I am so grateful for the bus driver

Eliza has been begging me to pick her up early from school for days, so I told her I would come get her today from school.
My first mistake was driving to pick up Carli too. I figured it would be easiest to pick up Carli first at 11:50 and then keep going to Eliza's school.
Well I should have walked instead of driven. The school is only about 2 blocks from our house. The school has a little 1/2 circle turn around area that can fit up to 3 cars and then 2 parking spots in front of the school. Never having driven I figured I should leave early. The car that is usually the first on in the round a round is a big white SUV that belongs to a set of grandparents who pick up a set of twins from Eliza's class everyday. I think almost every day I have walked to get her their car was the first one parked in the round a round and they always pulled all the way forward.
Well today that was not the case!!!! First the big white SUV was parked in the middle of the round a round and then there were cones out front blocking off the 2 other parking spots.
I was the third car to arrive for pick up. The white SUV who was in the middle of the round a round and then another car that the security guard told to pull straight in so they could fit two cars in the round a round. He then explained to me that a bus was coming and needed to park in front of the school, so that's why the cones were in front of the school which left me without a parking spot. Remember he told me this all in Portuguese, so it was only the gist I could get. I have seen the school bus pull up before along side cars, so I couldn't figure out why the school bus need it's own parking spot today, but he told me to pull into the taxi cab spot for 5 minutes.
I thought at first that the white SUV had pulled in when another car was already parked in front and then they got out and that is why the car was just sitting there. I couldn't figure out why he just didn't go get the grandfather to move the car forward. That would have solved the problem of me needing a parking spot.  I figured he didn't want to bother.
Well that wasn't the case at ALL!!!! The grandfather was sitting in the car the whole time watching the whole scene and DIDN'T move his car?!?!?! Why!?!?! How knows! As soon as I got out of my car (parked illegally in the taxi cab spot) he got out of the SUV to go in and get his grand kids. His wife was already waiting inside because she has to be first in line.
When the bus showed up it wasn't a school bus (which are little vans) BUT A HUGE tour bus! No wonder he was saving it a spot! Why it was coming right at pick up time is also a mystery?
Luckily it all worked out, but really did it have to be so complicated!
I think that's the last time I drive to get her unless it's pouring rain!
Then we continued on to Eliza's school which is about 1 mile from Carli's school. I wish I had a camera on my head to take pictures of every things that happens so I could show you a picture of what happened next. There was some road construction on the left side of the road going up the hill towards the school. Plus remember it's school let out time for most of the schools because most are only 1/2 day, so it's crazy because there are quite a few schools close to Eliza's. Plus people are driving to lunch.
Driving in Sao Paulo is pretty much like Mario Cart! Who ever gets their first wins and lanes are optional. I thought people drove aggressively in LA and rudely in Chicago, but Sao Paulo raises the bar!!!!  If you see a cars noes come out in traffic there is about a 80% chance the car is going to dart out in front of you even if there isn't room and you are driving down the road at 35mph. A driver in Sao Paulo thinks any break in traffic (even only a few feet) means you can merge right in! Also if there isn't any room when you are turning left or right turn anyway and make a new lane some how it will all work out! Also there are many intersections that don't have any stops signs for either direction, so it's really a big game of chicken. For that matter stop signs are optional anyway. (must people use them like a yield sign) The only thing that really has power to stop traffic are traffic lights and that's not 100% of the time. So pretty much there aren't any rules!
Okay back to the story....because of the road construction the road was really crowded. There is an intersection where the roads don't line up in a straight line, so you kind of have to turn slightly right to go straight. Well I have to admit I might have been in the intersection a little bit when the light red, because I was following the flow of traffic and trying to not get stuck. There were cars in front of me and behind me. The light turned green and a lady in a big black car who needed to go through the intersection decided to go even thought the intersection was full of cars. WHAT! She pulled right out in front of me. I still have no idea how she didn't hit me. I am sure she was only inches from my front bumper. Miraculous she some how made it thought the intersection and another car decided if she was going for it they could too. It really needs a picture to do the whole story justice!
Once we got up the hill the traffic was much better and we got to Eliza's school without any problem. I pulled in front of Gretta's school to park. There are only about 3 spots in front of the school. We had to wait a few minutes for Eliza because she was finishing lunch.
Then once again we were on our way home in traffic.  Picking up both kids took me over 1 hour. I could have walked faster!!!! I am even more GRATEFUL for the girls bus driver after today. I can't imagine being her and drive kids around in crazy traffic all day. I also can't imagine driving all the girls to and from school each day and making extra trips now that Gretta is taking swimming after school on Monday and Wednesday. Right now on most days my "carpool" duty consists of going down the elevator and walking the 200 meters to the front gate and waiting for the kids to get off the bus and then going back up the elevator. Instead of feeling like I am in my car all day like at home I feel like I am in the elevator all day! LOL


ps. After I picked up Eliza we went to the uniform store to buy the girls sweat shirts and Eliza a pair of pants. I am proud to report that we made it there and back without any problem and were able to get what we need even without being able to talk with the sales clerk. (Luckily it wasn't my first time there.)  I am so glad I didn't order the stuff online because the sizes seem so random. Eliza wears size 8 shirts and shorts, and dress so I figured a size 8 of the pants and sweat shirt would fit her. I was wrong. She end up with a size 4 sweat shirt and size 6 pants! Gretta's sweatshirt is a little big, but it will work. Now that I finally got them some warmer clothes I am sure it will be 80 degrees n next week instead of the cool 60 degrees and rain we have had all this week. Oh well it's only getting colder in Michigan.