Baile Funk

Ever since our first party in São Paulo dorms, we have been a bit obsessed with funk. Shortly put, it's Brazilian ghetto music that was born in the favelas of Rio de Janeiro that has steadily been rising in popularity since the mid 90s. Funk is a fantastic example of music that is by the people, for the people, with no frills or pretence, just grimy beats! The backbone is an electric beat that samples the same few songs and sounds like it was composed on your brothers old keyboard. The raps are the filthiest you have ever heard (thats right, they would rival anything by 50 Cent or Snoop Dog) but luckily for me, I don´t understand the majority of whats being said. I had a look on youtube to find a decent example of what I´m talking about... and this is the least offensive clip I could find! Cabecinha by Bonde do Tigrão - this is what you would call a 'goldie oldie' of the funk genre and has been our theme song since we arrived. Para na posição! (You be amazed at how many lessons we manage to sneak that phrase into).

Being in the North East you don´t get a lot of funk, so when we heard there was a theme party this weekend at a run down adult cinema in the city centre, we were all over it. The location was perfect, the whole point of funk is that it is down right dirty. We paid our R$ 11 (four quid) and had our pinky nail painted red. We passed through a curtain into an outside yard full of funkeiros, drinking, dancing, sweating, singing, having an absolute blast. You can tell it´s good party if I decide not to drink - I stayed on Coca Cola and still danced til dawn. Our group was the same melting pot of nationalities and sexualities - which I absolutely love. Highlight of the night? Dancing our own routine to Cabecinha, of course.

Can´t wait til December to experience a baile funk in Rio...

Porto Das Dunas

My friend Cristiano has expressed his dismay at not yet being mentioned in my blog. So heres a snippet from a Sunday afternoon when he invited us to his beach house to try our hands (or feet) at Sand Boarding. There were some experts among us, Cristiano included, but we were mainly novices with a great fear of falling. It wasn´t like SkiBunda where you started off on your bum anyway, this was the real deal...

We were a jolly old bunch of internationals and Brazilians - I do enjoy being in such a mixed environment all the time...

I must admit I was pretty tired that afternoon (details on excellent parties to come later) and I knew that what goes down must come up, so only opted to go down once, seated, with Yamil, clinging on for dear life. Needless to say we ended up in a heap half way down the dune and I´m pretty sure I landed on his head. Sorry, Yamil.

Russian stunner Alisa turned out to be a natural... Nelson wasn't too bad... Bruno wasn't too good... but the prize of the day HAS to go to Ezequiel. Check this out.

We were all crunching sand in our mouths for the rest of the afternoon. We headed back to Cristiano´s house for a relaxing dip in the pool. (Again I refrained, I´ve been eating far too much rice, meat and ice cream so the bikini is on hold for a while) Thank you for a lovely afternoon Cristiano, we can always rely on you to bring people together and have a great time. And to dance to forró on the side of the road and in mini markets, which is what I particularly love about you (",)

Cumbuco Beach

The most attractive beaches in Ceará lie just a little outside of Fortaleza. I´m quite a fan of venturing out on public transport - it seems to make a trip that little more unpredicatable and exciting. I still manage to get lost in London even when I have TFL website at my fingertips, but somehow when abroad I have a remarkable knack for getting around. You can catch a minibus to Cumbuco from outside North Shopping and in 45 minutes you´ll be a in a quaint little beach town awash with market stalls and beachside restaurants.

There are several reasons why I like Cumbuco - for a start it's not as busy as the city beaches, so it's an ideal place to relax and disconnect from the troubles of the week. You won´t be bombarded by someone selling something every minute like you are at Praia de Futuro... infact you be left in so much peace you often have to go and find a waiter to bring you your beer! You can relax at a shady table, or position yourself on a sun lounger to soak up the rays - the latter is ofcouse my favourite.

Cumbuco beach offers several activities that very in price and commitment levels. Kite Surfers fill the sea and sky... but we have not been brave enough to give that a go just yet. Donkeys plod up and down the sands, but we havea been content with just taking our photos with them (we named one Shakira). But when we were offered a ride on a Jangada for 5 reis each... we couldn´t resist. We donned a life jacket each and headed out for a 45 minute ride.

When in a car or boat, you are often asked if you would like a journey 'com emoção' (with excitment). We ofcourse answered yes and plunged into the water, bobbing and swaying and being periodically soaked by the salty waves. It was so invigourating being out in the open water! The men who steered the boat were the quintessential fishermen, with hardened skin and missing teeth - their jolly dispositions contradicting their impoverished lives. One treated us to a song, and we repaid him with our own repetoire of Lady Gaga, Sidney Magal and Bonde do Tigrão.

When you can no longer see land, you are allowed to jump off and have a swim in the sea. As I can't swim I didn´t fancy this option, I stayed safely on board and took the photos. However everyone insists I can´t drown with a life jacket on, so maybe next time I´ll venture in.

After lunching on delicious fresh fish, chips and baião de dois, we set off for another adventure, SkiBunda. Literally meaning Bum Skiing, you rent a wooden board and go careering down a sand dune on your bum. We could have paid 150 reis for a buggy to take us along the coast and up the dunes, but being the savvy travellers we are, we asked a local if there was a cheaper option. There was a mini bus for one real, so off we went.

The trek up the dune was hard work, but the view was incredible.

We were relieved to finally reach the friendly barraca at the top...

After a refreshing coconut water it was time to hit the slopes! Lázaro was brave enough to go first.

It really was hilariously good fun! Unfortunately I did fall the first time, but got the hang of it after that. The trick is to keep your ankles together and your knees apart. Duda on the other hand tumbled everytime - she blamed her sand board.

The trek back up the dune with your sand board in hand was pretty exahausting, but even so we went down several times. At the bottom of the slopes there was a little lake where you could cool off, full of children splashing around. When I arrived Jamil was giving a Spanish lesson in there - you can take the teacher out of the classroom....

It was truly a perfect day. Cumbuco is just the right distance for a day trip out of town. It has become our favourite haunt on weekends and feriados. Speaking of which, when is our next visit hien?!

EduAction – Revelations and Complications

EduAction has now been underway for a month and we have started to get a handle on this teaching business. After the first weeks of getting lost on the way to school and getting home without a voice or ounce of energy, we have gradually adjusted to our new and demanding routine. We have begun to feel at home in the schools, build relationships with the teachers and pupils, and find our place in the community.

The first required topic of the project was culture. After presenting our own culture and getting the children to recognize their own, we travelled the rest of the world with the students. Class 2 was entitled ‘Cultural Differences’ and was an interactive extravaganza, if I do say so myself.  We began by brainstorming the word culture to remind the kids what we talked about last lesson. Then we show the following advert from HSBC…

This video always guaranteed a laugh! Their eyes fall out of their heads when they see what the Chinese eat.  It got them thinking about how it’s not only sport, dance, and music etc. that is different in each culture, but even the way people behave.

Next we gave a Power Point presentation that showed clothes, food, transport, houses and parties from all over the world. The key to a good Power Point presentation?  The element of surprise.  They are amazed to see African women with shaved heads, or Muslims in a burka. They crumple their faces at an Asian insect market and insist eating with chopsticks is impossible. They shriek with laughter to see people living in igloos and travelling by rickshaw, and would like to join in with the Holi Festival in India or La Tomatina in Spain. The message of the presentation was that the way we live/eat/dress/transport ourselves/have fun is completely different, yet we all do these things!

Next we divided into 3 groups and did a rotation of 3 activities. One group learnt how to greet people in other cultures. From India to Japan to Italy to Papua New Guine, they learnt what to say and do. My favourite was Zambia – they say ´Muli Shani’ and shake hands whilst holding their right elbow.

Another group learnt about religion – this was my baby. I printed explanations, images of important people, symbols, place of worship and festivals for each religion and we worked together finding which cards belongs to which religion. They start off without a clue, which makes it all the more satisfying at the end of the activity when they have learnt which religion prays 5 times a day, which religion has many Gods, which religion has none, and the difference between Judaism and Christianity.

The final activity is a study of discrimination. We discuss what the word means and the different forms it can take and then play a game (which always gets them interested). They stand in a line and are given cards with characteristics. We tell them they are no longer themselves, but the person on the cards. Next, we call out instructions, such as ´those who do not like football, take 2 steps back’. They end up spread out, but with one or two people far away from the group. We ask what has happened and sometimes they are quick to realize it is an example of discrimination. We ask how the people left at the back felt – the answer more or less every time was ‘awful!’ We explain that when we separate and exclude people for being different we make them feel bad… and we are all guilty of doing this. We make a promise not to do it anymore… by putting our hands in the centre and shouting I PROMISE!

The best activity however has to be one we only did with the older students, to demonstrate cultural difference. It’s called The Albatross, and we learnt it at an AIESEC session on cultural shock. Nelson and I wait in the classroom, with sheets draped over our clothes. I kneel on the floor and he sits in a chair. Other chairs form a circle around us, and in the centre we place a cup of water and a plate of biscuits. Ezequiel ushers the children in and told the girls to sit on the floor and take their shoes off, and the boys to sit on the chairs and keep their shoes on. He is of course met with some disdain, but that is all part of the plan. He welcomes them to the Albatross culture, and tells them they were invited to have breakfast with us. We play some tranquil music and begin. First, I feed Nelson some biscuits, and feed the other boys. Then, I kneel, take a biscuit myself and pass the plate to the girls, who also serve themselves. I return to my place my Nelson and bow to the ground. Then I feed Nelson from a cup of water, then all the other boys. I then kneel, drink myself, and pass the cup for the girls to drink. Once more I bow to the ground and we both leave the room.

When we return we ask them what they think of the Albatross culture. We couldn´t have hoped for better answers. ‘The women are slaves!’ ‘The men are superior!’ ‘The woman is not respected!’ We go on like this for a while. Afterwards, we explain the reality of the Albatross culture. In the Albatross culture, the earth is sacred. It is what gives us water, food and life. The Albatrossian people believe that as the woman is also the giver of life, she is also sacred. Therefore, she is the only one privileged enough to walk on the ground in bare feet, to sit on the ground, and touch the food the earth brings. If the woman does not feed the man, he dies of hunger. So, who depends on whom? Who is superior in this culture? Were your assumptions about this culture wrong? What does this teach us? That we cannot apply our own way of thinking to another culture, and that we cannot judge another culture before truly understanding it. 

When the activites go well, the children react as if a secret of life has been revealed to them. Watching the realization of how wrong they had been about the Albatross culture dawn on their faces was a delight. Another group that is a little hard work worked on discrimination with me, and when I explained the meaning of the game they had just played, the naughtiest boy in the group had a light bulb moment. ‘Ohhhhh. I get it!’ He exclaimed. He finally understood what it was to discriminate. He then turned to another boy in the group that I know is given a hard time for being effeminate and said, ‘Hey… I´m sorry for being like that, ok?’ It truly brought a lump to my throat, and made the entire fortnight worthwhile.

It’s often the ones that are a pain that enjoy the lesson the most. And trust me, some are a pain! Today I confiscated a box of matches that a boy had lit in the classroom. Other times I have been exasperated with the way they talk; “Don´t these fans work?! I´m dying of heat!” The way to ask, my dear girl, is, “It´s really hot in here, could we turn on the fans please?” But there I go again with my ethnocentricity. We have to remember that these children have tough lives. A lot of them don´t have parents who teach them to behave nicely. They live in a poor neighborhood and have more responsibilities than kids back home – several have brought their younger siblings along to class because they don´t have anyone to leave them with and others tidy up after the lessons beautifully, through what I assume is force of habit from home. Lack of education and support at home is glaringly apparent – in one class we have a heavily pregnant girl who can be no more than 14. She sat apart from the others on the sidelines, her swollen belly embarrassing her into silence. During the discrimination activity she almost mumbled an answer, but quickly shrank back and shook her head when I asked what she had said. But her confidence must have grown, because by the end of the lesson she managed to answer a question and give us a smile.

Two of the four schools we teach in swiftly became our favourites. Adauto Ferreira Lima, where we teach on Tuesdays is the smallest and best organized of all the schools. 

The head teacher, Eliseuma is a neat little lady with a cool head and a strong will. In contrast her second in command, Clea, is a towering presence with a gruff voice and a heart of gold. Together they have welcomed the project with open arms and are doing their best to accommodate us. We have our own classroom with air conditioning (an unheard of luxury in Maracanaú) and we have a helper, Daniel who sets up their (somewhat dodgy) projector for us. We pay the equivalent of one pound to have lunch with the teachers in the staff room, which is invariably chicken as we are always there on a Tuesday! There is always a little something sweet for afters like a slice of Doce de Goiaba (thick, sweet jelly made from fruit) or Doce de Leite.

Our other favourite is Rui Barbosa, where we teach on Wednesdays. Although it is somewhat more chaotic and haphazard, it is still a wonderful school. Each classroom has a name such as ´Peace’ or ‘Justice’ and inside there is a picture of a leader that represents this quality such as Gandhi or Martin Luther King, and one of their famous phrases. At Rui Barbosa we have the luxury of a huge projection screen, a huge space to work in groups at tables, and students with never ending enthusiasm. During break and lunch we are victims to a friendly bombardment from children of all ages, wanting photos and hugs… even autographs! 

The head teacher Isabel enjoys having us around, although she does sometimes get the wrong end of the stick when organizing things, or forget to impart vital information (like a dance show kicking off in the middle of our lesson!) But all in all it’s a lovely place to be.

However - no social project is easy. All involved begin with the best intentions, but are bound to encounter difficulties along the way. I was fully prepared for EduAction to be the same and unfortunately in the other two schools we have come across some stumbling blocks.

We are directed by the Secretary of Education in Maracanaú, who had a clear idea of how they wanted to the project run. Firstly, our class would be extra-curricular, and therefore optional. Secondly, to teach the largest number of students possible, we would teach the same lesson over a period of two weeks, so each student would have a lesson once a fortnight. Now, I’m a highly organized person, but I think that even when I was 11 I would have had difficulty getting my head around this system. To complicate matters, Brazilians enjoy putting public holidays in the middle of the week, rendering the rest of the week useless as schools and companies tack on extra days holidays either side. So matters got even more confused. The students of Walmiki (Mondays) and Ana Beatriz (Thursdays) never really got the hang of what was going on. It´s a real shame, because I truly believe it´s not down to a lack of interest on behalf of the kids. The teachers insist they passed on the correct information to the children but that they are truly demotivated and have no interest in anything.

Walmiki is a small school for a lot of students. We teach in a room that is half staff room – half classroom, which gives you an idea of how pushed for space they are. The head teacher is very young, new to her job but doing her utmost. It’s situated in the Industrial District, close to the huge market CEASA where all fruit and veg coming to Fortaleza stops. She told us that many of the student´s families live off the scraps from this market, and many work there painfully long hours.  The students who do come along to the lessons enjoy them a lot… so much so they come back every week (It´s the same lesson guys! Oh…can we stay anyway?!) And we do believe that the school did all they could, and it’s now up to us to have a Marketing Blitz in the coming week. With an Art Workshop and a Global Village up our sleeves, I´m confident our number of students will grow again.

Ana Beatriz on the other hand, we feel is a lost cause. Yes, it’s a tough neighbourhood, yes the kids are difficult. But they truly did not have the capacity to receive the project. It’s a brand new school in which 3 smaller schools were combined. It was inaugurated earlier this year and guess what… it´s an absolute nightmare. It’s a spacious building with 2 floors and wide patios – something which these kids are not used to. So what do they do? Spend every possible moment running and screaming in the corridors, up and down stairs, banging on doors and generally making a nuisance of themselves. The head teacher is constantly drained from shouting at one and another, she has not had time to gain control of her new territory. Again, the students who do attend the lessons are adorably interested, we only feel sorry that they don´t have bigger, more active classes. So we are looking into the possibility of mixing the classes together and teaching one mega class. We will get there in the end, there is no room for failure in anything I undertake!

We still have two more full months to go, and plenty more to give. Next up, the Environment and Social Responsibility… 

My Host Family

I´d always liked the idea of living with a host family abroad. I think it is such a beautiful thing that a family could open up their home, their lives, to accept a total stranger and look after them like a son or daughter. When I came to Brazil I knew I wanted to live with a family - that way I could practice my Portuguese every day, eat typical food and learnt to live like a Brazilian. I was over the moon when I heard I had been allocated a family, and started to get to know my host brother, Rafael, straight away.

The best news was he was very excited to have me. He told me online while I was still back in England that he had already prepared my room that I had internet (hurrah!). It seemed like an eternity before we actually met in person, but as he drove me home, we had no trouble chatting away, and I knew we were going to be good friends. He is only  year younger than me, and studies Advertising at Uni. He likes football, rock music and raves... the latter may not be to my taste but the other two make for good conversation! He just took his first trip out of Brazil, so has been bitten by the travelling bug - so we have something else in common.

Rafael lives with his Mum, Fátima, who was apparently very worried about what she would feed me (What do English people eat! She won´t like what we have!). She was so eager to meet me the morning after I arrived (she was asleep when we got in the previous night) that she burst into my room at 7am ´Where is this girl! I´m dying to meet her!!´ I knew that I would love her from that moment on!

His Dad Luís is super laid back - he works in another city, so only stays now and again. This means that my Host Mum is actually very glad of some extra company on weeknights when Rafael is studying. Sometimes I come home from school and collapse into the armchair beside her, and we chat away until 10pm without even realising. She´s interested in everything, how things are in England and what I think about this that and the other. She thinks its funny that I eat ceral for breakfast and that I put jam on my tapioca. I think its funny that Rafael sleeps in a hammock and doesn´t know how to use the washing machine!!!! But there you go - culture exchange is what we all signed up for.

When Rafael´s Dad is around I like to do a little something all together - the first weekend I made an apple crumble and custard! I think they liked it... it was a bit too sugary due to a lack of scales so I guessed the quantities (its part of my new carefree, Brazilian attitude). They certainly had a lot of fun with the idea there was an English girl in their house making dessert.

The next time I bought a bottle of Argentinian wine... I absolutely love red wine and am really missing it here... Brazilian wine is very bitter and dry. I wondered if they would like what I chose - but it was gone within half an hour. Everyone was suitably jolly, discussing the monarchy and government in England... next time I´ll buy two.

I almost forgot the most annoying member of the family - Zeek, the dog. A Brazilian home is apparently not complete without one! When I arrived for the first time Rafael asked guiltily 'You don't like animals do you?". But luckily he´s only a tiny Yorkshire Terrier, that deep down just wants to be loved - that´s why he barks like a maniac when you leave the house (not ideal at 6am on my day off) and follows you around when you get home, licking your feet. I just have to make sure I keep my bedroom door firmly shut - or he is sure to wee on my bed.

Although nothing can compare to your own family (am missing you a lot people, and think of you all the time) living with a host family has to be the next best thing. I´ve got people to look out for me, to keep me company, to worry about what I eat and where I go! It´s comforting, to belong somewhere, and know that whatever I need, they´ll help me. It´s a debt that is unable to be paid... I just have to hope they will come to England some day.

It´s not you, it´s M.E.

Side note...

3 years ago, I was very ill with what is known as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome - or more commonly M.E. It's a condition that causes severe tiredness that doesn't improve with rest, caused in my case by repeated throat infections over a period of 6 months. It's not like any tiredness you´ve ever felt before - I used to describe it as having an iron sheet laid on top of you, no matter how much you wanted to, you just could not get up. It's actually what stopped me going to Brazil in the first place, on a University exchange to João Pessoa. It pretty much broke my heart - I had to leave University and spend a very miserable 6 months at home.

Luckily, I'm not one to let bad times get the better of me. My family and friends were wonderfully supportive and I gradually fought back. I managed to go on an exchange to Portugal the following year and graduate the same year as my friends. And now I´m living the dream of being in the North East of Brazil. Better late than never, eh?

Nowadays I'm almost capable of leading a completely normal life. I can do a full days work, go to the gym, go clubbing and travel - just not all at the same time. I still have to be selective about what I do, and what I don't; M.E doesn´t control me anymore, but I still have to control M.E. So you may notice I'm always the first person to sneak off to bed at a house party. Or that I turn down invitations citing fatigue. I promise you, it's not because I´m dull or lazy or not interested. I´d love nothing more than to do everything, but I simply can't. I can´t risk falling ill again.

Working with children here is so much fun, but also pretty draining, even for those in tip top health condition! So I need to take it easy on the weekends if I'm to last until December.

I found a fantastic analogy of what it's like to live with an illness. It´s called The Spoon Theory, by Christine Miserando and you can read it here:

http://www.butyoudontlooksick.com/articles/written-by-christine/the-spoon-theory-written-by-christine-miserandino/

This weekend I was out of spoons, but now I´ve got plenty for next week :)

Kids say the funniest things...

"So, are you going home to England and then coming back for the lesson on Monday?"

"Oooooooooh Tia will you adopt me? Kidnap me and take me to England!"

Me: Why did Henry VIII have 6 wives?
Student: One for every day of the week, then Sunday was for rest.

Ezequiel: Does anyone know who Che Guevara was?
Student: A footballer.

Ezequiel: Can you name any important political figures from Argentina?
Student: Eva Peron. And her Dad, Juan Peron.

Me: Who is the Prime Minister of England?
Student: David....David...
Me: *Enthusiastic head nodding*
Student: David Beckham.

Student to us: Are you guys brothers and sisters?