While these aren’t my own personal observations, over on the Union College (of New York) website, there’s a fairly large section on exchange student essays which reflect on their time studying and living in Brazil. Most of the essays are sectioned off into regions of Brazil while others are more abstract and cover more ground, as it were. I have yet to check it out thoroughly but it very well may be of interest to some of my readers.
Cheers
While browsing one of the largest (online) newspapers in Brazil this morning, I noticed one thing…it’s the same thing I always notice, there’s no reason for the (Brazilian) News. While I have no vendetta out for news as a way to introduce a subject to the people, I do have an issue with trash posing as news. One could use the “don’t shoot the messenger” line here but I’m not buying it. Owners have certain preferences which will always make it into their papers and when the populace is kept between left and right politics (aka the Hegelian Dialectic of problem-reaction-solution), it gives organizations such as newspapers the right to say “we’re just reporting what the people want”. Rarely does one take into account the fact that the populace is conditioned by the media and the gov’t, both of which are eternally in bed together…but that’s another story to which I’ll only be devoting the following paragraph.
One can go back all the way to 1808, when the first ever Brazilian newspaper called the ‘Correio Brazilienze‘ began to be circulated in London as well as within Brazil, albeit secretly. The Brazilian owner, Hipólito da Costa, was a well-to-do mason and Brazilian diplomat who once in London, created the ‘Correio’ as a means to disseminate liberal ideas on the emancipation of Brazil from the Portuguese court. Seeing as how the Portuguese royals didn’t take too kindly to such a thing, they funded the creation of a rival newspaper in London called O Investigador Portuguez em Inglaterra. Come 1812 and the Royal Family had had enough of the Correio so they made a secret deal with Hipólito to tone down his criticism of the monarchy in exchange for a the handsome payment of 1,000 silver sterlings (equal to about 500 subscriptions) per year. Meanwhile, his readers were none-the-wiser all the way up until the newspaper ceased circulation in 1822.
Returning to modern reporting, here’s what I found while tallying up the types of articles in the paper today in Brazil.
16 stories on death and violence
7 stories on trivia (entertainment, aka bread and circuses)
9 stories on politics, etc (the kind that are of interest only to select readers)
That’s right. There was nothing to give pause, to require thought or to inspire further pursuit in the news today. Sure, they say some days are ‘slow news days’ but I’m not buying that either because I see this day-in, day-out in Brazilian newspapers. I’m not saying the news in other countries is any better as globalization has made us all ‘beat our drum to the same tune’, but it’s sad nonetheless. And for those who are more visually stimulated, there’s always Brazilian TV news, but don’t waste your time, it’s just more of the same.
As with anything else in this world, if you want to be informed, do research, read from multiple sources and multiple viewpoints and find others to discuss those issue with. Proceed with caution though, as it’s important too to not fall into the trap of Plato’s Cave, where we look to our neighbor to confirm our understanding of reality, a ‘reality’ which the media and gov’t hand out on a daily basis.
In my time abroad, mostly in Colombia and Brazil, I’ve noticed something significant. No matter how much I study the culture or how good my language skills are, it’s hard to be myself. What do I mean by that? This post by Leo at The Lions Den is self-explainitory, but I’ll repost the part that struck me.
“We hit the Rio Vermelho district and sat outside drinking beer late into the morning. Pretty common occurrence by our standards, but what set this particular outing apart was the subtle cultural interaction that happened between her students and myself. To my glee, I have reached a point in my Portuguese that allows me to be my safado, jokester, no public shame kind of self, and it is indeed most liberating. The process of learning a language has been somewhat difficult for me, as I have had to survive being the quiet awkward observant one for too long. I hate this. Truly hate it.”
I know the pain you’ve endured, Leo. Even with my knowledge of Portuguese being tested at 96%, give or take, that still doesn’t mean I can be myself in Brazil. This has to do with a single factor which has two sides, one is knowing that your spoken Portuguese is fluent and versatile, the other side is being confident enough that you won’t mess up (or that you’ll be okay with sounding like an idiot in the case you do). It’s the former that bothers me.
My spoken Portuguese in a normal conversation with a stranger borders on quite good but not great and this is noticable when you are a native-speaker/stranger talking to me. Luckily, I’ve reached the point where they assume I’m Brazilian but they just can’t place me (although when they do, it’s as a gaúcho while in the North or a Paulista/Carioca otherwise). Nobody likes sounding like an idiot so this makes you think twice about how you say what you say and also about how much to say. For day-to-day operations, I go for ‘short and sweet’ but when out to have fun or even to learn, this method doesn’t cut it.
Personally, I like to see how long I can go with others thinking I’m Brazilian but it doesn’t bother me in most cases when they know I’m not. At this point though when they find out I’m not, I’ll get one of two treatments. Either they will pretend I’m a complete moron linguistically or they will treat me normally. Being an American interested in South America has its advantages here. For one, I’ve grown up in a culture where no one really talks to each other so in the case I’m seen as the linguistic moron, it’s a good way to not talk to people I otherwise wouldn’t talk to. A personal interest in Brazil though gives me another option, I can talk to those who treat me normally and that is a chance to learn more about their (regional) culture.
One may come across certain situations which come down to taste, preference and environment rather than language skills. One such example is when you find yourself in a noisy bar and you are with a group of around 5-6 people, perhaps more. Let’s assume, as is the case most of the time, that the conversations going on at the table are in Portuguese. Let’s also assume you can’t understand 85% of what is being said and therefore you have trouble following along. This has zero to do with study-time and everything to do with how you are in your home country. In the U.S., I like bars but I don’t like crowds and by extension that means I don’t like noisy bars. Why? Because you can’t hear a thing, meaning you can’t concentrate, meaning you can’t join in on the conversation and enjoy yourself without going hoarse. In Brazil though (or any other country), not participating makes you seem like you are either a quiet foreigner or a stuck-up foreigner…no one seems to consider the fact that it’s just not your thing to be in a noisy place (if you go to Brazil, get used to it, it’s a noisy place all-together).
Getting back to the main point; being yourself. The things I’ve discussed can definitely make it hard to relax and ‘shoot the breeze’ or even to get into a conversation that is on the more intellectual/philisophical side. The solution to being able to be yourself is to either give in 100% to your efforts…meaning study spoken, informal Portuguese like your life depended on it without fear for error and with a mind open to corrections OR to find people who are bilingual, especially if you consider yourself to be bilingual too. In the case of the latter, you can make jokes in both languages and discuss the finer points of an issue in either language, etc., etc. In my experience though, with a long-time conversation partner (be it a friend or what-have-you), you’ll fall into using one language most of the time with the occasional code-switching for words you both understand have a more loaded meaning in one language or the other. Over the years, I swear I did not try to meet and become friends with English-speaking Brazilians but most of my good Brazilian friends are fluent in English. It’s refreshing then to be able to be oneself for a change, to not be the quiet and possibly-frustrated foreigner but to just be the same person you’ve always been, whatever that means to you.
This post goes out to my good friends (you know who you are) whose own interest in my native tongue have allowed for a fuller experience of friendship than I could have had with anyone who is monolingual. After all, my Brazilianist inclinations almost require that a good friend be bilingual so we can be free to share ourselves and our interests in the language we see fit.
One thing I always loved in Brazil was the simplicity of the cabeleireiro* (barbershop). The wait is short if not non-existent because the cuts are generally quick (10 minutes), the prices are just right (US$2.50-$5 with no expectation to tip), they use a razor with male clients to square-up the edges and the places aren’t hard to find. They remind me a lot of the old school barbershops in the States, the kinds that weren’t business chains and didn’t have a strong smell of chemicals in the air (as modern places have due to chemical treatments).
When I think about differences, the most striking one is that I’d pay equivelent to 10-15 haircuts in Brazil for one normal haircut in the US. That’s precisely why I cut my own hair at home. Sure you might mess up the first few times but then you get better.
* – The term cabeleireiro also refers to the one who does the haircutting.
Since 2005 when my first long stay in Brazil started, I’ve noticed more than a few common threads that unite the people of Brazil. One of those is leaving the TV on when no one is watching it.
I never understood this peculiarity though. Is the extra noise like a nightlight to a child, like a mothers home cooked meal or a favorite corner of the house to read a book? What I mean by that is, is it a comfort thing?
Is the TV here just as nice to watch as it is to hear? Was the radio left on all the time before the TV was introduced to Brazil?
The other interesting thing is that some families unplug the electronics when they are not using them as a way to save energy or a superstition that says energy is being used even if the device is turned off (well, modern electronics do have a power save mode so when you turn it off, it just goes into hibernate). So this brings me to deduce that leaving the TV on while at home is considered a fair use of said device.
Any thoughts?
Having surpassed the barrier of false notions (I’m no longer a tourist), I am slowly settling into the reality that is Brazil. When the vacation period ends and the reality starts to arrive, the Brazil you thought you knew becomes almost as foreign as you once found it to be. My friend explained it in the following manner. First it’s all love, then it’s all hate, then it’s somehow bearable, then you find equilibrium. Currently, I’m slipping into the third phase but while these rights of passage pass through and around me, more and more things I just don’t understand (but try to accept because I’m an outsider). Although as part of the bearable phase, one accepts first and asks questions later…which brings me to the current topic.
1. Why are ATMs (caixa eletrônica) used for so many functions where most of the time they are located within the bank? The lines for these ATMs are crazy long and the customers in each take an average of 5 minutes plus to use them. All the meanwhile, inside the ‘bank’ bank, there is generally quite a lot of employees with no one to attend to. Now, perhaps I’m just the only crazy one of the bunch but why not have the employees assist the customers while the ATMs are used for taking out money or depositing it? If such a thing would become reality (and I know I’m dreaming here), there would be practically no lines at the ATMs (also meaning there would be no line for somebody to cut into) and no one would get stressed with a simple trip to the ATM. Just an idea…
2. Why do oh-so-many businesses use false advertising in Brazil? By offering more products or services than one actually can provide, the only thing one creates is confusion (and probably disappointment) on behalf of the customer when they arrive at your enterprise and inquire as to a product or service which they saw or heard advertised. What is created in these circumstances is a less-satisfied customer (when they get less than they want), an entirely non-satisfied customer (when they prefer nothing over getting less than they want) as well as an employee that has to explain the reality of the situation to the customer and thereby waste time (and as we all know, time is money). From an ice-cream stand on the side of the road that advertises 15 flavors but routinely has in stock a mere 5 or 6, to a larger business (which can take hundreds of thousands in investment to start) that officially lists more services than every single employee at that company knows are actually offered. I don’t get it…
A year and a half ago, I wrote about my top two auditory annoyances in Brazil, respectively the carro de som and the cicada. Today though, I’ve been forced to add another to the top of the list…the foguete, or firecracker. I wrote a little about it here (as the Number 3 sound) but perhaps I can expand on it as it seems to be a country-wide phenomenon.
Since I moved back to Brazil, I’ve lived both in a big city and in the countryside and the residents of both just can’t get enough of firecrackers. Have you ever seen one of those posters that lists a reason to party for every day of the year? Well, in Brazil there’s sure to be one about lighting firecrackers. Any reason is good enough to do it and any time is a good time (yes, even at 5AM right outside my window). I can’t figure out for the life of me what that reason is, especially since it has happened repeatedly although not consecutively. As for the church bells which go off every half-hour (once) and every hour (five times in a row), my table fan blocks that noise out, but the firecrackers are just too loud.
At the start of my third week in the countryside, I’ve got used to the noise during waking hours but one of these days, I’ll fix a large speaker to the top of a telephone pole (just like local advertisers do) and flick a switch when I want my message to be heard loud and clear, whether someone wants to hear it or not. What message might I play? “Já ouviu falar de sono? Pois é, muitas pessoas estão dormindo nesta hora então vaze!” Perhaps someone somewhere will hear it and learn some respect. Until then I’ll keep trying to sleep…and dream.
There’s so much to observe being in a new place for the first time so the observations category has become bigger than I planned. Anyways, I’d like to talk about sounds. In particular, there are three I hear day in and day out.
Sound number 1 - “(Miau) Olha, Liquigas!”
I hear this every morning and afternoon. It just repeats and repeats, notifying people the gas guys are driving by in case you need to purchase some (for your kitchen appliances, not your car). Correction, it only sounds like a cat’s ‘miau’.
Sound number 2 – Whistle-blowing
I hear this every night, from when it starts to get dark until around 5AM. Like the first sound, the time in which it occurs is limited and not constant during that time-frame. From what I understand, it comes from flanelinhas (a local word for guys who basically do nothing for you but both you and they pretend some sort of service is being rendered, which has something to do with you not knowing how to park your own car and them showing you, then you pay them 50 cents US). When you try to park without them or drive off without paying, they sound their whistle and try to run over to your car to be paid.
Sound number 3 – Firecrackers
This is just like in Rio, where you’ll hear the 4 ‘pops’ followed by one second pause, then a fifth ‘pop’, only I highly doubt these are drug-related as they sometimes are in Rio. I hear this from the morning until I go to bed. I timed it today, it’s roughly every 10-20 seconds during the day and less frequent during the night. I’m quite curious to know the reasons behind it.
Last night, I was at a reggae concert featuring some local bands from Pará as well as Gregory Issacs from Jamaica and Soja from California. In the audience, near the stage were various couples watching and enjoying the live performances dancing forró super close to each other the whole time (5 hours plus) while bumping into everyone who actually came to *see* the bands play. All I have to say is, go dance elsewhere! Go to a bar, stay at your house, pay a lot less and go to a club for crying out loud but don’t go into the most dense part of the crowd, right near the stage and have your alone time with your partner. It’s extremely rude to say it politely. It may be a shock to you and your ‘sweetie-pie’ but nobody likes being bumped into every five seconds. In times like these, the only defense is to cross your arms and therefore use your elbows to make a point, so to speak.
Oh and this goes for the same types of couples, if you are going to spend the other half of your time in such an event ‘sucking face’ with your partner, get a room! Hug, kiss…I couldn’t care less, but if you’re acting like you’re in the privacy of your bedroom ‘knocking boots’ at 2AM then I hope those boots are also made for walking…cause you could go somewhere else and leave me and my friends to enjoy the event…yes, it’s not just me the foreigner who found it quite annoying, but my Brazilian friends too.
I think we’ve all heard the song “Raindrops keep falling on my head“, an oldie but goodie. We also all know how Belém, in some ancient local dialect, must mean “rain” although technically I know it means Bethlehem, which in turn means “House of Bread” (It would be awefully nice if a loaf of bread fell, right?).
When traveling here though, you should take caution when walking under the mango trees, as you may find out that raindrops aren’t the only thing that falls on your head here. Yes, that’s right, I’ve been warned that mangos hurt.
Of course, when there’s opportunity, there’s a Brazilian with their thinking cap on close by. When buying mangos in Belém from a street vendor, it’s quite possible the idea just fell into his lap.
Portuguese
Eu acho que todo mundo já conhece aquela música antiga em inglês “Raindrops keep falling on your head”. Também é bem possível que a palavra Belém em algum dialéto antigo desta região significa “chuva” mas tecnicamente sei que vem de Bethlehem a qual, em seqüência, significa “Casa do Pão” (seria uma boa se o que caiu fosse pão de forma, né?).
Embora quando o turista passa pela cidade à pé, ele deve ter cuidado porque as gotas de chuva não são as únicas coisas que podem cair sobre a cabeça. Isso aí, gente! As mangas têm a tendência de atingir a cabeça também.
Claro, que quando hã oportunidade, vai ter um brasileiro por perto, se pondo a pensar. Quando se compra uma manga em Belém de um vendedor na rua, pode ser que a idéia caiu do céu, de repente assim.
