I think I'm going to try to start organizing my blogs in a way that might make them a little more reader-friendly. I know that not every word I write in this blog is interesting in the least, so maybe if I give you a little heads up about what I'm going to write about you can pick and choose which parts you actually want to read. So here's the line-up for today's post:
1. Cold things
2. Capoeira
1. Cold things
The weather has been consistently hot in this city since I got here. The other day it was around 37 degrees Celsius, which according to my calculations is about 98.6 degrees Farenheit. That temperature doesn't quite dictate how hot it actually is, however. For example, on the weather website right now it says that it is currently 27 degrees Celsius. Underneath that, it says "Feels like 29." This means that while it may be 27 degrees at the moment (81F), it feels more like 29 (84F) because of the humidity, etc. Plus, most of the activities that take place in this city involve being in the sun, which after beating down on you for maybe ten minutes can make you feel almost dizzily hot, sweaty, and thirsty. So naturally, inhabitants of this city really value anything cold. The men and women who walk down the beach selling food and drinks yell at the top of their lungs exactly how cold whatever product they're selling is. This is with the exception of foods such as "esfirra" - an "arabic" food sold by men wearing "arabic" clothing (large white robes with headdresses that I'm sure have caused obnoxious amounts of dehydration and heat-stroke cases). The other day I heard someone yelling what is now one of my new favorite phrases: "Estupidamente gelada!" Meaning "stupidly cold," this is apparently a line from a Chico Buarque song. Anyway if beverages, etc. are not stupidly cold, most people will not buy them or they will buy them and then complain about them not being cold enough for the entirety of their consumption. I have a friend who refuses to drink water unless it is cold. This boy does capoeira all the livelong day and gets a ridiculous amount of exercise, and even when he is nearly at the point of dehydration he will not accept my offers of water that he considers to be "quente" (hot). So water, cerveja (beer), acai, sorvete (ice cream), suco (juice)...... everything must be cold for a Brazilian to consume it willingly. Also, if you are considering coming to visit me but are reluctant to because you just can't get away from your frozen yogurt addiction, fear no more. They have just as many, if not more, frozen yogurt shops all around this city. I haven't tried any yet, but if their frozen yogurt standards are as high as their ice cream standards, then we're all in for a treat. The "cheap" ice cream that my host mae always has in the freezer is honestly better than what might be considered "good" store-bought ice cream from the states. Sidenote: there's no better pick-me-up on a hot and tiring day than a mug of espresso with a few hefty scoops of that ice cream mixed in. Yummm. Anyway, cold things are very highly valued. Air conditioning is definitely included in this mix as well. People here will pay more and wait longer to get on the air conditioned buses. The classrooms at my school are always freezing cold and we exchange students have to pack extra clothes and blankets in our backpacks because we can't even handle how cold it gets in there.
2. Capoeira!
In case you didn't know, capoeira was actually one of the main reasons that led to my decision of studying abroad in Brazil. When I was around maybe 12 years old I saw a capoeira demonstration at South Clairemont Rec Family Day, and I was immediately intrigued. For a long time I wasn't really sure how to go about finding information about this activity, so I kind of forgot about it. Toward the end of high school, I saw a flyer for capoeira classes at the YMCA and decided to check it out. I immediately fell in love. I took classes at the Y for a while, but when I left for college it was harder to find the time and the money to continue taking classes. But for the short time that I attended the classes, I started to fall in love with the lifestyle and the music and the culture and the language. All of this led to my interest in Brazil.
So what is capoeira? It's a martial art, a dance-fight, a lifestyle, a body-language, a discourse, an attidude, and an exercise (among still many many other things!). The exact origins of capoeira are a little bit hazy, but as far as I've collected it was an alteration of a compilation of African traditions, used and modified by African slaves in Brazil. If you really want to know the history of it, your best bet might be just to Google it because I really don't want to dive into it and give any misinformation. But nowadays it is what I would consider to be a sport, practiced by people of any age group or sex. I joined a group a the lake called Lagoa Azul. There's probably an even number of girls and guys, all ranging from the ages of 15 to 65ish (I can't figure out how old the mestre is!). Everyone differs in experience, and there are different levels dictated by different color cords. Since I just began in the group, I have a white cord. So if someone of a higher levels wants to play against me in a "roda" (the circle where the game is played), they know immediately that I'm a beginner and they need to take it somewhat easy on me. There are more advanced players who teach less experienced players and are called "professores." Then, the most experienced and most respected of all, are the "mestres" (masters). The mestre of my group is named Joao do Pulo, and while he no longer actually plays capoeira, I can tell he's had a lifetime of experience and he really knows the ways of the game. So when we play in a roda, the mestre usually begins the game by hitting the "berimbau" (a one-string instrument made of a wooden rod, lining from a car tire, a gourd, a small stone, and a thin wooden stick). The other members of the "bateria" (literally translates to battery - the other instrument players, there are usually around 6) then begin to play their instruments to the beat set by the mestre. When the music starts to dictate a strong rhythm, two players ask permission from the mestre using eye contact and body language, and enter the roda usually by doing a cartwheel or a similar movement. The players then "ginga" (the basic movement in capoeira... basically like the main step in a dance) together and then begin throwing kicks and escapes. The kicks can be powerful and fast or they can be soft and controlled. The players very rarely actually hit one another, however. If someone is actually kicked, it is usually because either someone wants to start a real fight, or because one of the players was too quick or too slow for the other. It's very very very very rarely an actually malicious fight. You can google videos of capoeira and see that for the most part, the two players move together in a way that allows them to almost always avoid actual physical contact. (Side note: my host mom is putting her reading glasses onto her cat as we speak. This is a very normal type of thing for her to do.)
In addition to the awesomeness of the game itself, capoeira brings a whole new lifestyle and group of friends to anyone who plays. Since I started with this new group, I've spent a great deal of my time with my new friends. It's great practice for my Portuguese (especially slang), and it's also really fun. Yesterday one of them, nicknamed Petroleo, took me into the Centro of the city to buy some shoes for capoeira. It was definitely a good thing I went with him because if I had gone by myself I would have been lost "pra caramba" (pra caramba = very much). He also showed me a good place to get some food and some acai when I'm in that area, and a cool relaxing park in the middle of the city.
Everyone in capoeira has an "apelido" (nickname). A couple examples are "Petroleo" (because he has very black skin... while this may sound racist, in this context it actually is not for some reason), "Manga Rosa" (means pink mango, because her cheeks get really pink when she plays in the roda), "Fada" (fairy), etc. It gets pretty confusing too because I'm meeting all of these people for the first time and I'm introduced to them either by their real name or their apelido or a combination of the two. I don't have an apelido quite yet, but I'll let you know as soon as I get one. I'm guessing it'll be something along the lines of "Super Super Forte" or "Bonitinha" ...you know, something that really applies to me personally ;) Just kiddingggg.
Ok well there are many other things I wanted to get done today, such as searching online how to make my own acai, figuring out my budget for this year, going to the beach, buying some groceries, uploading pictures, going for a run, and washing and hanging my clothes. Hopefully I can get at least half of those things done. Ate logo!
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| The EAP program set us up on a boat trip on Saturday where we cruised around Guanabara Bay and had free churrasco and good music. This picture was taken from the boat and you can see the Corcovado/Chris the Redeemer, Praia Vermelho, and a bondinho on its way up to Pao de Acucar. (I'm learning how to efficiently post pictures on here so expect more of these!) |
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