Feira de Santana

Yesterday Joice, Taynah and I traveled to Feira de Santana Joice’s hometown where her mother Regina, sister Heidi and aunt Vanda all live. We left the traffic of Salvador at 5:00 but not before getting rear-ended Joice’s neighborhood. Joice’s neighborhood Brotas lies on top of a steep hill. The neighborhood has a guard keeping watch at all times of the day. The guard is not armed and he is hired by the neighborhood. Brotas has a lively atmosphere with shops selling clothes, restaurants selling Chinese snacks, Bars selling beers and English schools selling English. At the bottom of the hill is a busy automotive district that sells both new wheels and semi-new wheels as the signs advertise.
As we left Salvador the apartments gradually turned to more modest residences and finally to huge unruly favelas. After 20 minutes of driving through the outskirts of the city, after the shipping yards, meat-packing factories and gas stations ceased to appear any longer we were in the country or as its called the interior.
Brazil doesn’t have to try hard. When it’s beautiful it’s gorgeous. The people, the landscapes, food and culture are all amazing. When its ugly its hideous. The favelas, poverty and pollution. However this car ride was both. In the front seat Joice and her sister were catching up cursing at the inexplicable driving of their fellow Brazilian motorists. To my left was nothing but lush green countryside complimented by purple-hued clouds a dark red sunset that was complimented by the occasionally lazy rive or stream that only added to the view. To the right were the random favelas shantytown one room shacks built on the side of a hill clinging for support.
I fell asleep and woke up in Feira de Santana passing through the sleepy streets and bar after dimly lit bar. We arrived at Joice’s mother’s house on a quiet calm street. All the houses have locked gates so when we arrived we honked the horn and Heidi Joice’s sister came out and let us in. Joice’s sister, mother and aunt all came out greeting us with big hugs, smiles and for me introductions. Joice was worried about her mother being shy but she is really friendly and outgoing even though she is dubious that I speak or understand Portuguese at all.
Joice unloaded her stash of illegally imported chocolates and cooking on to the dining room table that looked like somebody raided the candy aisle at CVS. The women of the house quickly devoured the chocolate and made me feel at home. The house is modest with bare white walls only interrupted by painting of Bahia, catholic paraphernalia and baby pictures of Joice and her sisters.
The house is clean and well kept with a fruitful garden in the back that provides fresh grapes and even pineapples. As expected by Joice, her mother and aunt instantly insisted that I being eating grapes from their garden.
I watched some TV with Joice’s sisters while dinner was being prepared. This would be my first introduction to the world of Brazilian Soap Opera novellas. Heidi and Taynah were enthralled by the complex dramatic plot of Duas Caras (two faces) that is about a sneaky conman who gets plastic surgery to change his appearance. I had a slight idea of what was happening.
Dinner was served around 9:30 and I guess I’m special because Heidi asked why they were setting out the good plates and silverware. The dinner was huge. There was freshly prepared squash soup, rice with carrots and onions mixed in, brisket with a deep brown salty gravy, left over turkey, fresh bread and Joice’s favorite beans flavored with cuts of meats.
I ate and plopped myself down on the couch and watched the news with Heidi and Taynah. I understood the news much better than any of the television shows I’ve seen so far. I quickly got tired and went to sleep at about 11:00 without brushing my teeth.

Life´s a Booch and Then You Die

I arrived in Salvador last night under different circumstances. I woke up yesterday in Rio at 5:00 AM. We took a taxi to the American consulate before the sun came up. We were the first ones to wait in line. The busy city came to life within 30 minutes. Within the hour the pollution of the over congested city took its toll on respiration. Joaci said his apartment couldn’t stay clean because of the remnants of smoke from the city. Joice was the first person allowed into the consulate.
During this time I began to crack Joaci’s shy demeanor. He has a huge interest in American culture that was apparent from his questions about who my candidate was Hilary or Obama. His eyes lit up when we started talking about American celebrities such as Britney Spears. However one way I didn’t appreciate his interest in US culture was his blasting of a Louis Armstrong DVD and John Coltrane CD this morning. Anyway we got to know each other a little better during the time Joice was in the consulate.
Joice came out with bad news, they rejected her Visa. They were suspicious she would be working for the family that sponsored her Visa. “What now Dad?” He made some calls to a university professor and we all brainstormed Ideas. Joice and I sent some e-mails. I sent one to my formed boss to see if she knew about the subject. We took the metro back to Botafogo I took a nap.
We went to a Kilo Restaurant that is a buffet style of food where you pile as much food on your plate that you are willing to pay for and then it is weighed. You pay for how much your plate weighs. I’m not the biggest fan. We went and bought some 50 SPF sunblock because I could feel myself already becoming a lobster.
We took a bus to Rio’s famed Copacabana Beach which was bordered by a massive stretch of hotels on one side and a and Ocean with hills jutting out of its water on the other. We went back to the apartment and prepared to depart to the airport for Salvador.
We took a bus to the airport through Rio’s crowded, traffic-clogged, colorful sun-baked streets. I don’t think I’ve ever realized how ugly graffiti can be, but when tags cover every available piece of Real Estate in the city its not an art form. Far from the tourist and commercial center of Rio it seems the city has largely forgotten or pushed the residents here to an unfortunate existence only seen by tourists and rich Brazilians on their way to the airport. On the plane I read an article about how one of Rio’s most famous scenic beaches is in danger of having favelas ruin its Post Card image. This wasn’t a sociological examination of why this was happening. It wasn’t a bartender asking why his customer was so drunk and passed out on his bar but more like saying“ You don’t got to go home buddy but you can’t stay here.”
Overall I think Rio is a horrible city set in a marvelous location. Like a rose in a cemetery…I mean like a cemetery in a rose. (I think I’ll stop with the similes and metaphors altogether.) Rio’s infrastructure and economy can’t support its population’s needs and because of this articles are written to “Save the post card”
We arrived in Salvador and Taynah; Joice’s sister picked us up at the airport. It was a little awkward but funny. “So do you like Alex, or Alex?” With the emphasis on the second syllable.
We got back to the apartment in Salvador. It’s a cramped, crowded, hot sticky but warm a loving place. Joice’s mom came and left earlier in the day. She left a huge delicious meal of rice, ground beef, yucca, steak and fresh squeezed juice. It was D-Lish. Joice and I went to a bar across the street ad talked about the day.
She was seriously 10 times more upset when she didn’t get her driver’s license this past summer then when she didn’t get her Visa. She’s going to try to go to Recife and try once more. Joice seems very happy here with her family and she is making me tons of food and waiting on me hand and foot which she never does in the states so I can’t complain. She is open to the idea of moving back to Brazil and finishing university here.
She wants me to stay and look for jobs teaching in Salvador which I’m not sure about. I have a commitment with a school all the way across the country in Sao Paulo that is what my Visa is dependent upon. While they probably won’t send a fugitive team out to find me I don’t feel entirely comfortable abandoning the school. I think she might have failed the interview on purpose. Every Brazilian woman we meet tells her to be careful with me “Brazilian women are crazy.” Joice tightens her grip on my hand everytime. Needless to say the trip has taken a new dynamic.
We went back home and I was shown my bedroom in Salvador that is a bare white-walled room with a concrete floor, a dresser, a mountain bike and barely enough room for a bed. To tell you the truth it’s a little like a prison cell complete with bars on the windows even though the apartment is on the third floor. (Side note: The apartment was broken into by a robber climbing up the other barred in windows on the first two floors to break into Joice’s third floor apartment that didn’t have bars before. Where there’s a will there’s a way!) I think putting me in the prison cell was her Dad idea.

Esse blog é so porque Rio eu gosto de Você.

I arrived in Rio de Janeiro aboard American airlines flight 905. My First bag was waiting with Joice when I finally arrived through the federal police procedure. We waited for 20 minutes until they asked about the bag. So they pulled out my second bag and made me sift through the electronics I had packed explaining their significance. IN the end they only wanted to know I wouldn’t be selling high-end audio products to the Brazilian Public. I told them I wasn’t intending to do so and we were on our way!
We finally made it through and met Joice who was waiting patiently. He gave Joice a hug that lasted no less than two minutes. Then I got a firm but satisfactory handshake from “Painho” as Joice calls her Dad which literally means little Dad. We caught a bus from the airport to his apartment in the charming Botafogo neighborhood. From his apartment you can see two of the most famous Rio Carioca views, Pão de Açucar and Corcovado with Cristo Redentor Atop its sleep slopes. We showered up and got lunch a t a churrascaria down the street. I atechicken hearts that tasted like chewy over cooked- SURPRISE- chicken. Then we decided to do the tourist Rio thing that was fun.
We took a bus through the curvy welcoming streets of Rio that dropped us at the tourist depot for the bus line. We got out and haggled with a few tour guides and finally settled up for a tour of R$30 per person. We piled in a van with a nice but sweaty Brazilian family of 9. We were taken to two vistas the last being at the feet of Jesus. The view was incredible but pretty much like any other picture you’ve seen. Rio is a massive city from atop the platform with miles of beaches millions of people hundreds of favelas and thousands of Transvestites. After we descended the mountain via our van we hopped on a bus to walk to the Lagoa de Carioca, which is equally scenic, but with a pungent stench.
We went back to the apartment showered up again and went out to get some dinner. The day was strange because it was Christmas Day. Many people were out of town, most of the store and restaurants were closed and in Brazil that means with a steel grate over the entrance.
We went to Bob’s fast food. We walked into the restaurant and were immediately accosted by a worker who pointed customers to the proper register according to their method of payment. It was one of the most stressful fast-food experiences of recent recollection. After a disappointing dinner provided by Bob we came back to the apartment for the night. Joaci made some watermelon juice that pretty much tasted like you’d expect.
All in all it was a beautiful but hot and humid day. 30-33 Degrees C. (whatever that means) Joice told me to be thankful it wasn’t really hot. I still sweat like a pig just walking around. I guess I’ll get used to it.
Rio touristically is like Salvador. It though Salvador had better character, architecture and the people are great. Then again I only did the tourist shit and it wasn’t an accurate depiction of the city on Christmas. Anyways Joice was great and I consider this two weeks reintroduction to Brazil. My Portuguese is working but needs a jumpstart. Its not easy meeting your girlfriend’s family while trying to become proficient at a new language. Joice’s dad is nice and it’s better meeting one family member at a time than the entire clan in one fell swoop.