This
dialogue was an informative and enjoyable experience. During the morning class
and site visits, I learned about the various ways energy is produced from both
renewable and non-renewable sources. As the course continued, we discussed the
pros and cons of the implementation of each of these technologies. We learned
that the analysis of each technology could be broken down into three
categories: the environment, the economy, and society, on both a microscopic
and macroscopic level. To put what we learned in context, we analyzed energy
usage in Brazil compared to the US. From what I ascertained, Brazil has been
much more successful than the United States in the implementation of
alternative energies. Our classroom discussions were geared towards figuring
out what Brazil has done that we can implement back in the United States and
around the world. While lectures facilitated my understanding of the
technologies, site visits helped me to visualize the concepts we discussed.
In
the afternoons and on weekends, I participated in various cultural events and
explored the city. This is when I formulated my impressions of the Brazilian
people and culture. One of the first cultural events I experienced was samba
night. Samba is a genre of dance and music that is embedded in Brazilian
culture and is of afro-Brazilian origins. Brazil is a melting pot of many
different cultures: the indigenous people, the Portuguese colonizers, the
African slaves, the Japanese, the Lebanese, the Jews and immigrants from the
surrounding Spanish speaking countries. All of this has helped form the
Brazilian identity: from the language to the formation of Samba. I was
apprehensive to attend samba night because of my Aspergers, but I am glad that
I overcame my anxiety. We arrived early to avoid the line to get in. The space
was small and cozy, with dimmed lights and a band playing samba music elevated
above the dance floor. Within the band, four of them sang and played
instruments while several others accompanied them. The instruments they played included
the tambourine, which we were later given instruction on how to play in class,
and various other percussion and brass instruments. In preparation for the
Samba club, Kelly and I watched a four-minute video on how to Samba, all of
which proved of little use when it came time to implement what we learned. The
Brazilians in the club seemed to dance with such simple, fluid movements, but
samba really entails some intricate footwork. We all learned this when we
attended samba class in the Endereço neighborhood post-samba club. From what I
could tell from the moves we were taught, Samba is a dance performed to the
rhythm “quick, quick, slow”, with weight changes and alternating feet. There
were the complex steps, performed by the instructors, and the simpler steps,
such as the strut, at which I was adept. Given this requires no more than
simply walking forward to the rhythm, but nevertheless I was able and willing! We
were then assigned partners to implement what we learned, but in unison and
with music! The rhythm was difficult to pick up initially and I might have
stepped on a few toes, but eventually I got into the swing of it. Personally, I
found it difficult to figure out how to deal with my arms, and when it came
time to spin my partner around, it led to some entanglement. I may need a
couple of more samba lessons before I go back on the dance floor at the samba
club!
Another
genre of music and dance we learned was Capoeira, which again are of
Afro-Brazilian origins. We went to the Centro de Capoeira Angola Angoleiro Sim
Sinhô for instruction and a demonstration. The dance can be described as a
style of martial art dancing: the capoeiristas, as so they are called, dodge and
attack one another, reacting to each others movement so as to not hit one
another. Through this process of acting and reacting, the Capoeira philosophy
is that energy is transferred. The result is a flexible, powerful but elegant
dance that is much different than many of the styles of dance to which I am
accustomed. In the demonstration by the professionals, they performed an
improvised dance that nevertheless seemed polished. The two attempted to fake
each other out without becoming fazed. It seemed as if at any point, their
dance could switch to an actual fight. The two moved together as one entity,
and it was awe-inspiring to watch. It was a different story when it came time
for our group to attempt some of the simplest moves of the dance. I found it
difficult to achieve the proper leverage and balance for several of the moves
as we traveled across the floor. Despite my inexperience, I was energetic, tried
my best and had fun! After we were taught the basics, we gathered around in a
drum circle to learn the musical aspect of Capoeira. Music is integral to
Capoeira: it creates the rhythm to which the opponents fight. If the opponents
were on different rhythms, then they would risk hitting one another, so the
music prevents that from happening by setting the pace. The main instrument
used is a berimbau, which is much different from any instrument that I have
ever heard or seen. It has the appearance of a fishing rod wound tightly on
both ends. A coin is steadily held between the rod and the cord and the player
strikes the cord and shakes the shaker to determine the tempo and the style of
the music. The style of music determines how the capoeiristas perform. There
are lower pitch berimbaus and higher pitch berimbaus and improvisation is
encouraged. Drums, pandeiros, ganzas and other percussion instruments accompany
the berimbau. The instructor taught us some of the basic rhythms and chants
and then urged us to go two at a time into the center of the circle
and attempt the dance. I only kicked my opponent in the head once! It was a
very lighthearted and fun experience to watch my friends fight, experience it
myself, and then sit back down and join in on the chant!
Another
cultural experience was when we attended a Brazilian “futebol” game. This game
was followed by a lecture from a Sao Paulo futebol radio host and a visit to
the museum of futebol. Understanding futebol is essential to the understanding
of the Brazilian people. In the lecture, we learned that futebol was brought to
Brazil during the colonization over 100 years ago and is now the most popular
sport in Brazil. Brazil now has achieved five world cup victories and has one
of the best soccer programs in the world. At almost every bar or restaurant,
you can find a game playing on TV. Soccer keeps alive the dying media that the
people have lost trust in. Until 1910, soccer in Brazil had been an elitist
sport, solely for the upper class in athletic clubs such as Sao Paulo. The
Corinthians team arose from the common people. The origins of these teams
represent the struggle of the Brazilian people today and are why Corinthians is
the team of the people, and of course Gus’s team of choice. It is easy to see
how impassioned the Brazilian people are about soccer. I don’t particularly
like soccer, so at the game I found it more fascinating to observe the fans
reactions (luckily we got to sit in the fans section) rather than the actual
game. At the soccer game, they had massive security and police, which show how
politically strained the country is at the moment.
One
of the main focuses of culture class was the current political state of the
country. Gus and one of the leaders of the protests from Sao Paulo University
explained to us what led to the protests. The immediate cause was the threat of
an increase in transportation fare in order to help fund the construction of infrastructure
for the FIFA world cup and the upcoming Olympics. Transportation in Sao Paulo
is skewed in the favor of richer, centralized areas. Poorer areas of the city that
are farther away from the center have difficulties accessing public services,
such as hospitals, education and cultural centers. Furthermore, the poverty is
so great in these areas that many have to choose to either spend their money on
public transportation or feed their family. The government is asking for more
money to erect this infrastructure while the common Brazilian doesn’t have the
means to attend these events or even to afford a bus to go see the exterior of
the stadiums. These infrastructures are primarily for tourists. However, the
threat of this increase was only the straw that broke the camels back. The
protests stem from deep-rooted political issues that the Brazilian people have
endured for years. There has been long-standing unrest over the political
corruption of the government and the injustices of the political and military
systems. Gus explained to us that Brazilian democracy is questionable: many of
the politicians are known criminals that do not represent the interests of the
people and that the people have tried to impeach. The media is another area of
unrest because they blatantly lie to the people, which have led to a mass
movement towards social media in Brazil instead of relying on traditional news
sources. In the protests, the media has been sensationalist, making the people
out to be criminals. In all of the time I spent in Brazil, I never felt unsafe
due to the protests or the Brazilian people. They were all nice people who were
standing up for a better quality of life. Gus’s frustration is understandable;
however, I disapprove of the elated attitude he demonstrated towards the
reporter getting shot in the eye. It goes to show how little the people trust
and respect the media.
One
of the most prevalent cultural experiences for most everyone was the Caparinha:
a drink made from Cachaca, fruit, and an exorbitant amount of sugar. The fruit of
choice for most Brazilians is lime but I prefer mine with berries. I was
fortunate enough to be able to go Veloso, a Caparinha bar in Sao Paulo voted
the number one spot for Caparinhas in Brazil! When I went to Parachy, a
touristy town in the state of Rio de Jaineiro known for their Cachaca, I was
able to try different types and higher quality cachaca. One of the cachacas I
tried was called Gabriella, which smelled like banana bread and left a pungent
aftertaste. It is typically served with desserts. The expansion of my drinking
pallet was not limited to Caparinhas; I also tried several local Sao Paulo and
Brazilians brews, the most notable of which were Brahma black and Eisenbahn
strong golden ale. With respect to food, Brazilian food was too fried for my
taste and I am not a fan of buffet style dining. However, I did find rodizio to
be an interesting concept. In a rodizio, first there is a buffet, which is the
restaurant’s attempt to fill up the diner before the rodizio starts so they do
not take a loss. Then, the waiters rotate around the table with several
different cuts of meat from many different animals. They will continue to ask
if you want more until you indicate that you’ve had enough with a card. At the
rodizio, I tried chicken hearts for the first time! They were quite flavorful
but the texture was bizarre. I also made an attempt to try various exotic
fruits during my time in Sao Paulo. The produce in Brazil was extremely fresh,
cheap and of wide variety. Most notably, I tried Florida avocados, Lichia
berries, starfruit, and Mangosteen.
Brazil
was full of several firsts for me. I went to my first futebol game. I learned
not one but two new dances. I once again followed my stomach around a new
country and tried new food. I played a berimbau. I went to a samba club. I
tried caparinhas! I learned the distinctions between Brazil and the US that
have led to Brazils continued success in alternatives. Overall, I would say
that this program was a positive learning experience that gave me a good feel
for the culture of Sao Paulo.
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