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.
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.
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.
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...
