Welcome,
I have returned safe and sound (or at least as sound as I was when I left). Did you know that there were five jet crashes in the past month? Luckily, I was a passenger on none of those flights.
So, having come to terms with the fact that I am in, indeed, becoming a sell-out, I learned a few more interesting little tidbits about Brazil. It is one of the largest countries in the world, geographically speaking. My driver was telling me that if it weren't for the corruption, it might be one of the richest as well. While he may be a bit biased, he might have something there. Owen confirmed the fact that it was large (maybe the fifth or sixth largest in the world), and their climate is well-suited to growing things. The area that I was in had red earth (iron rich, like PEI). In fact, the orange orchards around our site produce two crops each year, which is unusual I'm told. They have the Amazon there. They grow coffee beans and sugar cane there. They have tourism there, which would be an even greater money-maker if they could control the crime I'm sure. People come from all over the world for Carnival. They don't have tsunamis or hurricane season. They don't really have earthquakes or tornados. It seems that the biggest obstacle to their pursuit of the 'American Dream' is the corruption in the government, which is too busy stealing (accepting bribes) to actually serve the people.
Speaking of crime, I was told that one of the more popular crimes of late is what they call a 'mini-kidnapping'. The perpetrators will accost you (often in your car) at gunpoint, force you to take them to a bank machine and get all of the money you can out of your accounts, then let you go (after relieving you of your other valuables as well). Which is nice of them... they don't actually cut your hand off to steal your watch like the theives in Mexico city apparently do (my Mexican colleague confirmed this rumour). They let you live.
And live they do. They took me dancing one night. We went to a bar where they have a buffet and a happy hour (which was actually about three hours long) where you could have as much food, beer and caipirinhas (national drink of Brazil - made of Pinga [alcohol made from sugar cane], limes and sugar - really strong) for about fifteen Reals (Brazilian money, worth about eight Canadian dollars). They had a live samba band for the happy hours playing traditional samba music, which people actually samba to, then they cleared away the buffet and they had a DJ playing dance music, and the people all dance. The patrons were singing along with the band to certain songs. One of my hosts would translate the songs to me and explain their significance if it was an especially meaningful one, or if everybody got up and got into them. Then we danced the night away, and all on a Wednesday night.
That sort of thing doesn't happen in Canada; at least not in any part of Canada that I know of. Perhaps in the East Coast. They sing more there. But here in Toronto and in Vancouver, we don't really have national or regional (because the one that got the most applause was one from Sao Paulo) songs that we all sing to. We don't have a shared history that goes back hundreds of years that people have written songs about that we all know all of the words to, that make us get up and dance. It wasn't just the women singing and dancing either: the men were singing just as loudly and dancing just as much.
Well, I think that's all I have to say about Brazil for now... I did bring back a bottle of Pinga, so the next time we're at a barbecue, I will make caipirinhas! I was told that you can make them with vodka if you don't want them to be as strong... then they're called caipirouskas.
Ciao for now peoples...
Lesle, The Artful Traveller
Showing posts with label brazil. Show all posts
Showing posts with label brazil. Show all posts
Sunday, August 28, 2005
Wednesday, August 24, 2005
Brazil Part II
Bon Dia,
(I'm probably not spelling that right...)
As I was being driven to work this morning, it occurred to me in the slightly more harsh light of day, that my perception of Brazil may not just be different (see previous blog) because the plant is in a nicer location or the hotel is (in fact) in a nicer location of the city. As I looked again, a little more sharply this morning, I realized that when I was first here four years ago, that was probably my first real introduction to a developing nation. I'd been to Mexico prior to Brazil, but hadn't seen in Mexico what I saw here, so was stunned by the poverty and dilapidation and lack of infrastructure. I had never seen such graffiti, nor had I seen corrugated metal used for roofs before. I had not even noticed whether or not in Mexico they had metal bars, or those sliding metal doors pulled across the fronts of stores at night because I had not gone out. They do this in Europe too, I now know, I simply wasn't aware of that when I was first in Brazil. I had never before spent time walking down sidewalks that were in such a state of disrepair that you really couldn't walk on them in some parts; you have to go onto the road to pass. I had never before seen buildings that were actually crumbling into piles of gravel and refuse with little puddles of dirty water pooling around the edges of them.
So when I was writing last night that I hadn't noticed as much poverty this time in Brazil, it didn't occur to me that it's not because it's not still here (although I have not seen any of the infamous favellas), it's because I'm becoming de-sensitized to it. How shocking is that to realize first thing in the morning? I have seen and heard and smelt so much of what it's like to be in a developing nation now (most of Asia except Japan is still developing) that the sight of all of these things no longer causes me to gape, open-mouthed as I'm driven by in an air-conditioned Mercedes. It's as though I've come to accept that this is what living conditions are like in these countries and that's that.
The first time I was in Brazil, I actually shed tears at the discrepancy between the abject poverty of some of the people: a young woman in particular with a dirty, naked toddler on her hip who was standing by a shack made of corrugated metal with no windows on the side of the road, and the 'normal' (to me) middle class lives of others. Four years later, I didn't notice until it occurred to me that I hadn't noticed.
How's that for validation that I've sold out?
Until next time boys & girls... I remain,
The Artful Traveller
(Do you like that? I like that. It was Owen the Terrible's idea.)
(I'm probably not spelling that right...)
As I was being driven to work this morning, it occurred to me in the slightly more harsh light of day, that my perception of Brazil may not just be different (see previous blog) because the plant is in a nicer location or the hotel is (in fact) in a nicer location of the city. As I looked again, a little more sharply this morning, I realized that when I was first here four years ago, that was probably my first real introduction to a developing nation. I'd been to Mexico prior to Brazil, but hadn't seen in Mexico what I saw here, so was stunned by the poverty and dilapidation and lack of infrastructure. I had never seen such graffiti, nor had I seen corrugated metal used for roofs before. I had not even noticed whether or not in Mexico they had metal bars, or those sliding metal doors pulled across the fronts of stores at night because I had not gone out. They do this in Europe too, I now know, I simply wasn't aware of that when I was first in Brazil. I had never before spent time walking down sidewalks that were in such a state of disrepair that you really couldn't walk on them in some parts; you have to go onto the road to pass. I had never before seen buildings that were actually crumbling into piles of gravel and refuse with little puddles of dirty water pooling around the edges of them.
So when I was writing last night that I hadn't noticed as much poverty this time in Brazil, it didn't occur to me that it's not because it's not still here (although I have not seen any of the infamous favellas), it's because I'm becoming de-sensitized to it. How shocking is that to realize first thing in the morning? I have seen and heard and smelt so much of what it's like to be in a developing nation now (most of Asia except Japan is still developing) that the sight of all of these things no longer causes me to gape, open-mouthed as I'm driven by in an air-conditioned Mercedes. It's as though I've come to accept that this is what living conditions are like in these countries and that's that.
The first time I was in Brazil, I actually shed tears at the discrepancy between the abject poverty of some of the people: a young woman in particular with a dirty, naked toddler on her hip who was standing by a shack made of corrugated metal with no windows on the side of the road, and the 'normal' (to me) middle class lives of others. Four years later, I didn't notice until it occurred to me that I hadn't noticed.
How's that for validation that I've sold out?
Until next time boys & girls... I remain,
The Artful Traveller
(Do you like that? I like that. It was Owen the Terrible's idea.)
Tuesday, August 23, 2005
Brazil
Hola,
They say that here too, though less frequently. I haven't quite grasped too much Portuguese yet, but I can order a hot black tea with milk and sugar so I think I'm doing just fine thank you.
Brazil is warm and sunny, even in the winter, which it is here right now. I think it was around 25 degrees today with a few scattered, fluffy clouds. Our site is surrounded by some orange orchards and it's actually quite a beautiful place. The hotel is decent as well, despite the lack of a kettle in my room. There's a good Japanese restaurant in it where we had really good sashimi for dinner last night for a great price. Who knew the Brazilians could do sashimi? I certainly didn't.
Tonight, my host took us out to a traditional Brazilian grill type restaurant where there is a salad bar, and the waiters bring by skewers of grilled meat. All kinds of meat. They just slice off pieces right beside you if you want some, and they just keep bringing it until you flip over this little card from green to red. I can't remember the last time I ate so much. They have these places all over the country apparently. I can't imagine eating like this all the time. I am so full I can barely type. Then I had a lovely dessert, it was bananas flambed and served over ice cream.
Our plant has moved since the last time I was here and I'm staying in a different hotel. I haven't seen nearly as much poverty here as I did last time. Perhaps it's because I'm in a different place. I also haven't noticed our driver carrying a gun and he's not wearing a suit jacket anymore. They did last time so it was difficult to tell whether or not they were packing.
Anyhoo, I'm too tired and full to write much more, so I'm off to beddy-bye now.
Ciao for now,
Lesle
They say that here too, though less frequently. I haven't quite grasped too much Portuguese yet, but I can order a hot black tea with milk and sugar so I think I'm doing just fine thank you.
Brazil is warm and sunny, even in the winter, which it is here right now. I think it was around 25 degrees today with a few scattered, fluffy clouds. Our site is surrounded by some orange orchards and it's actually quite a beautiful place. The hotel is decent as well, despite the lack of a kettle in my room. There's a good Japanese restaurant in it where we had really good sashimi for dinner last night for a great price. Who knew the Brazilians could do sashimi? I certainly didn't.
Tonight, my host took us out to a traditional Brazilian grill type restaurant where there is a salad bar, and the waiters bring by skewers of grilled meat. All kinds of meat. They just slice off pieces right beside you if you want some, and they just keep bringing it until you flip over this little card from green to red. I can't remember the last time I ate so much. They have these places all over the country apparently. I can't imagine eating like this all the time. I am so full I can barely type. Then I had a lovely dessert, it was bananas flambed and served over ice cream.
Our plant has moved since the last time I was here and I'm staying in a different hotel. I haven't seen nearly as much poverty here as I did last time. Perhaps it's because I'm in a different place. I also haven't noticed our driver carrying a gun and he's not wearing a suit jacket anymore. They did last time so it was difficult to tell whether or not they were packing.
Anyhoo, I'm too tired and full to write much more, so I'm off to beddy-bye now.
Ciao for now,
Lesle
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