settling in (somewhat): host “family” & first week of class

Time is flying by! And I’m beginning to wish that I’d taken off next semester to just hang out here, relax, travel, and enjoy my stay in Brazil! It’s not that I’m not enjoying myself now (because I am!), it’s just that we have so much work to do that I hardly have time to relax… it feels like I have something (reading, writing, researching—tons of it!!) hanging over my head constantly… and I’m so slow, so easily distracted, so impatient with all of it, and so unfocused… plus, the heat, the humidity, and the high number of (carpenter?) ants and other little bichos (animals) crawling about my room freely (which is apparently a cultural norm here in the northeast) don’t help my lack of concentration and focus.

to make matters worse, we’re supposed to be diving right into the research for our independent projects (ISP’s), and I still don’t really have a clue what I want to do… you’d think I’d know after having spent so much time traveling in and studying brazil, but that doesn’t mean that I have a clear idea of what specific thing I want to research in depth and turn into a 30-to-50-page term paper… yikes! I need to get on the ball! (so, forgive me now for not keeping in touch with each of you individually and for not updating this more regularly or with greater detail.)

Briefly (and to recap), my host “family” includes a brother (Marcelo, 29) and a sister (Ana Paula, 23), who study all the day and work into the evenings, and another sister (Aurélia, 24), who isn’t studying nor working for the time being. Their parents live nearly 200 km south of Fortaleza in a city called Quixadá. (We went there last weekend for a short visit… The town is beautiful, historic, not over-developed, surround by rocky outcroppings, a bit touristy due to its hang-gliding and famous catholic sanctuary, and home to nearly 40, 000 inhabitants, but it’s also VERY hot and dry.)

Our apartment in Fortaleza is very simple but sufficient. I have my own bed room, but we share a bathroom and I have to keep my clothes in my sister’s room because my room has no place to store clothes. I sleep in a bed, but each room (including the living room) is equipped with at least 3 or 4 hooks to hang hammocks… The apartment complex (of 300 apts.) is right next to a squeaky train track and not far from the airport. So you can imagine the noise… What else (here) worth mentioning?... Open, screen-less, pane-less windows with shutters. Wood and ceramic tiled floors. Florescent lamps (no soft watt lights of any kind)…

One more thing worth mentioning about our homestays is that they are spread across the board in terms of socio-economic class. Many of us are living in very poor neighborhoods, and a few others are living in upper class (or at least upper middle-class) apartments or houses. I’m right in between the two extremes—in what my host mother called simple “student housing.”… I’m not 100% sure about SIT’s motive for randomly placing us into different housing situations, except that it’s supposed to give us different perspectives of life here. While this is somewhat true, it doesn’t change the fact that each of us is living only one reality… I don’t know. I have a lot of mixed feelings about the whole program, and one day I’ll tell you more about it…

Lastly, our first week of class went well. Our advanced Portuguese classes are fun, because our teacher (Eneide) likes to have fun, joke around, and talk about real issues (not just grammar, pronunciation, and literature). I am one of 5 in the class, but only 3 of us have a good handle on the language… The only major issue I have with this program concerning the Portuguese is that it’s not all in Portuguese. Since nine tenths of the group barely knows novice Portuguese and since we have SO much reading and writing to do in English, I can already tell that my Portuguese is suffering, or at least it’s not advancing as fast as I’d hoped… Nevertheless, I’m still learning a lot.

Our program’s theme class (Culture, Development, and Social Justice) has been interesting. So far we’ve had someone come speak to us about Native Brazilian Identity and the New Indigenous Movement and about Brazil’s economic and political battleground and Lula’s campaign and presidency. Lectures/discussions are conducted in Portuguese and translated… The Field Study Seminar also began, but we only managed to get through introductions. A Ph.D. candidate in Anthropology and Philosophy (Eduardo Olivera) leads the class, approves our independent projects (ISP’s), helps guide our research, walks the journey with us (as he would say), and takes us on “field-research trips.” Overall, I’m excited about the hands-on learning; I detest the amount of reading for the theme class and for our ISP’s; I fear the quantity, quality, and velocity of writing that’s required of us for all of the above; and I’m a bit worried that I won’t figure our what to do for my ISP in time… That’s it, for now.

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My host "family" in Quixadá (behind us is a reservoir that slaves built)

Pacotí: a mountain-top experience

in a few words, Pacotí was beautiful, and our experience as a group there was indescribable... now, we're more united and ready for what challenges lie ahead.
friday, after a 2-hour bus drive up into the mountains, we arrived to a "site" (similar to aida's sítio--see previous entires) or a simple house located on a small parcel land (owned by a rich landowner). this gracious family of 5 (not to mention all their neighbors and cousins coming and going) hosted and cooked for all 26 of us (21 students plus 5 leaders) for the entire weekend! we brought our own food, but it was still tricky for them to manage all our meals, let alone for them to find enough space for everyone to hang their hammocks... apparently, they´re used to it, because SIT sends their students there every semester. regardless, their generousity, love and care to host us was an amazing example of brazilian hospitality!

saturday, we split up into two groups: one went into the "city" (pop. 3000) of Pacotí, and the other stayed at the "site" to get to know the rural life of Pacotí (i.e. the life of the farmers and their landowner). in the afternoon, we compared our experiences and revisited our position as outsiders and people of privilege (i.e. we come and go, but what can we take from these experiences?)... debates/discussions such as these are exactly why i´m here--to be challenged and to discover the reality of another culture by being aware/conscious of my place in the world... to find peace within myself and justice in the world... for "peace is the fruit of justice."

saturday evening, we went to Guaramingaba (another mountain town) to a annual theater festival... i didn't make it into the theater show (because they sold out before i got a ticket), but i enjoyed people-watching, hanging out with a few fellow students, drinking a cold draft beer (my first since florianópolis), and breathing in the cool mountainous air...

sunday was our "mountain-top" experience as a group. we went on a hike to a remote chapel about 5 km further into the mountains, past the banana farms and down a long dirt road. just like the coast, the mountains are scattered with palm trees of all kinds--something very unusual for a mountain girl, like me. (there are as many as 12 different species of palm trees!) once we got to the chapel, we sat in silence--listening to the wind and the stillness of the moment. (it was a wonderful relief from the constant chatter i hear from everyone in the group.) after that, we shared our fears of the semester and of ourselves, our emotions, our pardons, and our hugs. it was a wonderful bonding experience, and i feel like many of us were able to let go of the things that might have been holding us back... plus, i really liked that we essentially broke the ice by sharing embraces... i love hugs, and i really began to miss them... you know me.

anyway, after that, we headed back to the sítio, packed up, and went back to the heat, humidity, and grime of fortaleza... oh joy... yesterday, we walked around fortaleza with our portuguese professors, and today, we started our portuguese classes and program's seminars... that's it for now, but feel free to email me or write me a snail mail letter... hint, hint. love you guys! and miss you terribly!

Hope Deifell
c/o William Calhoun
Caixa Postal 52867
Agencia Aldeota
Fortaleza - CE - Brasil
60150-970

Photographer José Albano and the first night with our familes

wednesday, we toured fortaleza with world-renown photographer José Albano. we visited a cemetery, a cultural center, a beach where fishermen began and continue to maintain their livelihood despite the tourism that's built up around them, the only vista that over looks the city (fortaleza is very flat), and a few other random spots... afterward we joined Zé at his communal house for a late lunch, a walk through some of the enormous sand dunes that line the coast here, and a slide show of some interesting spots in Ceará (the state of fortaleza)... i must mention that Zé quite a character and a very unique brazilian. he's a vegetarian; he frequents Rainbow Gatherings (annual US and Internat'l hippy gatherings); he serves on the Associação Brasileira de Comunidades Alternativas; and he built his home from mud and used glass bottles (of every shape and color) as conduits for natural light... we were really fortunate to have the opportunity to know him and spend the entire day with him.

thursday, we met our families! everyone was very anxious to meet their families, but my anxiety didn't surmount to much because my familiy didn't come to meet me... actually, they were misinformed and didn't realize that they were supposed to come... truthfully, better me than anyone else, because at least i know the language, i understand the culture, and i've been in situations far worse...

about them and my living situation: i have 2 sisters (ages 23 and 24) and 1 brother (29)--of portuguese descent--who are living in fortaleza just for school. their other sister and brother are married, have kids (2 each), and live elsewhere. their parents live 2 hours outside the city. (the mother is visiting right now, and we'll go visit them next weekend.)... our apartment is VERY simple and lower middle-class, and it's about a half hour from downtown and from the institute where we have classes. (i've noticed that the northeast is SIGNIFICANTLY poorer than the south of brazil.) overall, i've enjoyed getting to know them, but i'm a little upset that we're going to be so busy (with homework and with other programs) that i won't get to spend a lot of time with them... at least, with my advanced portuguese, i can already get to know them pretty well...

tonight, we (as a group) head up to Pacotí, which is in the mountains southwest of fortaleza... i'll let you know how it goes. it should be interesting because we're all going to stay in one house together--everyone sleeping in hammocks... até logo.

School for International Training: Orientation

so much to tell, so little time and words to capture it all.

fortaleza is very warm (~hot at mid-day) and humid. i can feel the salt in the air and a constant breeze from the ocean. (it reminds me of S. California) from where we are (a little enclosed hostel/retreat space in beach park--just south of fortaleza), the wind blowing through the palm trees sounds similar to a heavy summer rainstorm--a delightful sound to fall asleep to... speaking of which, i've had the unusual pleasure of sleeping Northeastern-Brazil-style--in a hammock, diagonally in order to maintain a straight back. can you imagine? i don't think i could have either... until now.

so, my semester has finally begun! i'm one of 21 socially-conscious, friendly, respectful, interesting, american gringos, and i think i'm ready for what will be a very challenging, analytical, and culturally rich experience for each of us... the events of the past few days attest to that: a capoeira performance; a "drop-off" in fortaleza*; getting to know each other within the group; maintaining my own interpersonal relationship skills; stepping back (w/ the portuguese and my experiences in brazil) to give others the chance to step forward; paying attention to the cultural differences that seem second-nature to me already; and keeping up with the loads of reading required for this course. oh joy, the challenges that await me.

*for the "drop-off" today, our program dropped us of at a bus terminal, from where we had to find our assigned destination somewhere within fortaleza. my partner, Leon, and i had an interesting time because the address of our destination (Delegacia da Criança e do Adolescente--Juvenal Court) was wrong... we made it nevertheless, and it ended up being a good reality check and a good way to get to know the city... anyway, that's all the news for now (or at least all i can muster up right now, for i'm tired, i need to go to bed, and tomorrow is going to be a long day)... boa noite para voces (tão longe de mim)!

passeio no cerrado de Minas Gerais

last night, i went bowling with aida, her boyfriend, her sister, and 4 cousins... i did remarkably well considering i haven´t played since i broke my wrist in january (snowboarding, for those of you who didn´t know)... the only notable differences about bowling here are that you can drink while playing and that the bowling alley is smaller and more closed in.

today, rather than going to ouro preto, aida and i went to her "sítio" (or really small and simple fazenda/ranch) in baldim, near serra do cipó (north of belo horizonte)... the trip took 1 1/2 hours to get there--half of it winding down a long, red-dirt road through the arid interior of the state Minas Gerais. the landscape reminded me of something between eastern africa and new mexico (from what i can imagine)... their house there is very simple: no electricity; running water pumped up from the small stream below; a gas-powered fridge(!); a wood-burning stove to heat bath water; free-range geese and chicken; and fruits of all kinds--orange, lime, key lime, banana, avocado, pineapple, goiaba (guava), amora, urucum, jaboticaba, pitanga, mangueira (mango), cajuzeiro (cashew), pequi, mexirica (tangerine), figo (fig)... it was so nice to get away from the city and from the air and noise pollution of Progress. it was a pity to leave (after only 4 hours), but we had to get back before too late... tomorrow, i fly out at 7 for brasília (where i have a 4-hour layover), and i arrive in fortaleza at 1:45 to meet up with the rest of the SIT study abroad group... truthfully, i´m eager to start the program, but i´m not looking forward to being among a group of english-speaking gringos, again... that´ll probably change, though... i´m optimistic... até logo. beijos a todos!

Jogo de Futebol no Minerão

time has flown by! as it will continue to fly by.

yesterday, i was supposed to eat lunch with my second family, but my "sister" of this family went into labor... later on, i stopped by the clinic to the new baby boy and to say goodbye to the fam... so, instead of eating with them, alberto and i went to an excellent seafood place in Praia de Jurerê and had a creamy shrimp dish over rice and fried potato rounds. so good!... that afternoon and evening, i met up with the former maid of my first host family--vera; we had coffee with the mother of an old exchange student--maria carmen; and we went by 4 different places to say goodbye to all the galera ("folks") that i met through alberto--bidigui, gionni, rodrigo, camila, and oscar... after 4 hours of sleep, we hurried off to the airport.

it was so sad to leave florianópolis, again, but at least this time, i know i´ll return again soon... the hardest part was saying goodbye to my good friend (and tourist guide), alberto. thank you, bbto. ;)

just after arriving to belo horizonte, aida and her cousin, laura, took me to my first brazilian jogo de futebol (soccer game)--Atletico v. Flumenense! crazy, but relatively calm (compared to bigger, more important games)... considering the exchange rate, tickets were only $0.80 and beers were only $0.50... for those of you in asheville, this sure beats Thirsty Thursday, doesn´t it?!... plus, since soccer runs through the blood of most every brazilian, the entire experience was spectacular!... well, that´s all for now, gente... tomorrow we´re planning to go to ouro preto--a place famous for its old gold mines... falou, gente.

Passeio pro Sul da Ilha "Trip to the South of the Island"

today, alberto and i went down to Lagoinha do Leste, one of my favorite little, secluded spots in floripa. it takes about 2 1/2 hours to go and return, but the vistas/views are spectacular! it has the most perfect mixture of mountains, sea, nature, sky, sand... i loved going back there. it brought back so many memorias.

yesterday, we didn´t do much (typical of sundays here), but alberto´s parents are worth mentioning here. his father is so happy, sweet, kind, and friendly. his mother is the same, but she is also very hospitable and generous--her soup was great! i´ve really enjoyed getting to know them...
tomorrow, i´m going to eat lunch with my second family, and then we´re going to meet up with alberto´s friends for a "goodbye" night for me... then, wednesday, i fly to belo horizonte to hang out with my friend, aida... até logo, gente!