January and February

I don’t even know where to start here, I am so horribly bad at getting this thing done.

Going back to January, when I last wrote, I pretty much spent my last month of summer holidays with friends, going out every night, and sleeping until 12 or later the next day, assimilating myself to the timetable of a typical Brazilian teenager.

Winter in Canada, is Summer here, and Summer means rain, and very very very hot. As I don’t have a thermometer, I will estimate that it was above 30 degrees almost all of January and February, other than falling to 25 or so when it rains at night. When it rains in the day however, it gets slightly cooler while there is water falling, but becomes deathfully stuffy once the rain and wind stops and the sun starts to create an enormous sauna out of the city.

One day, after a nice morning of herding a couple hundred cows, choosing the fattest ones to meet their peril, and running through the fields of termite hills and the occasional owl, fox or parrot, I came home, and was probably procrastinating at writing a scholarship letter, when I saw some dark angry looking clouds out of my window. They looked like this:

Contemplating the clouds, and some whistling wind, I figured that it might rain.

Turns out, my short term weather forecasting skills are excellent. Within 5 minutes, it was raining so hard, that I couldn’t see the short apartment building at the left corner of the picture, which is 2 blocks from my apartment. I was going to step onto my balcony, to take a picture of the rain, but as soon as I opened the door, I got sprayed in the face with half a cloud of water, so I gave up on close pictures of the rain. After watching the rain come down harder and harder for a few minutes, the wind picked up more, and it was practically raining horizontally at the door of my balcony, as well as the window in the laundry room, which, as I heard water splatting onto the floor, I realized was open. I ran there, shut the window, then went through the entire apartment, double checking that everything was closed up tightly. I had been warned before, that when you go out, you have to shut windows in your house, or else it gets wet inside. However, I didn’t believe that it was this serious of a problem. By the time I went back to check the window in the laundry room, there was water covering half the floor of the room. Confused, I checked the taps, and the hallway, but as my apartment is on the 7^th floor, I figured it couldn`t be flooding from below. Another gust of wind came up, and answered my questions. Water came spraying in through the window seal, but not a kind of slow trickle, more like a kitchen tap when you turn it on and then try to stop it with your finger. Needless to say, I was quite shocked that my 7^th floor apartment was flooding, through closed windows. I also was the only one home, and had no idea what to do with this sudden water problem. So, I tried to plug the seal with some plastic bags, which had no effect.

Eventually, I settled for going back to my room, getting my camera, and taking video of the water spraying in, because I couldn’t think of anything else to do but watch. Fortunately, all the floors are granite, so there are no major problems with water on them. Also fortunately, rain like this doesn’t last very long here, and within 10 minutes of it all starting, it was over, and the water had only reached 2 rooms of the house. Renata came home then, and she laughed at my desesperation of the flooding apartment, and we squeedgeed the floors together. Now however, I take it very seriously, when I leave the house, I close everything, because I`m quite certain that if it rained like that and the windows were open, that it could flood the apartment up to my knees in half an hour.

Anyways, since then, it`s only rained a few more times like that, but it seems to certainly enjoy raining hard. Currently, it`s rained for the last 10 days straight.

cleaning the rain off the floor

Anyways, since then, it`s only rained a few more times like that, but it seems to certainly enjoy raining hard. Currently, it`s rained for the last 10 days straight.

Anyways, back to January. A tradition here when someone passes into University, is to throw eggs and flour on them, cut their hair, and paint their face, while standing on a street corner asking everyone for money to have a party. Personally I think it`s quite an interesting custom, however very entertaining. I suppose I should mention that it is a lot harder here to get into University, especially public ones. Many people spend 2 or 3 years taking preparatory courses to pass the tests that are required to enter university. Anyways, I went to a couple of these ‘trote`s, the better one being when we gave ‘trote’ to my host sister, and her friend. Here is a photo of the messiness.

Beginning of February meant back to school for me. However, I talked to my Rotary counsellor back in November, and he arranged for me to be able to attend classes at the University here, instead of going to the high school equivalent (which I find a lot more mentally stimulating). I had to choose a course during the day, because Rotary doesn`t permit me to study at night, so I chose to do Nursing.

So, along came the first day of school, which I`ll admit was a little scary. However, my Portuguese is quite good, and I don’t feel nervous anymore about asking for help, or directions. I found my way to the university, which conveniently, is only 2 blocks from my home, and asked the front desk lady where I should go. She found me a coordinator for the Nursing Program, but she didn`t have time to tell me where to go, so she just sent me along with a third year nursing student to follow. It was a bit intimidating throwing myself into a class of third year nursing students, who assumed that I had already done 2 years of nursing school, and couldn’t understand that I actually was quite as lost feeling as I looked. Nevertheless, they were welcoming, and I was surprised to find that I actually understood most of the first days lessons. However, I was pretty sure that I didn’t want to stay in 3^rd year nursing, so I figured I would talk to the nursing coordinator the next day, and find myself a better class. The next day, I once again asked the front desk lady to find me the nursing coordinator, but I had to wait an hour for her to arrive. When she finally arrived, she put me in a 2^nd year class, which I feel less out of place in.

I have to say however, that I had kind of expected that I wouldn’t have to arrange my own class schedule, and introduce myself to people, as I had kind of assumed that Rotary might have done some of that for me, however, I was just thankful that people understand me when I speak now, so I can let the teachers know that I`m not actually just a wandering blond foreigner person in a mass of brown haired Brazilian girls.

I went to just 2 days, of school, then I headed off to Sao Paulo- to pick up my sister!!!!! who came to visit me!!!!!

My host parents and I got up early, and headed to Sao Bernardo do Campo, practically a part of Sao Paulo, where Bia (my host sister) is now living and studying at the university there. As I am the only one that knows how to use the GPS, I became official navigator, even though it was my first time in Sao Paulo. I got my first glimpse of the slums of Sao Paulo as we passed by, and was definitely impressed by them. I’d never seen so much poverty Bricks stacked halphazardly on top of each other, with cardboard or plywood roofs, and no windows make the homes of over 2 million people. Metro Sao Paulo’s population is 18 million, more than half of all of Canada.

I took this bits of information of a website about Sao Paulo, thought it was really interesting:

“In international terms Sao Paulo is a compact urban area. At approximately 21,000 per square mile the population density is more than twice that of Paris and almost three times that of Los Angeles. Among the six urbanised areas in the world with more than 15 million people, Sao Paulo has a smaller land area and a greater population density than only Mumbai and Mexico City. Although the city has spread considerably in the latter part of the 20th century, the issue of urban sprawl is a matter of debate. Some see it as a problem, others point to the fact that the metropolitan area covers less than 1% of the state of Sao Paulo. According to an article in Metropolis Magazine [October 2000] by Simon Romero “There is perhaps no better illustration of the dangers of sprawl than Sao Paulo with its 17 million people, 4 million automobiles and 10,000 miles of streets. The public-transportation system is woefully inadequate, its three small subway lines are saturated by 2.5 million passengers each day while an army of illicit minivans competes with municipal buses to transport twice that number along the city’s crazy-quilt of streets.”

“Low living standards and the resulting social pathologies [crime, vandalism etc] have had a huge impact on the city in general. In 1999, Sao Paulo recorded 11,500 homicides, compared to New York’s 671. It is perhaps not surprising that the affluent elite have assembled the world’s third-largest fleet of urban helicopters after New York and Tokyo. Sao Paulo’s rich use their helicopters to hop from rooftop to rooftop to escape the squalor of the streets. Sao Paulo has 240 helipads to New York’s 10.”

“It is estimated that substandard housing occupies 70% of Sao Paulo’s area –approximately 1500 square kilometres. Two million people, 20% of the population live in favelas while over half a million people live in converted older homes and even factories in Sao Paulo’s inner core which are known as corticos. Often whole families share a single room, which may lack electricity and plumbing. Rat and cockroach infestations are common. More than 60% of the population growth in the 1980s is considered to have been absorbed by the favelas.”

Extract from the diary of an NGO volunteer worker in the Heliopolis favela (slum)

November 3, 1997 – Heliopolis, São Paulo

There was a broad daylight shootout a short distance from here yesterday. It was not hard to figure that something rather awful was happening because several police cars sped by, heedless of speed bumps and sirens blaring, to a spot behind the hospital. Police helicopters did big circles overhead. At the end of it, three adults and two small children were dead. It was said to be drug related. Initially we heard that the children were caught in crossfire. Later we heard that they had been deliberately killed to distract the police, but that their killers did not get away. However, they may have been killed by stray police bullets. We will probably never know what really happened.

Not long ago, two cops were ambushed in traffic on a bridge and shot. The cops then went to work and cleaned up. By the time they were finished, some 70 troublesome people had been eliminated.

There is a war here. The cops are one side. The poor, who own little and have little stake in the new Brazil, are on the other. Many of the poor are organised into illicit Mafias, dealing in drugs and whatever else will sell. The justice system either does not work or works much too slowly, and is often avoided. Things are done more directly by shoot-out and cleansings.

Noisy here. Buses park across the street. Bus drivers hang around and talk very loudly, even at five in the morning. And always lots of people – lots of people. People living on top of each other, people pressing against each other, always crowding, but looking past each other as they walk by on the street.

Anyways, I was really impressed by the size and sights that I saw of Sao Paulo. At each traffic light, there is an array of salespeople, selling everything from snacks and water, to soccer balls, cell phone chargers, umbrellas or prayers. Finally, we arrived at Bia’s apartment, and got to know the university there. The town she lives in is a very low income area, but as soon as you walk through the gate at the university, you find a great improvement in the cleanliness and security. It resembles a Canadian university, but with older buildings, and cobblestone streets (which are really common here, as well as sidewalks made of little squarish blocks of stone).

The next day, we got up, and headed to the airport, with me in the back seat, camera in one hand and GPS in the other, only missing one turn that we should have made, because I was trying to take a picture of something, and tell Vinicius to turn at the same time. We got to the airport early, but we had allowed 2 and a half hours for what Google maps said would be a 45 minute drive. In Sao Paulo, apparently you never know how long it might take, car accidents, floods or anything can easily stop traffic for an hour or more with no warning, so we left extra early, especially because Jen doesn’t speak any Portuguese, and would be quite lost if we were not there to meet her when she arrived. In the end, it only took about 1 and a half hours to get there.

After what seemed like 500 people walked past where I was waiting, finally a lost looking sister showed up, and I tackled her. It was emotional, finally seeing someone from Canada after seeing no one for so long. Leaving the airport with her, we got caught in horrible lunchtime rush hour, and it took us almost twice as long to get back to Bia’s apartment. We picked up Bia, sorted a few things out there, and then headed to the BEACH!

I felt bad for him, hobbling around in the traffic to try to sell breathmints

Favela
Beach!

Beach!

A few days at the beach was a perfect thing to do with Jennifee, and we went to Santos, and Guaruja, ate lots of good Brazilian food, and caught up on the last 5 months of our lives. We also spent hours enjoying waves, because inland Canadian people just do not ever get enough of wonderful floaty warm water waves. Thankfully, we had the sun smarts to buy sun hats on the first day, so that our faces didn’t turn into tomatoes.

Jennifer and I also did 2 surf lessons, which proved extremely fun, and not too difficult.

Surfing Instructor

Our next adventure happened when we went to the top of one of the hills in Santos, to take some pictures of the City, and see where people go paragliding. Key word being see where people go paragliding. One thing that Renata didn’t realize when she took us there is that once we saw how awesome paragliding looks, that we would want to do it too. Anyways, after discussing the dangers with the people there, we strapped ourselves in, and flew away. Well, actually, just spend a lovely 20 minutes floating over the city (an awesome view of everything from so high up). I have to say, I would definitely go for paragliding again, it’s such a different feeling than an airplane, looking down, there’s nothing below you but your dangling feet, a lot of air, and then some ground, be it forest, sand, skyscrapers or ocean, none of it looks too appealing to fall on, but the parachute doesn’t wobble or act precarious, so all in all, it’s quite a calm experience.

Getting ready

Flying!

After Landing

After 2 bottles of sunblock, and a magnificent time at the beach, we headed back to my host city, and I showed her around here for the next 4 days. We ate super cheap, yummy ice cream, went to the market, ate pamonha, a delicious corn thing, kind of like polenta, but not really at all, and everything that I think is the best to eat here. I swear we didn’t stop eating the entire time. I also kept Jen with a constant supply of fresh passion fruit or pineapple juice, because its amazing. After a wonderful 10 days with her though, I had to say goodbye. So I put her on a plane, and sent her away.

A fruit market in Sao Paulo, where they have every type of fruit imaginable

Took Jen to have a private samba lesson

Making Brigadeiro (Brazil's pride in chocolate) with Jen

Here there is a large variety of Mentos available, there are various other flavours as well

Capivaras! cute, huge rodents

Good bye :(

Two days after that, at 3 in the morning, Renata, Vinicius, my host grandparents, host cousin (Junior) and host great aunt caught a bus that would take us to the port in Santos, to meet up with Bia, and go on a CRUISE!!!

Junior and I sat together on the bus, and talked the whole morning. I have to say, he’s probably one of my favourite people here, always talks with me, plays fun games and teaches me soccer (he’s 7 years old). When we got there, we met up with Bia, then boarded the ship, and found our cabin. We stayed in four person room with a sofa bed and a bunk.

Dinner on the cruise ship each day was a fancy 3 course meal, where you get taken to your seat, they put the napkin on your lap, and then open the menu for you and make suggestions. The food was great, included, and it was always available, not only at meal times. Breakfast was a huge buffet of everything one might feel like in the morning, and tons of delicious fruit. Anyways, enough about the food, cause it really wasn’t the most interesting part.

Lack of space makes the poor build favelas on the water

The first day we went to a small beach city, Buzios, where we took a smaller boat to shore. It’s a big tourist destination there; apparently about 70% of the population there are not Brazilians. We took a bus tour of the area, visiting 12 or so beaches, and even saw some sea turtles from far away at one of them. After that, we walked around on the main street, which is full of little tourist stores and cafés.

After dinner on the boats, there were shows of dancing and singing, which were totally amazing. They were a mix of Latin based, Brazilian and English music and dances, and each night was better than the one before.

The next day, we spent at the beach in Buzios, where everyone thought the water was terribly cold, but it was about as warm as Christina Lake at the end of summer.

The day after, we went to a private island where there was a beautiful beach, with equally ‘cold’ water. There, I also went on a dolphin finding boat, and we saw lots of dolphins, although unfortunately, I wasn’t able to get a picture of any of them.

All in all, I enjoyed the cruise, and the things that it offered, but I still prefer travelling with more of a sense of adventure.

Buzios

The highway that goes down the 'serra' (the 'mountains along the coast)
alot of the highway is built like this, on tall pillars, in order to make it a more gradual descent.

the pool on the boat

Buzios with 'Grama and Grampa'

Dinner

Tropical Night on the boat, I was seriously impressed by the fruits.

Rua das Pedras in Buzios

Junior, Bia, Mae, and me

Fish... dont know what kind

Beach on the private island

Parents

I love the beach!

after the dolphin seeing, me and my 'aunt' swam in a nice private bay

Musicians at the show on the cruiseship.

Once I got home, I had a whole week of school, and then it was CARNAVAL! Which I have to say, is probably one of my favourite things that I have done here. Partying with around 10,000 people for 5 days straight really can’t be beat. Anyways, that’s another story, and I’ll cut this off here, because I’m sure that you must be tired of reading this novel by now.