Wednesday, December 27, 2006
Ninguém
Here's an interesting and somewhat depressing text which I can relate to at times...
“A rua estava fria. Era sábado ao anoitecer mas eu estava chegando e não saindo. Passei no bar e comprei um maço de cigarros.Vinte cigarros. Eram os vinte amigos que iam passar a noite comigo.
Ninguém
“A rua estava fria. Era sábado ao anoitecer mas eu estava chegando e não saindo. Passei no bar e comprei um maço de cigarros.Vinte cigarros. Eram os vinte amigos que iam passar a noite comigo.
A porta se fechou como uma despedida para a rua,mas a porta sempre se fechava assim. Ela se fechou com um som abafado e rouco. Mas era sempre assim que ela se fechava. Um som que parecia o adeus de um condenado. Mas a porta simplesmente se fechara e ela sempre se fechara assim. Todos os dias ela se fechava assim.
Acender o fogo,esquentar o arroz,fritar um ovo. A gordura estala e espirra ferindo minhas mãos. A comida estava boa. Estava realmente boa,embora tenha ficado quase a metade no prato. Havia uma casquinha de ovo e pensei em pedir-me desculpas por isso. Sorri com esse pensamento. Acho que sorri. Devo ter sorrido. Era só uma casquinha.
Busquei no silêncio da copa algum inseto mas eles já haviam todos adormecido para a manhã de domingo. Então eu falei em voz alta. Precisava ouvir alguma coisa e falei em voz alta. Foi só uma frase banal. Se houvesse alguém perto diria que eu estava ficando doido. Eu sorriria. Mas não havia ninguém. Eu podia dizer o que quisesse. Não havia ninguém para me ouvir. Eu podia rolar no chão,ficar nu,arrancar os cabelos, gemer, chorar,soluçar,perder a fala,não havia ninguém para me ver.Ninguém para me ouvir.Não havia ninguém. Eu podia até morrer.
De manhã o padeiro me perguntou se estava tudo bom. Eu sorri e disse que estava. Na rua o vizinho me perguntou se estava tudo certo. Eu disse que sim e sorri. Também meu patrão me perguntou e eu sorrindo disse que sim. Veio a tarde e meu primo me perguntou se estava tudo em paz e eu sorri dizendo que estava. Depois uma conhecida me perguntou se estava tudo azul e eu sorri e disse que sim,estava,tudo azul.”
(Luiz Vilela, 1977)
Labels: Door #1: The Brazil Experience
Monday, December 25, 2006
Despedidas e Ano Novo
The past couple of days have been sitting at home and staring blankly in front of the computer screen... The things I've done lately were eating, listening to music while checking for new e-mails (none of which were personally directed to me), replying to Orkut scraps, watching Gilmore Girls on my laptop, more eating, practising the guitar, eating again and basically a whole of nothing and eating in between. Currently I have the apartment all to myself. My housemate/landlady left for the beach last Wednesday with the dog, which means that for the past week I've been blissfully alone and free. I've been taking advantage of the absences of the woman and especially the little terror dog. In fact I'm starting to wonder if I'm one of those undesirable housemates. I'm guilty to admit that after she left I had a party the next day and I've moved all the goods from the apartment into my own room like the fan, stereo, computer speakers.. Of course I cleaned up (as much as I'm willing to ;) after the party , and hopefully by the time she returns, I will have put the stuff back in their original places.
Re: Napkins
I've seen two types of napkins here they put out in lanchonetes (cafeteria, snack bar type places for quick grubs). The first type being these incredibly thin and waxy pieces of paper and the second is these sheets of actual paper, which is painfully rough on the mouth. I don't recommend neither but given the two I'd prefer the first type, which is most commonly used. I use at least 20 of these just to eat a sandwhich 'cuz I'm a messy eater. The conclusion: these napkins are completely inefficient when serving to wipe food and grease off your lips and fingers, however completely useful if you have an oily face to wipe down (like I do) with the thin waxy napkin or if you need to jot something down, the paper sheet napkin is always good.
Re: Farewells
Last week I headed to São Paulo to see 2 trainees from Eypt and Slovakia who worked in Florianopólis, approximately 10 hrs drive from here. Younes, the Egyptian from the city of Alexandria, left on Sunday to go back to his country. I met the two guys at the Reception Weekend in Rio de Janeiro back in June, and then again in Florianopólis in October and last weekened would be the last time I would ever get to see them here in Brazil. At least this year anyway... It's funny how we've only met a few times but seems like we've been friends a long time. I guess being the foreigners we are in this strange land automatically connects us and bring us closer faster. It is always sad to say goodbye, and I've had to say goodbye to quite a number of people already. In 2 days Mac, my "brother" here will be leaving as well :'''(
Re: New Years
Saturday I'll go to Rio to spend about a week there before I fly to Fortaleza on Jan. 4. On New Year's Eve (Reveillon) I'll be joining 2 million others in Copacabana for the celebration. The Reveillon in Copacabana is known for its music shows and fireworks. This year Black Eyed Peas will be performing on the beach, and it's tradition for people to dress all in white and to go into the water to jump 7 waves for good luck. Am very excited to be heading back to Rio again :o)
Re: Napkins
I've seen two types of napkins here they put out in lanchonetes (cafeteria, snack bar type places for quick grubs). The first type being these incredibly thin and waxy pieces of paper and the second is these sheets of actual paper, which is painfully rough on the mouth. I don't recommend neither but given the two I'd prefer the first type, which is most commonly used. I use at least 20 of these just to eat a sandwhich 'cuz I'm a messy eater. The conclusion: these napkins are completely inefficient when serving to wipe food and grease off your lips and fingers, however completely useful if you have an oily face to wipe down (like I do) with the thin waxy napkin or if you need to jot something down, the paper sheet napkin is always good.
Re: Farewells
Last week I headed to São Paulo to see 2 trainees from Eypt and Slovakia who worked in Florianopólis, approximately 10 hrs drive from here. Younes, the Egyptian from the city of Alexandria, left on Sunday to go back to his country. I met the two guys at the Reception Weekend in Rio de Janeiro back in June, and then again in Florianopólis in October and last weekened would be the last time I would ever get to see them here in Brazil. At least this year anyway... It's funny how we've only met a few times but seems like we've been friends a long time. I guess being the foreigners we are in this strange land automatically connects us and bring us closer faster. It is always sad to say goodbye, and I've had to say goodbye to quite a number of people already. In 2 days Mac, my "brother" here will be leaving as well :'''(
Re: New Years
Saturday I'll go to Rio to spend about a week there before I fly to Fortaleza on Jan. 4. On New Year's Eve (Reveillon) I'll be joining 2 million others in Copacabana for the celebration. The Reveillon in Copacabana is known for its music shows and fireworks. This year Black Eyed Peas will be performing on the beach, and it's tradition for people to dress all in white and to go into the water to jump 7 waves for good luck. Am very excited to be heading back to Rio again :o)
Labels: Door #1: The Brazil Experience
Tuesday, December 19, 2006
Day Two Hundred and Seventy
In October I changed my flight back to Vancouver from January 2 to March 6. Since then I've been having mixed feelings about my presence in Brazil. Overall, I'm really happy to get the chance to stay longer here, the place where people sweetly sway to the rhythm of xote and energetically jump to the festive beats of axé.. the place where human interaction is so warmed by physical contacts. Speaking of which, I'm actually comfortable now to 'make the rounds' when arriving in a room full of Brazilians, where I say my hellos and greet everyone with a kiss or two on the cheek, and then again when saying goodbye. This can be quite a long process depending on the type of event you're attending and the status of your relationship with the people you are meeting with. But now if I were to only utter a mere "hi" or "bye" it just seems so cold and impolite on my part. Will certainly miss the kiss and greet part of the culture very very much.
But after spending nearly 9 months at the same place, it's inevitable to fall into a routine. A routine so mundane and which at times makes me feel so incredibly bored, alone, frustrated, unproductive, and easily irritable<--or what others may perceive as PMS! I'm not sure if I'm starting to take this experience for granted, or maybe that there's just this question in the back of my mind that is wondering: Am I where I'm supposed to be? Hmm.. it's a tough call. All I know is that Eu quero voltar mas não quero sair regarding returning back home and leaving Brazil :'(
Can't believe I've been here for almost 9 months.. Como o tempo voa!!
Re: Some News Events
(A Violência em Sampa)
May thru July - PCC in São Paulo: First Command of the Capital (Primeiro Comando da Capital), the regional criminal organization, ordered attacks throughout the capital and surrounding cities, as well as several places from states of Rio de Janeiro, Bahia, Mato Grosso do Sul, and Paraná. Attacks included riots in prisons, shooting of police officers, and setting fire to buses. More than 200 people were killed during this period.
(O Brasil na Copa)
June & July - FIFA World Cup: The craze began way before the start of Brazil's first game in the cup on June 13 against Croatia during the first stage of the championship. Streets were decorated in green and yellow, parties and churrascos were underway, faces of Brazilian soccer players appeared on every ad and billboard and in every place in Brazil. Despite the many star players on the team, Brazil made it only to quarter-finals, where they lost 0-1 to France on July 1. Brazil remains 5 time World Cup Champions (Pentacampeão and not the Hexa Brasil as the entire nation had hoped) and the winner of the 2006 cup was Italy, 4 time champion, winning against France 5-3 in the penalties.
The Games and Scores:
Jun 13 Brazil vs. Croatia 1-0 (Stage 1: Group Matches - Group F)
Jun 18 Brazil vs. Australia 2-0 (Stage 1: Group Matches - Group F)
Jun 22 Brazil vs. Japan 4-1 (Stage 1: Group Matches - Group F)
Jun 27 Brazil vs. Ghana 3-0 (Stage 2: Round of 16)
Jul 01 Brazil vs. France 0-1 (Stage 2: Quarter-Finals)
(O Acidente do Vôo 1907)
September - Air Accident: 154 people were killed in the crash of Gol Airline's flight 1907 when the plane collided with a jet heading to the U.S. Two American pilots flew the new business jet built by Embraer out of São José dos Campos and the collision occurred midair over the Amazon region.
(A Eleição Presidential)
October - Presidential Election: On October 29, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, known as Lula, of the Worker's Party (PT - Partido dos Trabalhadores) was re-elected for a 2nd term as Brazil's president. In the second round of the election, Lula gained over 60% of the votes against his opponent, Geraldo Alckmin of the Brazilian Social Democracy Party (PSDB - Partido da Social Democracia Brasileira).
Re: Some Personal Events
March - Arrived in Brazil on March 25. Began my travelling madness.
April - Travel to the beaches on the coast of Sao Paulo State, to Sao Paulo city, to Itajubá in Minas Gerais. First time kayaking.
May - Moved to new apartment. Travel to Santos
June - Travel to Rio where the cariocas meet the foreigners from Egypt, Slovakia, Nigeria, Serbia, Poland, Colombia, Australia, Canada/Taiwan, Canada/Hong Kong, Canada/Ukraine, and Just Canada (yes, this IS what it means to be a Canadian!). Underwent culture shocks.
July - Travel to Caragua, Ubatuba, Rio, Salvador, Recife, Sao Paulo...
August - Travel to Canada for Sister's wedding!!!! Experienced the Portuguese expression: Saudades (meaning something like 'Longing'.. I missed my family like never before).
September - Travel to Parati and Trindad, two of the most beautiful places in Brazil ever.
October - Travel to Santa Catarina State in Blumenau and Florianopolis with 5 people packed in a tiny VW rental car. Best road trip by far ;o)
November - Travel to Curitiba. First time surfing? (I couldn't manage to stand on the board, not even close!) First time birthday in the Spring season on November 21. First time karting (4th place, racing against 6 other people). Underwent more culture shocks of communication.
December - This is a month of parties: grad parties, conference parties, goodbye parties, end-of-the-year parties, staff parties, holiday and secret friend parties, plus more parties to come..
It's impossible to know what returning back home in March will be like. Somehow it seems intimidating yet relieving at the same time. For now I think I'm just gonna stop with the initial complaints about feeling bored, alone, frustrated, etc. and will try to make the best of what is left of my internship. 51: Uma boa idéa.!
Curitiba: Me and the South African Curitibano White Boy ;o)
At the students' environmental project exibition: garbage in the water
The girls and their crafts from the Bamboo Project
The boys working hard to build their Sustainable House
The High School Graduation Party: My collegues and me
(One of the best parties ever!)
The University Grad Party: Ad much for Prom Night?
Re: Some Personal Events
March - Arrived in Brazil on March 25. Began my travelling madness.
April - Travel to the beaches on the coast of Sao Paulo State, to Sao Paulo city, to Itajubá in Minas Gerais. First time kayaking.
May - Moved to new apartment. Travel to Santos
June - Travel to Rio where the cariocas meet the foreigners from Egypt, Slovakia, Nigeria, Serbia, Poland, Colombia, Australia, Canada/Taiwan, Canada/Hong Kong, Canada/Ukraine, and Just Canada (yes, this IS what it means to be a Canadian!). Underwent culture shocks.
July - Travel to Caragua, Ubatuba, Rio, Salvador, Recife, Sao Paulo...
August - Travel to Canada for Sister's wedding!!!! Experienced the Portuguese expression: Saudades (meaning something like 'Longing'.. I missed my family like never before).
September - Travel to Parati and Trindad, two of the most beautiful places in Brazil ever.
October - Travel to Santa Catarina State in Blumenau and Florianopolis with 5 people packed in a tiny VW rental car. Best road trip by far ;o)
November - Travel to Curitiba. First time surfing? (I couldn't manage to stand on the board, not even close!) First time birthday in the Spring season on November 21. First time karting (4th place, racing against 6 other people). Underwent more culture shocks of communication.
December - This is a month of parties: grad parties, conference parties, goodbye parties, end-of-the-year parties, staff parties, holiday and secret friend parties, plus more parties to come..
It's impossible to know what returning back home in March will be like. Somehow it seems intimidating yet relieving at the same time. For now I think I'm just gonna stop with the initial complaints about feeling bored, alone, frustrated, etc. and will try to make the best of what is left of my internship. 51: Uma boa idéa.!
Curitiba: Me and the South African Curitibano White Boy ;o)
At the students' environmental project exibition: garbage in the water
The girls and their crafts from the Bamboo Project
The boys working hard to build their Sustainable House
The High School Graduation Party: My collegues and me(One of the best parties ever!)
The University Grad Party: Ad much for Prom Night?Labels: Door #1: The Brazil Experience
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