O Pôr do Sol: Até Mais Brasil

Ilha Grande, Rio de Janeiro

Sergio and me during
Corinthians Game

It seems surreal that my time is done in Brazil. These past 6 months have been some of the best of my life, and some of the most beneficial to my personal development. Returning to the U.S., I am fluent in Portuguese, a rookie Samba dancer, no longer single, and have broadened my worldview immensely, along with my love for Brazilian culture and people. If I do not return to Brazil in the next five years, I will be greatly disappointed with myself. I am going to fashion my life after I graduate around the goal of making it back to this country I now see as my second home for the World Cup 2014.

Me making a fool of myself at a
chocolate factory in Gramado

It is a bit comical reflecting on my first post- one filled with only first impressions and extreme naiveness. I am almost embarrassed of what I wrote in this first post, though I recognize that this only means how much I have changed in these six months, and actually  adapted to life in São Paulo. I do feel that it is now appropriate to point out a few comments I made within my first impressions, and to modify them in order to reflect the realities of my situation upon departure from this wonderful country.

Wine Country, Rio Grande do Sul

Of course, I am still a Gringa here. It is no longer an insult to me, as I know that this term is used widely here just to point out anyone who is foreign. However, I would like to say I was very proud of a few moments when I was not recognized as foreign: 1) Upon arriving in two of the southern states of Brazil, Rio Grande do Sul and Santa Catarina, I was asked if I was from Rio or São Paulo, and my El Salvadoran friend accompanying me was  asked what country he was from; 2) During one of my last days in São Paulo, I was chatting with some shop keepers I passed by daily when they introduced me to a woman who during the entirety of the conversation, did not realize I was foreign because "I had the  accent of a Brasileira." She apparently spoke fluent english, and when told to speak to me in English by the shop keepers, she asked why, not realizing I was from America. I came to learn that I only stood out if I didn't speak, and was not warm and friendly with every stranger that passed by.

Rio During Carnaval

In my first post I claimed I could live in São Paulo. Now that I have thoroughly traveled throughout Brazil, I have seen some of the greater places to live. It is true, São Paulo is a very liveable place with all of the amenities of a first world international city, however, just like in LA, I could never live there for an extended period of time. The smog and chaos can get tiring, and there is rarely sunshine without a rainstorm for more than a week at a time. I found the city I loved: Rio. It is true what they say- upon first impression, this city has it all. It has the beach and the liveliness of a city, the people are darker and more beautiful, and not to mention downright friendly from the start. In addition, almost everything is cheaper even though it is a tourist hub. This said, upon discussing this with my host parents, there are other realities to consider about Rio. With about 1/3 of Rio's population living in favelas, or slums, on the picturesque morros (hills) surrounding the beaches and city, crime is more heightened than in Sao Paulo. Additionally, Rio's money came from early government investment back when it was the capital of Brazil. This means that the economy in Rio is in no comparison as rich and successful as the industrial hub of São Paulo. Regardless of these realities, I could see myself living here in the near future.

Foz de Iguaçu with my Parents

La Bombonera, Buenos Aires

Hawk catching Pirana in Pantanal

I was correct in my statement that I could not possibly see everything in 6 months. I unfortunately did not get to travel to the north of the country, and will forever regret this, but I will hopefully come back to experience that rich culture. Though I did not travel everywhere I wanted, I believe I still made the best of my time and traveled to quite a few places. From going to Rio three times, to the colonial towns of Paraty and Tiradentes/São João dos Reis, to the beautiful surfing beaches of the south in Florianopolis, to wine tasting and German countryside in Gramado and Canela, to my travels with my parents to see the animals of the Pantanal, and the great Iguaçu Falls near the Paraguay and Argentinan border, to even exploring the old beauty of Buenos Aires in Argentina, I can say that I am well traveled. In fact, from the start of my classes, to nearly the end of my classes, I had maybe one weekend in São Paulo in total, while the rest were spent exploring elsewhere. Though traveling further helped me expand my view of Brazil, I was glad to have my last month to get closer to the people I loved in São Paulo. I even got to experience a Brazilian wedding which was a true treat to see professional Samba and Tango dancers battle it out, and my host grandpa dance to house music.

Host Grandpa Breaking it Down

Most of all, I am grateful that I was able to get close to my host parents. Tânia and Elcio treated me as one of their own. They were always caring for me and making sure that my life in São Paulo was the most enjoyable that it could be. I will never forget how my host mom ran around the house frantically trying to find some ointment or Brazilian medicine to fix my sunburnt skin or various common colds. From watching Corinthians games with the whole family, to drives listening to the Beetles with Elcio, to even just having a pleasant lunch everyday with them at their restaurant, I came to love my host family as I love my own family. It is comforting to know that I will have a family to return to when I come back to Brazil.

My Brazilian Parents: Elcio and Tânia

I know I will always take a little bit of Brazil with me, whether it is the language, the caipirinha making skills, or the warm openness I have learned towards strangers. There are a few things, however I will not miss and have thoroughly enjoyed now back in the US. These include timeliness, extreme organization, the natural beauty and clean air of my hometown in Saratoga, the convenience of having a car and not having to deal with extreme traffic, being able to understand conversations thoroughly on a daily basis, and the unconventional love from my family. My time in Brazil has made me realize my priorities in life, and what I used to take for granted, along with other great values that I never had realized before. As I am terrible with goodbyes, I decided not to say goodbye to the country in which I lived for six months, but just an até mais... until more Brazil, forever in my heart.

Você Não é Daqui: How to Assimilate With a Cara da Gringa

The Foreigners

Yet another country and yet another adventure. These past 3 weeks trying to fit in as a complete Gringa in Brazil has been, to say the least, an experience. Though again, I stand out like a sore thumb- a common theme during my travels the past few years, I can honestly say I can already call this place a home. It is actually becoming a problem that I integrate myself into life in other countries so well that I could see myself living there. Looks like I will need a good paying job to be able to have dream houses in all these places I guess? I think I must qualify my statement about being integrated into daily life here- I see myself as integrated.. I walk with confidence, know how to order my coffee “para viagem”, get my Açaí smoothie as a regular at Nova Charmosa, and I know the streets around my neighborhood like the back of my hand. I run with all the residents on the main avenida and even embarrassingly do sprints  in the park with all of the guitto-looking body builders. I know how to meet and greet, and order at a restaurant. BUT, I do not think I am perceived as being integrated. I will forever be asked, "Você não é daqui, certo? Eu sei que você não é." In English, “you are not from here are you? I know you are not.” This is something that will probably anger me in the future, but I know that unless I go to Sweden or any other Nordic country, this will always be the case anyways. It is time for me to face the facts. I have a Cara da Gringa and Cabelos Estranhos como uma Loira.

These past three weeks have seemed like months. My study abroad program has been doing a great job in making sure that us students see every cultural thing possible before they let us little baby ducklings go into the real college world. I have seen so many museums and places within São Paulo, yet this city and state are so large that I don't think I could possibly see everything in 6 months. 

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

My Family and Neighborhood

Museo da America Latina

I live with Tânia and Elcio Moreno on the border of bairros Sumaré and Perdizes. They have a daughter named Maite who will be getting married to her fiance Leandro in April (I'm crossing my fingers hoping that I will be invited!) My parents do not speak a word of English, but we communicate in Spanish-Brazilian. I really lucked out because my parents run a restaurant, around the corner from where we live and since Tânia is a nutritionist- I get very good, yet healthy food. I can eat there every day all day for free and they have everything from salad, to pizza to pasta to amazing Carne, and of course the traditional dishes like Bolinhas de Bacalhau, Feijoada, fish casseroles and other yummy rice dishes. Our apartment is small but very safe with 24 hr security. The only downside (or I guess a healthy upside) is the enormous hill I must walk up everyday. That is the other thing. San Francisco has nothing on the ladeiras of Brazil. No wonder women here have big behinds. I am a block up from the main road, which is filled with runners, walkers and dogs everyday all day, even during the torrential rain and crazy lightning storms that defined the first two weeks here. I am a 10 minute walk from the university, and I live a minute away from one of the girls in my program. This could not have been a more perfect location for me to be placed. The only hard part is the metro, which is a 15 minute walk, but I think I can survive. 
This is a big and exciting city, and also a city that never sleeps. The most intense partying goes on after the hours of 1 and 2am, and so too does the most intense construction. This part has been a bit unfortunate, but I will get used to it. 

The People
Whereas Hong Kong people were the most respectful people I have ever met, Brazilians are the most hospitable. Sure they may not respect time commitments, and Brazilian time has still not been something I, as a very timely and efficient American, have been able to get used to, but they are sure amazing hosts.  They are also very warm and welcoming people. Sometimes the friendliness is a bit overbearing, and can seem creepy at first, but its a part of the culture and it means no harm. The way Paulistanos speak is amazing. Their portuguese is very pure, and has a tint of Italian influence, making it even more beautiful. The one thing I love about how they speak, is the -y they add to almost every word. Take for example, a simple word like Picnic. It is spelled piquienique- but pronounced: "picynicky". Any foreign word will always have an -y at the end in spoken form. Even the university I am going to PUC = Pooky. Also my favorite- Facebook = faceybooky.

Concert on Anniversary of São Paulo 

Brazilian people are very proud to be Brazilian, and São Paulo people are incredibly proud to be Paulistas, and even more proud to be Paulistanos. A Paulista is anyone born in the state of São Paulo, and a Paulistano is someone born in the city of São Paulo, what they call the best city in all of Brazil. I can see where they get their pride- this city is booming in infrastructure, business, entrepreneurship and education. In comparison to what I hear about other places in Brazil, São Paulo is exceeding beyond belief.

Praça de Sé

The Places
Avenida Paulista was the swanky street where we stayed our first few nights in a hotel. It has a bunch of high-end shops and restaurants.

CIEE has shown us to just about every museum imaginable as part of our culturalization including: Museo da America Latina, Pinocoteca, Estação do Luz, Praça de Sé, Teatro Municipal, Patio de Colegio, Museo do Futebol, Museo da Lingua Portuguesa, Museo Afro-Brasiliero

Museo do Futebol

We have been to many different types of night scenes already. Here the famous discotecas are called balladas, and they usually do not get going until 1am. You can find everything here from Funky music, to Electro, to Samba/ Merengue, and even Salsa and gay clubs. My host mom is convinced that I will find my Brazilian husband at a ballada since her last student from USC found met her husband at one. I try to explain to her that this is rare, but nevertheless she encourages me to go often. The bars here are varied as well. You can find everything from sports bars to jazz bars. One of the most notable that I have been to was one in Vila Madelena neighborhood, where our group had an encounter with a guy named Felipe, who looks and acts exactly like Zach Galifianopis in the Hangover.

The metro is very clean, and airconditioned, depending on the train. It is not as advanced as the system I was used to in Hong Kong, but it is entertainment in itself. Whereas in Hong Kong no one would speak or touch on the metro, in São Paulo, people don’t mind being very close, or loud. My favorite experience was sitting on the same metro as some Futebol fans just getting back from a game… they were letting all hell break loose running up and down the train, jumping everywhere chanting their fight song. It was hilarious.

One of my favorite things about SP are the parks. Though I have only had the chance to explore 2, I am very satisfied with these open, peaceful spaces that have educational study spaces outside, all kinds of recreational activity- even ballroom dancing and aquariums. Not to mention those who dare can enjoy a casual jousting match just like that right out of the hangover. SP is made for all types of people.

I have been on one beach excursion and that one time made we wish that I lived closer to the beach already. Besides the fact that I got more burnt than ever before, the beaches are so nice here, and Santos reminds me a lot of Venice beach with the body builders and exercise fanatics showing off their toned bodies as the rollerblade down the walkways. One thing that will be a bit hard for me to get used to, however, is the bikini style. It is true- no matter what size one may be, a true Brazilian does not cover up. I stood out like a gringa in full bottoms. Not to worry though- I have bought the most modest of Brazilian bikinis to sport eventually when I dare.

On the weekends, and near the end of the week, you can find a feira (farmers market) in almost every part of the city. One can just take the metro and stop in a location and it is almost certain there will be a fair full of pastels, arts and crafts, clothing and fresh fruit.

BEACH

Though my family has tried to force me to eat at their restaurant for free as often as possible, I love to explore the restaurant scene here. The Japanese food here is AMAZING, and I have found my new favorite café, Zetha Caffe around the corner from PUC where the owners love to practice their English with us.


The Food and Drink
Probably my favorite thing about Brazil so far has been the incredible coffee and fruit variety. Never in my life before have I tasted more kinds of fruits, and different varieties of coffee. Coffee runs through the veins of everyone here. Probably why this is a place that never sleeps..

Açaí is my new favorite, and I drink it everyday. The cheese is plentiful here along with the delicious meat, so a vegan would be very out of place at any restaurant here.  Eating by the Kilo at many restaurants is popular. At these restaurants, like my host parents’, it is common to find dishes like Pastels de Camarão e Palmito, feijoada, strogonoffe de Frango, coxinhas and much more. Lanchonettes are little café/ snack shops that are famous for any fried pastry or Pão de Quiejo (cheese bread). You can also find delicious brigadeiros (fudge balls) everywhere.

Of course, I cannot forget to mention the famous caipirinhas, made with all different kinds of fruit flavors and the national liquor of choice- cachaça, which I can vouch for is not the best of tastes, but is very similar to the strength of tequila. For those who cannot handle this strong beverage, they do make caipiroskas, which substitute vodka for the cachaça.

My view

Looking Forward

In the next few weeks, I am looking forward to many things. We start school today and I have already gotten a little taste of the education system here- basically, instead of classes actually starting 2 weeks before Carnival, it is customary to have only the hazing of new students start within the next few weeks during what they call “Trote” week. I tried to go to my first two classes this morning and had to run for my life from people carrying buckets of eggs and paint, only to find that my professors didn’t show up. The foreign students have official hazing today at 2pm. I am a bit nervous but it is all in the fun of meeting the students…. Right?

I am incredibly excited to be going to Rio de Janeiro for Carnival, and to be staying on Ipanema Beach. We will be there from 17-22 of February. This is something I have always wanted to do and it seems insane that I will actually be crossing it off my bucket list.

In the next few weeks, I plan to try to pick out of the four top futebol teams, which I will actually support. Santos is respected by all, but is not that good. My host dad is obsessed with Corinthians, and he says São Paulo is a good team too, but to never support the ultimate rival- the Palmeiras. I recommend for anyone coming here, and who would like to know more about a soccer rivalry- to watch the Romeo and Juliet palmeiras v. Corinthians version. It is a very dramatic, yet hilarious depiction of the futebol rivalry here.

Casually stealing the ball from one of the greatest Futebol players of all

Akwaaba to GHANA: the adventures of the USC micro-business team

Oasis Bar, Cape Coast, Ghana

These kids got some major beats

Ye Fremi Ya Cacra (My name is Ya (the day I was born) Cacra (second born twin), and the past 10 days I have spent in Ekumfi Ekotsi, Ghana. These 10 days have blown by, and I can honestly say I almost teared up upon the goodbyes. My time spent working with 21 other USC students on microfinance development in Ekotsi have taught me more about my passion, skills, microbusiness and not to mention drumming and my dance skills (or lack there of) than I could ever have hoped to learn in a textbook or lecture. For this I owe a big May dasi (thank you) to the students, our advisor, the directors, Clare and Willie (coordinator and field officer/part time rap star), Allen even though he failed to take showers, Assomoa, and of course our amazing translators, all of whom get paid little to nothing to work so hard.  The hard work choosing students through many interviews, and the time sacrificed by our Global Business Brigades E-Board planning the trip to a T paid off. Our team turned out to be incredibly dynamic, and to be frank, they would all be on my dream team, or as our advisor Janet would say, “apocalypse team”.  Never before have I encountered students that worked so well together, but also were not afraid to offer each other very constructive criticism. With the brainpower and motivation from our team, we were able to accomplish more than any other microfinance group in Ekumfi Ekotsi to date. Past brigade teams laid down some very important framework for our team, and we were able to effectively revamp the framework to make the microfinance institution in Ekumfi Ekotsi set on a sustainable path to succeed, and in turn, help the development of the impoverished village.

Mr. Eshun, President of the Ekotsi Bank

It is always hard to depict in words what I feel from my experience on this trip, and how I felt while on the trip. Words simply cannot describe the sense of unity with the community and accomplishment our team felt after witnessing the IPO of the Ekotsi Community Development Fund, the long line of community members eager to attend an educational seminar on the function of the bank, and the similarly long line of first and second time loan applicants.  In addition, the cultural experience and love felt all around from these incredibly vigorous, entrepreneurial and caring Ghanaian people goes unmatched to any experience I have had thus far in a developing country. For the first time in my life, and in my exposure to development work, I was able to contribute to actual results that I could see by the end of my trip, and leave knowing that these results will continue to culminate after I leave. The framework has been set, and now has actual functioning to work on a daily basis without outside assistance. THIS is what development work is about—the marriage of outside expertise with grassroots local knowledge. I cannot wait to go back in 5, 10 years and see how the Fund is doing. I have posted at the end the three main projects we focused on in the development of business and financial services in Ekotsi.

Dima with major attitude

Scarface! + Chris

Besides being so fortunate to have such a wonderful group to work with, the place we stayed was so much nicer relative to where GB usually stays. We were about a 40-minute ride outside of Ekotsi in a beach town called Biriwa. Though not right on the beach, we were set on a hill overlooking the beautiful Ghanaian coast line, which we enjoyed thoroughly from our daily morning yoga sessions and one time P90x workout session on the roof.  Though the only running water could be found in the boys commons, we had very few problems with mosquitoes, and a clean room every day, along with delicious breakfast and dinner cooked by Mama herself. Mama owns 4 other guesthouses besides the one in which we stayed and is well versed on American culture as she lived in Philadelphia for a long time, and her children go to school in the states. I will miss her genuine kindness and caring soul. New Years was an interesting experience when we visited the other brigade groups who were staying at a fancy hotel with a pool. Needless to say, there are some substantial cultural differences between New Years in the states and that in Ghana. Ghanaians go to church, while Americans party—we blasted the song “shots” in our bus while passing the community church choir and we could not leave the party early because our bus drivers had decided to attend church.  Religious tolerance was one of the most outstanding aspects of Ghanaian life to me. I had always believe that the US was the most tolerant of religion, but I think the Ghanaians may have us beat, if not at least at our level in the states. Within the small, close knit community of Ekumfi Ekotsi even, Muslims and Christians coexisted without any controversy. Interreligious marriages are common in Ghana and are in no way frowned upon.

Cape Coast Slave Castle

Dima and her death grip

I could go on and on writing about these past few days, but for the sake of my ADD generation, I will sum up the things I will miss other than those mentioned before. The directors: President Mr. Eshun with his grandfatherly wise-ness and delicious pineapples, Mr. Duncan, the treasurer and also VIP for our purposes on the trip, and his incredibly sharp mind, Harry, the secretary and the best actor of the group, Mershak, by far the best translator, his male model looks and his philosophical mindset through which he wrote a book as only a 19 year old called “The Four Powerful Human Traits,” Mohammed and Grace, our other translators who could really pop lock and drop it, and the little kids, especially “scarface” and Dima who all had some crazy attitude (and braiding hair skills I personally experienced against my will). I will miss the women yelling at 5am daily the products they carry on their heads, and the nonstop drumming coupled with the roosters for a complete soundtrack by 6am.  I will miss the constant “ WHAT is your name” and Willie’s distinct “ALO.” I will miss the door-to-door visits we partook on to meet the community members on a personal basis and learn about their lives. I will miss the community dance offs and drinking water from bags. I will miss the soccer games in the village, on the beach and at our guesthouse. I will forever carry on the message I took from experiencing Cape Coast slave castle- the site of the largest slave trade known to man, and I will never forget standing on the ground a foot and a half thick of fossilized solid human waste during this incredible time of injustice to humanity.  I will miss the humidity, but will get that back in a few days when I head to Brazil! I will miss it all, but I will come back soon enough. Never good byes, always a pause. Adventures to be continued…

She has extensions...

Breakdown of our work

Shareholder!

(1) Shareholder model: 1/3 of the students, including myself, worked on this aspect of the CDF to assist in raising capital to in turn raise money for more loans, and community projects in a sustainable way with involvement from community members. To do so, and after much deliberation and drastic changes in plans, we came up with a promotion. With the money each student sets aside for the eventual investment in the community, we decided to match each share bought by the community member with another share. A member could buy up to 5 shares, pay 25 GHC for them, and have 10 shares owned at the bank. In return, the shareholder would also receive lower interest rates on loans, voting rights and 40% dividends at the end of the year. Furthermore, our community investment fund would contribute GHC 150 to a child scholarship program if a certain number of shares we sold. Needless to say, after the directors of the bank were well versed on this model, they had no problem convincing members to buy into it. We ended up developing one little catch to this promotion which happened our second to last day in the community—the members would have to attend an educational seminar held by us students and the translators to educate them on the costs and benefits of the CDF before they could buy shares. The goal is not only to allow this CDF to prosper, but to promote financial literacy community wide. The program was an absolute success: over 355 shares were sold, and the majority of the community members bought 5 shares. To give a little perspective into how shocking that number is, the average community member in Ekumfi Ekotsi lives on less than 1 USD a day and to be able to afford 5 shares, an average community member would be investing a months worth of savings.

Main directors of the Bank

Line to buy shares

(2) Loans Process- another 1/3 of the students worked on developing a loan application form and process that would be more suitable to the CDF directors’ understanding and needs. A prior brigade had developed forms before even arriving in Ekotsi, which led to an inadequate form that often the directors did not pay attention to because they did not understand the fancy financial terms. This team of students developed a form after a constructive conversation with the directors about how they usually look for a viable loan applicant and business ploy. By adapting certain terms and sections to fit the directors, they would have a more formal and accountable tracking system for assessing loan applicants.

(3) Compensation- another 1/3 of the students worked on how to adequately compensate the fund’s directors for the opportunity cost they face since they sacrifice their time that could be spent earning money as volunteers to help run this community development fund. After much deliberation with the directors, it was decided that they could each receive up to 1% (total 10% because there are 10 directors) at the end of the year when profits were declared, and shareholders assess if they have done their job sufficiently. If not, they could risk only having 0.5% or 0% at the end of the year. In turn, this would help foster both more investment in the work done by the directors, and also community involvement in accountability in leadership.