I suppose that commemorating my first week in Brazil would have been more traditional, but since it’s been a week plus, here’s a brief highlight of each budding day, starting with today.
8. In a city of 3 million with a population of just 1,200 Jews, I met my first today! Granted it was at a visit to the oldest synagogue in the Western Hemisphere, so my odds were pretty good. Exciting none-the-less. Nuno hooked me up with the house phones of two rabbi’s here in Recife. I’m not very religious, but am curious about Brazilian Jewish traditions. Do they dance the samba-hora? Does Shabbat dinner include feijão, the national Brazilian bean dish? Curiosities abound…
8. OK, another exiting thing for today. Besides Nuno, I got my very own Brazilian social security number and hooked up with a great capoeira group here. Definitely more to come on the latter!
7. Meeting with Glayson & Juliene from the Fair Trade Team at World Vision has helped to put my research into such an exciting focus! As one concrete outcome, I’ll be contributing to the development of a curriculum to train leaders from all over Latin America on Fair Trade during a 1 year post-grad course. Over the next few weeks I’ll research the markets for mangos, açai, bananas, cashews, brazil nuts, and cacao to decide which three products make the most sense to study. I’ll also be a regular in World Vision’s Regional office, contributing to their burgeoning fair trade campaign work. Yes, I enjoyed the prospect of a one year vacation in Brazil, but this is real stuff!
6. This was the day of the great coincidence… sitting next to a Brazilian at lunch who has never been to the states, but who knows my friends in Chicago! Recife is an egg.
5. Riding the bus home with Luzionete was so characteristic of Brazil. I was trying to find my way home from the café at this incredible bookstore in downtown Recife, and as the barista was describing how I might find the bus, Luzionete, who cooks lunch for the staff each day, happened to be heading home to the same neighborhood as me. The ride was full of unsolicited advice about Carnaval time, keeping my purse from getting stolen here, sharing recipes, festival de Juninha in her native Caruaru, and warnings about Brazilian men and their promises broken. I’ve been blessed to meet Luzionete’s each day of my journey thus far.
4. Sleep. Deep, comfortable, afternoon naps. Warmth, singing birds, and a hammock. My apartment is my new cocoon.
3. João Pessoa beach. Nadir and I went for the weekend and crashed at her boyfriend Pedro’s place. He’s close enough to the beach and you can deeply inhale fresh sea breeze right from his living room. The weekend was full of lively conversation with a beautiful Brazilian family, live music (the legand Zelia Duncan on the beach at midnight in a cool summer rain, Pedro and his 80’s tunes), and a visit the famed Farol do Cabo Branco lighthouse at the eastern-most point in the western hemisphere.
2. I’m the only gringa! Walking around my neighborhood on the second day that I am here, I realize that I am the only American around, and that I really can blend in here, the true melting pot that is Brazil. A 5′6″ white woman with brown hair & blue eyes draws lots of attention in other countries in this hemisphere, but not so much here in Brazil. Except for the un-exceptional and all-to-frequent cat calls of ”gatinha” (gah-cheen-ya: cute girl, or literally meaning little cat) from the Brazilians who stalk the sidewalks and streets and beaches of the city.
1. Nadir & Lorena. Two spectacular Brazilian friends who picked me up from the airport on my first day here, chatted the whole taxi ride back to the apartment, took me out for dinner that night for some Brazilian ‘a kilo’ cuisine, and haven’t left me out on my own since then! They’ve oriented me to the city, conversed in broken English when Portuguese just doesn’t work (for me usually anytime after 8pm), provided bus directions, shared political discourse, shared dreams, shared walking directions, and have given unlimited laughter, hugs of sorrow & joy, accompaniment, and real friendship. All in the last 8 days.
What will the next 358+ bring?
Jen Pelletier said,
January 20, 2008 @ 7:18 pm
Shayna!! It sounds like you are having such an amazing time, and you’ve only been there a week!! Rest assured that I am living vicariously through you, and jealous that my Fulbright is over when yours is just beginning! You are in for a remarkable year!! Keep up the great blogging. Besos.
brazilianbloke2009 said,
June 23, 2009 @ 11:05 am
It seemed you had a great time here in the city. It was nice reading this post.
have a nice day