Mastering Havaianas

When I was a boy I wore flip flops pretty much only when taking a shower at summer camp or in family campground public showers.  They were not regular footwear.

Since moving to Brazil I have worn Havaianas (flip flops) pretty much 80% of the time.  To the beach, to the grocery store, to the dentist, to the park, to the shopping mall, to the cardiologist, to the bakery – you get the idea.

At first my toes were sore.  Not being a flip flop guy, I was forever afraid they would separate from my feet, so I would scrunch my toes to try and hold on to the flimsy footwear.  

As for the locals – it is amazing to watch people in flip flops run, scramble up a hillside, work a construction site, navigate the rocky shore at the beach, you name it.

Nowadays I’ve gotten much better – much more unconscious – when wearing my Havaianas.  My toes are no longer scrunching to hold on to our connection.

I take it as a sign of assimilation.