Stuff Brazilian People Like.

For those of you who like to read funny things online, you're probably familiar with a site that has gotten huge and started off as a simple list of... Stuff White People Like.  Which is exactly the name of the site/blog and now book!  Growing up as a "Latina" in the US and going to a predominately "white" high school and college, I find the list quite hysterical.  Don't get me wrong, whiteness rubs off and I myself like a lot of the same things as white people - but when talking about being stereotypical, the list is genius.  It's also funny because it's usually everyone else in the United States who gets tagged with a certain stereotype and not so much the white people.  

This has probably already been done before, but I thought it'd be fun to compile a list of "Stuff Brazilian People Like" here in my blog.  Mind you some of these may be more partial to Paulistanos or Mineiros or in general Brazilian people I know best... but we're being stereotypical and ironic, so I couldn't care less if you agree because most of these probably aren't true or are exagerated anyway :-) 

1. Butts. Brazilians love butts, and legs, and breasts, and arms and stomachs and have an

 overall appreciation of the curves and dents on the human body (whether it be male or female) , vut, if you ask any Brazilian what their favorite is... the bundinha is usually up there. 

2. Patriotism.  When in Brazil, everyone wants to talk about what state or city they're from and why it's the best, and they love talking shit about people who aren't from their hometown (In SP, they call you out for your 'foreign' accent).  When outside of Brazil, Brazilians make it a point to bring their Brazilianess up in a conversation (well, when you're in the US, you have to because people look at you and say, "What nationality are you?" after they ask you what your name is).  But when that doesn't happen, it's "Hi, my name is João Henrique and I'm Brazilian." This is usually done to prevent people from assuming we're spanish speaking latinos. 

3. Complaining. Despite their patriotism, Brazilians LOVE to complain about politics and then sit back and watch politicians steal their money so they can complain about it more. Granted a lot of it is out of our hands... but if you're not going to run for mayor, win and upkeep your morals and dignity, spare me, will ya?

4. Scorching Meat and Freezing Beer. The famous churasscos.  Don't think the Brazilian steakhouses you see in the gringa is what we actually have every weekend!  We're simple people on normal days.  All you need is a hot Saturday or Sunday and your dad, uncle or cousin is lighting the grill and putting the beer in the freezer so it's estupidamente gelada once the meat's ready. 

5. The 3 B's: Beatles, Bob and BeeGees.  Brazilians like music that's not Brazilian in general, but these are the 3 classics.  Some people place the Beatles about Tom Jobim, Bob Marley above Tim Maia and the BeeGees above... God.  It's actually quite funny because not even white people like these 3 as much as Brazilians do!

6. Gringoes.  As much as Brazilians love to talk shit about gringoes, throw a blond haired blue eyed Englishman in the middle of a Brazilian club and you'll have girls lining up next to him.  Have one of your American friends come visit and everyone gets souped up to gastar seu inglês.  We also love to marry Gringoes and take full advantage of gringo passports (don't think it's for the sex, self-centered gringo reading this) :-)  E por aí vai... 

7. Carbs.  It is not uncommon to find on a single dinner table of a typical Brazilian family one night or on the plate of a Brazilian at lunch time, dining at a por kilo, mashed potatoes/baked potatoes, french fries, rice, and pasta.  And then this person will complain afterwards, "Nossa, comi muito... aquela comida tava pesada..."

8. Fresh Things.  What white people call and love themselves, Farmers' Markets, Brazilians call, a feira.  Every neighborhood has one at least once a week and when they don't go to the feira to buy their fruits and vegetables, they refuse to buy the nasty veggies in some markets.  Meat is usually cut at the butcher's or the deli, and don't give a Brazilian a bad cut of meat if you have love for your own life (yes, that's a Brazilianism I've decided to English-ize).  And then there's the juice.  If it's not fresh, it's not juice, damnit.  

9. Spending Money.  Brazilians are big consumers.  The women love clothes, shoes, bags, brand names, jewelry, makeup, lotions, and more.  The men love sneakers, gadgets, electronics, cars, and more.  If someone doesn't have the money to buy something with a brand name, they buy the fake.  If they can't afford the iPod, they buy the mp3 player that looks like an iPod, etc.

10. Winter Clothing.  I swear it's 70 something degrees fahrenheit today and I saw a girl in a

 scarf and puffy coat walking on the street today.  If the weather forecast is anything under 70 deg. F (20ish Cel.), Brazilians LOVE to whip out their scarves and jackets and boots. Meanwhile I'm still in my sleeveless tops and flip flops... vai explicar... 

11. Orkut. This is Google's Facebook but three countries use it: Brazil, India and Pakistan.  Granted Brazilian like online communities and being online and online relationship building and blogs and spending time online in general.  This is a fact.  Brazilians spend the most time online per month in comparison to... the rest of the world. But Orkut is king in Brazil.  Everyone I know is on it from my 12 year old cousins to my MOTHER.  My grandmother told me she's learned to turn on the computer already.  An Orkut profile is next. 

12. Being Late.  Nobody gets to parties on time.  Brazilians love to stroll in 3 hours into a party and then pretend like they didn't get there after dessert was served and ask where dinner is.  If it's to something work related, Brazilians are great at making excuses for being late. 

13. Lotteries.  I think it's to make up for the lack of casinos... I just joined one pool for the Mega Sena this week :-) 

14. Traveling on Long Weekends.  Two records happen during every long weeked or holiday in Brazil: deaths related to car accidents and kilometers of traffic leaving São Paulo.  Tips for living in Brazil - travel in the off season or weekends where holiday is in sight!

15. Saints' Birthdays . Brazilians love celebrating Saint's and Catholic holidays.  Especially non-Catholics.  They party on Good Friday, the country celebrate's St. John's Day (São João) for the entire month of June (not gonna lie, it's one of my favorite holidays ever), Rio made St. George's Day (dia de São Jorge) a state holiday... and then people wonder why and how Brazilians are so "Catholic." 

16. Defining Gender with Stereotypes.  This is not so much in bigger cities, but for the most part, Brazilian men love to say that something's so "gay," and homem que é homem, or "men who are men," don't dress well or listen to certain songs or drink certain drinks.  They don't mind saying this in front of their gay friends about their straight friends as well.  Small town Minas also  loves to say that a woman who dresses a certain way or goes out a lot, etc. is slutty or "doesn't respect her body" and all those other things people who think more forwardly like to call ignorant.

17. Unecissarily Tight/Small Clothing. Two words: Muffin Tops. 

                                                 

       (note: picture taken from a friend's facebook profile from when she was in brazil)

18. Working for the Government.  There are tests people take and have to PASS to work for the government.  People pay for classes in order to pass these tests.  Why?  Because the government steals, therefore the government pays well and offers baller incentives and benefits.  Oh yeah, and it's practically impossible to be fired from a government job.  Smaller towns with not so much in terms of job opportunities live off government jobs and the cousin/aunt/sister who works for the government is the family's pride and joy!

19. Building Modern Architecture Everyone Hates.  One word: Brasilia.  Two Architects: Oscar Niemeyer and Yutaka Ohtake.  I'm personally a fan of Niemeyer's work... but Ohtake... OhDear.

   vs.        (ps. this eyesore is a few blocks away from my house!)

20. Bad Television.  Not all of it.  Just the channels you don't have to pay for.  And then maybe the TV shows they import from the US and other countries.  I'm an avid novela watcher.  I don't know why.  It's kind of  like my obsession with The Hills... 

Okay, there's my top 20 sarcastic what Brazilian people like and I'm although I say "they" when I talk about Brazilians, in this post, I am just as Brazilian as about 95% of everything I've written. ;-P 

What are your top things Brazilians like?!

 

hope this made for a laugh, beijos!

Loving Life - Whether in São Paulo or Jerusalem

A couple of college friends of mine also decided to leave the U.S. after graduating from Providence, whether semi-permanently or for a year or so, and oftentimes when I get a chance to read their blogs, I find myself relating to them so much even though we're in living in completely different continents and cultures! 

My friend Allie and I would often discuss in college how we wanted to go abroad after graduating, and when she was set on going to China, I was still iffy about what I wanted to do.  Because of this, I would also often tell her how she was my hero.  And she continues to be one of them!  She eventually decided on going to Israel, and has been doing all sorts of wonderful things there since then! Recently, I ran into the link for her blog on Facebook and her post entitled, "I Love My Life" was just what I needed to read.  Here's a little of what she wrote: 

... I’ve been reflecting a lot lately on how incredibly happy I am with my life here. It’s true that I am currently job-less, car-less, apartment-less (as of June 15) and in some ways, direction-less ... I can’t help but smile at how blessed I am to live in such a wonderfully amazing place... Despite the harshness, loudness, rudeness and general disrespect for rules of the society here, there is a certain warmth in relationships that I have never experienced anywhere else... the generosity and true sincerity brings me nearly to tears... 

... Besides the people, I really enjoy my lifestyle here.... We go on hikes, day trips, city explorations and meet new people constantly... Maybe it’s because we didn’t grow up here, but I even have interest in doing things I’ve done before (either last year or on taglit) I just can’t get enough of exploring this majestic land...

I highly recommend you check out the full post on "Under my UmrELLA", that's why I haven't show more, hehe.  Allie truely is a strong Jewish women with a great open mind and one of those people I know will save the world someway, somehow, so def. a must read. 

But as I was sayinh... As I was reading this, I couldn't help but think, holy shit, I couldn't have expressed as how I'm feeling,myself.  People find it hard to believe I'm happy here because I don't make much money, I'm living by myself, I use public transportation everywhere I go, I live in a dangerous city, etc. et. al (what most Brazilians living outside the U.S. think at least, and many of my American friends for that matter).  But despite all of this, like Allie, I've found a certain peace of mind and feelings of being truly blessed with my life here.  This past weekend was a long weekend and I had the opportunity to spend it with friends I've made here over the past year.  And the whole time I kept thinking first of all, how I was spending money I didn't have and would kick myself in the butt sooner than later, but secondly and more importantly (ahem), that I was so lucky to have met such wonderful people who are so intelligent and warm and who I have so much in common with... in such a short time.

So as much as some people say, "Wow, that you left your family and went to Brazil, huh?"... yeah, on one hand it does suck... but on the other hand, like  Allie, I just can't get enough of it here despite all the negative things.  I'll leave it at that today!

beijos!

ps - sorry for all the gushy life reflection posts.  i've just been in that state of mind recently. i promise i'll get over it soon! :-) 

pps - I have another friend who's living in Tokyo who I'd like to talk about too, so stay tuned for my parallelisms with Beth and her Year in Japan! 

5th Summit of the Americas - Coming to Terms with the Global Economy

The home page of the Summit of the Americas site tells us right away what it is all about: 

The Summits of the Americas bring together the Heads of State and Government of the Western Hemisphere to discuss common concerns, seek solutions and develop a shared vision for their future development of the region, be it economic, social or political in nature.

Yesterday, while at my boss' daughter's 1st birthday party (yayee, kid's birthday!), I was talking to (well, more like listening to, because I was ashamed of my lack of keeping up with the news) a few people including some who I worked with, my boss' husband and a couple others about "the crisis."  It seems to be a question that makes its way into any casual conversation recently, doesn't it?  So, how's the family?  The kids?  How about work?  How's business holding up with the crisis?  My boss and her husband are from Argentina, so we also talked about how things are going there and how politics is affecting how countries are making there way out or not of this crisis, etc.  

So in attempting to feel better about my lack of knowledge and not keeping up with the news, I came home today after a long and fun day (I went hiking, then watched a major soccer game at a bar, and then had pizza, beer, and movies at a friends' house), and decided to see how things were going financially around the hemisphere, at least.  I didn't have to go far, because the Inter-American Dialogue has put together two great little videos talking about the G-20 meeting, the Financial Crisis and the Summit of the Americas which ends today.  

Here's one which was a preview of the Summit: 

 

Preview of the Summit of the Americas from Inter-American Dialogue on Vimeo.

The other one can be found here: The Financial Crisis

One thing that I've found interesting and which I've been thinking about since the G-20 meeting, is that all of this, despite bringing economic turmoil on a number of countries, has also kind of brought them together.  One thing the interviewees mention in the videos is that in these meetings, some of the bigger economies are making sure the smaller economies aren't forgotten.  And I feel there's an overall consensus that it's all for one and one for all in attempting to help our economies grow.  

Is this because everyone's in "the shitter" economically so to speak?  And if you can't beat'em, join'em?  Or are we really becoming less realists, focusing on our own states' security and power and more social constructivists, or more overall friendly neighbors, politically speaking?  Which would be best for economic growth and stability? 

... I let the IR side of me reflect a lot without definitive answers, but I wonder which is best.  What do you think?  Are we genuinely trying to help each other out?  Have we finally, with this crisis (and by we, I mean political leaders)  come to terms with the fact that we're officially a Global Economy? 

The DREAM Act, Cont. - I'm Famous!

So my mom calls me last week and tells me she was interviewed for a local Brazilian newspaper because they found out about my "story" and how I was in Brazil after having lived in the U.S. forever and became interested because of the whole DREAM Act legislation in the works... enfim... 

Here's the article - "Brasileiros vêem em lei chance de viverem dignamente nos EUA"

The title translates to "Brazilian see in law a chance to live worthily (is that a word?) in the United States" - which is an interesting title to begin with because it kind of explains why I'm not in the US anymore - I always felt like a second class citizen in the situation I was in...

Here's the speil about me which is mostly incorrect, so I'll do corrections as I go in the translation: 

Immigrants who have children and who dream of a better future for them are excited about the idea [of the act].  Others, such as Arlete da Silva (my mamãe!) are sad.  If the Dream Act had existed when her daughter, Polyana Oliveira, 23 (eek!), was entering college, things would have been much different.  Thanks to a full tuition scholarship, the Brazilian was able to graduation, but the lack of working documentation in the country did not allow her to find a good job.  

With a degree in International Business (really, my major is called "Global Business and Relations,") from Providence College, in Rhode Island, the Brazilian did not see any other way out but to return to Brazil, about 2 years ago (really, it was a little over one year).  "She would have had many opportunities here," vented Arlete. 

The article continues with the opinions of students who are either excited about the possibility of the Act being approved or indifferent, thinking the same results from 2007 are going to be replayed (in which the Act was denied).

In any case, my mom's interview looks like a sad story because it really is.  My parents feel a tremendous amount of guilt for my lack of opportunity in the U.S. because of documentation, and feel they've been punished with my return to Brazil.  On my end, it's really tough to see my parents suffering this way because a.) I know it wasn't their intention at any point whatsoever, and b.) It kills me to think things could have worked out where I could be near them or at least had the opportunity to see them whenever I wanted to fly to the U.S. had this silly law been approved two years ago. 

I know to an extent my parents also realize this has been a good move for me, but at the same time are doubtful because a.) They know I'd do anything to not see them suffer anymore, and b.) They're not here to see exactly how I'm living.  The good news is, Paty has come up with the brilliant idea of filming a day in my life for me to send to my parents, so hopefully this will help. 

For those who can read in Portuguese, read the article.  It's not journalistic genius - far from it, actually - but worth the read to see different opinions of Brazilian  youth concerning the Dream Act.  

beijooss and will update soon! :-) (yes, she's back!)  

Parks, Museums, and Easter!

Back from neglectfulness.  The past couple of weeks have not only been hectic, but I've had writer's block to top it off! I have sat down to write a post a few times and have not had the inspiration to write... but today, I am back! For good, I hope. 

I've been working a lot the past couple of weeks and last weekend I went to Maresias, a beach about 3 hours away, with some friends for a costume party.  I have pictures up from the weekend in a facebook album FYE :-) 

It's been a long weekend for me and yesterday for Good Friday, I went to my aunt's house and made bóbó de camarão for the fam.  We then went to their friends' house and later at night I met up with a few friends to watch Gran Torino (<3>

Today, I made plans to go to a couple of museums I've been wanting to go to with my friend Fabi.  We decided to meet at the train/metro station near the museums, Estação da Luz, and since I got there early, I decided to take a walk in the park immediately in front of the station since it was such a pretty day out.  The park and train station are both gorgeous and I wish I had my camera with me, but here's something I found online of both: 

                      

I walked around the park and sat down a couple of times to watch and listen to two different groups of cute old men playing MPB and Sertanejo.  I noticed as I was walking, that a few men tried to get my attention or were looking at me creepily, but I paid no mind since after all, I was in the "centro," or downtown part of the city where you can find anything and everything.  What REALLY caught me off guard was when I was sitting listening to one of the groups playing, that and older man (and by older I mean, he definitely doesn't pay to ride the bus anymore!) came over and asked if he could sit next to me and chat.  I said that sure, but that I would have to go soon.  As I pull my phone out to check the time, he goes, "Uh-oh, you have a man you have to get to, huh?" and I just chuckled.  He then turns to me and says, "So let's get straight to the point here.  How much do you charge?"  I looked at him with disgust written all over my face and say, "EXCUSE ME?"  He goes, "Aah, I guess I'm too old..." and something else I wasn't paying attention to because I was still horrified by his question.  I picked up my purse, said, "I'm sorry sir, but you're terribly mistaken.  Excuse me, I have to go," and jetted out of the park back to the station to wait for Fabi.  WTF?! As I told this story to my friend later in the day, he tells me he used to work near Luz and that apparently the park is a prostitute pick up spot... Riiighhhttt.  Next time I go walk at any park, I should probably ask around first. *sigh. Needless to say, I was ready to get out of there and go to the museum. 

Fabi and I spent a lovely rest of the afternoon at the Museu da Língua Portuguesa, where I learned about the origins of Brazilian Portuguese, read and listened to Brazilian poetry, and watched an interactive exhibit on Brazilian literary classics (see left).  We then crossed the street to Estação Pinacoteca, a gorgeous (I can't get over the architecture of the place - see picture below) art museum, which is home to a number of national and foreign pieces.  The temporary exhibit holds a number of Fernand Léger pieces along side our very own Brazilian Tarsila do Amaral.

We then grabbed dinner at a nearby mall and here I am a metro ride and brisk Autumn evening walk home.  Needless to say, it was a fun and eventful (and shocking!) day.  

Now that I don't have writer's block anymore, I have tons of post ideas for you!! Have a very Happy Easter and/or Passover to those who celebrate! I know I'm going to church with my aunt tomorrow then we're going to have yummy things to eat at her house!

beijjoosssss, I've missed this blog, hehe.