Fazer 30 Anos! - Turning 30! :-0

Olá pessoal!

Some of you have expressed your lack of enthusiasm in not hearing from me recently. Rather than wait for me to post a new blog every now and then, I would encourage you to download and use WhatsApp, a FREE app that allows you to call, text, send photos, and FaceTime with anyone in the world for FREE. This is the best way to be in contact with me on a regular basis. If I don’t answer right away it’s most likely because 1) I’m on the street and can’t answer the phone, 2) I’m without an internet connection, 3) I’m in class, 4) I’m in a meeting and/or interviewing someone. You can read more about the app and how to download it by clicking on this link, https://www.whatsapp.com/. Once the app is downloaded, you should see in your phone under my contact information that I have the app (it’s connected to my phone number) and therefore can communicate with me easily. If you encounter any sort of problem please let me know.

Me in Morro de São Paulo, Gamboa Beach, Bahia on my birthday

Celebrating Israel at the Porto Alegre Chamber of City Councilmen

At the Fortaleza Canyon in Rio Grande do Sul

Fun in the sun in Torres, Rio Grande do Sul.

This is what the neighborhood looks like of the school that I went to visit. There's the main road that the school and principal businesses are located on and as you work your way up away from the road the neighborhood drastically changes. Please note that this is not the actual neighborhood that I went to visit (I didn't feel comfortable taking a picture) but it looks very similar.

Ubatuba, São Paulo

And now to the nitty gritty, the reason as to why you are reading this blog…

It’s been a busy and somewhat overwhelming month. I now feel that I have reached a point where I am overloaded with information, have various texts to read and digest, have new contacts to meet with, more follow-up to conduct from previous meetings, and then some. This is not at all a complaint and I’m thrilled that my project is taking off!

Research:

1. Visiting another school –

       I went to another municipal school and spoke with the principal and a teacher. Once again, the school was not exactly in the best neighborhood (to put it lightly). The visit was very interesting, informative, and frank. When I asked the principal about the realities of the neighborhood and how they affect the school, his response was very calm and relaxed. He said that despite the poverty and activity of drug gangs, the school was relatively safe. After all, it’s not like the school is in the line of fire and gun shots are no longer heard (apparently this was not the case 10 years ago at the school). Some interesting comments and observations from the meeting:

• The biggest challenge for teachers in teaching the Holocaust is having the students understand it. This is a very distant topic for them, it happened a while ago, and they don’t know what a Jew is or anything about Judaism.  Despite this, the Holocaust is being taught at the school, but the students identify more with Afro-Brazilian studies, which is also mandated by municipal law.
• Last year at the school there was a serious problem with bullying and related violence. To combat this, a program consisting of dialogue and various activities pertaining to racism, segregation, discrimination, etc. were implemented. Materials such as the film “Freedom Writers” and the Anne Frank House (virtual museum) were used. The program was a success that as a result some of the students voluntarily read The Diary of Anne Frank.

           

2. Interviewing victims of Neo-Nazi attack –

     I interviewed a few victims that were attacked by neo-Nazis in Porto Alegre. I don’t feel comfortable publishing their intimate details on the internet but I will say that the interviews were incredibly powerful, terrifying, yet uplifting. Despite suffering from severe mental and physical injuries, they are all living normal and healthy lives. They have a positive outlook on life and on humanity, and go out with friends, have careers (in the legal, cultural, and engineering fields), relationships, etc.

            They all agreed that the municipal law mandating Holocaust education was very necessary in Porto Alegre due to racism and discrimination against various groups. When asked what they would include in the education, one of the victims recommended incorporating music. There are many popular punk bands such as NOFX (which coincidentally is a Jewish band – check out the song “We’re the Brews”) that address discrimination, and Brazilian punk bands are openly against neo-Nazis (apparently they are extreme enemies).

3. Survivor Talk –

            I traveled with three survivors (one of whom was not Jewish) to a public state school in Caxias do Sul, a city founded by Italian immigrants, located about two hours from Porto Alegre. The three survivors spoke about life before, during, and after the Holocaust to a group of approximately 70 students. One of the survivors, from Berlin, was in three concentration camps. At Auschwitz, his job was to collect the clothing of those that were sent to the gas chambers. He considers himself lucky because he secretly used that clothing under his uniform to keep warm which helped him survive. When they were finished speaking, they got a standing ovation from the students followed by many hugs, kisses, photos, and questions. I found it very interesting to see how engaged these students were. They seemed to really understand the difficulties that the survivors went through, and that the Holocaust has affected all of humanity and not just the Jews.

4. Pan American School –

            I spoke with a history teacher at the Pan American School, an international English-language school in Porto Alegre. This teacher previously taught at a municipal school as well as a Lutheran and Catholic school. It was interesting to hear about his different teaching styles and focuses at each school. He seemed very interested in my project and mentioned the idea of me possibly presenting my project at Pan American towards the end of the school year. I really hope that works out!

5. Next up for research –

• I have many documents and books to read that will keep me very busy. Everything is in Portuguese so it will take that much longer to get through.
• In June I’ll be visiting the Holocaust Museum in Curitiba and will meet with the museum’s director
• Next week I’m meeting with the city councilman who authored the municipal law. I will also be visiting another municipal school and meeting with various teachers. Although it is not a municipal school, I’ll be visiting a state school in São Leopoldo, a city located about an hour from Porto Alegre that was established by German immigrants.

Community-Wide Events:

Fulbright strongly encourages interaction and engagement with the local community. I frequently attend events from various groups, on various topics, with a diverse audience. I enjoy the many cultural and educational events that Porto Alegre offers, and meeting people from throughout Brazil and the Americas (I have met some Europeans and Middle Easterners too) is awesome! Here’s a brief summary of a few specific activities I’ve been to,

• Yom Hashoah – I attended an event at the local federation here (Federação Israelita do Rio Grande do Sul) for Holocaust Remembrance Day (Yom Hashoah)
• There was a community-wide event for Yom Ha’atzmaut (Israel’s Independence Day). Sadly the falafel wasn’t very good.
• The Porto Alegre Chamber of City Councilmen had a special session commemorating Israel
•  I gave a presentation about California to UFRGS students studying English. It was really fun for me to speak about and show off my beautiful home state. Without question, La Jolla Shores completely dominates The Hamptons. Sorry, but not sorry, New Yorkers. That includes you too, New Jersey.

Current Events:

There has been a lot of political action in Brazil since I have been here. It seems like everyday someone else is being exposed for corruption in Lava Jato. A brief summary of what has been going on in Latin America’s largest country,

•  Escola Sem Partido – This is a law being promoted on a national level. In a nutshell, its objective is to make it legally binding for educators to expose all viewpoints on academic topics to students rather than share just their own opinions and perspectives (which tend to be left-wing leaning). This law is highly controversial here in Porto Alegre, and many see it as an attempt to silence and go back in history to the dictatorship days. As of this writing the law has not been passed and I don’t believe there is a fixed date to vote on it. You can read more about the law here in Portuguese, http://www.programaescolasempartido.org/
• There was a massive nation-wide strike that occurred at the end of April to protest reforms being pushed by the Temer administration. Here’s an article from the BBC about the strike (“greve” in Portuguese) http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-39744030 and here’s a video of the strike in Porto Alegre, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wtqQjzTMloc. That day, I woke up to the sounds and sirens of protesters marching outside. Public transportation, businesses, schools, universities, etc. were completely shut down. The city was a ghost town and other than the protestors few people left their homes and went outside.
• Charges were made against President Temer for corruption. You can read about the incident here from The Guardian, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/may/19/brazil-president-michel-temer-corruption-conspiracy-accusation. President Temer says that these recordings were edited and tampered with. The OAB (Ordem dos Advogados do Brasil – The Order of Attorneys of Brazil, aka the Brazilian Bar Association) has called for Temer’s impeachment.

Travels:

I’ve done some traveling within Rio Grande do Sul and in other parts of Brazil.

1. Within Rio Grande do Sul –

• Cambará do Sul, Cânion Fortaleza – I took a day trip to see the Fortaleza Canyon, located about 2.5 hours from Porto Alegre. It was a great day filled with lots of hiking, crossing streams, walking up hills, taking lots of pictures, and making new friends. I was told that the Fortaleza Canyon is comparable to the Grand Canyon.
• Torres – A week or so after going to Cambará do Sul, I traveled with a group of Fulbrighters to the annual hot air balloon festival in Torres. Torres is a delightful beach town located in the northern region of Rio Grande do Sul close to the border with Santa Catarina. In addition to going to the festival, we toured the town and had some fun in the sun on the beach.

2. Ubatuba, São Paulo –

     I went on an organized young professional trip to Ubatuba, a beach town located in the state of São Paulo. The majority of the participants were from Rio de Janeiro or the city of São Paulo, but some were from Porto Alegre, Brasilia, Minas Gerais, Recife, Santa Catarina, and elsewhere. We stayed at an eco resort, just a few steps away from the beach. The vegetation there was very rich and really reminded me of Costa Rica. I spent some quality time on the beach (my favorite thing to do) and enjoyed meeting the whole group.

3. Bahia - 

     To celebrate rather than cry over turning 30, I went to Salvador and Morro de São Paulo for my birthday. I spent two days in Salvador, the capital of Bahia, and stayed with a Fulbrighter who was so kind to show me around. There, I visited Jorge Amado’s house, one of Brazil’s most beloved writers. I also spent some time walking around the Pelourinho neighborhood, marveling at the beautiful city views and architecture. Salvador has a strong culture and influence from Africa, which is very different from Rio Grande do Sul, marked by colonization from Germany and Italy. I tried acarajé, a salty donut-like pita pocket sandwich stuffed with seafood, some sort of vegetable puree, and spices (mine was vegetarian). Luckily I did not get sick from the palm oil, which is very common among tourists! Following Salvador, I took a two hour boat ride to the island of Morro de São Paulo, located about 60 kilometers south of Salvador. It’s quite small, has several beaches, is very safe, and is extremely popular among Argentines and Israelis. Spanish and Hebrew are by far the dominant languages on the island and Brazilians there are few and far between. This provided an excellent opportunity for me to practice my Spanish, and thank god I still remember it and speak it very well! I really enjoyed lounging around the beach, being a porteña again, walking around the island, and swimming in the ocean. It was a great way to start the new decade!

Discoveries:

1. Pinhão – A delicious nut found in the south of Brazil that is usually eaten in the winter months in Porto Alegre. Think of it like the chestnut http://flavorsofbrazil.blogspot.com.br/2010/07/pinhao-brazils-pine-nut-on-steroids.html

2. Cupuaçu – A very sweet, vanilla-flavored fruit found in the north of Brazil. It is commonly used in ice cream, various desserts, and is transformed into an açaí like frozen treat that’s often combined with condensed milk, banana, and granola. So yummy! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cupua%C3%A7u

3. Sagu – A very common Brazilian dessert. It’s made with wine, tapioca balls, and cloves. I was hesitant to try it but now I can’t get enough of it. http://brazilianfoodie.com/2011/01/sagu-tapioca-pearls-in-red-wine/

4. Cajá – A really good, thick fruit juice. http://flavorsofbrazil.blogspot.com.br/2009/10/everything-you-wanted-to-know-about.html

5. Acarajé and Moqueca – These are two very common regional foods from Bahia. Both primarily contain seafood but can be made vegetarian. They are quite good and filling. Here’s more info and pictures about acarajé https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acaraj%C3%A9 and moqueca https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moqueca

6. Studying at the university library – I spend a great deal of time studying and reading at home. As much as I like the peace and quiet, I also enjoy human interaction. Therefore, I decided to pay a visit to the university library and sit side by side with my peers. Upon arriving at the library, I was told that I had to leave my purse in a locker located close to the entrance. Feeling uncomfortable with the idea of my possessions not being with me, I emptied my purse, left it in the locker, and took my things with me. A few seconds later after coming to the realization of what I had just done - completely exposing myself - I took my things, put them in my purse, and went back home to study.

7. Brazilians disliking Argentines – Granted there are exceptions to the rule, but in general Brazilians do not like Argentines. They consider them to be rude, arrogant, loud, egoistic, sloppy, untrustworthy, full of themselves, and the list goes on and on.
8. Winter – Winter is coming shortly! I have asked what winter is like in Porto Alegre and have received a myriad of responses. Some say it’s bitter cold, others say it’s mild, and I’ve heard that it rains a great deal. I’m not terribly concerned because if I survived New York City then Porto Alegre should be a piece of cake (Frank Sinatra was a wise man). However, a Canadian told me that last winter she was very cold here and never took off her parka coat. To me her words have great merit, which leave me a little uneasy….  

Até mais!

Abraços,

Ariana