Olá pessoal!
It has now been 2 months since I arrived in Porto Alegre.
Como pode ser, não acredito! How can this
be, I can’t believe it! Here’s an overview of what I have been up to and
what’s to come. I am still so happy and pleased to be here!
Research:
1. Interviews -
I have conducted a few more interviews since my last blog
post. One question that I ask is if the Holocaust is being taught at municipal
schools via the law and if not why. I have received a great contrast in responses
and below are a few examples.
- No, the Holocaust is not being taught. Many students come to school only because they are guaranteed a free meal (sponsored by the municipal government of Porto Alegre). The students come from very poor neighborhoods rigged with violence and death is a part of their everyday life. It is difficult to teach the Holocaust taking this into account, especially when the students come to school not knowing if their families will be alive tomorrow. There are bigger fish to fry in school and within the students’ lives than focusing on Holocaust education.
- No, the Holocaust is not being taught in schools due to anti-Semitism.
- Yes, the Holocaust is being taught in schools and it has always been part of the curriculum even before the municipal law was passed in 2010.
2. Visiting a municipal school –
I went to visit a municipal school to meet with a History
teacher and speak with him about Holocaust education in his school. I also
wanted to see the realities and challenges of Porto Alegre’s disadvantaged
neighborhoods and how Holocaust education comes into play.
Typically, municipal schools (at least in Porto Alegre) are
located in very poor areas that are often quite dangerous. In many cases, these
neighborhoods are controlled by drug trafficking gangs and as a result violence
is extremely prevalent. Often, the schools are forced to tend to the social and
economic needs of the students (whose parents could be part of the gang,
thieves, criminals etc.) and act as a refuge for students - a place for food,
shelter, and safety. Because of the unfortunate reality, I only saw a small
part of the neighborhood’s periphery. Surprisingly, it was better than I
expected; the main street was paved, homes had doors and windows, and the
school’s infrastructure appeared to be fairly modern and in good condition.
However, I was told that as you get deeper into the neighborhood, conditions
severely worsen and it becomes more dangerous. One can see from the main street
small narrow dirt paths carved out that lead to more homes. Needless to say I
did not do any exploring and stayed very close to the school and the main
street.
At the municipal school that I visited, all of the students
were of color and I was told that the majority of their parents have an
education of a 14-year-old (previously in Brazil the federal law stated that
students can stop going to school at age 14. The law was recently changed and
the age has been upped to 16). Due to their economic status, most of these
students will not go to college and will have to work low-end jobs for the rest
of their life (or partake in criminal activity). Interestingly, the Holocaust is
being taught at this school and the students take it very seriously. In
addition, the school attends Holocaust related events and the students are
familiar with Hitler, Anne Frank, the ghettos, etc. The teacher that I spoke
with uses the Holocaust to teach about the importance of human rights (women’s,
religious, LGBT, black, indigenous rights, etc.) and to appreciate and embrace
our differences.
3. Next up for research –
I am currently drafting a summary of German immigration to
Rio Grande do Sul. I hope to meet with a few more teachers this month, and I
have meetings scheduled with B’nai B’rith (they organize an annual seminar
about Holocaust education which is specifically geared towards teachers from
municipal schools) and a professor who wrote a book for teachers with tips,
lesson plans, and activities on how to teach the Holocaust to students. I’m
also looking into whom to interview next, when, what to ask them, and specific requests
regarding how they can help me with my research.
Floripa:
I went to Florianópolis, also known as Floripa (pronounced
“Floreepah”), for some quality beach time. Floripa is a delightful island, the
capital of Santa Catarina (the state located just north of Rio Grande do Sul),
and is a 6-hour bus ride from Porto Alegre. Floripa has over 40 beaches and is
a popular vacation spot for South Americans (among others). When the island was
first developed some years ago, the idea of tourism never came to mind and was
not taken into account. Therefore, a majority of the roads there are just
one-way and are carved out of the mountains that hug the coast. About 15 years
ago, Floripa was discovered and has since been a heavily desired destination for
both recreation and permanent residence. I went during the off-season and the
traffic was still quite bad! It took about an hour to get to any beach via
public bus. I kept thinking to myself that I was so smart to wait to go to
Floripa because 1) the prices were lower, and 2) I could not imagine how bad
the traffic must be during the high season! While in Floripa, I stayed with the
two Fulbright ETAs. They were so kind to host me and show me around their
beautiful city. They took me to the Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina
(UFSC pronounced as “oofskee”), and invited me to observe a live
English-language podcast they were conducting on the university’s radio
channel. It was a very cool experience to watch them connect with Brazilians
and converse about cultural differences between Brazil and the U.S, current
events, English idioms, etc. Each day I was in Floripa I did my favorite
leisure activity – sitting on the beach and doing absolutely nothing. The color
of the ocean and seeing the mountains along the coast really reminded me of San
Diego. As you can imagine, I really enjoyed myself and felt at home.
Discoveries:
I have made more discoveries and observations here in Porto Alegre
since the last blog post. In no particular order…
1. In Portuguese, “Ariana” means Aryan. You can imagine what
type of context it is used in, and many times I am asked why my parents gave me
that name.
2. Araçá – A Brazilian fruit that I found at the organic
farmers market and it is delicious! It is the size of a kumquat and the taste
and texture is a mix between guava and passion fruit.
3. And speaking of fruit, persimmon (called “caqui” in
Portuguese) is very common in Brazil. Think of it like apples in the U.S. It
comes in a variety of shapes, sizes and colors.
4. Often I am asked what differences I have observed between
Argentina and Brazil. Here are a few fun examples,
- Concept of time, for social activities –
Brazil - In Porto Alegre, there’s
a 15-minute window to be considered arriving on time.
Argentina – In Buenos Aires and Córdoba,
the window is more like 30 minutes.
- Paying the bill at a restaurant -
Brazil – So far in my experience
(that being São Paulo, Florianópolis, and Porto Alegre),
service is quick and the waiter will bring you the bill without you asking for it, like in the U.S.
Argentina – When eating out, the
mentality is to sit down, relax, and take your sweet
time.
You only get the bill if you ask for it.
You only get the bill if you ask for it.
- Infrastructure and wealth –
Brazil – Infrastructure is fairly
modern and in good condition, but still not as good as in the U.S.Luxury
foreign cars are commonly seen throughout Porto Alegre, Florianópolis, and São
Paulo.
Argentina
– Even in the wealthy neighborhoods, there are several potholes in the roads. A
majority of the cars are older models.
Celebrating Passover em Português
Avenida Osvaldo Aranha in Porto Alegre
Praia Mole, Florianópolis
Passover and Easter:
I celebrated two Passover Seders and an Easter tea and they
were all lovely. An acquaintance, who I hope will become a good friend, invited
me to celebrate the first Seder with her and her family. It was a very intimate
setting and everyone was very warm and welcoming. The format was more
traditional, and I frequently mentioned how interesting it was to see the Haggadah
and celebrate Passover in Portuguese. For the second night, I attended a
community Seder at a synagogue located two blocks away from my apartment. There
was a huge turnout, and both men and women participated and led various
sections of the Seder. On Easter Sunday (fun fact: Brazil also has Easter
Friday, the Friday before Easter, as a holiday), my roommate hosted a tea at
our apartment. It was a potluck and everyone brought their favorite dish (my
contribution was washing the dishes. When figuring out who should cook what I
told everyone it was best that I stay away from kitchen appliances). My
roommate is so great at hosting friends and bringing different groups of people
together (for the Easter tea we were 8 people – Jews and different
denominations of Christianity).
Abraços e beijos e até mais!
Hugs and kisses and
until next time!
- Ariana
