At the time I’m writing this post, kids going home from school are walking down my street; I mean, the few who had the courage to leave home this morning to face the rain and the extremely cold (though lovely) weather – a cold front is currently moving through Brazil, making it impossible to wash the dishes without several layers of gloves on each hand.

For those of you reading this post in the north of the world, 13ºC and a light rain might not seem like a big deal, but for Brazilians it is a challenge to be faced. The houses here, even those in the South, have no heating system – the heaters we do have are portable and only work for one room at a time. One is cheap, although it consumes a lot of energy, and the other one is considerably more expensive and not that effective, but it keeps the electricity bill at a normal level.

I’m using a hairdryer at night to turn my bed from an ice cube into a bearable place to try to sleep. The expensive heater was in my plans, you know, but I’ve been tight on money this year. Just hope my heart (with a possible genetic condition) is strong enough to keep my entire body warm this year – the cancer was successfully removed, though.

Anne Rios

[ not an actual writer ]