obrigadabrasil

final thoughts

2004-10-13T20:50:00.000-03:00

eu tenho que esperar por treis horas no aeropuerto. sigh.

i have to wait for about three hours in the airport before i leave for the US.
i can't believe i am going home. my life is still in transistion. while i will cherish the memories of the last two months, i ain't looking back.

my experience here has healed and rejuvenated my spirit. with this abundance of energy i am ready to move forward.

a few things i have learned about myself:

1. i can adapt to change

2. i am somebody (a la jesse jackson)

3. i am not afraid of the dark. i like the dark. makes you curiouser.

4. i am cute (especially in skirts)

5. i need ME time.

6. i can and should say "no" to people soaking up my energy; to wanting to buy thing just cause they are cheap; to hot boys (at least some of them). lol.

7. i can go anywhere i want to go

8. the further away i go the more i love the place from which i came.

meu deus! this place has been soooo good to me. it truly has. but i do not feel like i have to make brasil mine. brasil will never belong to me. it belongs to the brasilians. i think many people (including me) tend to want to make a city or a country there's becuase they had such a good time/experience when they were in that place.

i have been to several places that i wanted to make mine- london, den haag, paris, etc. but all this isn't necessary. i now believe that when you go to other places you can shake up your definitions of things, expand your boundaries. then embrace the new/modified realities you take back home with you and simply continue moving forward.

and that's exactly what i plan to do. :)

stay tuned for info on my foto album. if anybody knows how i can publish a bunch of photos for free online please let me know.

a few words on sao paolo

2004-10-13T20:14:00.000-03:00

erica and lili, my brasilian amigas back home, did not recommend sao paolo even though they are from here.

but i have enjoyed my little bit of time here. my ideas of things have definately been shaken up and stirred.

first of all the icy cold weather challenges the ideas i had about south america which had been synonmous with HOT. it's like forty freakin' degrees here. whew! i have seen photos of the ice-capped mountains and people in furs, but somehow i did not did not include these in my understanding of this continent.

so when i arrived here on monday evening i was shocked (and frost-bitten) to say the least. ok. i am exagerrating but the 40 degree weather is hurtin a sister.

nonetheless, i openly accepted the coolness as it seems appropriate in this very concrete-made city. to my knowledge sao paolo is a city's city. there is not a tourist element to it at all. all the guide books (lonely planet, fodor's, etc) say "why would you ever go to sao paolo." jk. they don't say that but they don't provide much help at all in finding things to do here.

paulostinos are very handsome. again, though, my ideas of south america (well, brasil) and its inhabitants, were challenged. here you see much more fair skin, dark brown hair (and some red and blonde hair). there are lots of tall people including women. like really tall (i have seen women 6'1 or more). this is not to say that i think most people from south america are short. i know that i, at 5'11, am pretty much a giant anywhere i go on this planet. it was just odd for me to be in a place where the average height is more than 5'4. maybe like 5'7 or 5'8 which is a big difference.

it was also interesting to see so many asians who were clearly brasilian identified. a couple of years ago i saw a movie about a group of people living in japan who were descendents of japanese who had moved to brasil for work but later returned "home." hard to explain. but the point is i knew there was big population of japanese and other asians here in brasil, especially sao paolo. but actually being here experiencing their presence so to speak made me actually consider that the US is not the only "melting pot" in the world. in fact, we are not nearly as diverse as many other places.

i feel like the paulostinos are friendly- on the whole. most descriptions from erica, lili, the guidebooks say that these people are cold and unaffected. but i have had many people greet me with a smile or even a bit of conversation. the only coldness i felt besides the brisk winds was on the metro where the masses move like somber heards of cattle. this is like the 3rd largest city in the world.

a couple of hours before we were to leave i went out on my own to do some last minute guilt shopping. i happened upon this tiny jewelry store, luna accessories. totally my type of jewelry, eclectic and cheap!

the curly redhead was very cool. she let me try on everything and was cool when i bought like 1/8th of it (still a lot) . she was sad that i was leaving. in portuguese she said to me, "why did you come so late and leave so soon? you must return to sao paolo so we can go dancing. here's my card."

how can you not love this place!?!

rio II

2004-10-13T19:48:00.000-03:00

8-8-04

ah rio. on friday me and O went to meet her professor. he is getting paid to be in rio and write a paper. must be nice. he is writing about neighborhoods that are inclusive vs. exclusive. it is apparently a very big subject in cities like rio and probably places like new york, london, etc. yawn.

he and his family are nice though. another history professor joined us for "ice cold" beer at this well known spot, Cervantes. me and history professors. well, the wife is a fellow attorney. so, that helped a lot, even though she was often occupied with their five month old baby. and the conversation actually focused on me. these people that study old stuff were completely fascinated by the on-line mediation work that i do. it was soooooo weird having people listen to me and ask all kinds of thoughtful questions. talk about the tables being turned.

that night my crew (me, o, and j) enjoyed a dinner at this fancy french restaurant, Olympé. in a word, OHMYGOD!!! it was freaking amazin!

we had such good food. parmesan scallops, escargot something or other, chocolate cake, banana tart, my favorie red wine (amarone), and lots of caipirinhas. holla! if you ever good to rio, please eat at Olympé. it ain't cheap. but it is so worth it.

afterwards, the now tipsy crew went to Lapa, which is another area of rio. i have no clue where it is geographically. but it is the area for going out. or so they say.

there were, in fact, lots of people out. but we couldn't seem to connect with the local energy. a lot of people were either really young/silly or just boring. nuthin like the snoop dogg video.

saturday was pretty uneventful. i worked for a couple of hours in a cold but cool (lol) bookstore. and i hung out with jason in barra. he bravely took the really long walk with me in search of harley davidson. man, we walked a long ass time. we finally found it, but it was closed. just closed thought. so that means i had to put my sweet talking in effect. it worked. the heavily armed hired security guy open the gates and let us in. it was kinda funny seeing the tan brown versions of my cousins and parents talking harley talk (i guess) in portugeuse. my mission was to purchase some harley rio t-shirts for my mother, daddy, cousin myrtle and cousin wilbert. no luck. the shirts they had wouldn't fit my finger. hopefully i will have luck in sao paolo. keep your fingers crossed! that night we had dinner at the copacabana hotel. very victorian. very old fashioned. afterwards we stood outside of HELP. this is a very, very famous club where anyone who wants to get their freak on in rio must go. we saw soooooooo many johns and their "dates." i am not drawing conclusions either. it was very obvious what was going on. i wish we woulda went in.

sunday i worked so more. then we went to the museum of contemporary art. or modern art. the kind that is hard to figure out. it was actually pretty neat though. the building looked like slabs of concrete in the shape of a long tee-pee. afterwards we went to the mall.

you know you are american if you going to another country and seek refuge (or at least a good time) in the mall. lol. we saw stepford wives. it's actually pretty funny.

when we returned to the hotel there were some american guys standing outside. we introduced ourselves and chatted a bit. one of the guys runs tours for this art gallery, http://www.octobergallery.com/.

it's was pretty funny exchanging salvador stories with them. we went our seperate ways, but then decided to follow them (without their knowledge). can you say high school? it was actually pretty funny and they were ok with our impromptu stalking. we went out for drinks and talked the most random things from music. i liked one of the guys and he lives in atl. but of course i don't have any game. so, i didn't give him my info when we said our goodbyes. oh well.

tomorrow we leave for sao paolo.

rio I

2004-10-13T19:24:00.000-03:00

this entry (and all those after this) were written a long time ago. i had obstacles to gain access to the internet while in rio and sao paolo. then i got lazy. lol. but finally i am posting them.

August 7, 2004-- we (O and i) arrived in rio on thursday morning. i had no desire to come here. however, jason (my buddy from law school) wanted to visit me and he insisted that we meet in rio.

my initial plan was to travel down to rio solo. but somehow my inquiry for info on rio turned into an invitation to O. i am still trying to figure that one out. normally i am comfortable facilitating connections between friends from different groups. but i think it is usually a good idea not to do so when travelling. but O was travelling to Rio and she was very excited about joining me.

sidenote: i like O. she is a very smart person. she is also a closet freak, which makes her fun at times. but she is not a "fun" leader. meaning her lack of "fun" energy puts the burden on me to find the fun. does this make any sense? anyway.

the cab driver from the airport ripped us off. he charged the "normal" set fee. which came out to about $30!!! meu deus. he also tried to bait us into going to a different hotel. now already i am paranoid about rio. i mean i didn't see that movie "city of god", but i have heard about some crazy things going on here. just like any big city. cab guy told us that our hotel was next to a favela. a favela is like a big community of homemade homes. they have a bad rap in brasil. but they are plentiful indeed. so i told him that were lived in salvador for the past two months and were very familiar with favelas. which is true.

when he dropped us off at he failed to point out the favela. big fat liar!!!

we had reservations at mar ipanema in the muito famous area of ipanema. the hotel is pretty standard. no frills. very small living quarters. but whatever. it is only $45 a night each. after unpacking we took a very scenic cab ride up to barra de tijuca where jason's hotel is. the road out to barra reminds me of the blue ridge parkway (which is a scenic road through the blue ridge mountains in virginia, nc, tennessee, and georgia.) very, very beautiful. you can see the big blue ocean with white waves crashing against the often rocky coast line. there's all sorts of little oddly shaped mountains in the ocean and on land. not as many people out on the beach as i imagined. in fact. the beaches were virtually empty. but it is winter.

barra is a very wealthy area of rio. it kinda jolted me to see modern, fancy homes and hotels as you don't see this in salvador.

jason's hotel is very nice and modern. it has been two years since i last saw him (law school graduation). but we usually keep in touch all the time and i feel like we had no feelings of awkwardness. for O it was love at first sight. but that is all guys.

we ate lunch in the restaurant in jason's hotel. then took a walk along the beach. rio's beaches are very wide with lots of sand. then there is a big wide sidewalk between the road and the beach. this is for pedestrians and folks on bicycles. pretty cool.

later in the afternoon we went up Pao de Acucar. better known by gringos as sugarloaf mountain. it was pretty damn scary going up in a heavy cart on a light string. but at least it was quick. lol.

from the top you can see a lot of rio. copacabana. ipanema. tons of favelas. the marina. the sun was setting and the water appeared golden. jesus (the statue of) was way across the city on top of an even taller mountain. even with my super zoom (10x) i was only able to get a small version of him along with some radio towers that are located to his left. lol.

2004-08-26T02:53:00.000-03:00

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damn it!

2004-08-09T23:15:00.000-03:00

i am annoyed b/c i am deprived of proper internet access. i only have two minutes

LOL. i am laughing at this paolostino (sp?) who is rapping in english.

anyway, in sao paolo now. so far, i love it. it is a big city with lots of cool things. sigh. tomorrow i have to find the harley davidson dealership for my parents and cousin myrtle and wilbert. hopefully they like big people here too. lol.

one minute. rio was good. i was totally lazy. and i feel bad b/c jason came all the way there to visit me. thanks j.

but whatever, i still had a nice time. i can´t believe how amazing this country is. i also cant believe i will be home soon. gotta

sete minutos

2004-08-07T16:45:00.000-03:00

i am on a timer here. so, this blog will be short although i have a lot to say. hol-la!

i am in rio de janeiro (pronounced HEE-yoh day JAH-nerro). o and i arrived on thursday. and then we met up with my law school playmate, jason.

ooh. five minutes left. meu deus!

few words on rio:

ABSOLUTELY beautiful city. non-uniform mountains sprouted out in the middle of a tropically urban city.

UNAFFECTED cariocas (sp?). the people here are true city goers. no more friendly hellos from strangers

AGGRESSIVE cab drivers

DELICIOUS weather and views.

gotta run. more later.

country living, city dwelling

2004-08-02T10:50:00.000-03:00

preface: my keyboard has a sticky spacebar. so, this post may be weird.

woke up this morning around 7am. i checked my watch and thought it was too early to be milling around in my new space. so, i laid around for 44minutes more. then i got up. re-organized my hastily packed suitcase. i did a very good job.

sidenote: this computer has headphones. so i have tuned into BBC online radio. lovely indeed.

O went to the store for fresh eggs, cheese, and bread. when she returned, she scrambled up some bacon-cheese omelets. meanwhile, i handwashed some laundry on back porch. i smiled as i inhaled the morning fragances of detergent, bacon, coffee. i also soaked in the surreal environment. there i was in a highrise apartment scrubbing clothes while my amiga was making a practically straight from the farm breakfast and while a rooster was cock-a-doodle-doing across the way in another highrise apartment building.

and the sun is shining today. it has been masked by clouds for the last few days. so, we will be going to the beach this afternoon. yipeee!

greedy

2004-08-01T18:36:00.000-03:00

a couple of negotiation tips from mabi:
1. always know before hand what your ideal solution is and what your "bottom-line" is.
2. anticipate the other party´s bottom line, their ideal, and their exaggeration.
3. NEVER-EVER (pronounced loudly= nevuh evah!) go against your "bottom-line" because once you do, you have lost all credibility.
4. know a little about the other party and show some respect.
5. never let them see you sweat.

i have four days left in salvador. but my lease ended today. i thought staying a few days extra would be no problemo. but, my slumlord´s intermediary, C, told me i must come talk to her about this. sigh. so, i went to C´s agency to negotiate a four day stay in the apartment.

as expected C started out with all this mess about high season. "lots of italians coming to the area. three other people waiting for the apartment." note: it´s always three people are waiting. she said she negotiated the BEST deal for me. said she was "firm" with slumlord. blah blah blah. i sat and grinned at her, because i knew all this bullshit was coming. then she told me that i would keep the same rate. sounds good. not.

she explained my rate, for example was R$1300 for the month of july. same rate for august per C´s explanation. but instead of determining the daily rate by dividing by 31 days she divided by the number of days i was staying (well, actually 17 because my friend wanted to stay 13 days after i left). now, i am not a math-magician, but this doesn´t add up correctly. it´s like twice as much or more.

so, i pointed this out to her. we disagreed. she reminded me of the three italians waiting for the place. i leaned back in my chair and told her that she obviously has a better deal on deck and so do i. ;)

then she calls my slumlord (via phone), who was actually just down the hall from my apartment. go figure. they talk. more BS. i received two bottom lines. two.

now i naturally want to become indignant because this is all unnecessary. and i felt like they were taking me for a fool. must. stay. calm.

so I smile and say "hey, if you have three Italians waiting to pay more, you should go with them because I am not paying any more than i have been paying."

even if i would have been paying more at my plan b (i.e. the dollhouse), i would not have given them another dime on principle. truth is, slumlord and co. will have an empty apartment. there is no "italian" waiting. they got greedy and tried to shaft me. busters.

unfortunately, the dollhouse (my first digs here in salvador) was completely occupied. but O had my back. she asked her hostess to put me up for the next four nights. and she agreed. hol-la. i have now moved over to Torroro (toh-doh-DOH) for the final nights here. older, quaint apartment. $10 US a day. warm welcome and company.

cachoeira

2004-08-01T11:31:00.000-03:00

i am sitting at the internet café cracking up. sundays i have to work at "gringo café" as i call it, because my cheaper spot is closed. anyway, i just noticed this poster of a poem by a guy named Damario D.

now, i was in damario´s home (in another city) yesterday and didn´t know he was so important that business establishments would have posters of his work displayed. lol. in fact, being the ass that i am, i was laughing and poking fun at him just yesterday. he is, in fact, one of the most dramatic people i have ever met.

you almost want to just pull the words out of his mouth because his dramatic pauses are too frequent. his inflective way of speaking forces listeners to lean in for understanding only to jump back in surprise/shock/consuion because he has, for example, just informed you that a window in his house was inspired by 19th century sexual practises of whites and blacks in brasil.

very weird cat. how did i meet him?

well, O and i made the bumpy, two-hour bus trip over to Cachoeira on saturday. there we met up with these two unversity students, luciana and lucia. O and luciana met a few weeks ago- future historians. immediately we were swept into the hazy reality of this small town. first there was the saturday market where you can buy a little bit of everything- pig intestines, handmade sandals, cloves, earrings, cow parts. lucia, a native of cachoeira, introduced us to a lady selling beans. she had never met Black people from america before. she told us that she did not believe that Black people lived in america.

"(gasp) gringas pretas!?!?! não! imposible!", she exclaimed, all the while rubbing my face.

before we walked on she hugged us real tight and told us that she was proud of us.

we walked through a straight up meat market. both disgusting and amazing. the amazing part was that the workers were in wearing flip flops and regular clothes and just a´leaning by the meat. not the sanitary set up to which i am accustomed.

after the market we began our stroll through town. i missed the kodak moment of my life. three little chocolate boys on donkeys (basket saddles and whipping sticks, the works) racing through the town center. while fumbling for my camera, i stared at the little boys, astonished. grinning ear to ear. this only made the leader of the pack whip the donkey more as he politely (but seriously) tilted his head to me.

my mama tells me i am a slow shooter when it comes to photography. she´s right.

we visited the "irmandade de nossa senhora da boa morte", sisterhood of our lady of good death.

from the New York Times:
***
The Boa Morte sisterhood was founded in the early 19th century, ostensibly with purely religious intentions to pray for the dead and to provide decent funerals for its members. In fact, the members also intended to preserve African traditions and to free slaves, either by helping them escape or by earning money to buy their freedom.
***

their history is deep. i literally got chills being in their space.

we strolled some more. pausing every few minutes so that lucía could greet people. she knows everybody. and when she introduced us to her friends she would say in portugeuse "and this is my friend O---, the name of my fourth child." LOL! she has no children so far. but... .

lunch was at a very tight little spot. we had a feast of chicken, fish, pinto beans, rice, mixed veggies, and coke. lucía and lucíana were dumbfounded when i told them this was a meal my very southern-american daddy would cook. and, true to their nature, our starving students killed their food. as our heavy lunch settled, we sat back relished the fact that we were all very educated women doing what we WANT to do.

then we went to Damarío´s place. the first floor is an art gallery/cafe/cd shop. go figure. lucía made us some cappucino and we rested. suddenly, damario (who had not previously introduced himself) told us he wanted us to see the rest of his house. and so began an involuntary tour. lol. he led us with his antique sword, which he explained was used by reverse-kkk members. huh? some guys who would dress up in black and kill slave masters (who were also their fathers) and free slaves. uh, ok.

each room, he said, was inspired by a different artist i.e. picasso, kahlo. i personally didn´t see the relationships. he also threw in random info about sex. not in a perverse way. somehow all of this information related to his house that he wanted us to see. oddly enough, this girl i met in salvador was there with her friend. small world. it was very difficult for us to behave. very. difficult. it was fun though.

our visit was not all fun and games though. to catch the bus back to salvador we had to hike across the river into sao felix. the old wooden bridge that connects the to towns is for every moving thing including people, trains, cars, donkeys, and wheel barrows. did i mention that it is old and wooden? i slowly crossed with much trepidation all the while contemplating how to manage panic swimming. i let out several squeals. prayed a lot. especially when the train passed by me. thankfully it was going very slow. i made it across safely. and we made it back to salvador safely. definately a worthwhile trip.

dinner was at a mexican restaurant in a posh neighborhood. it was wierd being around snooty people again. the food was ok. i miss mexican food and i got my fix with the sour cream and refried beans.

i leave salvador on thursday morning. and i have tons of stuff to do. pack. clean. buy cheap gifts (lol). change my plane ticket. send postcards that were written almost two months ago. take all the photos i have not taken. and, of course, go out.

girlfriends

2004-07-30T09:39:00.000-03:00

i am so thankful to have met some cool buddies with whom to hang out in Salvador. They have all inspired me, introduced me, interpreted for me, blah blah blah.

BUT...

i needs my space. nowadays, my girlfriends want to hang all the freaking time. não. this means "uh, no."

one of them will tell me that she will just show up at my place today. for what? we didnt make any plans. what you coming to mine for. I have to work. i have to relax. i need to by all by myself.

last night R and i met up to go to jorge's dress rehearsal. we missed it. so, i'm going to go home and go to bed. não. R wants to walk around campo grande and eat pipoco (popcorn). then R wants to come to my house to borrow my pliers. it's 11pm. ok. come get the pliers.

"oh, maybe i will just sleep on your couch."

por que. why. you LITERALLY live around the corner from me. you have a sizeable apartment to yourself. i am 28. you are 38. no slumber party.

but of course, I say, "hmm." this is my answer when i dont want to answer. hmm.

this hepher is still on my couch asleep and i am at the "office."

and last night my new girlfriend (S) tricked me into dinner. lol. i am so dramatic. i dont know the lady. we met at the internet cafe. have only exchanged a few words. then she starts talking about the good pasta at this place. on and on. i'm thinking "hmm. she wants me to say let's go get some. she is hinting around." i don't say anything. then she finally asks me to go to dinner with her. she's pregnant and visiting salvador with her two year old. so, i go to dinner with her.

then there is my friend who works at the cafe. i swear she asks me a billion questions everyday. and i don't understand most of them. she shows me photos on the computer. ask me how to work the computer. it's sweet. but given my overload of girlfriends, it is annoying at times.

i have been a stalker girlfriend before in my life. i am sure. i remember as a child always wanting to hang with tammy. i would ride Pink Thunder, my huffy, up to tammy's house every morning. and every afternoon. and every evening. until the street lights would come on. then i would call her on the phone.

so, it's all good though, right?

Chandi Guestblogs

2004-07-28T16:40:00.000-03:00

It is me. Chandi. Do let me grace your ears with an ode to Salvador.

You all might know that I love me some author of obrigadabrasil. Love her from the top of my real hair, through my fake fake ponytails, through my synapses and veins, to the bottom of my formerly aching feet. It was my great pleasure to meet her in such a locale as Salvador. Before I got on my plane on Thursday, July 15th, I was suffering. See, I did not know that I was suffering. Suffering from over-stimulation, lack of apprecation (me of others, others of me), physical burnout, slightly oppressive self-consciousness...and more. Salvador, even if temporarily, cured me. No more nerve ending twinges - no creeping headaches - no aching feet in the morning - I am refreshed. I touched down in Salvador. I spotted my very, very tanned, beloved friend, ecstatic, waiting for me. She deftly negotiated in some very very competent porteugese, our arrival back to porto de barra and the start of some good southern healing.

This is why, you too, should go to Salvador. I am 29 years old, but I have never had a completely relaxing vacation. Childhood doesn't count - I was angry for not being independent then. Even when I went with M to her parents' spot in the Sea Islands of South Carolina, I was making photo albums, writing post cards, watching T.V. - being a busy lady. Well, as I looked out the 10 foot by 8 foot window of the apartment living room, wide open, to see the sea - I chilled. 5 floors up, air that kisses your skin, no mobile phone, no home phone, no planner, no real appointments, a t.v. but one that was almost never on, I let my mind rest. You can do that in Salvador. It is okay. As Jill would say, "no jacket, no umbrella, just warm." You cannot help but smile in Salvador.

And the people. I read in some academic journal, a comparison between race politics in the U.S. and Brazil. The author called the U.S. system one of segregation and exclusion, while the Brazilian system was called one of integration and domination. Having said that, without analyzing how domination takes form, and while I believe that Brazil has the capacity to be appreciative of all people, as a person of color, I just felt...right. Being American probably let me close my eyes to some of the ills of oppression, which I know exist. Before giving myself away with my non-portugese speaking self, I was able to flow with life in Salvador. No turned heads, no questions asked. I belonged. No need to worry about my tummy pouching out - no need to contemplate my semi-permed natural hair, and my completely kinky purchased attached ponytail - I fit right in. No need to hurry my gait, no need to navigate stares that say "ooh, you are exotic, you are a black person, here." Nope, the only stares were occasional ones of appreciation - of atavistic recognition. Stares that say "you are just like me. haven't we met before? maybe we can meet now." And the words. Well, I don't speak porteugese, but I know I didn't hear disparagement or filth. Other cultures might be extravagant in compliments, but how can you not appreciate hearing "beleza," and the walker keeps walking. You don't get called a bitch if you don't answer. You brush up against an unsuspecting sister on the street, it's all good - a smile and a "descupe" from both parties, and everyone keeps walking. Maybe southern manners are the norm everywhere - being warm must keep people acting nice.

And how good is it to see what looks like a hip-hop crowd, shaking their hips and picking up their feet to live samba... hours on end. One sister grabs your hand, you join the circle, you shake, you laugh. For a minute, your mind doesn't get it. And why are all the Black boys called Luis, Lauzaro, Hernando, Sergio, Ronaldo? I'm like what - but shouldn't your name be...Joe. Or Rasheed. Huh? Nope. I say to self - Chandi, relax your mind - this is Salvador. Isso, Chandi. This is Salvador. And as the clerk at the local grocer asks for a second form of id for my credit card (cause hey, they are the bomb, and I can pay with my credit card - go development), and I am like what, I don't have other id with me - and then she looks at my name - hears my non-port speaking self and says (I am told by M) "oh, that MUST be YOUR name." I get it. Here, my name is not the norm - Black people here don't have names like Chandi - I have to relax my mind, don't I. Cause, I, thanks to people who love me, am in Salvador.

Here in Salvador, you eat food that is a true cross betweenWest African fried mashed black eye peas in palm oil and African American rice and gravy. You gaze at architecture that rivals the most beautiful in the world - you stroll on cobblestone - okay, not in mules with pointy heels - but do as the Salvadorans do, and put on your flip-flops - you'll be fine. I can choose to challenge myself with capoiera - or lay on the beautiful wooden sofa with lovely cushion and stare at the sea for hours on end. You laugh and play with grown people - who know that it is okay to laugh and play. Late for lunch - no problem. Beijos all around. Want two kisses? Muah, muah. (and an extra squeeze, just because you are so cute)

Here in Salvador, your new friends blow peanut skins off the peanuts for you, warm the naked peanuts in their hand, and then present them to you. Antiseptic American, you thank them "obrigada" and toss them away. while they are not looking. (cause my mind was not quite that relaxed.) Your new friends, name unknown, share their 40 ozs of watery beer. :-) In little plastic swish cups. In club hole in the wall. With one light bulb dangling precariously, while the band, man with tiny guitar and all, play from their souls. And you say "obrigada." And soak it all in. And when your new friend who has driven you to club whole in the wall says - "Agencia va" (We the people, we go - because we in Salvador, is always we the people) and it is raining. You do - and you don't worry about your sleek, lovely ponytail attachment getting drenched - you beatbox in the streets, hold hands with your girls, take off your shoes. And say "obrigada brasil - obrigada."

sex shop

2004-07-27T16:43:00.000-03:00

sexy shoppee.

my new internet cafe is far cheaper than the other one. only 2 reals (60 cent)/hour. and it is right across the street from my flat.

it is also next to and closely related to Barra´s one sex shop. the shop is called "free sex". lol.

i am cool with this and the fact that i sometimes have to go next door to pay. other patrons are a lil confused if not scurred. if no one is attending the four computers in the internet cafe, i will tell the person to pay next door. "paga a lado." A LADO!?!. then they go and stand in front of the heavily tinted door. or just sit and wait and wait.

"ta bom. ta bom, amigo." that´s my broken portugeuse for "it´s all good, friend. go ahead inside and pay." lol.

ouch!!!

2004-07-27T16:16:00.000-03:00

after a spontaneous lunch with raquel, she escorted me to her salon for some treatments. (read: my feet are crunk!).

in addition to the huge, unnecessary expense for attending the beauty salon in the states, it IS most definately too much work. that is why i normally only step into a salon every three months to let gilda console my curls with scissors or to pick up some much-loved Rusk Being Wild (a must for curly-headed peoples).

but, the cost is different here. and my feet are crunk. and i realized this morning that my eyebrows are...unruly.

two hours of pure de hell!!! the ladies were so nice. and i enjoyed listening speak in sing-song about who knows what. but the sitting still killed me. and the plucking of the fro-brows just damn near made me cry. i felt like she was digging in my skin laterally. no sense a´tall.

i said to her "vocé entende 'ouch'?" (do you understand 'ouch'?) she just giggled at me and pulled my head back again. ewww.

fortunately there is no post-plucking pain. jeebus!

suprise party

2004-07-27T16:01:00.000-03:00

did i spell that correctly?

my friends and i were literally invited off the streets to join a birthday party on thursday. hee-larious.

i think the hosts saw me peeking in and admiring the festivities. i am sooooo nosey. so, they insisted that we come in. we came in and joined the fun. they had videoke (kareoke on video). food and drinks were abundant as were the smiles and friendly english conversations. lol.

too bad we were returning from a restaurant. i was so full and could only sip on a cold beer. BUT, baianas are extra friendly. while waiting for the toilet one of the hostesses approached me with a plate of maqueca and rice. "oh, no. i am soo full." well, i tried to communicate this. she asked me why i didn´t want any as she stuffed a fork full of food in my mouth. ok. guess i am eating maqueca and rice anyway.

everybody was so happy. almost everyone came up to each of us and introduced themselves. a couple of people made sure we knew what was being said. lol. when they sang the brasilian birthday song, i had to join in. i dont know the words so i did the la la version of it. you know where you just kind let out sounds that sound like what is actually being said. no body knows the difference if you clap your hands and sing at the top of your lungs like i did.

***to the USDA rep, thank you so much for the info on ox. i mean damn! i am dancing to the remake of "voulez vous"/lady marmelade just for you. ;)

futébol!!!!

2004-07-26T19:56:00.000-03:00

anyone who has been to brasil knows how very very important futébol (pronounced footchy-bol) is to this country. (aka soccer) i mean the world literally stops when the national team is playing.

i watched the last two games starring the national team in the american cup. talk about exciting. mind you these were me 1st and second soccer games ever. i have attended a couple but i didnt really watch them (sorry lil sis).

wow. it is hard not to watch because the players look so damn good! and soccer is also very fluid and timely. no commercials here. no "strategic" time outs. just play ball. and, at least in latin america, the players take care of each other regardless of what team you play for and such. they are all kind and hug. i think i could actually write an article on competitive negotiation with an emphasis on kindness" based on futébol.

and you MUST scream and jump and down every good move. you must. i fit in. actually i screamed a lil too much. i thought i knew what was going on one time and cheered for the other team. oops.

O told me that brasil has one of the highest income disparities in the country. but i truly believe that whenever there is a futébol game on all are equal.

is an ox an ox?

2004-07-24T19:11:00.000-03:00

when i was a child i would often eat my granny´s ox tails along with black-eyed peas, rice, and green beans or greens. but i never considered the animal, ox. never asked the question, "what is an ox?" until today that is.

O and I escorated chandi to the airport this afternoon and on our way back we stopped for lunch at habib´s (ahh-bee-bee´s). i have a huge craving for mexican food, but it is impossible to find it here. so, we went to the grocery store with a mission. in the meat aisle i decided to buy "premium" meat, because it cost less than regular meet in the states. the only problem is i am not sure of what i bought. it says "ox" but is it really OX!?! i mean, what is an ox anyway?

this may sound like a stupid question, but i will really pay the person who can answer this question $50 virtual play play dollars.

diggin deep

2004-07-20T15:33:00.000-03:00

sigh.

about an hour ago i prepared a one dish meal of potatos, onions, sausage and red bell pepper. this is exactly what you should NOT eat before going to a lukewarm computer cafe to mediate e-commerce disputes. i know i look foolish falling asleep and waking up at the computer.

but, i. am. trying. what i really want to do is go back up to my apartment and go to sleep.

yawn. but i must dig deep and get this work over with.

my visit with chandi has been so great! she arrived friday afternoon. i took the hour-long bus ride up to meet her at the airport. in usual chandi fashion she was very chipper/hyper. while we waited for the return bus, we acted very silly- dancing, speaking nasely portugeuse, and laughing really loud. i didn't care about the attention we were attracting because suddenly everything was familiar to me.

chandi has meshed in well with the atmosphere here. taken well to everything including the weather, people, and laid-back daily life. unfortunately i gave her my cold. (sorry, chan).

we've been dancing. we hosted a brunch. hung out with the girls. practised capoeira with raimundo, twice. sat on the couch and just looked at the ocean. it's really cool to share my experiences with someone i know.

fun, fun. fun!!!

ok. nuf about chandi's visit. i know i am making lots of people jealous. but hey, open invitation to visit me. lol!

oh, tonight we received a special invitation from the big actor guy to see some important play on race. i actually want to go dancing. it's a big night in pelo!! but, i have to be open to new experiences. :)

guess who´s coming to dinner

2004-07-16T09:15:00.000-03:00

after working, i spent most of yesterday trying to get over my allergies (read: i slept the whole damn day!)

i woke up very disoriented around 5pm and went to the nearest payphone to call O to discuss the evening plans. we set a time to meet for salsa dancing. i went back up to my apartment, set at the end of my bed, and deeply contemplated how i was going to get a hamburger with fries.

the food here is so healthy (it appears that way). very little cheese. lots of fresh veggies and fruits. so, i guess you could say i am going through grease withdrawal. lol!

i finally decided that it was stupid to walk all the way to "shopping barra" for mcdonald´s. so, i went to the grocery store to get the goods. when i returned the doorman excitedly told me that i had a guest. "huh, who? who?" duh, he doesnt know what i am saying. "quien? uma mulher? um homme? pra mim???!!!!"

turns out O came all the way to my place to tell me that we should rest up because i have allergies and we will be going out every night for the next week at least. i felt like an ass for not having a phone. but i my telepathic return message for O worked. she returned after searching for me in the streets. lol.

and so i fried up some "texas" burgers (texas would not approve of these puny things) and some taters. i had only a little olive oil. so, i sliced the potatoes like the round home fries my mama and daddy sometimes make. O was impressed that i had all the proper condiments and Coke- a very american dinner.

just as we were to sit down, the phone for rang (intra-building use only). "O, somebody else is here!!!!" it was S and raimundo. they were stopping by to invite me out for dancing. all the sudden, dinner for one was dinner for four. hol-la!

raimundo and S were very impressed by my skills. i told them this was nothing compared to the shrimp n´grits i will be preparing for brunch on sunday.

after grubbing, we watched a horrible novella (night time soap opera) and discussed brasilian tv. we all agreed that we were very concerned.*

we also looked at my little photo album and discussed the meat market/dance club "beco de gal". i enjoyed being the hostess. i enjoyed having company at my own place. :)

*for example, there is a soap called "color of sin" (translated). it is getting a lot of hype because the main character is a Black woman- a first in brasil. but here´s the problem: the title, her name is preta (black girl), her profession is working as a cook in her baby daddy´s daddy´s retaurant, and she´s isn´t really the main character. mostly she dresses up in pretty clothes and listens to everybody´s problems. tsit!

pokey

2004-07-15T10:31:00.000-03:00

i am literally poking my lip out right now. and my posture has curved up.

chandi´s flight was messed up. so she won´t be getting here until tomorrow.

(hangs head).

so. i reckon i will go lock myself in my apartment after i work.
then i will take some allergy medicine (sweeping only helped some)

and take more time to get rested for the next week.

Santa Claus

2004-07-15T10:04:00.000-03:00

Last night felt like Christmas Eve for me. I haven´t actually really celebrated Crimmus in a really long time (with exception of this past one), but i remember the feelings.

i kept tossing and turning. getting up to check my powerpuff watch for the time. i thought about sweeping my floor. but who sweeps at 4 AM?

why am i excited? because chandi will be here in a couple of hours. Chandi and i have been friends since 1995. and this will be our third or fourth international meeting. so you could say that we are travel buddies too.

and she is bringing me lots of goodies too! my wishlist included a skirt, some shoes that show my toes but don´t break my feet, some undies (lol), and some Rusk Being Wild (very necessary hair product for curly headed folk). the last item is an absolute blessing if i get it.

my hair is sooooooo angry right now. i have avoided the $60 haircut for too long and now my mass of curls is knotting up at the end. not good at all. i only brought one tube of Wild. what the hell was i thinking!?!

but anyway, the next week will consist of so much grinning, dancing, chatting, and such.

it will also be interesting to hear the perspective of someone from MY reality, someone who knows me inside and out.

lazy

2004-07-14T17:37:00.000-03:00

last night a baiana told me that i was lazy (with regards to speaking and listening to the language). well, he didn´t put it that way. basically, he told my friend, O, who speaks english and portuguese to stop being my interpreter.

in my mind i was screaming really loudly, "NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!"

ugh. we weren´t even having a conversation about language. in fact, the subject was about beer or samba or something. then jorge gave the instructions to O and she obeyed him. traitor.

now, i know that my ass should be trying to speak and understand portugeuse. but it gets so hard when there´s so much else to understand like smells and sounds, and why people are wearing crazy things, and... .

and it is SO VERY EASY when you have friends who are bi-lingual. you just sit back and let them do all the talking except for an occassional "now, what´d he say?"

one time i went to paris with "psyche". neither of us speak french. BUT, there are lots of vietnamese people in paris. so, i made sure "psyche" took every opportunity to speak vietnamese to get us around places. lol.

i bought a "portuguese for strangers" book last week. it´s still in the same spot when i brought it home. however, i have two more months here. this afternoon, guilt was laying heavy on my conscious. i was thinking about people who have to go to another country out of necessity. they are then put in a position where they may not have any material resources, let alone any grasp of the language. people (americans) make fun of latinos who travel in large groups to the store for example. but most likely this is the one opportunity to go to the store with somebody who speaks this foreign language. so, you get there how you can.

my being here is a luxury. i can afford to not speak the language. but it ain´t right. i should learn.

down to bidness!

2004-07-12T17:35:00.000-03:00

first of all, a moment of silence for Weezie!

...

so, sunday, S and i had a business (pronounced bidness) meeting to discuss my volunteer work with her organization. the location and time was an hour before sunset on the beach. ha ha!!!!

we agreed that i would be the website development liaison. we also brainstormed ideas for making the website da bomb and i will be in charge of making this happen.

S and O are great people to plan with. I have to pat myself on the back too for my facilitation skills (thanks Kathy M.) :)

ah so, in the next couple of weeks i will be spending a couple of hours a day working on this. i feel so special.

chandi is coming in two more days. chandi is coming in two more days. yipee!!!!!!!!!!

wandering

2004-07-11T12:33:00.000-03:00

i know it has been four days since i posted. but honestly i have fallen in love. yes. with brasil. with salvador. i´m so full of excitement that i want to burst. it makes no sense that a place like this exists. no sense a´tall. sigh. hmmm. since last friday i seen more than 10 live musical performances. axé, samba, salsa, jazz, african (burkina faso), music that accompanies caipoera, aboriginal, and hip hop (pronounced hippy hoppy). FANTASTIC.

but it gets better. the people. i just love the people. everyone is sooooo cool. of course there are un-cool people, but i can´t feel them for all the positive energy i have gotten from everybody else.

i have opened myself up to just experience. i am not trying to be a tourist. i am not trying to be a baiana. i am just floating along and appreciating every good thing that comes my way.

for example cristeane, o, a new girl (mariana) and i went out friday. first we sat at a table in the streets and listened to samba and looked at this group of beautiful people dance and sing. lol. mariana and i took a stroll ´round pelo. we happened upon this group of women drummers leading a mass of people through the streets. naturally we joined them. talk about empowering. i even had to raise my long arms above my head as the rest of my body swayed side to side, back and forth. by the way, my hip action is getting very good.

later in the evening we all went to ile aya (sp?) for more samba. it was very crowded and yours truly was recognised!!!! if you meet someone once, it´s like you are their friend from now on. so, a simple acknowledgement (i.e. head nod) is not enough. you have to hug and give the two-cheek kiss. this is always followed by brief conversation. so, i was warmly greeted by about eight or so people that i have met since i arrived in salvador. one was this local politician, raimundo (pronounced high-MOON-doh). we discovered that he went to my hometown when he lived in the states!!!!!! this makes no sense to me. too amazing. warming. everybody danced. it felt soooooo goood. i was grinning the whole time.

raimundo and co., took me and the girls out for beer at a pudding bar afterwards. by this point in the night my capacity for comprehending portuguese was diminished. my mind was too busy just enjoying the moment. later we went to a "restaurant". actually this guy and his wife set up some sterno stoves, some tables and a tent on the sidewalk. laza, raimundo´s campaign manager, ordered us some rice, marqueca (sp?), and a meat dish. it all tasted just like my daddy´s sunday dinner. the meat dish was sliced smoked sausage and fatback. marqueca consists of cornmeal mixed with juices from the meat (basically it is gravy the consistency of pudding). now, normally i like to have my own plate, fork, knife, and cup. but we were only provided with three sets for six people. but we just ate. like family. laza even cut my meat up for me. so not necessary. but he was taking care of me as baianas do.

every moment is not necessarily just about having a fun time. there have been one or two serious moments. after eating the conversation randomly turned to this discussion about black brasilians and black americans. laza, a very strong-minded person, told me and mariana that he detest americans. he also does not believe black americans are not at all connected to africa much less have any culture.

ugh. this is a difficult conversation. 1. because it is hard to express yourself fully and accurately in a language you only kinda know. 2. i AM a visitor. this is not my country. this is not my home regardless of how much i think i can relate. so, when debating any issue you have to be mindful that you and this other person interpret things from a wholly different paradigm and at the end of the day...you are the stranger. you MUST respect and honor that you are in their home.

mariana, who is nigerian-swiss, is a wonderful, intelligent and diplomatic interpreter. at the end of the long conversation, laza told me i am beautiful, he respects me, and our conversation is now with God. that made me smile again.

sigh. i have to work. i haven´t worked since friday.

marco

2004-07-07T13:45:00.000-03:00

another tuesday night in pelo. this time we (me and O) went to an outdoor concert for a group called gerónimo. very lovely salsa jazz. we sat on some steps that led up to a very old church. it was about mid-70´s with a slight breeze.

afterwards we ended up at another outdoor concert. samba on big hill. yes it is possible to samba on a steep hill. lol. a new friend, marco, invited us to a little restaurant with jazz. we sat out on the patio, sipped caipirinhas and listened to this group of individuals who come together every tuesday night round 10 and play their instruments. very beautifully, in fact.

marco. very cute. very friendly. diplomatic. intelligent. and in love with music. it´s always interesting when the ratio of men to women is not balanced. i think the question in the back of every person´s mind is "who will the [insert male/female] favor?" this is an inevitible reality. the lucky outnumbered male or female is always in a position to pick someone to "like" even if they don´t really like them. i don´t know why we (humans) do this. maybe it is a darwin thing. anyway. marco definately favored me. but the feelings were not mutual. i am soooooooo superficial. so. maybe he is too short (5´9 to my 5´11). married twice. two daughters. so, i made sure to facilitate a hook-up between him and O. i am a dork.

i have also caught the interest of two other men. one is this african guy with a dead eye and a horrible sense of style. "heeeeeeyyyyyyyy gul! i been looking for you!!!!" he is so persistent too. i mean how hard is it to interpret blank responses to your come-ons?

then there is george washington. that IS his name. he is an actor here in salvador. very very popular. he is also very nice. however, he puts me in the mind of my uncle cherry. only he has long locks. i love my uncle cherry, but i can not date him. lol.