tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56510064192105119022024-02-06T22:23:05.560-05:00Boren Bearcat in BrazilSharing my experiences as a Boren Scholar while living in Sao PauloAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13467876440707788028noreply@blogger.comBlogger39125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5651006419210511902.post-54290669682758570372013-06-21T09:50:00.003-04:002013-06-21T10:29:11.288-04:00A Brazilian AwakeningIf you read my last post, you likely became a little more intrigued about the current situation here in Brazil from my last point made about the protests.<br />
<br />
I wanted to wait a few days since the first protest to let some news accumulate before writing this post because I wanted some great content to link to this page but also because I wanted to become educated myself about what's happening so that I'm giving an accurate account.<br />
<br />
Two weeks ago, this country was business as usual. Shortly thereafter, news broke that there would be a slight increase in public transportation fares that spread nationwide due to "rising costs". A concentrated group of protesters began to speak out against the raised fares. To no surprise though, the group's longstanding purpose has been to lobby for free transportation throughout the city and country, thus such protests made sense.<br />
<br />
However, there seemed to be a little more steam behind such manifestations and I understood why. Brazil, a country plentiful in beauty and natural resources, carnival and soccer, beautiful beaches and energetic people is also plagued with some of the most deficient public services in the world, frightening levels of poverty, horrendous health and education systems, and a tax burden that is one of the worst in the world. Effective transportation, regardless of which societal class you are in, is fundamental to every citizen's life. So while wages haven't been increasing and scares of high levels of inflation simmer, the concept of raising transportation fees is generally viewed as regressive in nature as these fees are unavoidable as people need to get around the city to work and live, but also as unfair because they simply take more money out of the pockets who have less to give.<br />
<br />
Now as you can imagine, that previous paragraph makes a lot of sense and for most places around the world, would tick a few people off. But for the grand total of 20 centavos (about 9 cents USD), I doubt there would be as much of an uprising as there has been here. However, this uprising is more than justified, as we must gain a better understanding of the macroeconomics to paint the larger picture.<br />
<br />
Soccer and Brazil are synonymous. The soccer gods of Pele, Ronaldo, Neymar around the world are household names. Soccer is a cultural identity here, glorified in a way that is cult-like and vicious. And there's simply no doubt that Brazil will long reign king in this sport, so it only makes sense that the World Cup finals would be played at an awe-inspiring place such as Maracana stadium in Rio de Janeiro. Brazil has welcomed the glamour of being put in the global spotlight, securing successful bids to host the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Olympic Games. And however "cool" this may seem, the economics behind it just don't seem justified. Allow this video to help paint the picture why.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/ZApBgNQgKPU?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />
Ahhh, yes. Now, we are starting to get a better idea about why tensions are getting so high. Even worse is the basic math equation that Brazilian citizens are doing. Government says no public funds would be used for World Cup/Olympic preparation. That lasted about a whole minute. Line item budgets from both health and education have been used to build stadiums, plow down neighborhoods, pacify favelas (slums), etc. The slum pacification project deserves a post on its own...as most believe this is a simple band-aid for a much bigger problem and that post-games, the slums will go back just to the way they were beforehand. Even worse, they're building stadiums in places that will never be used again. Most stadiums built in cities like Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo, Belo Horizonte, etc at least will be used again in the future. But they're building a stadium in the Amazon Jungle, for millions of dollars, that will literally be used for a few games for the simple fact that it sounds cool to have a World Cup game in the Amazon. After the game, it will likely be abandoned forever. There goes millions of dollars, not to mention destruction of the world's most robust landmass of biodiversity.<br />
<br />
So, Brazilians are connecting the dots...and starting to question this corrupt activity. How can it be that Brazil is so rich and wealthy, abundant with natural resources, with such a high tax burden...how can it be that we're spending billions and billions on stadiums when there's a parallel decrease in the amount of investment being made in public health, transportation, education, pension support, infrastructure, etc?! This is what has set the scene for these protests.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvKjz3Htid9C30wvFQeK1JwoZrBUIZAOXOL-t-orm6NV7gIywNEnhxn6TLhyXfwDcgKKedHeNqOroFn-hQya5A3BpCkH7TtHnEuaoGtCKd_KZuB41zFustjY-BXMDFjVxaYyKh0ulDvdhS/s1600/protest+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvKjz3Htid9C30wvFQeK1JwoZrBUIZAOXOL-t-orm6NV7gIywNEnhxn6TLhyXfwDcgKKedHeNqOroFn-hQya5A3BpCkH7TtHnEuaoGtCKd_KZuB41zFustjY-BXMDFjVxaYyKh0ulDvdhS/s320/protest+1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Corruption runs rampant, taxes are astronomical, and quality of life is appalling. Only 17% of Brazilians have a degree of higher education. Some twenty years ago that number sat at just 5%. And that's a pure nominal number...we haven't even begun to discuss the qualitative aspects of that education. With a tax burden that's some 36% of GDP, it is estimated that nearly 70% of your income goes to the government here in Brazil. Brazil's tax system is so regressive that it is ranked one of the worst in the world. It's the only system in the world that has a consumption tax with collection based at origin, which de-incentivizes economic growth outside major metropolitan areas, drives population congestion, and makes the cost of living for the impoverished unbearable. The poorer you are, the more of the burden you pay relative to your income. And corruption underscores it all. Many economists agree that Brazil generates enough wealth to solve its issues surrounding health, education, transportation, etc. But until a shift in principle and practice occur, the gap continues to widen.<br />
<br />
Brazil is a constitutional and representative democracy. It's President, Dilma Rouseff, was a rebel during Brazil's dictatorship in the 80's, tortured by the military in a fight for human rights. Most question why things are the way they are under her leadership. National slogans proclaim: Brazil - Um pais rico e sem pobreza (A rich country without poverty).<br />
<br />
And as these protests continue...most are simply saying the following: What kind of democracy is this?!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsRqCy5ge3Cvsf_05B4JKt9nd51xsYNQ4uY5ENC2P56ooGxAdHuXgYlsCnoxclNjULc-Tt-Cld1HqlSfpGG-_Byt1jZ-_7XztqsKs1R2Jh92UAHl_pf-kWRtuChffRvOSBtuTZhYJIokJP/s1600/protest+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsRqCy5ge3Cvsf_05B4JKt9nd51xsYNQ4uY5ENC2P56ooGxAdHuXgYlsCnoxclNjULc-Tt-Cld1HqlSfpGG-_Byt1jZ-_7XztqsKs1R2Jh92UAHl_pf-kWRtuChffRvOSBtuTZhYJIokJP/s320/protest+2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
These protests started small, and against a raise in bus fares. Now, they're becoming a social movement...the largest since the dictatorship. Brazilians are fed-up with corruption, high taxes, poor education, insufficient health care. They want change and they're going to the streets to demand it. Efforts to disperse these large crowds have only amplified tensions as non-violent protests have been met with violent police forces, impeding the democratic right to peacefully protest, with stun grenades, tear gas, and rubber bullets. Innocent people, like this reporter who was shot in the eye, are convincing other citizens that if they don't speak out, they're passively allowing this country to regress to an unprecedented stage of crime, poverty, and pain. You need not speak Portuguese to understand this video and only need to watch the first 2 minutes to get the idea.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/W6QVLE8PQJ8?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />
These actions have called the attention of millions. Just how much? 1 million took to the streets of Rio de Janeiro yesterday. Some 100 protests around the country lasted through the night, including one in the capital (Brasilia) where protesters rushed the National Congress building successfully making their way to its roof (shown below). And this all happened after most city governments revoked the increase in transportation fares, Sao Paulo included. The images are impressive. The people are impressive. It's an awakening of a country like I've never seen. A demand for change...and nearly all agree that it needs to happen.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguR8wx2aJwruv5vvgtPB_8Fp65UiPP4PthHiTz5aUVhl5HMy7lAiGQvG0UpKWLU9jXzaMK9OtjC03iyazpdbQuCZlyYaA66Kq7TFMko8gQTOuraM19p9LwS9Tf5KSF81neYznp8hBk-DuQ/s1600/protest+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguR8wx2aJwruv5vvgtPB_8Fp65UiPP4PthHiTz5aUVhl5HMy7lAiGQvG0UpKWLU9jXzaMK9OtjC03iyazpdbQuCZlyYaA66Kq7TFMko8gQTOuraM19p9LwS9Tf5KSF81neYznp8hBk-DuQ/s320/protest+3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVtLSN1DmbdZ8Su_xNDjwLfJsZlzKFLmdZkCvdywu1cHeLIa-WZdKL0m1Mz711W8-YB5pnS0zU7VN8GWU6YxU90Nm3uzgaZ-LQ-A4VSa6o1OfKRO-1lD0oagd9Zkw7yIqVOlpI6yakf3ls/s1600/protest+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVtLSN1DmbdZ8Su_xNDjwLfJsZlzKFLmdZkCvdywu1cHeLIa-WZdKL0m1Mz711W8-YB5pnS0zU7VN8GWU6YxU90Nm3uzgaZ-LQ-A4VSa6o1OfKRO-1lD0oagd9Zkw7yIqVOlpI6yakf3ls/s320/protest+4.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
I have never been involved in a protest personally. I've never marched in the streets against a policy shift made by a government. I've never seen the anger and passion by a people so inspired to change the status-quo, that millions take to the streets to make their plea, exhibit their pride, and reaffirm their commitment to their country, brothers, and communities.<br />
<br />
It, indeed, is impressive and despite the fact that it makes going out and enjoying this country a little more difficult during my last week here...I couldn't think of a better way to be leaving it. To all my Brazilian friends who read this post...sou orgulho ser o seu amigo. O mundo está torcendo pelas mudanças que todos vocês estejam demandando. Espero que vocês vençam e estejam certos que, não obstante qualquer demora entre as demandas e os resultados, que a civilidade, o respeito mutual, e a luta pelos direitos humanos sempre valerão a pena.<br />
<br />
If you're interested in reading more about these protests, I've copied a few more article and video links below.<br />
<br />
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/americas/2013/06/201361821494340354.html#.UcE2KcCa3yI.facebook<br />
<br />
http://www.economist.com/blogs/americasview/2013/06/protests-brazil<br />
<br />
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/18/world/americas/thousands-gather-for-protests-in-brazils-largest-cities.html?_r=0<br />
<br />
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-22992410<br />
<br />
http://edition.cnn.com/2013/06/20/world/americas/opinion-brazil-simoes<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13467876440707788028noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5651006419210511902.post-89425260430241645592013-06-14T18:00:00.000-04:002013-06-14T18:00:23.690-04:00The Final WeeksWell fellow bloggers, my time is nearing its end here and I'm under two weeks.<br />
<br />
Things have been so crazy this semester and still are, that I haven't really begun the full reflection process about all the things I've learned and the new Kyle that I'm taking back to the United States. But there will certainly be a post about that.<br />
<br />
This semester has been so dramatically different from the last. My first six months was all about acclimation. It was all about traveling. It was all about being a foreigner, a tourist, a spender. And I took advantage of it! Having said that though, coming back for the next six months was entirely different. I already knew a lot of the language, already had Brazilian friends, already knew my Brazilian family, I knew where school was, how the system works, what bus to catch, the good spots to grab a quiet coffee and a good meal. This semester has been way more about life. I spent so much time reflecting on how I've changed, focusing on what are my next steps, understanding how everything fits together in my greater plan, and ultimately living like a Brazilian.<br />
<br />
I really should highlight some of the main points of this semester. I'm planning on writing separate posts about some of them to get more in depth. I have a little more time now that things are winding down and I only have a few exams left!<br />
<br />
1. The Amazon trip was certainly once in a lifetime and if you haven't done so already, read my post about it!<br />
<br />
2. I also had my first visitors in Brazil! Two of my best friends from college came to visit me. I can't tell you all how much I cherished every moment with them. You have to understand that roughly one year ago I arrived at the Sao Paulo airport and exited customs knowing no one, speaking none of the language, not knowing who I was going to be living with, who my friends would be, how I could call someone, or who the heck I was supposed to be looking for at the airport to pick me up to even start life. And despite all the confusion, I knew I was going to call this place "home" for a year.<br />
<br />
Speaking of years, we always say they go by fast. Well, I disagree. haha. Yes, in retrospect they do all aggregate together and you say, "where did the time go?!" But when you're living that year day-by-day in a place where you only have you yourself to look to for anything, to depend on, to communicate, to understand, to figure out, to talk, etc...well those 365 days become a lot lot longer. You talk to yourself, you question your existence (not morbidly lol), you start to learn what it is you love and why it is that you love it. I don't care how many of my photos you've seen and how much fun it appears I'm having (it was a lot of fun), there is still a sense of loneliness that makes just even the slightest bit of you feel somewhat incomplete.<br />
<br />
Even more frightening is the feeling of returning to your home country feeling misunderstood. Living abroad has been such a transformational experience for me and having the opportunity to finally share bits and pieces of my life here, however small or big, was such an incredibly rewarding experience. My friends have been such a great support network for me here and the fact that a few of them came to really find out what my life was like was so special. I know that upon my return I can talk with them about it and I know they'll have some "skin" in the game. For when I'm talking about my host parents or school or bus ride or beach, etc, they'll know exactly who and what I'm referring to. It's not just some distant far off experience that I lived in the past. My friends will be great resources to continually reflect with because they helped me live this year abroad too.<br />
<br />
We had lots of catching up to do and more exciting was seeing their reactions of what Brazil was really like and all the ways I have changed. Perhaps I'll have them write their reactions and post them all for you!<br />
<br />
3. School! FGV round two has been even more challenging. I decided to take all my classes in Portuguese so that I would maximize my language learning opportunities. Once again, I suffered! Yet, it was so so so rewarding and I learned so so so much! Now that I'm down to my last exam I can successfully call myself absolutely crazy. I laugh almost thinking about me being all excited and gung-hoe (is that how you spell it?!) about signing up for college level courses in a language I knew none of. I registered thinking, "it won't be that bad!" And then I showed up to class and well, there's no forgiveness. That group project, yup...you have to find a group and work in another language and complete it. That paper, nope...you can't write that puppy in English. That professor, nope...he will not translate everything for you. That grade, yup...you get one and there's no bonus points for being a foreigner and giving effort! My back was against the wall and the pressure I put on myself to be successful was the thing that kept me going. Even better, it was one of the best challenges I've ever self-initiated in my life. I knew it would be difficult, but I outperformed even my own expectations and couldn't be more pleased with my decision to take all my courses in Portuguese and even seeing my grades in these classes after the fact is something I'm proud of!<br />
<br />
4. Relationship building. I really didn't find the desire to do all the traveling that I did last semester. 1) Because I hit a lot of my spots that I wanted to see already, 2) Those that I didn't...well you have to save some trips for later on in life!, 3) I spent most all of my budget the last 6 months haha, and 4) I had established a life here in Sao Paulo, with friends and my host family. I wanted to take advantage of my time with them and build deeper relationships. Plus, Sao Paulo is such a buzzing, bustling, incredible place to live that there's so much to see and do that I was never bored if I didn't travel!<br />
<br />
5. Love. Yes, it's true. I fell in love. I didn't come here with the goal of doing so, but they do say that love finds you when you least expect it. I guess I fell victim to this common saying! For sake of privacy, no need to give details. However, I will say this. Anybody who falls in love learns a lot about life. They learn a lot about themselves and a lot about people. They learn about what they love and why they love it. They get that giddy type of happiness that keeps you up at night and they find more sunny moments during the day than not. This has certainly been the case for me, but I have learned more than I could have ever expected and I think it has to do with it being a cross-cultural relationship. Imagine the type of cultural exchange you get simply interacting with another culture. Then imagine the type of things you would learn if someone from that culture became your life partner. You start to become some of that culture, connect more with society, understand better how it is to live there, eat there, go to school there, work there, etc. Just as much as I have received, I have given and learning to love (aside from cultural differences) has been one of the most rewarding things I've experienced in my life.<br />
<br />
6. Protests. This is a recent development but it has given way to a much larger discussion about life here in Brazil. About a week ago, there was an increase in public transit fees which started a small protest. However, the way in which these protests have grown and in some cases, into dangerous riots has begun to shed light on more serious issues about social justice and human rights here in Brazil. These protests are not going away anytime soon. They are turning into large-scale demonstrations and manifestations. They are turning violent, uncovering corruption and governmental crime. They are eliciting serious answers to serious questions about the direction of the country. Some consider the gravity of the situation to approach a similar level to the dictatorship back in the 80's. Stay tuned to international news. These protests are no longer about the bus fares increasing some 10 cents...these protests are about Brazilian citizens being fed up with deficient public resources, corruption, and ineffective government. You can rest assured that I will be writing a full post about these recent events.<br />
<br />
I hope this post gave you a quick glimpse as to the things I've been thinking about as my final 10 ten days come to a close. I look forward to sharing more over my last week!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13467876440707788028noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5651006419210511902.post-83288706752351303802013-06-14T17:14:00.001-04:002013-06-14T17:14:11.331-04:00On the Road: BRAZILFor those interested in more information on Brazil. CNN has a special section going on right now on their website called ON THE ROAD: BRAZIL!<br />
<br />
Lot's of really good articles, stats, information, videos, etc. Some might be of interest to you!<br />
<br />
http://edition.cnn.com/SPECIALS/on-the-road/brazilAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13467876440707788028noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5651006419210511902.post-48889896415572229262013-05-29T20:27:00.001-04:002013-05-29T20:27:15.954-04:00Interesting ReadInteresting read for my American followers...<br />
<br />
Not necessarily a positive article but I wouldn't consider it negative either.<br />
<br />
I agreed with some and others not...the video near the end is worth watching whether or not you believe what it says!<br />
<br />
http://thoughtcatalog.com/2013/10-things-most-americans-dont-know-about-america/Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13467876440707788028noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5651006419210511902.post-86238519189005751652013-05-14T19:30:00.001-04:002013-05-14T19:30:11.185-04:00The Brazilian CostI've long wanted to write a post explaining why things are so expensive here in Brazil.<br />
<br />
Well I waited long enough and someone else did the work! Enjoy this article that explains most of the main issues.<br />
<br />
http://super.abril.com.br/blogs/crash/why-everything-costs-so-much-in-brazil/Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13467876440707788028noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5651006419210511902.post-58432978842936147272013-05-08T21:11:00.003-04:002013-05-08T21:11:54.269-04:00ViolencePerhaps one of the topics that I have had the most reflection on while I've been in Brazil has been...VIOLENCE.<br />
<br />
Allow me to tell you what most people's initial reactions were when they heard I was going to Brazil.<br />
<br />
"Good lord, why would you ever study there?!"<br />
"My uncle once did business there, he had to hire three body guards to go to lunch in Sao Paulo."<br />
"My dad did business there once, he got robbed in his taxi on the first day."<br />
"Haven't you seen the movie "City of God", it's just an impoverished and drug ridden country."<br />
<br />
Even worse, read the following description about Sao Paulo & Rio de Janeiro from the US State Department website and tell me if you have any interest in coming to Brazil or the two cities I've spent the most time in.<br />
<br />
<div id="crime">
<strong>CRIME:</strong> Brazilian police and media report
that the crime rate remains high in most urban centers, including the
cities of Rio de
Janeiro and Sao Paulo, and is also growing in
rural areas within those states. Brazil’s murder rate is more than four
times
higher than that of the United States, and rates
for other crimes are similarly high.
</div>
Street crime remains a problem for visitors and
local residents alike. Foreign tourists, including U.S. citizens, are
often
targets, especially in Sao Paulo, Rio de
Janeiro, Salvador, and Recife. While the risk is greater during the
evening and at
night, street crime also occurs during the day,
and safer areas of cities are not immune. Incidents of theft on city
buses
are frequent. You should keep a copy of your
passport with you while in public and keep your passport in a hotel safe
or other
secure place. You should also carry proof of
your health insurance with you.
<br />
The incidence of crime against tourists is
greater in areas surrounding beaches, hotels, discotheques, bars,
nightclubs, and
other tourist destinations. It is especially
prevalent prior to and during Carnival (Brazilian Mardi Gras), but also
occurs
throughout the year. Several Brazilian cities
have established specialized tourist police units to patrol areas
frequented
by tourists.
<br />
Use caution when traveling through rural areas
and satellite cities due to reported incidents of roadside robberies
that randomly
target passing vehicles. Robberies and
“quicknappings” outside of banks and ATMs occur regularly. In a
“quicknapping,” criminals
abduct victims for a short time in order to
receive a quick payoff from the family, business, or the victim’s ATM
card. Some
victims have been beaten and/or raped. You
should also take precautions to avoid being carjacked, especially in Sao
Paulo,
Rio de Janeiro, Recife, and other cities.
<br />
In airports, hotel lobbies, bus stations, and
other public places, pick pocketing and the theft of hand-carried
luggage and
laptop computers is common. You should "dress
down" when in public and avoid carrying valuables or wearing jewelry or
expensive
watches. "Good Samaritan" scams are common. If a
tourist looks lost or seems to be having trouble communicating, a
seemingly
innocent bystander offering help may actually be
a participant in a scam. <strong>Take care at and around banks and ATMs which accept U.S. credit or debit cards.</strong>
Travelers using personal ATM or credit cards sometimes receive billing
statements with unauthorized charges after returning
from a visit to Brazil, or discover that their
cards were cloned or duplicated without their knowledge. If you use such
payment
methods, carefully monitor your bank records for
the duration of your visit.<br />
<br />
<strong>Sao Paulo:</strong> All areas of Greater Sao Paulo have a
high rate of armed robbery of pedestrians and drivers at stoplights and
during rush
hour traffic. The "red light districts" of Sao
Paulo, located on Rua Augusta north of Avenida Paulista and the Estacao
de
Luz metro area, are especially dangerous. There
are regular reports of young women slipping various drugs into men's
drinks
and robbing them of all their belongings while
they are unconscious. Armed holdups of pedestrians and motorists by
young men
on motorcycles (“motoboys”) are a common
occurrence in Sao Paulo. Criminals have also begun targeting restaurants
throughout
the city including, but not limited to,
establishments in the upscale neighborhoods of Jardins, Itaim Bibi,
Campo Belo, Morumbi
and Moema. Victims who resist run the risk of
violent attack. Laptop computers, other electronics, and luxury watches
are
the targets of choice for criminals in Sao
Paulo.
<br />
Throughout 2012, armed groups in Sao Paulo
targeted restaurants, robbing patrons during the peak business hours of
2100 to
2400. These criminal events are not isolated to
one area of the city and target both rich and poor neighborhoods.
<br />
Efforts of incarcerated drug lords to exert
their power outside of their jail cells have resulted in sporadic
disruptions
in the city, violence directed at the
authorities, bus burnings, and vandalism at ATM machines, including the
use of explosives.
Be aware of your surroundings and exercise
caution at all times. Respect police roadblocks and be aware that some
municipal
services may be disrupted.
<br />
As in Rio de Janeiro, favela tours have recently
become popular among foreign tourists in Sao Paulo. We advise you to
avoid
Sao Paulo’s favelas as neither the tour company
nor the city police can guarantee your safety when entering favelas.<br />
<br />
<strong>Rio de Janeiro:</strong> The city continues to experience
high incidences of crime. Tourists are particularly vulnerable to street
thefts and robberies
in the evening and at night especially in areas
adjacent to major tourist attractions. There have been attacks,
including
shootings, along trails leading to the famous
Corcovado Mountain and in other parts of the Tijuca Forest. If robbed,
do not
attempt to resist or fight back, but rather
relinquish your personal belongings. At all times, pay close attention
to your
surroundings and the behavior of those
nearby. There have been reports of thieves and rapists slipping
incapacitating drugs
into drinks at bars, hotel rooms, and street
parties. While crime occurs throughout the year, it is more frequent
during Carnival
and the weeks prior.
<br />
Choose lodging carefully considering location,
security, and the availability of a safe to store valuables. Do not
answer
your hotel room door until you positively
confirm who is on the other side. Look out the peephole or call the
front desk to
confirm the visitor. There have been several
recent incidents where mass holdups of guests have occurred at hotels
and hostels
in the city.
<br />
Rio de Janeiro’s favelas are a subject of
curiosity for many U.S. travelers. A favela pacification program,
instituted in
2008, installed police stations in some favelas,
primarily in the Zona Sul area. However, most favelas exist outside the
control
of city officials and police. Travelers are
urged to exercise caution when entering any “pacified” favelas and
should not
go into favelas that are not “pacified” by the
state government. Even in some “pacified” favelas, the ability of police
to
provide assistance, especially at night, may be
limited. Several local companies offer “favela jeep tours” targeted at
foreign
tourists. Be aware that neither the tour company
nor the city police can guarantee your safety when entering favelas.
<br />
Be vigilant while on the roads, especially at
night. There have been shootings and carjackings on the Linha Vermelha
that
links the airport to the Southern Zone of the
city. In Rio de Janeiro, motorists should be especially vigilant at
stoplights
and when stuck in traffic. Carjackings and
holdups can occur at intersections, especially at night. Incidents of
crime on
public transportation are frequent, and at times
have involved violent crimes. When traveling by yellow taxi, tourists
are
recommended only to use taxis openly displaying
company information and phone numbers as well as red license plates.
Tourists
are also advised not to use public vans.
<br />
Visitors should also remain alert to the
possibility of manhole cover explosions. There have been multiple
manhole cover explosions
in Rio de Janeiro in the past few years, with a
higher incidence in the Centro and Copacabana neighborhoods.
<br />
<br />
Now let me be honest, all of the above is certainly true, otherwise they wouldn't write about it.<br />
<br />
I, for one, have experienced some violence during my time abroad...including witnessing a complete gangster operation where they carjacked a woman, kidnapped her child, held people hostage at gunpoint, and then forced the woman to rob a jewelry store with a bomb attached to her in case she didn't. The other instance I made a post about in late November about my time in Argentina and the kniving murderer I had to run away from after a soccer game.<br />
<br />
On another note, if you haven't seen the movie "City of God" or "Elite Squad I and II" then you're missing out on some great cinematic productions that will have you on the edge of your seat about this country.<br />
<br />
Yet, let me note that none of the above is my norm. I don't walk around with body guards, I don't feel consistently threatened, I don't live my life in fear here, nor have I been robbed (only the credit card cloned...$14,000 at Tommy Hilfiger...nice purchase eh?!). If I truly felt in danger, I would have been gone a long time ago.<br />
<br />
One of the things that has been incredibly shocking has been the "violence parallels" that I've drawn upon as things have occurred in the US.<br />
<br />
The week I arrived, the US was shocked with a brutal Colorado shooting in a Denver cinema, months later I was again taken aback by the gruesome slaughtering of many children in a Connecticut elementary school. And...it hasn't stopped there, the recent Boston terrorist bombing and the explosion in Texas continually have put into perspective the concept of violence as I continue to live abroad in a "violent" country.<br />
<br />
IT HAPPENS EVERYWHERE<br />
<br />
Sure, the types of violence are different. But they should all serve as warnings that there's really no way to fully mitigate your risk to violence. <br />
<br />People in Brazil are equally scared of the types of violence in the US as Americans are of the violence here. In fact, due to the random terror that is more prone to attack the US, Brazilians might even be more scared, from my perspective. I understand this type of fear. Once I found the fact that I wore a money belt as an inconvenience and no way to live, but now I view it as a consistent reminder that I must always remain vigilant, whether walking to class in Sao Paulo or running a marathon in Boston. While some would say that living in constant vigilance is draining, I would say that the moment I let my guard down may be the moment I wish I hadn't. I almost like the reminder...it keeps me sharp.<br /><br />
If I've formed any opinion about crime, it's been the following: You can't live in fear...but you can play your cards right. Life will be no fun if you always think something bad is going to happen. You simply cannot be negative or lock yourself in your house for fear that something might go wrong. Go out and live your life. Give all of yourself to the world. When your time is up, it's up...and you'll have no say in the matter. What you can do though, is take a look around where you are, have a plan, take a second to locate an exit, learn an emergency number, or stay calm in a tough situation. And provided you're not throwing yourself in an extremely dangerous setting, then I like the chances.<br />
<br />
I write this post knocking on wood...and I hope that my advice even serves me well.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13467876440707788028noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5651006419210511902.post-51215851730628597792013-05-08T19:02:00.001-04:002013-05-08T19:02:45.604-04:00The AmazonGreetings blog followers!<br />
<br />
I'm back with one of my latest adventures, and might I say that it was easily one of the coolest of my life...a week-long trip to the AMAZON JUNGLE!<br />
<br />
So, let me say that my knowledge of the Amazon was probably equivalent to most Americans who once saw an episode on the History Channel, once read an article in National Geographic, or once viewed the movie Anaconda. Thankfully, those few instances were enough to peak my interest in booking a trip, and thank god I took advantage of it!<br />
<br />
We had our Spring Break at the end of last month, and much to your possible dislike of what I'm about to say: I was tired of beaches. Beaches to Brazil are like Walgreen's or Starbucks to cities...they're at every corner. I've taken advantage of plenty of beach time and thus, was inspired to be a little more adventurous and see another side of Brazil that I had not yet gotten to know. Insert 6 day boat trip through the Amazon Jungle as the perfect fix.<br />
<br />
We flew to the west side of the country, landing in Manaus, right along the Rio Negro (Black River) and the Amazon River. The city of about 3 million is a bustling port town that embraces its robust indigenous culture and sprawling natural resources. Our stay there was short though, simply stopping at the market to pick up some snacks before boarding our boat and hitting the water.<br />
<br />
"Rustic" had a new definition when it comes to our trip. We boarded our two-story wooden cruiser and were off in a heartbeat. The main level housed a mini-kitchen where all of our meals were cooked, two simple toilets for guys and gals, and a shower head that pumped water from the river to stay relatively clean for the week. Towards the front was a table for us to eat and then the captain's quarters. Upstairs was a mini-veranda for taking in the sun and then a covered deck where we hung our hammocks to sleep at night.<br />
<br />
At first, I wasn't sure what we were going to get ourselves into and didn't know if the trip would be an absolute blast or if we'd have way too much down time with nothing to do. I was, indeed, excited about disconnecting from phone/internet for a week despite what time we might have to kill. It quickly became evident though that our time in the world's most rich area of wildlife was going to be the trip of a lifetime. After making a quick stop at the meeting of the waters (where the two rivers divide impressively in distinct colors due to acidity differences), we made our first stop for a quick jungle hike where we saw a number of lizards, monkeys, sloths, and a few Cayman (essentially alligators) in their natural environment. I was impressed...and there was a level of extreme coolness factor to the fact that you saw the animals (at first bringing you back to your childhood days at the zoo) to only realize that you're in the Amazon Jungle and that these animals are not being held captive in some glass container, but rather are living their lives the way they should be. At the same time, you then realize that you don't have a glass window protecting you from these animals in the odd chance they would want to attack you. This brought a new level of excitement to the trip.<br />
<br />
The scenery was ABSOLUTELY BREATHTAKING. And the natural peace and quiet was refreshing. We would cruise along the river for hours and I found myself simply staring at the pure beauty of this incredible place. We would dock in little nooks along the riverside at night to avoid potential storms and would enjoy the most magnificent sunsets/moonrises highlighted with a backdrop of shining stars and the sound of thousands of species of nocturnal animals making their appearances known to their counterparts. It was quite simply, the most awesome and peaceful evenings I've had in my life.<br />
<br />
During the days we would cruise again along the river to our destinations while simultaneously spotting incredible wildlife. I was thoroughly impressed with our guide. A 16 year veteran of the Amazon, this man not only spoke beautiful English, his talent at his work was superb. His ability to spot these animals amidst the dense forest was mind boggling...and he could identify species from far away. His stories were priceless and it was evident that he was the best in the business and in the area as we encountered local communities that treated him like a treasured friend. We took a few piranha fishing trips during our days, which was probably one of my favorite things. We took out our old cane poles and attached fresh meat to rudimentary hooks...you'd place the line in the water and these vicious savages would attack your cane ruthlessly! We even caught one that was so big and powerful that the guide held it up to a thick tree branch and the piranha snapped it in half...a clean break.<br />
<br />
At night, we would take out our canoes and flashlights and went night hunting for nocturnal animals. Our favorite was searching for the Caymans. You could spot their eyes along the waterline, and we were even lucky enough to catch a few and hold them in the boat. Check out the pictures at the end of this post.<br />
<br />
Other trips included stops to local indigenous communities where we viewed special rituals and learned about their way of life. We were enlightened with such rudimentary living styles and it put into perspective, again, the type of life I'm living in the bustling city of Sao Paulo, home to some 18-24 million depending on how you count.<br />
<br />
Pictures really do tell the story in this one, so look away!<br />
<br />
And if you ever have the chance to take a tour to the Amazong, GO! IT WILL BE ONE OF THE COOLEST THINGS YOU EVER DO!<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10200953096252373.1073741830.1315085436&type=1&l=194d7226b9" target="_blank">PICTURES</a><br />
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13467876440707788028noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5651006419210511902.post-77418780797108767642013-04-17T13:56:00.003-04:002013-04-17T13:56:50.003-04:00The Brazilian CostWell, if this isn't exactly how I feel sometimes living in this country...not just phone service!<br />
<br />
http://www.economist.com/blogs/americasview/2013/04/telecoms-brazil<br />
<br />
Yes, frustrating sometimes but this country does have a lot to offer at the same time and is easy to fall in love with!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13467876440707788028noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5651006419210511902.post-28629420799856180432013-04-17T13:32:00.001-04:002013-04-17T13:32:13.278-04:00Aqui no BrasilGreat post from a fellow blogger about Brazil!<br />
<br />
Forewarning: It's in Portuguese...some of them are classic though...my personal favorite is #40.<br />
<br />
http://olivierdobrasil.blogspot.com.br/2013/04/curiosidades-brasileiras.html?spref=fbAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13467876440707788028noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5651006419210511902.post-77105486694829895752013-03-21T17:54:00.003-04:002013-03-21T17:54:58.251-04:00How long I've been here? Or how long I've been gone?I've thought so much about this topic over the last week as a friend of mine from the US came to visit me in Sao Paulo.<br />
<br />
Read the following link to know exactly how I feel! Due credit to another fellow blogger abroad!<br />
<br />
http://thoughtcatalog.com/2012/what-happens-when-you-live-abroad/Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13467876440707788028noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5651006419210511902.post-86906557412542533872013-02-21T21:59:00.002-05:002013-02-21T21:59:23.237-05:00Carnival<i>Am I prepared?</i> <br />
<br />
As I unpack my suitcase, filled with what you could likely consider "nightclub" material, my friend asks why I would have brought such nice clothing. It's going to be dirty, he responds. Clearly it was my first time.<br />
<br />
I traded my Cole Haan loafers for a pair of ragged old sneakers and threw on a tank top instead. Tightly buckling my money belt under my shorts, I whispered a quick prayer under my breath only guessing what I was going to get myself into. I put the sunscreen on the desk corner next to the door to remind me that although I may feel invincible, the unforgiving Rio de Janeiro sun would fry me like a chicken. Sunglasses...a toss up. I should have brought a $1 pair from the gas station but decided to risk it on the street with the Ray Ban's I had. I glance back at my friend with that look as if I might have forgot something. Oblivious to my worry, he hurried me out the door asking "you ready for this?!" in that rhetorical no-turning-back-now voice.<br />
<br />
<i>The Blocos</i> <br />
<br />
We bolted for the door, walking just fast enough not to run...anticipating and equally prepping to endure some heavy traffic and a ferry ride across the bay. I was finally on my way to the greatest show on earth...<br />
<br />
As we approached the <i>bloco</i>, the sweet smell of hot sweaty people, stale beer, and fresh popcorn was easily overwhelmed by the sounds of <i>samba baterias</i>, drunken sailor songs, and street vendors. My eyes widened as we neared the mob spanning the entire city block. Thousands of people seemed unrecognizable. The ridiculous costumes covered their identity but the joy emitting from them was equally disguising. So palpable I will call it transformative...the first time in life I've seen true happiness penetrate thousands the way this celebration prompted. It was also the first time I felt as if Brazil was host to an equal society. Because this was not a celebration of societal rank; this celebration is synonymous with what it means to be Brazilian.<br />
<br />
To my left a shirtless vendor convinces me to buy a black wig amongst a blanket full of silly accessories. Of course, I comply. To my right, I weave through the mile long line awaiting the porta-potties. The stench permeates the air...so much so that my only escape for a fresh breath comes from the clean pocket of air trapped between the cap of my can and the cold beer that's in it. We pass the styrofoam cooler on my right where the vendor tries to convince us to buy the big cans for a promotional price. I try to act like I know what I'm doing and pull out a $5...before my friend butts in and takes control...instructing the man to grab the smallest cans beneath the ice.<br />
<br />
"It gets colder quicker and stays that way longer," my friend murmurs while he pays. He cracks them open, smiling as if he's won the lottery. We pump fists and subsequently cheers..."<i>SAUDE</i>".<br />
<br />
I roam the party, dodging innocent clowns, sexy police officers, and hunched over transvestites. I catch myself staring at all these crazy people. My friend notices, laughs, then hits me on the shoulder. "Act like you've been here before," he chuckles, likely saving me from petty crime.<br />
<br />
We walk a little further into the mob attracted by the contagious energy of a percussion band jamming out to popular national songs. One of the drummers holds up a sign <here...drunks don't enter...they just leave>. I make myself comfortable. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8LYnISwCgN-w-NobZvuPXWlVW2AbvtjuJnM8ApTR1BQWORxOCIV_tJE2d_kJcgNk4Z0g-KY83Gzd1gHXPjL0w2q4vYiftKx40057vZoM0KjlM1arS0vUpekOfVEDE7uzyt0_7DpUeBHGF/s1600/529939_10151420549077370_1013273641_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8LYnISwCgN-w-NobZvuPXWlVW2AbvtjuJnM8ApTR1BQWORxOCIV_tJE2d_kJcgNk4Z0g-KY83Gzd1gHXPjL0w2q4vYiftKx40057vZoM0KjlM1arS0vUpekOfVEDE7uzyt0_7DpUeBHGF/s320/529939_10151420549077370_1013273641_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
It lasts all day and all night. We rotate in water and food as needed. As the night goes on, the people get crazier, the music gets louder, and the crowd grows larger. Subconsciously you know its late, but everything around you is so stimulating that becoming tired is nearly impossible. As 5 AM nears I wonder when we'll go home. I imagine a long day of sleep before another night of Brazilian madness...but once again, I prove my naivety. We return no later than 10 AM to the <i>bloco</i> with a vengeance, joining in on the civilian stroll through the streets. Onlookers from apartment buildings above throw buckets of water on us as we march along in song. This week is simply "rinse and repeat".<br />
<br />
<i>The Parade</i><br />
<br />
The lone exception to this regiment occurs the day before the <i>desfile</i> - if you're one of the lucky ones who gets a ticket. Sleeping in and an afternoon nap become necessary if you are to properly brave the 8-hour all night adventure in the <i>sambodroma</i>. And we abided by the recommendation.<br />
<br />
As we approached the mile long stadium, my heart began to race with excitement. Wasn't this something you only see on TV? How lucky am I to be going?<br />
<br />
En route to our entrance, we push through crowds of onlookers. The street is lined with food, beer, and booths selling apparel from their beloved samba schools. Loaded with history, these schools are household names, practicing all year long for the big event. Their operations and funding are complex. Their membership is robust and prideful...their followership...is the world. Closer to the stadium, I get a sneak peek at the ornate costumes, easily very expensive...I'm told the finest are in the realm of $100,000-$200,000 dollars.<br />
<br />
We make our way to our seats, dragging along our bag full of snacks, and the free 1/2 inch butt cushion that came with the ticket. We sit in the bleachers, above the suites and ground level boxes...to have one of those, you must know "someone" or "the system". As the stadium fills, the preparation for the most impressive parade on earth becomes obvious and the first words from the announcer become silent to the cries of thousands who have waited for this moment.<br />
<br />
One-by-one, the six samba school champions from the year slowly march through the heart of the <i>sambodroma</i>. The floats - massive. The costumes - inconceivable. The colors - exotic. The first glimpse you have takes your breath away. I imagine my eyes were wide, in complete shock and amazement by the beauty. Yet, it didn't take long before I awoke from my trans realizing that the camera in my hands had to capture the creativity. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6oQ7aPNY-IeELnA8dgUe-pJARAPExfS0gUwboCMSrMED57cVVomh0qyV1jPgaDcmYGEUFh6XTsmF8tqdswhybIthBtPjiM24nXkBui4LJKOGcOEG18f7pb2FvWFZHSfT7zGrzq9zhoWVn/s1600/481119_10200673267816837_985654499_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6oQ7aPNY-IeELnA8dgUe-pJARAPExfS0gUwboCMSrMED57cVVomh0qyV1jPgaDcmYGEUFh6XTsmF8tqdswhybIthBtPjiM24nXkBui4LJKOGcOEG18f7pb2FvWFZHSfT7zGrzq9zhoWVn/s320/481119_10200673267816837_985654499_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
So impressed by the first hour+ from the first school, I couldn't imagine what my reaction would be to the champion school...for I kept saying, all of them are so incredible, how could you judge?<br />
<br />
The competition is stiff and the rivalries are heated. Each float was an attack of imaginary prowess. Each use of person was a ploy of innovative capability. Each song, though, was a reaffirmation of love of life, affiliation to school, and commitment to nation. The bone chilling beats and beauty of those songs moved us. And when I wasn't samba-ing in the stands or snapping a picture, I was focused once again on the meaning behind this celebration.<br />
<br />
This moment of pure bliss whisked me away to a place of deep affection and love for this utopia I temporarily call home. But as the next float passes by, my gaze of wonder squints with a suspicious eye. It is a landfill covered in oil...a mere mockery of the country's current struggles. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC2VzCDdx1qgMoj1hqeNAr-6liABVvEZGPXJrt6C5ktEzEKVa9k1mH4x3bW7oYjsVbNqjSfyUYtQvI5L__tdJNm09AMDwyq5M84TBHv5yl12sa-5Gxzm-FgJtWYOaNr_ysiYBNVZM6vL-Z/s1600/18508_10200673269056868_1668603102_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC2VzCDdx1qgMoj1hqeNAr-6liABVvEZGPXJrt6C5ktEzEKVa9k1mH4x3bW7oYjsVbNqjSfyUYtQvI5L__tdJNm09AMDwyq5M84TBHv5yl12sa-5Gxzm-FgJtWYOaNr_ysiYBNVZM6vL-Z/s320/18508_10200673269056868_1668603102_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
The costumes worn by those that adorn it likely assembled with bloodshed, corruption, and poverty...funded by troubled youth, drugs, and violence. Together, it all leaves a bittersweet realization...that this economic dichotomy has enabled a societal paradox: a nation of extreme inequalities oppressed with so much joy, color, and happiness that it forgets or simply jokes for one week that those very things are fundamental to its own existence.<br />
<br />
This, my friends, is <a href="https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10200673247096319.202678.1315085436&type=1&l=1254841a90" target="_blank">carnival</a>.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Click on <span style="font-size: x-small;">"carnival" <span style="font-size: x-small;">in last sen<span style="font-size: x-small;">t<span style="font-size: x-small;">ence for a link to all parade pictures.</span></span></span></span></i></span><br />
<i> </i>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13467876440707788028noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5651006419210511902.post-2518454636270548272013-02-18T19:08:00.003-05:002013-02-18T19:08:30.969-05:00I'm back!Greetings blog followers!<br />
<br />
The time has come to return with a vengeance. For most of you who are consistent followers, I'm sure it eats you alive inside to open my page and see "Near Death" time and again...so I'm relieving you all today haha.<br />
<br />
At the end of last semester, I took a much needed break and disconnected from nearly all things Brazil, blog included. I flew back to the US for the Holidays and got to hug and kiss all the family members, I was able to keep my commitment of working for the Orange Bowl and was fortunate enough to also work the National Championship game pitting Notre Dame vs. Alabama. From there, I made a quick adventure to the homeland of Cincinnati for some precious time with friend and of course, the awaited Skyline Chili (not to worry, I grabbed a can or two that returned with me to Brazil).<br />
<br />
After my time in Cincinnati, I got to return a huge favor and hosted my Brazilian friend from my school who was paired up with me as my buddy and we did a mini-US tour! We went straight tourist on our itinerary beginning in Chicago (Wilson tour, Magnificent Mile, Chicago Bulls game, Field Museum, Planetarium, Science & Industry, Aquarium, Portillos Italian Beef, Giordano's Chicago style pizza, and of course, my favorite...Rodity's Greek food!).<br />
<br />
From Chicago, we jet-set east to the one and only New York City, where we were welcomed with below zero temperatures...a new experience for my South American friend! We were outside walking the first day there and I was talking away and he finally didn't respond, to which I realized he was too cold to talk and his look reassured my realization haha. It was even a greater joy to see his face at the first sight of snow! While I have been to Chicago a number of times, despite not always being a tourist, NYC was mostly a first for me as well, which was quite a treat. Although we mutually agreed that Chicago was much cleaner than New York, NYC had plenty of attractions for us and we took advantage of seeing them for the first time (Empire State Building, Rockefeller Center, Museum of Modern Art, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Museum of Modern History, Central Park, Wall Street, Ellis Island, Statue of Liberty, Broadway Show, Carnegie Deli, Times Square, the list goes on!) Even funnier was that at nearly every turn, we were face-to-face with Brazilians...which was good Portuguese practice for me.<br />
<br />
After our NYC tour, we headed to my parents in Buffalo where the snow actually held off until my last day and we were able to get a nice wintery view of Niagara Falls, get in some much needed shopping, and got some sports action in by seeing a Buffalo Sabres hockey game and a Buffalo Bulls basketball game. On the shopping scene, you'll be happy to know that the Brazilians are pumping a bunch of $ into the US economy...mostly with electronics. My friend had a field day at the Apple Store and Best Buy. Taxes on electronics in Brazil are outrageous...in most cases, 50% of retail price or higher...so for him...it was cheaper to buy a round trip fare, take a vacation, and purchase a MacBook in the US than it would have been for him to buy it in Brazil. How about that?! Fun Fact: over 6 million Brazilians visit the US each year and spend over 6 billion in the country. Guess what's vise versa...just 150,000 Americans visit Brazil annually, and over 75% of those visitors are in the country for business purposes only. I suspect that number will increase a little bit when the World Cup and Olympics come following.<br />
<br />
While I had originally intended for my time home to be a complete break, I couldn't have been more happy to have hosted my Brazilian friend after all he and his family have done to make my time in Sao Paulo as comfortable as possible. Plus it was fun to introduce him to my family and allow for a healthy level of Engligh-Portuguese language confusion provide for some very humorous moments. I think his new favorite English phrase is...HOLY COW!<br />
<br />
I was also able to do some deep reflection about my experience while I was back home. For me, it energized and motivated me to come back to Brazil even more so than if I would have stayed through the holidays. Too, I return feeling more confident in my Portuguese skills and much more cool, calm, and collected about my next semester. Sometimes you just need a break to get back at things 100%...and this case was no different. I was able to share my experiences with my classmates, University, advisers, friends, family, and employers. I was able to get a hold of a few more opportunities for my future and most excitingly, was able to put together an impressive presentation about all the things I've learned and got to deliver it to over 100 people in an auditorium-like setting that struck a chord with all who watched.<br />
<br />
Nevertheless, the time passed quickly and I made it back to Sao Paulo safely. I got unpacked and then made my way to the biggest and best show on earth.....BRAZILIAN CARNAVAL! As you can imagine, my next post will be well worth the wait!<br />
<br />
Happy to be back and excited to share round 2 of this incredible adventure.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13467876440707788028noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5651006419210511902.post-91523555637891487772012-12-04T20:50:00.001-05:002012-12-04T20:54:10.918-05:00Near Death Part IIAlrighty folks the time has come to tell you easily the craziest story of my adventure abroad. First, let me apologize for being down and out on this site. As most of you know though, the end of the semester is always a crazy time and doing group projects, presentations, and tests in Portuguese only added to the intensity. Add in some traveling here and there, and you can see why the blog had to take a back seat until now.<br />
<br />
So....nevertheless, the tell all tale of my near death experience Part II!<br />
<br />
I say Part II because most of you know that three years ago, I was involved in a very tragic car accident that left me seriously injured and unable to walk for a good 6 months. So, I consider that Part I. Let's just hope that Part III doesn't come anytime soon!<br />
<br />
First things first, I will admit that just nothing seemed to be going right my first time off Brazilian land since July. A friend and I decided that a weekend getaway to the highly regarded Buenos Aires, Argentina would be the perfect way to get away from the madness in Sao Paulo...and boy were we wrong! MADNESS is quite frankly the only way to describe the trip.<br />
<br />
You could say that our first "loss" occurred before we even got into Argentina. We were held on Brazilian land because we didn't have the proper Argentinian documentation. We were one of the few people that purchased our tickets to ARG before the country decided to institute a new $160USD visa fee to enter the country...so we had to run around the airport and find a computer and printer to pay the visa fee before we could board the plane.<br />
<br />
We arrived timely, but were very unimpressed with Buenos Aires at the time. Argentina has been experiencing a boatload of unrest in the public sector and the tension between the government and citizenry has been high. This meant we were welcomed by a city that's garbage services had been on strike for a bit...which made for a very smelly welcoming and lots and lots of trash in the street. The government also put a block on the US dollar so there were tons of people in the streets trying to schmooze us over to change our dollars to pesos. The normal rate was about 4.7:1 but if you paid in cash or exchanged your dollars...you could find anything from 6-6.5:1. This would have been a great advantage for my shopping, but yours truly has been in Brazil too long to have had dollars on him. Nevertheless, we managed to overlook the filth and headed down the streets to do some shopping and stopped often for brilliant Argentinian wine and lots of steak before hitting up a live Tango show with some awesome Canadians we met. It was quite simply, a man's dream!<br />
<br />
During our strolls on the overwhelmingly European style streets (impressive architecture, super wide avenues), we ventured across a few advertisements promoting the soccer game between Argentina and Brazil that would be played the next day. This was an absolute MUST for us. Argentina x Brazil is easily one of the most storied rivalries between countries around the world. In fact, Argentina and Brazil themselves are almost synonymous with the word "futebol" and thus, this would be an incredible cultural experience in addition to being a fun one. The game was at night in the world famous "La Boca" stadium in the heart of an Argentinian slum just west of the main city. We spent the afternoon in the upscale water port called "Puerto Madero" and followed that up with the very colorful "Caminito" area close to the stadium for some outdoor tango and empanadas before heading to the stadium. Game time set at 9 PM. Pictures of <a href="https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.4991080137519.195001.1315085436&type=1&l=e71aab99ab" target="_blank">BA, ARG</a> here!<br />
<br />
We made our way to the game to sit with our fellow Brazilians. We attempted to learn some of the chants but didn't really succeed. The visitors sat in this caged in area so that opposing fan bases are separated. The section was lined with SWAT style police officers...which was only a foreshadowing of what would ensue later on in the night.<br />
<br />
The game itself was brilliant. This was the second game of a two game series between Brazil and Argentina. Brazil won the first game 2x1 in Brazil but the champion would be based on goals, not wins. This explained our confusion when this game ended, as Argentina pulled out a nail biter 2x1 with all three goals coming in the last few minutes of the game. Despite the celebration, it went into penalty kicks to decide the series winner and that's where Brazil locked up the overall victory as we watched Neymar kick the winning penalty kick and cheered like crazy with our Brazilian comrades!<br />
<br />
That was really the last joyous moment we had in Buenos Aires. We stayed caged up in the stadium for about 45 minutes after the game until all the Argentina fans left and only then, we began our descent down the stadium steps onto the street. We were only trying to make it a few blocks to the main avenue so that we could grab a taxi. The street was lined with vendors and police officers and lots of people leaving the game, so we felt pretty safe although it was in a rough area...but we learned our lesson...at no time are you 100% safe.<br />
<br />
We were making good progress when ahead of our group we could see a man rushing over to one of the police officers. He was trying to get their attention to something ahead in the street (we couldn't really tell what it was at that point), but the officer was escorting one of the team buses so he didn't stop. There didn't seem to be any commotion so we kept ahead until we got to the intersection where we took a left. It was at that point in time, when a sudden feeling of panic set out over the hundreds of people walking. People started hurrying left, lightly shoving each other to get a clear path to run and that's when I heard the first blood curdling scream. I looked immediately across my right shoulder and my eyes affixed themselves to a gleaming 10 inch pointed military style shankers knife held up above some crazy man's head, ready to pierce the skin of his nearest target.<br />
<br />
No sooner do I finally comprehend what I'm witnessing, he comes behind a bystander and thrashes the knife up through his gut, under his chest plate, and through his heart. And at this point in time, the whole situation is sinking in....I'm telling myself....<br />
<br />
"Holy shit!" That's a big knife (pardon my french but that's what I said!)<br />
"Holy shit...he's stabbing people with it...!"<br />
"Holy shit...he's looking at me and my friend now!!!"<br />
"Holy shit...I have to run!!!!!!"<br />
<br />
As he finished off his first victim, he ripped out the knife and laid his eyes directly on me and my friend (as we were at the back of the group walking). It was at this point in time, that I knew I was about to run for my life. He raised the knife and began to chase after us...<br />
<br />
I was having trouble seeing as I wore my contacts to the game and they were severely dried out, plus it was dark outside. I tried to grab my friend's arm to hurry him along but as I did, he was already gone and I realized at this point that it was every man for himself in this chase of life or death. I began to sprint and soon it dawned on me that I should be expecting gun shots...thinking that surely this man was not operating alone. I contemplated diving into a dumpster on my right or under a construction truck on the road but before I could think about it lucidly, I ran into a wall on my left on the sidewalk. I slowed down and expected to feel cold metal tearing my skin apart as I knew I wasn't going fast enough at this point. I regained my footing only to trip once again on the uneven sidewalk and dove into the street, rolling a few times. I thought I was a goner. As I tried to get up, I darted left trying to dodge what I thought was an expected swing when I hit a child who was being shuffled into his home by his brother and mother. They looked at me trying to shut their door quickly as I gasped in Spanish, "LET ME IN!!!" The mother and brother grabbed my two arms and pulled me into their wood paneled home and slammed the door behind me. A sudden and modest sense of relief came over me as I knew that they may have saved my life. They told me to duck and stay on the floor with the grandfather and baby as they waited to see if the police had arrived. I hugged the dirt floor, breathing in dust as I tried to gain my thoughts. They asked me if I was alone, which is when a sudden panic yet again hit me...realizing that I was now split up from my friend (who doesn't speak Spanish) in an Argentinian slum with a knifing murderer chasing after us both. If I survived, I thought certainly that he didn't. The family began to ask me questions and I muttered back nervous responses in Spanish, Portuguese, and English and even mixed in some Greek prayers. My anxiety permeated the home and clear confusion across languages did nothing to help...so they ushered me off to the street to brave it on my own as they no longer wanted me in their home.<br />
<br />
Thankfully, police lights illuminated the dark and eerie street and I had nothing to do but wander the few blocks nearby in search of my friend, of whom I thought I might never see again. But much to God's grace, it only took me a good 10 minutes to cross his path in a fire station shelter just one block from where I was hiding and the reunion shed palpable relief from both of us that we were, indeed, alive. We hustled over to the officers who were sheltering many others who were tattered and bruised from falls as ambulances took the primary victims to local hospitals. Buses full of SWOT team police lined the streets and escorted us to the main avenue shortly thereafter. Hundreds of terrified fans remained with us throughout the night.<br />
<br />
Not one police report was taken. You can read this <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2011/aug/21/argentina-football-gangs-barra-bravas" target="_blank">article</a> and imagine why.<br />
<br />
After a rough hour of reliving the tale for each other...complete shock burdened the rest of our trip and our Thanksgiving (no turkey on this side of the world, so we settled for filet mignon). The mad man actually chased after my friend in the street as he split off right from where I was for a good block. Just a few steps behind, his adrenaline rush and tied Nike sneakers undoubtedly saved his life. We are also very lucky that he had a knife instead of a gun, for if he did, I'm certain that I wouldn't be living to tell this tale.<br />
<br />
The rest of our time in Buenos Aires was purely spent reliving how close we were to calling our young lives a done story...and the city in return, robbed us of all enjoyment.<br />
<br />
When we landed back in Sao Paulo (the alleged "dangerous" city of South America), we had never felt so happy. Happiness is relative though, because when it comes to crime in South America...it's not a matter of "if" it happens to you...only a matter of "when".<br />
<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13467876440707788028noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5651006419210511902.post-967686069460591372012-11-13T10:40:00.001-05:002012-11-13T10:40:36.916-05:00Missing Macy'sFriends...the time has come when I realized that I did not pack enough clothing to live in the ever-changing weather of Sao Paulo. One day it's 100 degrees and you're sweating nonstop, the next day it's a complete downpour, and the following day I'm wearing a winter coat. I swear, we have not had two days of consistent weather!<br />
<br />
Inline with the sporadic climate change comes a demand for a variety of clothing. Like all travelers, the recommendation is to pack light, but I should have guessed that I would need more than two or three pairs of shorts while living here for a year. Now, shorts are not really popular here...most choose to keep their legs covered but I've tried, and well...when it's 100 degrees, I just can't manage to put on jeans anymore (especially when I'm walking a few miles everyday to and from class and then boarding a bloody hot bus to get to other classes). And when it's 100 degrees and you're sweating profusely, you simply cannot re-wear them for another day or two. So, you wash them, but we don't have dryers here so it takes a few days to dry (or more if you forget to take them out of the rain), and you wait. Long story short, I'm wearing them faster than I can clean them.<br />
<br />
So, last weekend I decided it would be a good time to do a little shopping and pick up another pair of shorts or two.<br />
<br />
What I thought would be a quick and enjoyable trip to the mall turned into a day of short-seeking disaster! But I also learned a very important life lesson. I should have put two and two together that shorts would be hard to come by since nobody wears them. There are two places on my block that sell them, but I was thinking it'd be nice to get out on the town a little bit and go to the mall and get some walking in...which was nice, but was a complete loss when it came to my objective: buying shorts! I literally walked into every single store in three different malls only to be rejected on nearly every level of the shopping experience.<br />
<br />
1. Completely lost in translation as to what I wanted...I thought the word was actually "shorts"...some people say it in English...but really the more common word is "bermudas"...<br />
<br />
2. A final understanding of what I wanted only to realize the store didn't have them and then I get the "oh you're not from here" question to which I must have had at least a dozen 10 minute conversations about what I'm doing here...good Portuguese practice but a time sucker!<br />
<br />
3. The awkward looks when you ask for shorts correctly but the salesperson looks at you like most of us did at our television screens when Romney said he had "binders full of women" or when Obama was explaining to Romney that we don't fight wars anymore with "bayonets".<br />
<br />
4. The occasional store that had shorts (and tried to sell them to me hard) but they were the ones with depends sewed into them with a scrunch waste, drawstrings, and went past my knees.<br />
<br />
5. The other stores that had them but clearly were not fit for the American cheeseburger-style lower body. In some cases, the waste size was not the issue...it was the fact that I could not fit my calves, thighs, and butt into the leg hole!<br />
<br />
6. The other stores that had them and fit, but when I got to asking the price, they were over $250 USD! Sao Paulo is beyond expensive in almost every category...shopping included but come on now...$250 for a pair of shorts?!<br />
<br />
At this point in time, I'm realizing that I am in the 1% of Gringo shorts-buyers that have a store match and after 8 hours of searching and searching and searching...I decide to call it quits and head back home where I will reconstruct my gameplan to stay cool over the next month.<br />
<br />
As I near home, I pass those two stores on my block that sell shorts and I decide to give it one last try before I'm done for good...and what do you know...I hit the shorts goldmine!!! Not only did I find them in my size and in good styles and color, they were also under $100 USD (not by much)...so I pulled the trigger!<br />
<br />
As I headed home, I thought to myself...this is just one of the very small lessons that living here everyday has taught me about life. Sometimes we go way out of our ways, travel across the world, go beyond our limits, confuse and frustrate ourselves, only to realize that the best thing for us is right outside our back door. And when you realize that some of the best things in life are right under your nose, you'll start saving time and money and may reach your goal even quicker!<br />
<br />
I hope that my shorts story was enlightening. Maybe you thought the life lesson was a little stretch, but I was thinking about that lesson every day since I bought them. I've found myself traveling the world for opportunities, struggling through adversity, seeking something on the grand stage...to come back to Cincinnati, Ohio...HOME...with the people I love and the community I'm fond of...where the opportunities are abundant and the network is supportive...where the things in life I didn't know had significant value to me (college football, skyline chili, my church on Sundays, etc.) were grossly underestimated in the pursuit of my life plan. Living in Brazil has taught me much...even that the pursuit of bermudas on a hot summer day can lead you to realize that the best things in life are right near home.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13467876440707788028noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5651006419210511902.post-6356261831918618642012-11-08T21:25:00.001-05:002012-11-08T21:25:09.609-05:00Portuguese ProgressWhat do you all think? Have I improved?!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/-TwBlD9yPlc?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13467876440707788028noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5651006419210511902.post-60762013108224657042012-10-30T18:14:00.002-04:002012-10-30T18:14:40.714-04:00Rio Part IIIWell there might be one common theme throughout this entire journey that has not come as a surprise...RIO DE JANEIRO IS AWESOME!!!<br />
<br />
The lifestyle is contagious, the scenery is beautiful, and the people are vibrant. I'm saving up for a summer home there haha.<br />
<br />
This time I made the trip back to the Cidade Maravilhosa (Marvelous City) with our entire study abroad group. It was a fresh perspective too as our group did things in the city that I hadn't done already there...so although I returned, it felt like a new city to me.<br />
<br />
First things first, Ipanema and Copacabana are all they're cracked up to be. Bustling beaches with crashing waves, incredible landscapes, daring surfers, beach-crazy clientele, sand volleyball players, gigantic sand castles, coconut water kiosks, and no shortage of Brazilian bikinis! Although it wasn't a beach-weekend per se via the schedule, the weather was beautiful and I got up early a day or two to catch a few rays...it is BRAZIL after all!<br />
<br />
We also made our way to the very famous Lapa area where place after place was filled with plenty of Cariocas and posers trying to dance crazily fast to live samba bands! The streets were filled with people, vendors selling excessive amounts of caipirinhas, salgados, and more. It definitely had a very dirty Latin American feel but the energy was palpable and we danced the night away at an outdoor samba club...one of the most Brazilian things I've ever done!<br />
<br />
It was great practice because the following night, we went to a real Samba School in the heart of Rio de Janeiro. I'm not sure that words can actually describe what I witnessed. It was easily one of the coolest and most culturally identifiable things I've ever had the pleasure of experiencing. Even better was that people of all ages (God Bless me if I'm ever 90 years old dancing samba at 3 AM like most everyone was doing) came together in music and song as one big cultural family to do what Brazilians do best...share their love of music, dancing, and drinking caipirinhas! It was a neat site to see so many generations of Salgueiro (name of the school) fans come together and enjoy an evening as they did. Enjoy a few of the videos here!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<object width="320" height="266" class="BLOGGER-youtube-video" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" data-thumbnail-src="http://i.ytimg.com/vi/9qw5MiRJ_i0/0.jpg"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/9qw5MiRJ_i0?version=3&f=user_uploads&c=google-webdrive-0&app=youtube_gdata" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><embed width="320" height="266" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/9qw5MiRJ_i0?version=3&f=user_uploads&c=google-webdrive-0&app=youtube_gdata" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<object width="320" height="266" class="BLOGGER-youtube-video" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" data-thumbnail-src="http://i.ytimg.com/vi/_rBhtyqaavM/0.jpg"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/_rBhtyqaavM?version=3&f=user_uploads&c=google-webdrive-0&app=youtube_gdata" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><embed width="320" height="266" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/_rBhtyqaavM?version=3&f=user_uploads&c=google-webdrive-0&app=youtube_gdata" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/HpCQD6RQJvA?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
After a good nights rest, we headed just out the city to a favela (Brazilian slum) to do something even more Brazilian...watch a soccer game live! Again, I'm not sure words do it justice. The sense of energy from the fan base cheering on their team was contagious. Not only were the war cries impressive, and everyone knew them...but the cussing and praise was timely, loud, and unified as the team would make a bad or good play, respectively. It was like the fans were begging to be on the field to make the play themselves. The videos below just don't justify the energy but it was the best I could do to share!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/v4KR8PRFMgU?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/eDNjsvanV4g?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />
All in all, this trip to Rio was the turning point in my experience here. It was the most Brazilian I've felt since being here...and well...if what I experienced is a "day in the life" then I'm very glad that I have many more days ahead of me!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13467876440707788028noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5651006419210511902.post-85734426916169430082012-10-25T10:49:00.001-04:002012-10-25T10:49:07.932-04:00FloripaOnce again...I've been slacking on the once a week posts and they've turned into every other week...my apologies!<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The last two weeks have been absolutely crazy. Not only has there been lots of traveling but the academic work has kicked up with plenty of mid-term and final exams, presentations, and group projects...so I've been on the go. And to put it into context, the last 72 hours, I've had 12 straight hours of class every day without a break. I'm literally running from one to the next and grabbing a quick snack and a coke to stay awake in between. Good news is that I can see a little calmness on the horizon and a relaxing weekend in Sao Paulo ahead of me...so things are looking up!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
So...let's travel back in time to about two weeks ago for one of the many Brazilian holidays that the whole country enjoys (seriously USA...it seems like Brazil has a day or two off every other week...we need to start celebrating more! haha). I made the long and arduous trek way down to the south of Brazil to the state of Santa Catarina for a weekend in the beautiful Florianopolis. More commonly referred to as "Floripa," it's an incredibly large island in the primarily German/Italian state of Brazil with some of the world's most beautiful beaches, ravenous night clubs, and homey style communities. It is also one of the safest places in Brazil, and that was evident by the family style atmosphere I felt nearly everywhere I went.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The good news was that I was going to be on the beach all weekend...the bad news was that a good 12-13 hour bus ride was in between me and paradise. Somehow I managed through that and arrived to Floripa in a downpour. For the first time in my life, I stayed at a hostel. Although, my views of hostels have now changed dramatically...I'm afraid I stayed at what is not the hostel norm. Perched up on a mountain that overlooked the bay, you could only get to the hostel by foot by crossing a tiny blue bridge over a small waterway and trekking up into the mountain on a small stone-laid passageway. I was welcomed by the nicest crew who wanted only that I enjoy everything that Floripa had to offer while relaxing! The hostel was very very clean, bed was super comfortable, incredible views...the staff even cooked us dinner and there were complimentary caipirinhas every day...not to mention a boatload of things like surfboards, wetsuits, fishing gear, volleyballs, etc. that we could use for free! The rain kept me inside for my first afternoon, but I grabbed lunch with some people I met from Chile and Australia who were at the same hostel and we began our multilingual lunch in a covered restaurant on the beach.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I woke up on Friday feeling an incredible urge to go for a run on the beach. The sun was coming out, the weather was nice, and I've been maintaining good form here by eating healthy and exercising. Well...I thought I was prepared for the run ahead of me...but I'm still recovering today! The bay looked small from the mountain but what was intended to be a nice mile or two run barefoot in the sand turned into a 20 km (half-marathon) survivor excursion. I just kept going and going and going and going...couldn't stop. It was one of those runs. But...about half way through, I started to feel the sand wearing and tearing on my body. Not only had I not properly hydrated or eat enough that morning, my feet were starting to blaze in the hot sand since I was barefoot and I had the unfortunate occasion of stepping on a few rocks and shells that caused my steps in the sand to be permanent blood tracks. Despite the pain, I just kept going...mesmorized by all wild animals, jelly fish, birds, turtles, and everything else that was on the beach during my run. A quick look towards the sea was just enough motivation to keep on keeping on. I'd say a good 8-10 miles would have been good enough though because the last few were the biggest struggle. Running in the sand is no joke and my body was its victim. I did indeed finish after a good 5-5.5 hours but an inability to walk for a week and constant icing was the only thing that followed.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I did in fact though have enough energy to hobble my way to the bus station because there was no way I was going to miss the 2nd biggest Oktoberfest celebration in the world outside of Munich! A quick 3 hour ride west put me and my friends in a German beer-drinking and schnitzel-eating paradise!!! I was so amazed...all the blue eyed and blonde haired Portuguese speakers were alive and well. We bought the German caps, straps, and mugs and started our Saturday with bratwurst, weiner schnitzel, pretzels, goulash, sauerkraut, and more! We made our way to all the beer tastings and spent some time listening to the live bands. The whole venue was a gigantic German village...giving it a very European feel with lots of shops and plenty of food. It was a great day and a ton of fun!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Although my visit to Floripa was supposed to be a relaxing weekend, you can see that it probably did more damage to my body than respite. haha. Nevertheless, I spent all Sunday on the beach just reading and sleeping as means of recovery and then braved the Brazilian holiday traffic (which is god awful) all the way home.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Check out the photos from <a href="http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.4785085867791.191160.1315085436&type=3" target="_blank">Flori<span id="goog_1998662755"></span><span id="goog_1998662756"></span>pa</a> and the <a href="http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.4785013185974.191159.1315085436&type=3" target="_blank">Blumenau Oktoberfest</a> here!</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13467876440707788028noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5651006419210511902.post-5585423285236655412012-10-25T07:17:00.001-04:002012-10-25T07:17:07.260-04:00Recent ArticleGood morning followers!<br />
<br />
I ran across this article about Sao Paulo and I wanted to share with you are...I think this author actually does a pretty good job of capturing the "essence" of what is Sao Paulo.<br />
<br />
Check it out and start planning your spring break trips to visit me!<br />
<br />
http://frugaltraveler.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/10/23/you-will-love-so-paulo-please/?ref=travel<br />
<br />
Many more updates to come!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13467876440707788028noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5651006419210511902.post-64940368507912604482012-10-05T22:44:00.001-04:002012-10-05T22:44:27.503-04:00Plenty of updatesWell blog followers...I've been MIA...and certainly apologize if you've been waiting with baited breath for me to make another post! I had some important matters to attend to that have been taking up most of my time the last two weeks but things have finally slowed down and I'm gearing up for vacation so there are plenty of updates! In no specific order....<br />
<br />
Although I said no specific order, this easily gets a #1 here...I ate Skyline Chili!!! It was the most incredible moment I've had in recent history haha. I had to grate my own cheese but it was delicious. I have two cans left so I'm saving them for celebratory moments in the coming few months.<br />
<br />
I also had some midterm and final exams about a week ago. Only about half the grades are posted so we'll see how well I did. They do things a little differently here. Mostly lecture lecture lecture and then just one midterm or final and that's your grade. It's usually about a 2-3 hour handwritten essay...craziness! Especially when it's in another language....<br />
<br />
I finally hit the jackpot with the federal police and got registered...it was not an easy process though. They've been on strike and their website was down so I couldn't schedule an appointment. So we decided to take a screenshot of the faulty website and go there personally to explain the situation. We got there and got in line and although we didn't have an appointment, the lady there said she could squeeze us in. Then she switched roles with another lady who...well...let's put it this way...it would be inappropriate in every way shape and form to discuss this individual. She was the absolute most rude person I've ever met in my life. The attitude was palpable. The smug and despising looks were grotesque and her interactions with the customers were a far cry from being remotely friendly. So after we had stood there for over an hour she denied us. That's when the real KQ came out and pulled out all Portuguese, English, Spanish, and even some Greek right there in line and was not taking no for an answer. I've been here for almost 3 months now and I was getting the runaround and I wasn't going to have it. So luckily I was able to manage my way to the supervisor to explain the entire situation and well...needless to say...after a good 5 hours there...I am finally a legal resident of Brazil!!! This is mostly important because I can now travel outside of the country and get back in.<br />
<br />
What else...well my registration was not very welcoming and neither was the scam artist who stole my credit card number and decided that they wanted to buy $7,500 worth of clothing and make-up here in Sao Paulo. So, I spent another afternoon on the phone with good 'ole American Express. I tell you what....if you don't have an AMEX, you are missing out on one of the most assuring and customer friendly companies in the world. The service was fantastic. They blocked every fraudulent charge and are express mailing me a new card to arrive Monday. Now that's how you keep a customer happy!<br />
<br />
Other things to note...I started two new classes...which I'm in love with. Some of you may vomit when I say this...but hey...someone has to love this stuff!!! 1. Simulation Models in Finance. It's like financial calculus. Super interesting stuff and we get to have class with my favorite thing in the world...Microsoft Excel! 2. Brazilian Tax Law. Ok, I think I'm going to write a whole blog post on this one class. It was SO SO SO interesting. Now, I'm an accounting nerd who wrote his Boren proposal to come to Brazil to study tax reform so you understand why I loved it....but I think you all would actually enjoy hearing about it a little. The way the tax system has affected economics here is fascinating. More to come....<br />
<br />
So the only bad part about these two classes starting is that this school I'm going to is an organizational nightmare. They switched the calendars and two of these classes now overlap times. What is a student supposed to do?! I can't drop either class at this point and more importantly, I don't want to drop either of them. They're fascinating. But this forced me to just email the professors and explain that the school changed the dates and because the Law school and the Business school don't cross-communicate, I'm now stuck in this dilemma. But, you could say that I'm not surprised...the organization is a complete joke. Even as I identified the issue in the online system, I came across a notification that I was registered for a class that I never asked to be in. I got this notification because it said I had missed too many courses and thus, I was going to fail. I was very confused and looked up the information and sure enough...my school registered me for a class that I had no clue existed, never attended, never asked to be in it, and now they say they can't do anything about it....that I will just fail it. You best believe another KQ session is about to be had. Especially after I didn't get to participate in the fair haha.<br />
<br />
The last two weekends I did go to parties that were planned by the school. The first was a battle of the bands competitions between all the local universities. Very cool. And this past weekend was like a 20's themed party which was outrageous. At least 5,000 people went, very swanky, great music, and a lot of fun. I kept thinking...gosh if this school could run its class operations like it runs a party...I'd be in a whole lot better shape! haha. Nevertheless, it was a good time.<br />
<br />
Today we went on two company visits. The first was to a wildlife preservation company and the second was to a beer manufacturer! Both were very interesting visits. We did some planting and had some meaningful discussion about environmental policy here in Brazil and then followed that up with some beer tasting! haha. Small world...one of the guys that was on the company tour with us, studying at another local university here, is a PIKE! We were on the tour and he had a PIKE shirt on...I couldn't believe my eyes. Super small world. Nevertheless, we reminisced a bit about the good 'ole fraternal days.<br />
<br />
Well, I think that's a healthy update for now. I'm heading to a small town for the weekend to get some R&R in and then heading out next weekend to Florianopolis...an island in the southern part of Brazil. It's supposed to be one of the most beautiful places in the whole country. We're also going to take a day trip to the Blumenau Oktoberfest...the biggest Oktoberfest celebration outside of Munich! Very very excited.<br />
<br />
Now that I have some of the heavy work behind me...I'll be back to more regular posts. If you haven't done so already, check out the videos I posted earlier today. I told a funny story in Portuguese, English, and Spanish! You can finally compare the differences between them all.<br />
<br />
Happy Homecoming to all my Bearcats. Wish I could be there. I'll be watching and rooting from here!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13467876440707788028noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5651006419210511902.post-11470983384630769362012-10-05T21:35:00.000-04:002012-10-05T21:35:09.630-04:00Host Family Hysteria Part II<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwQnlGYOjgD-01Uq9Ji0D3-PzGKdleYoImJKbKt5loatVK4VduJAHDrKVA0NZ7hogPVH1HpoNZ7x_DUSTO3pw' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dy5suIg_lSLNiIdDp3RsQK8XNKvnYz_a2AS2dZDA6FQUzOnZ_eKmcRtQakSlBN4ZM2iRgfPB5ds0SxhiDw8jg' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzRAl4ODnMuJRxTQRaGRnXugMQtOHz7YdnRFdkKrMgDC26hwvyXWjUAxx3VhHPCMvyTqNmW_aW2sWN_UcFx' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13467876440707788028noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5651006419210511902.post-54440136981175866992012-09-24T08:21:00.000-04:002012-09-24T08:21:02.580-04:00Host family hysteriaOne cannot underestimate the value of having a "baller" host family while abroad. While my other friends are dealing with less than desirable situations in some cases, my family continues to be the creme-de-la-creme when it comes to gringo hosting. Even after they cook a delicious meal, wash my clothes, or bring me goodies, we share this special connection when it comes to humor that has had me rolling a time or two and keeping my never-ending smile recharged on a daily basis. To further explain...<br />
<br />
This morning I got up early, mostly because the electricity is being worked on today thus I had to take a shower before 8 AM. Nevertheless, I took advantage of the early morning excitedness that somehow made its way to my body this beautiful day. The energy was inexplicable and as a warm-up exercise to study for my economics exam, I started playing the Rocky theme song and did a few jab-jab-undercuts in my room while jumping. While most host families I presume would call this rather bizarre behavior by their gringo, my family felt so compelled by the energy that I was displaying towards my homework that they too joined in on my antics...my host mom even getting pumped up in the kitchen jumping in her high heels as she made some coffee.<br />
<br />
Another thing we share is our desire to belt out in song when we feel the urge. Even better, I'd say we would all have a fair shot at getting a few clips on today's American Idol...for being some of the worst singers known to mankind...does that stop us you ask?! ABSOLUTELY NOT!<br />
<br />
Another example of our ability to connect...the toilet broke this week...which is likely one of the more traumatic experiences that can happen to you while abroad. Even worse, the damage was affecting our neighbors below, much ado to our good friend gravity. When I informed my host mom that it had broken (not my causing haha), they stated promptly, "oh not to worry, we'll fix it next week...the lady below deserves things like these once in awhile." I was flabbergasted and followed with the obvious question, "well how should I go to the bathroom then?" She pointed at the shower. I just shrugged in agreement...mostly because it was 6:45 AM and I hadn't gotten into my Portuguese mood swing yet where I could have fully contested this rationale in another language...so I just shrugged in agreement. Remember, this was not something good or bad...just different. Not but 5 minutes later the repairman came to fix it, which obviously and indirectly informed me that she was completely joking...and subsequently was followed by more hysteria over some cake and fruit for breakfast.<br />
<br />
What else?! Maybe the time I really messed up my Portuguese and used the word "prostitute" instead of "protestant" when talking about religion at the dinner table with a guest and her subsequent introduction of me as one (a prostitute) to the next guest that arrived...that was a funny one. Or the time my program instructor called to check to see if everything was ok...when my host mom told her that all I do is run around naked and scream English...another comical prank planned between them to ruffle my feathers. haha.<br />
<br />
Nevertheless, you get what I'm saying here. I'm truly blessed to be living in Brazil with great people! Their humor, energy, and love have made my stay here in Brazil a little more fun and a lot more enjoyable. I'd like to think that our humor combined has made us lifelong friends. We all know that laughing is a universal language and when I experience the deepest struggles that come with studying abroad, a simple laugh has made the time all much better.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13467876440707788028noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5651006419210511902.post-49488638467149958792012-09-23T21:16:00.000-04:002012-09-23T21:24:18.984-04:00SKYLINE CHILIHello everyone!!!<br />
<br />
The last few days have been fantastic and I have been crawling my way up the other side of that darn "W" and it's been great! I think part of the reason why I've been on this "life high" is because I've been having visitors from UC...which brings all the joys of home.<br />
<br />
The UC International team arrived last Wednesday night for an abroad exchange fair here in Sao Paulo and I've had the great pleasure of hosting them. We went out for a traditional Bahian meal last Wednesday with delicious seafood and followed that up with a trip to the Brazilian Soccer Museum on Friday and a traditional "churrascaria" meal on Friday night where we absolutely stuffed ourselves...but it was worth it in every way! I think they enjoyed their first few days of Sao Paulo even though they had to work on top of the fun we were having.<br />
<br />
Saturday was more than a blast. I slept in and then hung out with some friends here. We went to the "Battle of the Bands" competition in Sao Paulo where all of the University bands compete at this big open party. Our school competed last which meant we got to enjoy the full party before we had to put on our game faces on to cheer. The structure was simple, the band plays for about 20 minutes and in between they play popular brazilian music and everyone dances. The bands here are all percussion and most of them break out into Samba style beats in their performances so you just see everyone in the crowd doing their Samba thing...me included (I took a Samba dance lesson last week). *Party note* For you college student readers, it is very very awkward and inappropriate to "grind" here in Brazil. haha. People actually dance correctly and it's a ton of fun. I only note this because I once had a hypothesis that Americans only grind because they actually can't dance...the more time I spend in Brazil, the more I think this hypothesis is true. Even after most of the coolers of 60 cent beer were gone, everyone was still dancing at a healthy distance apart...I was impressed. haha. We followed up the competition by heading back to a friends house, ordering a few pizzas, and watching the UFC fight (felt just like home).<br />
<br />
Today was my true Bearcat spirit day. The study abroad fair that the UC International team was here for was only 2 blocks away and I had the great pleasure of serving my University as a translator for the day! Not only was it great practice for my Portuguese, it was neat to meet new Bearcats here in Sao Paulo and also have the opportunity to promote my institution while abroad. It was just as much fun as it was informative. I didn't really know what goes on in terms of international education but this is a gigantic industry and I'm convinced that UC needs to continue investing in this department to remain a key player on the world stage. Our class offerings are diverse (a competitive advantage for us) and our program offerings are even more diverse in terms of what we can offer an international student (another advantage), but we need to develop more strategic partnerships with foreign universities to have a steady and healthy flow of international students attending UC on a consistent basis. I was very impressed with our UC team. They knew their stuff and represented us well...I'm sure it will pay off. Even better, they brought me 3 cans of SKYLINE CHILI!!! I will be cooking this week and will report back with endless sentences of ultimate satisfaction...wish me well as I dive into my favorite food from home! And here's our booth....!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmxCgEciVGbMB4GwP8wqAVvHfpojCq3y3u1hvPfRe38-EwQ-MnEwFXbFKJchrJ7giOTFTahcg4Nj7Li6N98VI4VrOMakOaJBq2Tu9N1alJNz9-NyyxWj-DBgcF3YJwWIjcwEJWNt_iGxYk/s1600/IMG_1578.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmxCgEciVGbMB4GwP8wqAVvHfpojCq3y3u1hvPfRe38-EwQ-MnEwFXbFKJchrJ7giOTFTahcg4Nj7Li6N98VI4VrOMakOaJBq2Tu9N1alJNz9-NyyxWj-DBgcF3YJwWIjcwEJWNt_iGxYk/s320/IMG_1578.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsiNrATAl_z_xYqJfKxTl3yCCWAP5cnGerG9nRgnAaKinsqj5OOdTAsFQrys1riyXH3mCKVxUGmzCHK9EEsSn2ZDCNs97QOUVgsnUp6IVxMqWT8dkufjAvjbPIJLR3kSKZXQ54tuDfEnm2/s1600/IMG_1579.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsiNrATAl_z_xYqJfKxTl3yCCWAP5cnGerG9nRgnAaKinsqj5OOdTAsFQrys1riyXH3mCKVxUGmzCHK9EEsSn2ZDCNs97QOUVgsnUp6IVxMqWT8dkufjAvjbPIJLR3kSKZXQ54tuDfEnm2/s320/IMG_1579.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Big week ahead of me. End of the first module of the first semester so I have a few exams and presentations upcoming. Looking forward to sharing more!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13467876440707788028noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5651006419210511902.post-54390625607867359652012-09-18T22:08:00.001-04:002012-09-18T22:08:33.902-04:00The W CurveHello blog followers...it's been a bit since I've posted something...and this is one of my perturbed, annoyed, and emotional posts...so enjoy the vulnerability while you can!<br />
<br />
The last few days have been full of the biggest emotional ups and downs that I've had here in Brazil and I certainly needed plenty of motivation last night but I pushed through and today was a great day.<br />
<br />
Let's see...<br />
<br />
I am one step closer to getting out of this detained state. I made the one-hour trek to the Ministry of External Relations to pick up my new visa. Which was really exciting until I saw that all they did was mark the 2012 with a 2013 with a sticker stamp. Are you kidding me?! First I get rejected at the federal police registration because the date was wrong (hand written) and then it takes over a month for you to stamp my paper and I have to spend a day taking care of this all. Meanwhile I was thinking that I'd get a chance to re-register with the police right away but their website is broken right now and they're on strike so they're not taking any appointments at this time....wow....just wow. Hopefully next week I can get this solved.<br />
<br />
To ease the bureaucratic pain, I spent another weekend in Rio de Janeiro, which is always well worth it. I headed out on Thursday night and took the night bus to arrive there on Friday morning. I'm telling you, traveling via bus here is as luxury as it comes. A seat that reclines to a full bed with a nice blanket, food, and leg rests. It's easy to just crash and next thing you know, you're in the Cidade Maravilhosa!<br />
<br />
Once we made it there, it was back to the beach house and another beach for all of Saturday...which was AWESOME! I'm finally looking Brazilian with my tan haha. Saturday night I made it to my first Brazilian birthday party! I'm telling you, Brazilians do birthday parties right...house full of decorations, food, themes, people, song, celebration, cake, candy, etc...even at the age of 21. Of course I suppose there's nothing wrong with the typical American "to-the-bar" party but this was a blast. I learned how to sing happy birthday in Portuguese (words are a bit different) and made it to bed by about 4 AM. Sunday was a recover and relax day and I took another night bus back to Sao Paulo to be fresh and ready for Monday...which was less than exciting...and the W curve hit me big time.<br />
<br />
The W curve was something I learned about before my first longer-term study abroad trip to Asia. It sounds silly at first but when you think about it, it's right in so many ways. At one end of the letter, you're at the very high of highs...everything is super new and cool and exciting...and on the other end...in the deepest depths of that letters curve you can find yourself feeling depressed and longing for home...that was me yesterday.<br />
<br />
I'm not quite sure what it was. Maybe the fact that I hit the 2 month mark yesterday (substantive but not even close to being done). Maybe it was because I am continually angered by the fact that I cannot watch college football here. Maybe it was because I had to study for a test in my Portuguese accounting class and over 100 pages of something not in English in a technical discipline could no longer be delayed. Maybe it was because it was hotter than hell's waiting room and the pollution hit like Ray Lewis tackling a peewee running back with goggles and no mouthpiece. Regardless, it was making me feel sick. Maybe it was because I talked to so many friends and family from home...even had my brother post the "You've got a friend in me" song on my facebook wall. I'm sure it was a combination of everything but whatever one or many factors that made me feeling lonesome was awful and I finally realized what it means to be on that damn curve. Nevertheless, those same friends gave me great pick-me-uppers, sent words of encouragement, put things in perspective, and had me feeling much better by the time I hit the hay.<br />
<br />
I woke up feeling quite refreshed today and was ready to tackle the day...a good one! Despite the fact that I don't have the results, I felt pretty confident on the test I had to take and I got a great 5 mile run in the park accomplished after that. I knocked out some emails and did some studying and got to see some of my other American friends this afternoon that are studying here. There was one specific thing today that really energized me though...not necessarily for good reasons...but I'm interested in what you all think I should do!<br />
<br />
About 5 days ago, every international exchange student at my school received an email inviting them to participate in the exchange fair...where you can set-up a booth and promote your home school, culture, etc. and try to convince Brazilian students to study abroad! As you can imagine, I was super pumped and got on the horn with my fellow Bearcats to start to brainstorm and ordered some UC "swag" to help giveaway. Nevertheless, I have a great game plan prepared and you best believe I was going to woo some Brazilians to the Queen City or City that Sings (did they approve that yet?) for the upcoming year....until...I got a peculiar message today on facebook (which I thought was a little unprofessional in and of itself but I guess times have changed (can't believe even I, a young one, am saying that)). The conversation is below:<br />
<br />
School: Hello dear (um excuse me...since when is a student a dear?!)<br />
Me: Hello<br />
School: Are you ok?<br />
Me: Yes. Why do you ask?<br />
School: We just want to know if you are going to the exchange fair?<br />
Me: Yes. I'm excited. I'm filling out the registration form as we speak!<br />
School: Aren't you from CIEE? (CIEE is the study abroad program that placed me into the institution and plans weekend trips, language courses, etc...not the university...but a mediator)<br />
Me: Yes.<br />
School: We have a problem then. Students from the CIEE cannot have a booth at the fair but they can still attend.<br />
Me: I cannot promote my own university in the US? I was not planning on promoting CIEE?<br />
School: What university do you attend?<br />
Me: University of Cincinnati<br />
School: Unfortunately you cannot promote your university because FGV (Fundacao Getulio Vargas...my school here) does not have a partnership with it.<br />
Me: FGV should partner with it and I think this is a perfect way to start that partnership.<br />
School: I agree but there is no will for the universities to partner so I'm afraid you cannot participate. I am sorry...I cannot personally decide this.<br />
Me: I am deeply saddened by this. Not only do I think this is unjust and inequitable, it is far from a warm welcome as I have already planned my booth, requested things be sent to me here, and purchased goodies to give away.<br />
School: I am really sorry. We did not mean to waste your time or money. Maybe in the future we can partner (meanwhile I'm thinking...what the hell?! Aren't I studying here? Isn't this a partnership in and of itself?) so this situation can be avoided.<br />
Me: I'm not sure that I fully understand the rationale behind my inability to participate. I will be back in touch.<br />
<br />
So, that's the conversation...and well, it caught me at the right time because I was heated as all hell! Are you kidding me? I cannot set-up a table at a local fair to hand out pencils to tell students about UC?...absurd! I just felt so shafted...not sure why I'm still irked by this but I've been thinking about a few ways to approach it...some of which are better than others of course haha.<br />
<br />
1. Is this a menial argument that I should waste my time with...just not participate and forget about it?<br />
2. Is is inequitable and unjust and should I petition to promote? Don't they realize how small this is too?<br />
3. Should I promote anyway by posting up outside the fair or try to sneak in anyway?<br />
4. Should I convince the other international students that can participate to boycott the event until all international students can participate...give everyone a healthy dose of freedom of speech, democracy, liberty, freedom?! haha<br />
5. Should I not "piss" anyone off and figure out what it takes to get this "partner" designation and start pursuing it...I think this is probably the most level-headed and best approach (although I had to convince myself for obvious reasons haha). Not only would a UC-FGV partnership be mutually beneficial, this would also fulfill the longer-term objective of cross-border understanding and diplomacy. Having said that, the others did run through my head out of slight anger haha.<br />
<br />
I'll have to keep everyone updated. This is not the first time that I've thought this institution is somewhat of a mess. I get these random emails notifying me that classes for the school for certain days are canceled, others are made up on Saturdays, times of other classes (of which I've already registered) have changed and are now overlapping with my other classes. None of the colleges (i.e. Law/Business/Economics) are on the same calendar. They don't have a running list for students to see if classes are open or closed. You register by email and never get confirmation. I don't know what to say but the organization, or lack thereof, is abysmal. Meanwhile all I hear is that this is Latin America's "premiere" business institution. Perhaps this in itself is explanation enough for why this country has so many pressing issues that continue to stifle it reaching its full potential. I think one of the more interesting points is the racial selectivity of the school as well. Everyone is white! And I mean like Gringo white...not just Brazilian tan. All the students are from very wealthy high-class families. It is most certainly a homogeneous body...making class discussion and perspectives about issues such as education, poverty, government, health care, etc (all things that are of the utmost policy importance here) very one-sided. Ok, at this point I'm just bashing...I digress...and forgive my attacking...but it's been a very good example of identification of things that I would change and an incredible perspective on what challenges face the Brazil we know today.<br />
<br />
Of course, I will continue to update everyone on my activities but I'm thinking about starting to post about the big issues in Brazil. I've been getting lots of feedback from my readers that they loved my case style approach on some the issues/businesses/etc. that I've presented earlier and they liked learning from it. So, be on the lookout for those!<br />
<br />
I'm also at a crossroads here as well as I'm getting a good chunk of readers from Brazil too now and they are requesting posts in Portuguese! So...you may see a few here and there in Portuguese in the coming months as well. Finally, I need to spice things up a little more with pictures and videos...not loads of texts, so if you have any ideas, send them my way otherwise you'll be getting whatever I have time for and can think up!<br />
<br />
Best wishes to all and thanks for reading. As a gift to you all, I read a hysterical blog post by another student who is here studying and I'm copying it below. You all deserve to have the same type of belly laugh I had when I read it! For my family readers...forgive the foul language below!<br />
<br />
<br />
<header style="background-color: #f3f3f3; border-bottom-color: rgb(235, 235, 235); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px; padding: 15px 0px;"><h1 style="font-size: 1.714em; font-weight: normal; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<a href="http://jamiewould.posterous.com/splitting-the-bill" style="color: #5a5047; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;">Splitting the Bill</a></h1>
<div class="editbox" style="height: 16px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 0px; visibility: visible;">
</div>
</header><div class="body" style="background-color: #f3f3f3; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px; padding: 15px 0px;">
<div class="inner" style="line-height: 2em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<div style="padding: 0px;">
<span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">I don’t think this is just a Brazil thing. I think this is pretty universal. One of the most excruciatingly painful activities that one must endure comes right after a rather enjoyable experience—eating a meal. This agonizing task: SPLITTING THE BILL.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 18px; margin-top: 15px; padding: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 18px; margin-top: 15px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Every time I’m at a restaurant with a party of 6 or larger, I get very uncomfortable at the end. I start sweating (what else is new), I get restless, and no longer am I happy about the meal I just inhaled. Paying the bill with a group of people, friends, colleagues, what have you, is always unbearable. There’s always a Cheap Charlie at the table that examines the bill with a magnifying glass, making sure he’s paying to the penny exactly what his meal cost him. Then there are people like me, who always get SCREWED at the end, having to put in more money, because we feel bad and just want this experience to end so that we can more quickly get to the bar.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 18px; margin-top: 15px; padding: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 18px; margin-top: 15px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">How about in the U.S. when we have to discuss tip? Cheap Fucking Charlie never puts in tip. Then me, the sucker, puts in tip for both myself and Suckie Chuckie because I feel bad for the waitress that only makes $2.74 an hour plus tips. Charlie, if you're reading this, you suck.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 18px; margin-top: 15px; padding: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 18px; margin-top: 15px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Oh, and how about the argument that always happens—should we split it equally between all of us, or should we all just pay what we got, you know, Going Dutch? If we’re splitting beers, cut it down the fucking middle. If we are talking dinner, I say pay for your own share, because when Sally eats a salad and Steve eats a steak, it obviously isn’t proportional. </span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 18px; margin-top: 15px; padding: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 18px; margin-top: 15px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Then, for about an hour after the dinner, I’m still stewing about the bill. Then I drink. Then I forget. Then what happens? WE HAVE TO SPLIT ANOTHER FREAKIN’ BILL AT THE BAR. That’s always such a joy. Now not only do we all owe money, but everyone is sloshed and can’t think clearly. That’s when I just walk away.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 18px; margin-top: 15px; padding: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 18px; margin-top: 15px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">That’s why I love the clubs here in Brazil. Usually, one will receive a card, and all of your drinks get put on the card. To leave, you must present your card and pay your tab. You don't have to deal with people or money--just you and your bill. For me, this is one of the scariest experiences if I’m not drunk enough, because every single time, I spend about enough money to fly back to the United States. But if I’m drunk enough, I laugh. If not, I cry.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 18px; margin-top: 15px; padding: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 18px; margin-top: 15px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">This is all I ask of you, fellow humans. 1) Be conscious of how much you are spending, therefore making it easier at the end. 2) Don’t be an asshole: you know you have to pay tip, don’t try and get out of it, because I’ll call you out on it. 3) If you’re gonna be<span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span>Suckie Chuckie cheap ass, stay home—you shouldn’t be eating out if you don’t wanna spend money. Make some instant $1 noodles, buy cheap vodka, and have a jolly time.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 18px; margin-top: 15px; padding: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 18px; margin-top: 15px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">PHEW. Enough said. Now I need a drink.</span></div>
</div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13467876440707788028noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5651006419210511902.post-61232559101210381642012-09-11T20:57:00.002-04:002012-09-11T23:48:48.860-04:00Rio de JaneiroThe title of the post says it all! I had the chance to visit Latin America's most visited city and well, it exceeded expectations in every way possible...so much in fact that I'll be making a return trip this weekend to once again live the vida carioca (<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qig0zc7Cy-0" target="_blank">Rio life</a>).<br />
<br />
Last week couldn't have gone fast enough...the anticipation of heading to the world's most beautiful city awaited me. On Thursday I aced my accounting test and then headed out to the bus station, just a 20 minute subway ride away, to head on out. Another victory scored as I somehow successfully bought a ticket and navigated my way to the bus station itself. I was expecting a calm ride but what unfolded was one of the funnier and more strange things that has occurred for me here in Brazil...<br />
<br />
Just my luck, I had the pleasure of sitting next to cat woman....dressed head to toe in leopard print! Literally...EVERYTHING! Toe nails, shoes, pants, scarves, belts, eye glasses, hair pins, purses, bracelets...you name it, she was wearing leopard print. I didn't notice at first...just a glance revealed a coordinated and sharp looking older lady...but subsequent interactions with her were priceless! We had a grumbler on our hands. I couldn't understand a word this woman was saying to me...she just continually grumbled. It was quite cold on the bus and she started wrapping her hair around her arms for warmth, which is where I then realized that her hair was as long as her body...literally to the floor. She later fell asleep on my arm and when I advised her with a "licenca" (excuse me), she only responded with another grumble and continued to stretch out and put her feet on my legs and drifted back into her catlike dreams...the 7+ hours could not have gone slower!<br />
<br />
We indeed made it to Rio where I was met by my friend who lives there at the bus station with his parents to pick me up. We reminisced, realizing it had been 5 years since we last saw each other in high school, retold tails of the "good 'ole days" and remained in disbelief...thinking we'd never see each other again. It was a pleasure to meet his family as well...wonderful people. We headed out that night to the bay and got some food and chopp (draft beer) with his friends. I was instantly taken by the friendliness of the people and of the carioca accents...where they pronounce "shhhh" instead of "ssss". It was simply beautiful to listen to and made me jealous that I have the Paulistano accent.<br />
<br />
Friday was a day to remember. I was actually staying in Niteroi, the city across the bay that looks directly at Rio. We hopped the 14km bridge over to the big city and began our journey to Concorvada and the Christ the Redeemer statue. We grabbed lunch and then took the rickety red train to scale up the mountain to spend the day with Jesus! Now I've been very very fortunate in my life and have had the opportunity to see some very cool things like the Great Wall of China and the DMZ but this easily goes down as one of the neatest things I've done. The statue itself was impressive but the view was completely breathtaking. Rio is a picturesque city and seeing a 360 view with the buildings, ocean, beaches, etc was awesome. A glance right I was looking at historic Copacabana and Ipanema beaches and a quick look left I was seeing bustling traffic in the city and the favelas (slums) dispersed amidst the buildings. It was like capturing the essence of what is Brazil with my own two eyes...and despite all the action below, it looked so peaceful from above and it was even cooler to look over it and say that I've called this country home. After taking plenty of photos (link to pictures below (photos don't do it justice)), we headed back to sea level and home for some dinner and out to a barzinho (outdoor music bar) for the night. After some drinks and appetizers we packed our bags and headed to another friend's beach house for the rest of the weekend!<br />
<br />
The next best story about the weekend occurred on Saturday, also my friend's birthday. I woke up and was told that we were going to the beach...so I put on my havianas and my swim trunks and was ready to go...then my friend told me to switch to gym shoes because we were walking to the beach and we were going to go to a good "site" spot and had to get there via a trail...fine by me....little did I know that this trail was a flipping MOUNTAIN that I was completely unprepared to climb for 5 hours haha. In fact, we trekked some 500+ yards to the highest point in Niteroi for an incredible view. The best part of it all was the pure fact that I had no clue we were doing that. I was still in my swimsuit and this trail was easily one of the most physically daunting things I've ever done in my life...a short slip of the shoe away from falling to my death I dare say. And this trail was not one of those friendly here's a nice stick for a railing...we were straight scaling rocks the size of the Jesus statue with ropes and sorts...again, you'll see in the pictures. My shoes are pretty much shot, although I have no room to complain as one of the other guys climbing with us actually trekked through his shoe and had to descend the mountain barefoot in the brush. Nevertheless, the view was, again, beyond incredible and the sense of accomplishment for having scaled the mountain was equally as exhilarating, not to mention a fantastic workout.<br />
<br />
We did end up making it to the beach...which lived up to every Brazilian expectation I've had and spent the rest of the weekend relaxing by the pool and eating churrasco (Brazilian BBQ). Even better for my Portuguese was hanging out with all native speakers and people my age...I finally got some slang down and am sounding more and more native every day. In fact, my speaking partner at school and professor said that I've really really really improved! I'm still shocked at how much I've come along...closing in on two months. I'll be dreaming in Portuguese by the end of my year.<br />
<br />
A few big days ahead of me. Lots of midterms the next few weeks and group projects due before the end of our first class modules for the semester so I am hitting the books before another Rio style vacation this weekend. Life there is contagious and if you haven't been to South America before, put Rio de Janeiro on your bucket list. The people, the food, the lifestyle is a complete dream and well living in Brazil has been nothing short of living <i>the</i> dream. Tchau!<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.4619731134026.187095.1315085436&type=1&l=f9c3427e1c" target="_blank">PHOTOS</a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13467876440707788028noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5651006419210511902.post-68216639949321161952012-09-04T12:26:00.001-04:002012-09-04T12:26:37.232-04:00ParatyGreetings blog followers,<br />
<br />
I've taken a few days rest from my posts to do exactly that...rest! A much needed weekend trip to Paraty (pronounced...PA-RA-CHEE) was the perfect way to spend the past few days outside of bustling Sao Paulo (including getting out of the cold).<br />
<br />
About a 5 hour bus-ride along the windy and winding oceanfront, a beautiful colonial town of 45,000 people awaited us. We stopped along the way for a nice Brazilian breakfast and at a beach for lunch where we played a little soccer and bought some beach wear.<br />
<br />
We arrived at our Pousada (kind of like a bed and breakfast) with our own verandas and mountain view just in time for a quick historical tour of the historic colonial town on Friday night. The buildings/houses were awesome! All very well kept and colorful. I'm linking the pictures below so you all can see what I mean. This was an old school horse carriage town with cobblestone streets. All the shops were very unique and trendy. Lots of 6-room hostel style pousadas and some of the best food in all of Brazil. We had Thai the first night and followed it up with a nice cigar and wine on the cobblestone streets listening to popular Brazilian music and live samba bands. There was also a church festival going on so the whole town was out...including the dessert vendors. I had tons of chocolate and coconut desserts while roaming the streets.<br />
<br />
On Saturday, we woke up early to head to the pier for our 5+ hour catamaran boat ride to some of the 300 islands in the Rio bay and stopped along the way for some snorkeling and beach time...beautiful! In the evening, we had a meeting with the owner of the largest tourism company in Paraty. This was actually a really interesting visit. Lots of insight on the tourism industry in Brazil, how they attract people to the area, what skills they need to host people, and lots of discussion on how to control tourism, especially in a small town like Paraty that has a key draw for people. I should have seen some of the more direct impacts of the global economy on tourism in a small town like this, but hearing them firsthand was really unique. We followed that up with a nice German dinner at a local brewery. They really hyped up the Hofbrauhaus and even sold some of their beer so it was a nice reminder of being back in Cincinnati at one of the 4 Hofbrauhaus restaurants in the world!<br />
<br />
Another early wake-up call by rugged Jeeps awaited us for a terrain tour on Sunday. We stopped at a few waterfalls in the surrounding area for some daring jumps, rope swings, natural slides, and swimming. It was awesome! We even stopped for a little tutorial on cachaca (Brazilian liquor) making and had some taste tests. We finalized the weekend with an Italian lunch and boarded the bus back to Sao Paulo.<br />
<br />
It's a short week back here for me. Just two more days and them I'm off to Niteroi, the city across the bay from Rio de Janeiro. Taking a bus on Thursday afternoon for a weekend in South America's most visited city and to finally hit Ipanema and Copacabana beach! I'm staying with a friend I met at my high school...a Brazilian who was an exchange student to learn English and now lives back in Rio de Janeiro with his family. I'll be honest, after high school I thought I'd never see my Brazilian friends again but lone and behold, here I am, studying in Brazil for the year and we're reconnecting! To all my readers, build those foreign relationships. It makes the world a smaller place to live and it's always fun to reconnect when you're on your world travels! I'll be sure to take lots of pictures so that you can all witness Rio's breathtaking views and tempt you all to book your reservations for the 2016 Olympic Games!<br />
<br />
In the meantime, here are the <a href="http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.4586306178423.186250.1315085436&type=1&l=8d87a9a526" target="_blank">photos</a> from my weekend in Paraty. Enjoy!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13467876440707788028noreply@blogger.com0