Gaúcha Ariana: October 2017

Oi pessoal!

Tudo bem? Unfortunately my 7-year-old Macbook Pro decided to rest in peace here in Brazil. Thankfully my awesome roommate and good friend Ana is letting me use her computer.

It is still absolutely incredible being here. I cannot believe that the halfway point has already passed! I really don't like how time is slipping away.

Here's a summary of what's been going on. In no particular order...

Travels -

A cidade maravilhosa: There's a reason why Rio de Janeiro is called a cidade maravilhosa, the marvelous city. That's because it truly is! I was in Rio for a few days and it is even more beautiful and cooler in real life than it is portrayed on TV. It is the Miami of Brazil where life revolves around the beach and the city is hustling and bustling with energy. It is impossible to capture and explain Rio's coolness in words or photos. In between touring a cidade maravilhosa, I also did a few interviews there being that Rio passed a similar municipal law a year after Porto Alegre. Oddly enough, one of the people that I interviewed, a professor of Holocaust studies, didn't know that the law existed! I was told that if I had not mentioned the law, the professor never would have known about it! Apparently the law got a lot less publicity in Rio compared to Porto Alegre and has not been as widely implemented. A few highlights from a cidade maravilhosa:

1. Views from Sugarloaf Mountain and Christ the Redeemer

2. Copacabana, Ipanema and Leblon beaches. Just like Venice Beach, there is a lot of sand at the beaches making it a place that everyone - families, those that want to play volleyball and soccer, surfers, paddle boarders, swimmers, people selling caipirinhas and cheese (I thought it was odd to have hot cheese as a beach snack but to each their own), and tanners (me) - can enjoy.

3. Seeing bossa nova music live at a nearby cafe. Particularly in the Lapa neighborhood, people spill out onto the street dancing bossa nova and samba.

4. People watching on Rio's many beaches. There are many city beaches in Rio so there is quite a lot of ground to cover.

5. Cariocas , people from the city of Rio de Janeiro, being so nice and friendly. I met a Carioca when I was in Curitiba. Despite barely knowing her, she showed me around Rio, introduced me to her friends, and invited me to stay with her.

I did some traveling too to other incredible destinations within the state of Rio de Janeiro. A brief description de cada um:

Paraty - A lovely, rustic, laid back beach town in the south of the state of Rio de Janeiro. It is also famous for making excellent cachaça and boy is it good!

Ilha Grande - An island located between Paraty and Rio de Janeiro. No cars are allowed on the island in order to not disrupt the peaceful atmosphere. Popular activities are hiking and island hopping.

Búzios - A chic beach town located about 3 hours from Rio. It is a popular destination for Argentines to vacation and live.There, I was able to travel back in time and eat some empanadas and speak in Spanish with citizens from my second home. It was very reassuring that I can still speak excellent Argentine Spanish (although my accent has gotten a lot worse) and that it hasn't turned into portunhol.

Cabo Frio -Wow! Bah! Meu deus! One of the most beautiful beaches I have seen in Brazil! The water was so clear and blue just like the Caribbean. And that sand, unbelievable! It was so soft and white that you could have substituted it for all purpose flour and wouldn't know the difference.

Bottom line - Rio de Janeiro and surrounding areas are amazing. I realize that Rio gets a bad rep due to violence and the visibly extreme inequality. To combat that, there are many police throughout the city and I felt completely safe there. If you are going to be a worry wart and constantly think about the what if, then you will miss out on some amazing experiences. I highly recommend a trip to Rio and look forward to going back there in November (I have very wise Brazilian friends who told me that one trip to Rio is not sufficient).

Serra Gaúcha:

I went on a trip organized by the department for international students at UFRGS to the countryside, a Serra Gaúcha, in Rio Grande do Sul. We visited a cachaça factory in Ivoti (and had a cachaça tasting at 9:30am...), a chocolate factory in Gramado, a waterfall in Canela, among other things. It was nice to meet the group although I was significantly older than them (they are all blossoming 20 somethings and I am 30).

Brasília:

I had my Fulbright midyear seminar in Brasília, Brazil's capital. Brasília is an interesting yet strange city and is not a popular tourist destination for Brazilians. The city was created in the 1960s smack in the middle of Brazil. Oscar Niemeyer was the architect so although beautiful, there is not much diversity among the city's architecture. The city is very spaced out so having access to a car is definitely a necessity. Therefore, there are not many people on the streets and the city is not very walkable. The city didn't appear to have much natural beauty, but then again when I was there it hadn't rained in 120 days. I'm really glad I was able to see Brasília.

The Fulbright seminar was nice and it was great to see everyone. We each gave 15 minute presentations about our research followed by a Q&A and swapped stories about our experiences in Brazil. I was asked a few questions pertaining to my research and felt confident answering them. It was then that I realized that perhaps I have become somewhat of an expert on this issue. I have been researching, studying, observing, and making school visits pertaining to this legislation and education that possibly nobody has ever done.

Next up for travels:

Rio round 2 in November - I'll be visiting places that I didn't get to see previously and hopefully get one last tan in on Copacabana, Ipanema, and Leblon beaches.

Buenos Aires - I am making a quick trip to BA also in November to visit friends there. I was hoping that my friends would come here but unfortunately that is not the case. If I go back to the U.S. without seeing them I know I will regret it. I'm excited to go but don't feel the need to do much exploring (although don't get me wrong, Buenos Aires is an incredible city).

I will be going to Minas Gerais for a week in December. There, I will be visiting some historic cities there that are supposed to be very charming. Plus, supposedly Minas Gerais has the best food in Brazil and I plan on thoroughly investigating that :-)

I would love to take some day trips to see more of Rio Grande do Sul. That takes no effort and planning so I will probably just travel on a whim.

From December 24 - January 30 I'll be in the North East of Brazil visiting various historical sights and beach hopping. The goal is to start in Jericoacoara and end in Maceio.

Looks like I will probably have to make a quick trip to São Paulo for two days or so in the beginning of February. I hope I won't have to go but should find out in early December. On the 10th I am scheduled to fly back to Miami from Porto Alegre :-(

Community Activities -

The Fools: I was an English instructor at The Fools English immersion program located about an hour from Porto Alegre. I spent two days there and conducted two classes. The first class was about US culture where I debunked stereotypes and gave examples about the realities and challenges of living in the US. I think the class was a success and I was asked several questions. The second class that I did was quite a different experience. I led a cooking class for making snickerdoodle cookies and they did not come out well at all! The first batch came out really gooey (I think we put in too much butter) and the second batch was burned. My stomach hurt from laughing so much and it just underlined how I don't belong in the kitchen.

Mega Challah Bake: I participated in the annual Mega Challah Bake in Porto Alegre. Over 1000 women and daughters came! Never had I seen so many Jews in the same room in Porto Alegre. The event was great and really quite chic (I didn't get the memo about the chiqueness and was well underdressed). Again, just like at The Fools, when I went home to bake the challahs I had problems and they did not turn out well.

Farroupilha week: Every September, Rio Grande do Sul celebrates the Farroupilha war. In the early 1800s, Rio Grande do Sul went to war with Brazil to try and become its own country. They lost, and the month of September is filled with celebrations such as traditional dances and music, churrasco, parades, etc. This is probably the most celebrated event here in Rio Grande do Sul.

Jewish Holidays: I had an informal Rosh Hashana dinner with WIZO here in Porto Alegre. I also got a few invitations for Sukkot and am looking forward to that.

Research -

Interviews and school visits are really winding down. I had my last class visit today and might interview one other person. I've been working on a document and although it's not academic, my goal is to create a piece that I can share with people here and in the U.S. about the who, what, where, why, when, and how regarding my research project. I have been working on a draft and will show it to a professor next week. I'm sure many, many changes will have to be made.

Current Events -

Protest: There was a day long protest at UFRGS (and probably in other cities too) regarding President Temer's reforms. The School of Education at UFRGS was closed for the day and therefore my class was canceled. Scroll down to see the flyer from the protest.

A Former Minister was arrested after boatloads of cash were found in an apartment in Salvador, Bahia.

Temer's reforms have officially been implemented.

The former Governor of Rio de Janeiro has been sentenced to prison for corruption.

There will probably be another protest in Rio Grande do Sul (at least in Porto Alegre) due to city and state workers' salaries being rationed and given in small increments. This change, which has been going on for some time now but has become more widespread, is a result of the state's economic crisis.

That's all I have for now and I think this post is long enough. I am always very cautious and aware that I have several New Yorkers in this audience who have absolutely no time (same goes for you too, New Jersey).

Abraços e beijinhos do Brasil!