Back home this would be a breeze. Something I would never think twice about, but here, this simple outing took a bit of courage. Tomorrow, to top off this celebration, I'm going to buy a Brazilian bikini. My Canadian mommy bathing suit is just ridiculous. I'm not sure if it's the white skin or the bathing suit that makes me stick out as if I showed up to the beach in a 3 piece suit, but it's gotta go before I get some serious Neapolitan icecream tan lines. Happy International Women's Day.