Eco-solidário

The NGO, or ONG, is like my second home. I love everyone who works there, especially now that I can have actual conversations with them. I have been learning a lot with the NGO, getting to know how Brazilians view environmental sustainability and learning about the political processes required to get things done. Things here are not as regulated, and Brazilians are much more forward thinking. I came to work, and I've learned that Brazil is much more advanced than the U.S. in terms of the widespread use of environmental habits and technology. Most Brazilians I have met separate their trash according to material so that it's ready to be recycled or sent to decompose (plastics, glass, paper, organic, metal). To them, it isn't this great effort or change in lifestyle. It's just the way things are done. Eco-Solidário hosted a lecture last week, and the speaker discussed air quality in the city and ways to ameliorate and maintain clean air. She brought with her some items that were made completely out of recycled materials, like yarn, thread, blankets (that were made of soda bottles and really soft!), Italian-made bio-degradable "plastic" bags made of corn starch, and other remarkable items. Below is a photo of Silvana, me, the mayor of São José, and Renata. Yup, that's right. The mayor and I, we like to chill every once in a while....

Last month, I went to a press conference, where I met the mayor of São José dos Campos. The conference was held for a public housing project of several thousand unit,s on which solar panels would be installed for the purpose of heating water. Apparently, heating water consumes the largest amount of electricity in most homes. I noticed that in a lot of houses here, they have these contraptions on their showers that have an option to heat the water with the sun, which produces luke-warm water good enough for a shower. In the States, I feel like there are so many obstacles when trying new methods of construction, especially when it comes to public housing, since you have to rely on others for funding. Here, the government builds the housing directly, whereas in Philadelphia, it seems that most public housing projects are facilitated by community organizations.

Here I am being diplomatic with the mayor. Actually I was probably just using my hands to explain where I live in relation to New York.

To be honest, I have my doubts about the public housing built here, at least the projects I have seen. They may be more advanced in terms of technology and environmental sustainability, however, the houses are usually made of simple cinder blocks, have a square floor plan, are single-story, and laid out in a grid. The land is usually cleared of all trees, grass, and vegetation, leaving a dusty dirt foundation. You can spot a public housing project from miles away. Dusty villages of identical roofed boxes, each built from the same lego instructions. At least these projects have more access to services than favelas. In São Paulo, I saw favelas built along the sides of highway structures, with garbage literally flowing into the river.

Speaking of garbage, everyone in the NGO went to Rio together to check out this new waste management technology at a plant called UsinaVerde. It is located within the campus of Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro.


Apparently, it is a cleaner way to burn garbage and produce cinder blocks out of the ash that results. Before the garbage makes its way to the incinerator, all the metal pieces are pulled out by workers as it moves along a conveyor belt. I didn’t quite understand the process, but it seemed that very little ash was extracted from a much larger amount of garbage, and that the engineers were not monitoring the amount of carbon being emitted from the smoke stack. We’re not sure that this is the right technology to bring to São José. To me, it seemed that the plant appeared clean and contained because it was small, experimental version. I’m not sure where the garbage was coming from, but it clearly was a very small portion of the city. If the plant were magnified by the amount necessary for an entire city, who knows how much of an environmental impact it would have, especially on the air.

Yesterday, I went to São Luiz de Paraitinga for the arts and crafts project with the women there. We were accompanied by a craftsman who works primarily with bamboo. So Bamboo-man brought his portfolio, along with magazine clippings of his work. He makes these beautiful planters, fountains, chairs, hammocks, and pagodas completely out of bamboo. They were so nice that for a second, I wanted to be a bamboo craftsperson too! On my first visit to the countryside, I noticed that there were bamboo groves naturally growing beside the road. My first thought was that the area has so much biological diversity: palm trees beside bamboo groves beside pine trees and grasses. We took a walk with the women and one young man who seemed particularly interested in the project. The idea is to get the community to harvest the bamboo and learn to make products that they can sell to them city folk. Although teaching arts and crafts to the women has been a positive experience for everyone, the bamboo project would give them a trade that could last for a long time, a more sustainable occupation that does rely on the NGO coming out every week with bundles of yarn and other materials. They could learn to plant new bamboo shoots and work with the bamboo they have while waiting for their new shoots to grow. Bamboo-man explained that bamboo is one of those crops that is cut down regularly but never really planted. China has depleted a lot of its bamboo, mostly for exportation to the U.S. and Europe. Bamboo-man is willing to teach the community how to use the bamboo, starting out small of course. The giant bamboo is absolutely amazing, and hopefully the community values these natural resources. Unfortunately, the women seem to have trouble looking at the big picture. When they saw Bamboo-man’s goods, they could only talk about how nice the pieces would look in their homes, naturally, rather than considering the benefits they could reap from this new project. Below are photos of some of the women and their children with Silvana and Renata, and my hand touching one of the giant bamboo stalks.


It’s interesting for me to experience economic development through the arts in another country, since that is also New Kensington’s thing. My supervisor, Marcos, explained that it was an easy project to come up with because it is human nature to like beautiful things. There will always be a market for the arts.

People here, and probably in other countries, have this twisted notion that there is no poverty in the U.S. I have actually been asked, "Are there poor people in the U.S.?" and they stand there open-eyed and surprised to hear the truth. Or they assume that everyone receives aid from the government, like it's a no-brainer. They think that all Americans are middle-class citizens. Sure, we don't have slums, so poverty here perhaps takes a different form, but hungry is hungry in any country. Most of what they know of the U.S. is from images they’ve seen through the movies, T.V. shows, the media, etc, so I blame the proponents of these images. I suppose Brazilians are as misinformed about the U.S. as Americans are about Brazil. Apparently I am helping to dissolve some of those stereotypes by not being an "obese, blond, arrogant American with ugly clothing," also another preconception they had. I was also asked to clear up a misconception about Brazilians: everyone, Brazilians do not live in the jungle! I know you were thinking that they all lived in the Amazon and took breaks only to play soccer or be fanatical soccer fans or wear thong bikinis and celebrate Carneval, but no, it's not true. Phew...glad we cleared that one up. But in all seriousness, I would take a second before assuming anything about anyone. Some of the kids I have met here, who are on their way to earning the best educations in their respective countries, have gone to the U.S., working very regular jobs to temporarily earn money and learn English. This one kid, who is at the best engineering college in Brasil worked in the U.S. cleaning hotels, and then worked in a Subway. My friend from Mexico (a lawyer-to-be) worked as a maid in Arizona cleaning the humble abodes of the most affluent families, who would sincerely ask, "Where is Mexico?" or amicably comment, "Oh, nice. You're studying law? Oh....to bad it's in Mexico." So here I am, asking my fellow compatriots to please stop making a bad name for us! I have to constantly defend my nationality by insisting that just because I am ethnically Korean, it does not mean that I am a foreigner in the U.S. It is the only country I have ever known. But after saying this, I don't always feel so proud.

Selva de Pedra aka Sao Paulo

So I finally spent some time in Sao Paulo. The first time I came, I only went to the government palace, so I didn’t get a good sense of what the city was like. This weekend, Priscila and I stayed with Rafael, the ex-boyfriend of a friend of a friend of Priscila’s (literally). Brazilians are so hospitable and friendly to foreigners that I haven’t spent a single cent on accommodations. How sweet it is. Rafael is a really nice guy and his family is inexplicably generous. We got lucky, for sure. The weather in the city was terrible! It was the coldest it has been since I’ve been here, and dark storm clouds and rain do not suit the city. Everything just appeared so gray and cold, even in comparison to New York. Maybe all the glass on the buildings in NYC give it a luster that makes it seem slightly more alive, but even considering how it may look in the sun, São Paulo did not make a great impression on me. It is easily the most populous city in the Americas, and although it has a decent public transport system, most of it is not walkable. Places like Avenida Paulista have wide sidewalks and kids on the streets dressed like clowns, giving away free hugs, while people are selling all sorts of stuff on blankets. It looked a lot like New York. It is also the place for all sorts of cultural institutions, and I will definitely visit some museums and a film festival on my next visit, when it will probably be much warmer. It was also a lot like New York because it sucked my pockets dry of money, even though I brought a limited amount to prevent that. The city is known for its smog and dirty rivers, which they have been trying to improve for such a long time. Okay, maybe I’m describing it so terribly because part of me is still in Rio, but there is more to do here if you are the yuppie type or have business in the city

The day before Sao Paulo was Priscila’s birthday, and we went to a capoeira roda in the center of São José. It was really cool and we were just fooling around, so I had a lot of fun. However, I couldn’t help but notice that I was such the minority there. I had been more and more conscious of the fact, and I don’t think it bothered me until that moment when people were saying and doing things that I hadn’t experienced for such a long time. This man, who is supposed to be some sort of respected capoeira maestre, actually insisted that I eat scorpions and dogs at my grandmother’s house. Then, right as I was entering the circle for the jogo, the other guy pulled his eyes to the side to make them “asian” and laughed in this maniacal way. In retrospect, it wasn’t that bad, and I should have just let it go, but I had this overwhelming emotion of solitude. I thought, “This is so unfair! I come to foreign country, completely open-minded, wanting to learn about and appreciate another culture, and I am greeted with disrespect and ridicule about my ethnicity, my appearance, and my culture.” All of a sudden, my face was flooded with tears. My capoeira teacher tried to console me with some irrelevant story, but ended up saying that the people in this neighborhood were not educated and cultured. That doesn’t exactly make me feel better, considering most of Brazil lives this way. I think the reason I was so upset was because I had just had an adrenaline rush from doing capoeira and practicing on the side, but

Back in São Paulo, we went to this market on 25 de Marzo that was Canal St./Chinatown transplanted in Brazil. Everyone was Chinese, selling counterfeit designer bags, watches, perfume, socks, belts, t-whirts, Lacoste shirts, etc. Someone thought that I was Chinese (a first in Brazil) and thought that Priscila and I were speaking in Chinese (also a first, and probably the last). Brazilian Portuguese with a Chinese accent is so cool. I wondered whether it was more difficult for a Chinese person to learn English over Portuguese. I know that Chinese migration to Brazil is a fairly new phenomenon, but I wonder whether it is more accessible to migrate to South America over North America.



Friday night we went outside of the city to this quasi-suburb called Alphaville. Some friends of Rafael’s friend were having a churrasco at some kid’s grandparents’ house. The house was really nice and located in the most secure gated community I have seen – we had to keep a tag on the dashboard of the car to indicate that we had the right to be there. Most of the people at the churrasco were in college and about the same age as me, and they were just really friendly and fun. I had plenty of salty grilled meat and we had a good time just being goofy. They reminded me of PDS friends – I miss you guys!

By the way, in case you were wondering, they use Helvetica in the subways of both Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo. Actually São Paulo's subway has pretty interesting art integrated in its structure, and they also have vending machines selling books...citywide literacy campaign?

Cariocas!

I apologize for neglecting my blog for an entire month, and a lot has happened since then. The most constant thing in my life here is my capoeira class. My capoeira teacher’s name is Teófilo. He acts like a father figure to everyone and he lives and breathes capoeira. He took Priscila and me to the opening celebration of his friend’s capoeira school, which is located in the southern part of São José dos Campos. This area was a lot more like the Brasil that I imagined...by that, I mean the way things look, the way people look, the way buildings are built. It looked more “3rd world,” and I don’t mean that in any condescending way. What I really mean is that this area looked very different from what I’m use to seeing in the U.S. whereas Vila Ema (where my host family lives), looks and feels like…well, Princeton.

The capoeira inauguration was really cool because it was my first real (and very authentic) capoeira roda. Teófilo made Priscila get into the circle and join the fight, and she took off her shoes and went for it, which was very ballsy of her. I got it all on video – like a baby’s first steps. Some of the little kids were ridiculously good and showing off their flips, aerial twists, and flexibility. It was just a fun and colorful event with music, people clapping and singing along to the music, and playful fighting. Needless to say, my capoeira teacher started drinking beer at 10 AM and didn’t stop until we got home, so he was all sorts of craziness - for example, playing his tambourine in the car and distributing bits of wisdom about life and respect.

The following day I went to see another of the NGO’s projects in São Luiz do Paraitinga, which is a small country village one hour outside of São José. Actually drove on a tiny dirt road and arrived at a very small, colorful church located amidst pure farmland and cow pastures. The project is to teach arts and crafts to women who live in this rural area as an occupation that brings in income for their families. The day I went, there was a knitting class, so I finally learned how to knit. It was a group of 10-15 women sitting around a table together, knitting and chatting, with their children running around the courtyard. Since the women’s only exposure to American culture is through movies, they asked if I’d ever met Brad Pitt and a number of other famous actors. It smelled like cow, and stray dogs were everywhere, looking very flea-infested and lazy. Two men from the corporate sponsor, Votorantim, were there to snap a few photos, say a few words, and go back to their fancy offices. I must say, I really enjoy being out there because the women chat a lot and they make the most of fundamental things.


The reason the project got started is that the area used to be very agricultural, but currently, there isn’t much farming going on, at least none that I have seen. My guess is that these small farmers could not compete with large agribusinesses. Most of the land serves as cow pastures, and the women are really left with no occupations. Arts and crafts gives them a way to produce some sort of income, and it also returns them to more traditional days when the rural folk made their living off of artisan items. Their hope is to open specialty stores in the city, and I might possible serve as their point person in the US to contact stores that might be interested in imported Brazilian arts. They call it Artesanato do mato, which means “Arts of the countryside.”

I spent a week in Rio de Janeiro, and I am convinced that I have to live there for some part of my life. The city has everything I would want to be in a single location: a busy center, decent public transportation, outdoor markets, beautiful natural landscapes, mountains, distinct neighborhoods, forests, beaches, and nice weather. We did most of the tourist stuff, and we also went out at night in Lapa, where transsexual prostitutes make the night just that much more interesting. We rode an old school trolley, or bonde, up to Santa Teresa, which is a really cute and brightly painted neighborhood. Priscila and I have already picked out some potential houses there. The view from the sculpture of Christ the Redeemer is indescribable. I stayed with a student from ITA, which is the school where the students helped organize my trip here. He offered his house never having met me, which turns out to be a very Brazilian thing to do. They are amazingly hospitable. He lives in a gated community in Barra da Tijuca, so I got a sense of what a privileged life in Brasil is like…like living in suburb, walled-off from the “dangers” outside.

People are so paranoid and suspicious here, and it started to affect me when I went to different areas of the city. I felt like I had to watch my back, when there was really nothing to be afraid of. It’s like a mentality that perpetuates more fear, and hence, more misunderstanding, and more crime. Whenever we said we wanted to go to a different neighborhood, people would say, “Não! É muito perigoso!...No!, it’s so dangerous!” But when we got there, it really wasn’t that bad, and nothing happened that would even make me feel endangered. This mentality really explains why people only go places by car and live inside fortressed buildings and homes, reinforced with electric fences and barbed wire, or makeshift defense structures (i.e. broken bottles with their sharp edges protruding from the tops of the walls).

The favelas (slums) in Rio are everywhere you look. Rocinha, the largest favela in South America, supposedly has 400,000 people living there, and is so developed, that there are multiple-story structures and businesses. It is sprawled across the side of a mountain, and functions like a city within a city. Apparently the organized crime within the favela keeps down crime levels and violence among the favela dwellers. The real violence that everyone fears so much occurs when the police interferes with the organized criminal activity. Hopefully I can go back and get a tour of the neighborhood and a stronger sense of the community. Some tourists we met there said that they went on a favela tour and that the money benefited a community school there. Seems to me like a tourist spectacle and an inauthentic experience.

My calves have never been so sore

On Wednesday I went to my first capoeira class, and that one session completely obliterated me. Okay, I exaggerate, but I don't think I've ever felt this pain in my legs before. Capoeira can be described as a mix between martial arts and break dancing. I'll be going twice a week from now on...that is, after the soreness goes away and I can actually walk again. The key to Capoeira is to keep your eyes on your opponent and keep moving. The kids above were really cute and staring at me and Priscila when we were speaking to each other in English.


Last night, we went to this really cool reggae bar with a live band. Most of the songs were in Portuguese, but they covered a couple songs in English. One thing I've noticed is that guys here aren't afraid to dance alone - even if they can't. It's also not like clubs in the States, where guys stand awkwardly holding drinks until they decide to just approach you and hump you from behind. They try to talk first (which is actually unfortunate for me, since my Portuguese is so limited, and I have no clue what they're saying). I tried a few sips (since that is all I can take) of jurupinga, which is a drink made from grapes. The mixed drinks here are really good because they use lots of fruits. The beer is good too and is usually a light lager or pilsner, and most people here don't drink imported beers, only Brazilian ones. The photo on the right is of Liv, Cari (both from Capoeira class), and Priscila (Columbian-American and out of control, ha).


Today, my co-worker Renata and I walked over to the banhado (difficult to pronounce because it uses a nasal sound), which is the Portuguese word for marsh, I think....It's a marshy area that is supposed to be preserved by environmental protection laws, located close to the center. It's in a valley, and you have to climb down a steep hill to get down there, but it's completely green and you can see the mountains in the background. Unfortunately, there is a relatively small favela there.

Favelas are shantytowns constructed by people who cannot actually buy property, so they are technically inhabiting these areas illegally. Apparently the City is trying to relocate this favela because its presence is endangering the ecology of the marsh. The problem is that the location of this favela is convenient for the children to attend school and the adults to work in the city center, so it will be a problem for them to be moved away from this area. It's an issue of environmental justice in its crudest form. The construction of the homes is very makeshift, and somehow these people have wired their own electricity, "borrowing" from the electric poles along the streets. This particular favela is not so bad compared to others in other cities, such as the famous ones in Rio de Janeiro. I wish I could go down there because I'm curious about life in the banhado, but don't worry I won't. Apparently if you don't live in the favelas or if you are not with someone from there, it's very dangerous to be walking around, so outsiders wouldn't even dream of it.

Afterwards, we went to a fair for young entrepreneurs. The point of this fair, which is modeled after some business class at Stanford, is to teach middle and high school students how to be entrepreneurs and understand that they can use their creativity and innovation to start their own businesses and sell products. It was nice to see that there were a lot of environmentally sustainable projects. For example, there was one project that linked the drain from the shower to the toilet, so that the toilet water was recycled water, saving a lot of water everyday. It makes sense, since we don't need to use drinkable water in our toilets. They built little models to demonstrate their ideas and had prepared presentations for people who came to their booths. Part of the program is to teach them how to be professional. I was impressed, especially since the only thing I excelled in at their age was awkardness.
Below is a photo of (L to R) Marcão (who works with the ONG), a future entrepreneur-child, and Renata. Marcão has an interesting career history. First he was a priest, but then he got married to his wife, who used to be a nun. Then, he worked as some sort of financial executive for a large corporation. He also used to make business and marketing plans for politicians, but he has left all that and is now working at the ONG, and he's very dedicated to the cause. We have to communicate in really bad Portuñol (Spanish and portuguese), or Renata acts as my interpreter.


I've only been here for a week and a half, and I've already met a lot of interesting and important people. People are so nice here, and they are always telling me that I have to meet their friends in high places, like a respected city planner in São Paulo, the current mayor and his administration, or just someone's cousin, uncle, or child who lives in some beautiful place. The way people talk here makes it sounds like every place you go is the most beautiful place in the world, so I take their words lightly, though it's great that they're so appreciative of their natural and built environments. Today, I met Emanuel Fernandes, the former mayor of São Jose dos Campos who is currently a congressman. He was so nice and personable, and explained the importance of this fair, in English of course. We caught him while he was going around to each booth speaking to the kids. It was great to see a politician who was so down to earth and who genuinely cared about education. Apparently he was an excellent mayor as well. Sweet.

My first "fim de semana" and other thoughts

This is the entrance to our apartment building - Edificio Cirandas. There's a 24-hr guard who knows everyone's faces, but if you don't live there, you need to get permission to enter. We are located in Vila Ema, which is apparently a nicer part of town. There's a pool, which no one swims in during the "winter" (it's 80 degress), a foosball table, and indoor soccer field. Yes, the stereotype that everyone in Brazil plays soccer and loves soccer is overwhelmingly true. Too bad I know nothing about the sport. I'm really happy today because Andrè started talking to me and asked if I wanted to play foosball. I have to keep asking him to speak slowly, but keeping score helped me to practice with the numbers, at least up to 54. By the way, I kicked his ass. Ha.

About race...
I always knew that Americans were a bit overly concerned with being politically correct. On my first day, Sylvia (the mother of my host family) asked if I was Japanese. But when she said it, she did that hand gesture that my third grade classmates used to do to pull their eyes on the sides to make them squinty. We've all been told how offensive this is, but here it is obviously not something that people are sensitive about. I was a bit shocked at first, but after about 10 instances of this, I accepted this as one of those cultural differences....That being said, the US and Brazil have some very obvious similarities racially and ethnically. Brazil is a country that was colonized by Europeans, even though there were natives already here. When the Portuguese arrived, they brought slaves from Africa, and although I'm not aware of the explicit history of racism in Brazil, I think that the treatment of blacks here is comparable to that in the US. Blacks are the minority, they are descendents of slaves, and most of the poorest living in the favelas are black. When I asked Perna (the father of my host family - his nickname "leg") about the racism in Brazil, he said that people here are very accepting of other races. However, when I spoke to a mulata girl at a party, who could speak English very well, she said that she participates in an ONG that works to support upward social mobility for blacks and give them the confidence to succeed despite prejudices against their skin color. She asked if I could come speak (she would translate) and talk about the situation in America, regarding race. I think racism here is pretty similar, except that there are more mixed race people, so in that regard maybe the racial divides aren't as palpable. The more affluent whites - like Perna - say that racism is not a problem. I read on some websites that most people would say that racism is subtle and unspoken. It's the same way that most whites in America would deny the existence of white privilege or xenophobia because it's not really talked about explicitly, unless we're talking about some crazy people in the KKK. A major difference here is that there's no real sense of being politically correct, so they're not afraid to talk about race or make gestures to indicate certain features.


Festa
On Friday night we went to Rebeca's boyfriend's mother's birthday party. The photo above is Perna, who fell asleep while he was waiting for everyone to get ready. Those older Brazilians love their disco music. There was plenty of Gloria Gaynor and Village People, and the DJ kept repeating the songs, as if we hadn't heard enough "YMCA" and "I Will Survive."

Churrasco

Brazilian BBQ is really good. If you haven't had it, I highly recommend it. It's salty meat on kabobs - you can't really go wrong with that. However, there is one type that I just could not eat: the queijo (cheese). It's literally a solid block of cheese that was fried and then char-grilled...it's super salty and....well, cheesy. I took a bite, and thought, "wow, this is an entire block of cheese on a stick," but Brazilians have no problem eating it, so it's obviously something I'm not accustomed to. I have noticed that Brazilians love their cheese even more than Americans and Italians.


Here is Daniel blowing out the soccer ball candle on his chocolate cake. The cake consisted of layers of fluffy chocolate cake and some gelatinous chocolate with big chocolate shavings on top.

Anexo....
On Saturday, Priscila (another American girl in the same exchange program) and I went out with one of her friends from Capoeira class. Priscila has convinced me to go with her so I'm going to try it soon. Anyway, we went out to a club/bar called Anexo. It was a bit bizzare because they had a rock band that covered the Black Eyed Peas and Justin Timberlake....I was confused for a bit, but just went with it. By the way, Brazilian couples really enjoy making out in public, which involves a lot of tongue. And that's an understatement.

Caraguatatuba: my first Brazilian beach experience
We drove an hour to the closest beach, which is Caraguatatuba. The drive was nice because we had to go through the countryside and over the mountains. I guess we were high because I one point we were practically in the clouds. The fog was so thick that we couldn't see 5 ft. in front of us. Also, since everyone here drives stick, the car ride was rough and I got pretty nauseated.

Then, all of a sudden the fog disappears, the sky is clear and you can see the ocean. Caraguatatuba is a vacation town, and since it's the "winter" here (nope, still hot) the town was pretty empty since they're mostly beach houses. The beach was nice, but I was surprised because the way the water looks is how it looks on the east coast (like the Jersey shore and VA beach), but a little greener and cleaner. There were palm trees (which we also have in Sao Jose), and mountains bookending the beaches. It was kind of like Hawaii + VA Beach...good times. The water was cold and I was a pansy, so I only dipped my feet and lay on the sand with my embarrassingly white butt.

NGO = ONG

So I have learned lots of new words in Portuguese since I've been here....I've been keeping this nerdy little notebook with me to write down any new words I pick up. I bought a notebook specifically for this purpose....Yeah, it's really nerdy. Actually most people do assume that I am Brazilian and can speak Portuguese. I think they assume that I am a Japanese Brazilian because I have been asked that a couple times. Apparently the Japanese in Brazil stereotypically own flower shops, and the Chinese make pastries, but there isn't enough of a Korean presence for there to be a strong stereotype about them.

When people ask what my occupation is here, I say that I work voluntarily with an ONG, which is the portuguese way of saying Non Governmental Organization (NGO) aka non-profit. I don't think there are a lot here. I work at Eco-Solidario, although I have had only 1 1/2 days of orientation, and I'm not sure how I am going to help them yet. They said that one of their most recent projects has been an action to create more bike lanes. Most people have a car, or two, but the people who can't afford cars ride bicycles. They also have several classrooms, in which they teach job training classes. These are in high demand because they are free and are offered to help the unemployed or unskilled workers. The classes offered are English (of course), Spanish, Japanese, a few other languages, arts and crafts (from only recycled materials like plastic bottles), manicurist training, food service training, and others. I think that is the main purpose of the NGO, but they also have a psychologist, who has her own very bare room, and sociologist.
Being there actually reminds me of New Kensington a lot. There is a receptionist in the front, and a waiting area where people are filling out paperwork. Also everyone who works there is very friendly and nice and chat in the kitchen, except that they are usually drinking tiny cups of Brazilian coffee (not your Starbuck's venti, that's for sure). While I'm mentioning tiny cups of coffee I can talk about the meal schedule. So first there is "café da manhã" which is breakfast, then lunch, then at around 5 pm, there is a snack coffee, which is the same as breakfast (tiny cups of coffee with bread or crackers and fruit), then dinner pretty late, around 8 pm. I've been eating at the house, so I haven't eating out yet, but I think my next posting with be a food special...or maybe the next 5....

My main responsibility is to research other international organizations that have implemented methods to preserve or improve the environment (Port: ambiente, pronounced ahm bee en chee). For example, next week they are taking me with them on a trip to Rio de Janeiro to look at a new waste management technology that they may try to bring to SJ dos Campos. Tomorrow we are going to the Parque de Cidade, City Park, to meet with the director of the city's environmental department.

The woman who has been talking to me most is Renata, but the "r" is pronounced with a throaty "h" sound. She took me to her apartment and to a flea market where they sold winter clothes for a bargain. It was seriously about 75 degrees today and people were wearing these thick wool sweaters and purchasing them at the market. She asked if I liked anything there, but I honestly couldn't even think to buy think knit sweaters and leather jackets. Too damn hot!

While we were driving around, I had my first look at the gated communities, which I read about in City of Walls, by Teresa Caldeira - though her book was about Sao Paulo. It's just like the ones that Hollywood celebrities live in to escape the paparazzi, but I don't think I've seen too many on the East Coast...Anyway, the houses are really big and flamboyantly colorful, and completely walled off. It's funny how Renata has to concentrate really hard when speaking to me in English - she was driving and lost track of where we were going 3 times!

After returning from the ONG, I went with Rebeca to her tap dancing studio, which is called CBS Tap Factory. She has been tapping for 7 years so she's pretty good, at least to my untrained eyes. She had to do this funky thing with a basketball, kind of like Stomp. By the way, to get an idea of how Americanized it is over here, Rebeca just got the new Fergie CD and listens to Fergalicious while she does her hair and nails. Hilarious. Also, her dad happens to LOVE American female singers. He said that he likes Britney Spears! He also has every Mariah Carey Album, so obviously we are best friends.

First few glimpses

My first glimpse of Brazil. With all the squares, circles, and rows, it looked like every square inch of land was being farmed. The areas that aren't agricultual are highly urbanized, and I think this is an understatement. Sao Paulo is like a porcupine's back of skyscapers and highrises. It looks endless even from the bird's eye view out the airplane window. It outdoes New York, hands down. (I have mixed feelings about this) More on Sao Paulo when I experience it, sidewalk level.....

Sao Jose dos Campos (somehow when the natives say it, it sounds like it has only 3 syllables) is a much smaller city. To get there, a driver who works for the city (solely to transport people from the airport) drove us on a highway where large cargo trucks are like big bullies compared to our tiny stick shift car. Apparently this is a very important highway because it is the main mode of transport for goods to be taken to and from Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo, and SJ dos Campos is in the middle of all of this. The area is very industrialized. There are tons of factories, and I am sad to say that corporate America has completely infiltrated the country...Mcdonald's, Walmart, Sam's Club...My first meal was at a food court in a mall, since that is what the students do here when everything else is closed.

So the Aiesec students (Aiesec is the program that made this all possible) who picked me up attend ITA, which is like the equivalent to MIT in the States. The school is small and is located on a military base, so as a foreigner, I am technically not allowed on it, but of course we went in and out of the border several times. ITA is one of the best engineering school in the country - and it is PUBLIC! (aka free) In fact, all the of the best schools are federal, and the students have to take a year off to study for entrance exams because it is very selective. The Aiesecers were all very very nice, and I'm glad I chose this location.

I arrived at my host family's house around 5 pm. They are absolutely adorable and really nice. They have three children, and their names are Rebeca, 15, (pronounced Hebecca because all r's are h's in portuguese), Daniel, 12, and Andre, 7. Rebeca is studying publicity and takes tap dancing lessons. Daniel is really sweet and turned on the MTV movie awards for me. He obviously watches more American TV than I do, since he asked if I liked Lost. Andre refuses to speak to me because he can't speak any English, so he just says "No. No." So I just call him "no-no." The father is an electronics and computer science engineer, and he also teaches classes. The two older children and the father can speak English relatively well, so between my mixed Spanish/Italian/Portuguese and their limited English, I think we get by okay. The apartment is very nice and I feel bad because I stole the smallest one's room. He had to put all of this toys away in the closet! They served me coffee and bread with all sorts of spreads when I came. Food is usually rice with beans and some sort of flour, with vegetables and stewed meat or sausage. It's simple and good. Actually Sylvia, the mother, doesn't like to cook, so the maid does everything. Everyone comes home for lunch and eats together and then goes back to school or work, so they see each other a lot.

















They wanted to kids to learn English, and we have to look up every word we talk about in this giant dictionary that they got as a prize from the newspaper. Actually aside from "no-no" and the maid (whose name I have yet to learn), the mother speaks the least amount of English.

I really like it here and they have been more than hospitable, so I am very grateful that I have been placed with such a nice family. Daniel's birthday is coming up, so I will have to buy him a gift to give at his birthday barbeque...