Monday, December 3, 2007
Pop-Up Market in Bangkok
From Street Use.
This is a really amazing use of space. If I can find it I will also post a photo from an oil change garage in Brazil that transforms into an outdoor cafe after dark.
Thursday, November 29, 2007
Monday, September 24, 2007
the plants are shy!
When we went to Mario Cravo's sculpture park for the last time we found a patch of plants that close when you touch them and sat around trying to trick them for 10 minutes - then we somersaulted down the hill.
After being reassured that we would never be allowed to see Mario himself, some of the girls wandered back into his studio and we were privileged to listen while he talked about tasting and smelling and living Brasil. Certainly an artist who knows his fame, but it was an incredible experience all the same.
Friday, September 21, 2007
SARAh Rede
Rede! (I really like this word - it's pronounced like hedg-ie, and here it means "network", but it also means "hammock" or "net"...)
We had an incredible chance to visit the open-air hospital factory that provides parts and pieces for hospitals all over Brasil - everything from beams, to hand-rails, to really cool space-age beds. Lots of good discussion about sustainability and specific environmental issues at this spot!
Clara!
This photo doesn't do Clara justice, but I ought to have blogged about her by now and haven't!
She is an urban studies student in Recife, but has work with O'Norte (Lula's design firm) and came with Lula and Chico to give the architectural tour. Her introduction to this bit of the course came with a great deal of insight and sincerity that taught me a great deal, and had a huge impact on the women.
floor crits!
One of the groups presenting their ideas for the hill. Jay had each group take on a different aspect (water/agua, handrail/corremao, surface/superficie, benches/bancos, e landscape/paisagem), so they drew and presented and shuffled groups, and drew and shuffled and drew and shuffled til everyone had a chance at everything.
getting back to the blog!
So, life's soundtrack isn't in portuguese these days, but I'm procrastinating on some other work and thought I'd put up some more photos!
This is one of the student drawings for water solutions - inspired by the drains at Lina Bo Bardi's MoMA in Salvador. We ended up using a modified version on the hill that is elegant in its own right.
Monday, August 20, 2007
The Mohawk in Brasil?
Our last stop for the day was meant to be at the Parque de Pituaçu, a stretch of green along the northern beach coast that now holds the works of sculptor Mario Cravo. It was pouring rain and despite the efforts of two students who jumped the fence, we weren't getting in to talk to Mario.
But on the way out we saw this fence and it looks a whole lot like the fence Jay did at the Mohawk bar in Austin.
lunch
Day 3 of the tour. We tried desparately to keep lunches to a quick stop, but we're in Brasil and these ladies love a few beers and family-style sit-down. Me, too!
We were at the Lago de Abaeté, which holds a lot of history. It is the color of saffron, surrounded by sand (though it is freshwater), and was used for more than a century to wash clothes, but it is also believed to be the locus of magical energy to which Salvadorians attribute the unusual number of drownings.
silhouetted
Emily's photographs at sunset inspired me to try this one out. We were at Rodoviara de Lapa, one of the major intra-city bus stations that has remarkable examples of Salvador's first ventures into concrete and tension bridges. They sketched, I took photos. (The next few photos in line show them waving - 15 estrangeiros with cameras don't ever go unnoticed!)
o por do sol
We were out on O Forte São Marcelo at the end of day 2 on the architectural tour - all the girls were sitting along the top wall, sketching the city (I sketched a bit as well - it's been such a long time and it felt really nice!) with this incredible sunset in the background.
5 minutes later a gray wall of rain closed in and we all took cover in different tiny rooms (used to be cannon bays) along the base of the fort.
As Catatumbas de Mercado Modelo
Below Mercado Modelo, a huge marketplace that used to mark the water's edge Salvador's port that now caters more or less to tourists, these catacombs housed the sick and injured Africans who were considered unsuitable for slavery. The building was constructed knowing that the tide would rise and fill to the roof of the catacombs.
(Very somber, but the history is incredibly important.)
Piso da Solar Unhão
The Museu de Arte Contemporaneo in Salvador is an old port building redone by architect Lina Bo Bardi. The bottom floor of the building is still crisscrossed by tracks used to move carts from the pier into storage rooms - now a restaurant called Solar Unhão, the floor transitions really gracefully from what you see in this photo to cobbled stones that Lina had installed.
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
Cidade Baixa e Alta - Contemporanea
Looking back on the city from one of the piers you are able to see a sort of social division through architecture. Below the paved road from the commercial district up to the apartment towers of Ondina, Vitória and Barra, there are densely-packed self-constructed houses right along the water.
As alunas na Elevador
Part of the architectural tour takes us from the tip of the old city, Pelourinho, down to Comércio, a relatively contemporary part of the city that was built over the port and coastline of Salvador. This connection (the Elevador) between Cidade Alta e Cidade Baixa - upper and lower city - is parts architectural (these guys are standing in the arm of the Elevador, built in 1910), and socio-political (the Elevador was built well after more than two generations of slaves carried the foundation of Salvador up the hills on their backs).
A Graffitti de Limpo
Graffitti in Salvador exposes a great deal about Brasilian politics and culture. Passionate and talented artists are given the opportunity to cover empty walls along the highways, covered construction walkways, old buildings and other moments with their work. It is respected and left untouched with a certainty that is sometimes surprising to me - it's not entirely uncommon to see artists play off of one another, creating a unique story-line authored by 5 or 6 people.
On the other hand, some are frustrated because it is art fostered under the control of the government and many worry that it ultimately stifles the creativity and growth that the ordinance claims to offer.
A Parede de Lina Bo Bardi
Lina Bo Bardi is one of Brasil's most beloved architects and activists. She was born in Italy, but made her home in Brasil and became forever entangled in the art and politics and soul that govern the country.
This is one of her buildings in Salvador, arguably not the best photo, but a good taste of her work - the texture, the alternate fluidity and material strength, the placement (it´s on a fairly untraversed hill that connects the lower city - Cidade Baixa - from the upper city - Cidade Alta).
Nossa Guia Espiritual
This is Lula, one of our architectural guides, but also friend, fellow architect, master musician, passionate artist, capoeirista, activist, and animated expressor of ideas.
He is one of 3 founding architects at O'Norte in Olinda, the historical center of Recife, but he now lives in Austin with his wife Lúcia, who is a filmmaker. Check out this website for shows of his band, Seu Jacinto!
Dakota is a man magnet
She will kill me if she sees this, but I love the photo. Dakota is wickedly smart, incredibly beautiful, and fluent in português...it's a perilous trap (unwittingly on her part, truly) for dream-seeking Brasilian men.
a casa de nova orleans
This house, from the outside, could be on Esplanade Avenue in New Orleans, and it has some of the same energy I imagine. It was built by a really wealthy Catholic family and has been, in turns, inhabited by slaves, squatters, and ghosts.
For now, it is empty, but is being renovated by a non-profit that works with homeless youth. A telling story of Brasilian politics...the director of the organization asked the government for the house and was denied, but when another, even less politically desirable group sought ownership, they were told that the house was already being given to the non-profit. (Sorry, my memory's a bit fuzzy on the story, but these are the basics.)
uma fantasma?
After the market we went on to one of the most important churches in Salvador, Igreja do Bonfim, and then to walk along the port in the suburb of Ribeira.
Lots of little conversations going on along the boardwalk...this photo only shows half of the conversation, but it is Lauren´s free and intensely happy face - so beautiful.
A Experiência Sensorial
This is day one of the architectural tour...we began in a feira (something similar in set-up to a farmer's market) - smelling, tasting, watching, bargaining, talking, planning meals - everything comes back to the essences of Bahia.
Thursday, August 9, 2007
boneca bonita
Our beautiful Emily allowed us to bury her deep in the sand and give her peacock feathers (though when we were done it was a bit more like a turkey...).
Ilha de Maré
Wes gave the students a few days off before starting the design process so a few of the girls (Niraya, Emily and Fatima), Taia (sort of my Brasilian counterpart) and I headed out to Ilha de Maré. Our pousada was perched on a hill at the far end of the beach, and after beers, an amazing dinner (the girls had lobster straight from the bay!), and some swimming we walked over our hill for ice cream...and found a few puppies and some pigs napping on the other beach. (The pig story is my favorite...I will try to write it later!)
A Galera!
These are the girls and some of our lecturers!
Bottom row (sitting L->R): Roopika, Lauren, Christine, Tessa
2nd row (sitting): Taia, Adriana, Wes, Paula, Cobre Mansa
3rd row (standing): Ritinha, Fatima, Niraya, Dona Marçia, Sue, Emily, Marcelo.
Adriana and Paula are
our beach umbrella
Wes thought this particular bar on the beach would be a great scavenger hunt destination because all the umbrellas and seats are made from wood and reeds (a welcome contrast to the ubiquitous - but comfortable! - plastic chairs).
refletir
After leaving the Centro Estudos and following two guys riding bikes with sandwich boards to a great new vegetarian restaurant, we headed up to the Praia das Artistas, a beautiful, slow beach on the Northeastern edge of the city. We got fresh juice, agua de coco (coconut water) and talked a little about ghosts and spirituality - it was a good day.
Wednesday, August 8, 2007
the Scavenger Hunt!
One of the ways we oriented the students to the city was with a Scavenger Hunt - 3 groups, 5 different places (each group had to go to 3 of them - an Afro-Asian cultural center, a beach, statues, markets, churches), 1 day, city buses and a lot of good energy.
This is Christine (L) and Fatima (R) who were in my group - we went to the Centro dos Estudos Afro-Orientais, but the school (Universidade Federal da Bahia) was on strike and the guard only let us in to look at the classrooms...we managed to find the creaky old door that opened to the roof and climbed out for a bit before we got caught.
music and movement with a mestre
Capoeira is such an important part of Salvadorian culture - it transcends the game and music and fuses itself with the most basic elements of social interaction. I think of it as a metaphor created simultaneously, symbiotically with the things it seeks to describe - traffic and pedestrians, time...for these reasons the Studio brings students together for an introduction to the music and movement of capoeira.
This is Sue with Mestre Cobre Mansa (or Cobrinha)!
drumming on the North Coast
After visiting the site and talking with Jorge about Candomblé (an almagamation of several African and Indigenous Brasilian spiritual traditions) we dropped Meghan off to the airport and headed to a beach far, far up the north coast.
On the way, we picked up Wes (our culture instructor) and two of his friends - Pancho and the infamous Ivan*. This photo is of Ivan and Lauren drumming on the beach at sunset - the music inspired me to move and the setting took all the heaviness off my shoulders.
*Ivan is infamous because he helped found Olodum, a world-renowned drumming group from Pelhourinho (the old section of Salvador) - but also because he would, without any outward indication, let out a yell that would put a fog horn to shame. He also made incredible mouth music - like the magnified sound from a drop of water.
Yeah, posting! ...that is if you´re still reading :)
I´m in the midst of trying to put up a bunch of fotos - this sort of picks up where my last real post left off...all of the students at the project site in front of Jorge´s house and terreiro - it is amazing how different it looks from last year.
Thursday, July 26, 2007
so much things to say right now...
I´ve been so lax in posting to this, and promise to fill more things in before the weekend´s over - suffice to say, I love where I am and becoming family with the students and talking with my friends, but my brain (and sometimes my heart) hurts from being in the midst of all of the days´ frustrations.
My role here gives me a window into all of the discussions and lectures that the students receive, but I sometimes feel as though my own continued exploration of place is completely stunted - most of my interactions are so functional and inert and I really ache to just put down the baton and BE HERE. Being not-a-student also complicates my ability to express my frustrations at times - even when I agree and sympathize I am compelled to stifle my opinions and solely offer my ears and a means to act on whatever issues are at hand.
This is a bit of a vent, so my apologies for posting something so down while I´m here - to make up here´s one of our many sunsets along the north coast (Litoral Norte)...
Saturday, July 14, 2007
Hoje.
Finalmente, today. 07.14.07.
Lauren arrived early this morning. A fellow Longhorn and Brasilophile - she´s been working in Recife at Lula´s office, another UT architect, but this one a Brasilian artista with an incredible firm in the historical neighborhood of Olinda. He will be a design professor along with Jay Sanders. She and Taia have already been talking away, and I know that the language immersion will be incredible for all of us.
And now I am here. At the moment, Taia has gone with the women to Porto de Sauipe, where his family has an incredible house one the beach. I will nap soon, and await our next querida, Sarah, and instrutor da cultura, Wes.
Lauren arrived early this morning. A fellow Longhorn and Brasilophile - she´s been working in Recife at Lula´s office, another UT architect, but this one a Brasilian artista with an incredible firm in the historical neighborhood of Olinda. He will be a design professor along with Jay Sanders. She and Taia have already been talking away, and I know that the language immersion will be incredible for all of us.
And now I am here. At the moment, Taia has gone with the women to Porto de Sauipe, where his family has an incredible house one the beach. I will nap soon, and await our next querida, Sarah, and instrutor da cultura, Wes.
Arembepe until now
The last few days have been a whirlwind....
Meghan and I caught up over a wonderful dinner of pizza and sangria - so much to talk about with education and her father´s work in curriculum (ôtimo!) and the course.
Then, I met the first two students, Roopika and Christine, who have been venturing all over Salvador already and, together with Meghan, we made a trip up to Arembepe, a small fishing town whose famous hippy village and local Ford plant have somewhat transformed it - but I believe that there is still a great deal of magic there. When we visited last year I met Luis, a community leader, with my friend Helene and when we arrived this year Luis greeted me and invited us all into his house to see his art, to meet his guests from Uruguay (they´re in the circus!), and to offer us agua de coco (coconut water straight from the nut).
The trees still bent the same way from the wind on the coast - the light over the wetlands is still the same silvery gold trapped in globes of mist - the turtle with an inverted shell still watches over his friends with sorrow and (likely) envy - the walls of the open restaurante in the hippy aldeia still have words of welcome and divine intentions - and the dirt road is still as red.
Tessa arrived yesterday - I went with Domingos (our incredible host) to the airport and then into town to make new keys while Tessa rested. Making keys takes some time, so, true to Brasil, we went and had lunch, walked a bit, and I had a chance to talk and learn from Domingos´friend Cesar. He has studied English for 14 years, but, to help me, he didn´t truely let on until later in our conversation - so many new words at once! - he is also translating Jorge Amado´s second book and hopes to begin translating the rest of his stories and poetry (only 18 or so have been translated until now).
Then Meghan and I met with Taia! He worked with us on the project last year and has both a passion for change and an incredible love for his community, Coutos, a suburb of Salvador close to where we will be working. He will live with us at the house as a student, a teacher, a guide and our lone man. He hopes to learn more English with us, because in the fall he will move to the U.S. to marry his incredible namorada, Ariana, an American storyteller whom he met working with Meghan on another project.
And, last night, perhaps the best surprise of all. The group, (myself + Tessa + Christine + Roopika) went up into Pelhourinho and amidst a skirmish over some "free" peanuts, the phone rang and I talked to whom I thought was Taia, who wanted to know where we were so he could meet us. But, like a ghost, my friend Naoul appeared - apparently I was talking to him on the phone and he gave up trying to explain that he was not Taia and started walking around to find me. Such a good hug, and a wonderful night for all of us. The girls are as charmed as anyone, and he has already begun his patient lessons in portuguese with them. We sat, drank, pulled up more chairs for friends of his we saw in the street, visited the incredible apartamento that he shares with a friend overlooking the ocean, and talked until forever. I am so excited to see my friend again, and know that the women will get as much out of their friendship with him as with anyone in Salvador.
Meghan and I caught up over a wonderful dinner of pizza and sangria - so much to talk about with education and her father´s work in curriculum (ôtimo!) and the course.
Then, I met the first two students, Roopika and Christine, who have been venturing all over Salvador already and, together with Meghan, we made a trip up to Arembepe, a small fishing town whose famous hippy village and local Ford plant have somewhat transformed it - but I believe that there is still a great deal of magic there. When we visited last year I met Luis, a community leader, with my friend Helene and when we arrived this year Luis greeted me and invited us all into his house to see his art, to meet his guests from Uruguay (they´re in the circus!), and to offer us agua de coco (coconut water straight from the nut).
The trees still bent the same way from the wind on the coast - the light over the wetlands is still the same silvery gold trapped in globes of mist - the turtle with an inverted shell still watches over his friends with sorrow and (likely) envy - the walls of the open restaurante in the hippy aldeia still have words of welcome and divine intentions - and the dirt road is still as red.
Tessa arrived yesterday - I went with Domingos (our incredible host) to the airport and then into town to make new keys while Tessa rested. Making keys takes some time, so, true to Brasil, we went and had lunch, walked a bit, and I had a chance to talk and learn from Domingos´friend Cesar. He has studied English for 14 years, but, to help me, he didn´t truely let on until later in our conversation - so many new words at once! - he is also translating Jorge Amado´s second book and hopes to begin translating the rest of his stories and poetry (only 18 or so have been translated until now).
Then Meghan and I met with Taia! He worked with us on the project last year and has both a passion for change and an incredible love for his community, Coutos, a suburb of Salvador close to where we will be working. He will live with us at the house as a student, a teacher, a guide and our lone man. He hopes to learn more English with us, because in the fall he will move to the U.S. to marry his incredible namorada, Ariana, an American storyteller whom he met working with Meghan on another project.
And, last night, perhaps the best surprise of all. The group, (myself + Tessa + Christine + Roopika) went up into Pelhourinho and amidst a skirmish over some "free" peanuts, the phone rang and I talked to whom I thought was Taia, who wanted to know where we were so he could meet us. But, like a ghost, my friend Naoul appeared - apparently I was talking to him on the phone and he gave up trying to explain that he was not Taia and started walking around to find me. Such a good hug, and a wonderful night for all of us. The girls are as charmed as anyone, and he has already begun his patient lessons in portuguese with them. We sat, drank, pulled up more chairs for friends of his we saw in the street, visited the incredible apartamento that he shares with a friend overlooking the ocean, and talked until forever. I am so excited to see my friend again, and know that the women will get as much out of their friendship with him as with anyone in Salvador.
A new day!
07.12.07
It is all so seamless - so familiar - I just stared down the hallway at Dona Marcia´s (where our group stayed last year), and it is as if I´d been waking up to stare at the same spot the last 353 days. I am in awe, and yet the moments when I am seeing something again for the first time fade almost as soon as they begin - fleeting pangs of memory replaced by the real thing. Some of it, I know, is because Meghan (Axis Mundi´s director) and I are walking and talking - seeing O Largo de Pelhourinho under bluish street lights I retraced a version of my scattered and many steps up that hill and, again, my smile must have looked like a veil to great secrets.
A bit in contrast, at times my memory has reconstructed itself from so many happy moments that keep popping up (like a carnival shoot-em-out game) until I am walking in a corridor of all the festas and shows and lazy nights we had ever experienced.
I´m writing with all the sounds that belong to Dona Marcia´s street - Rua Direita do Santo Antônio (#135, I think) - there is no lull, just life.
And there, I heard him (was waiting for him) - "Bras Gas....Bras Gas" - a voice I could pick amongst voices, a deep baritone laced with copper bells. He is the propane deliveryman, and he is like clockwork every morning.
... And Naoul is here. He doesn´t live with Dona Marcia now, but Meghan says he visits at night and I so look forward to seeing him.
It is all so seamless - so familiar - I just stared down the hallway at Dona Marcia´s (where our group stayed last year), and it is as if I´d been waking up to stare at the same spot the last 353 days. I am in awe, and yet the moments when I am seeing something again for the first time fade almost as soon as they begin - fleeting pangs of memory replaced by the real thing. Some of it, I know, is because Meghan (Axis Mundi´s director) and I are walking and talking - seeing O Largo de Pelhourinho under bluish street lights I retraced a version of my scattered and many steps up that hill and, again, my smile must have looked like a veil to great secrets.
A bit in contrast, at times my memory has reconstructed itself from so many happy moments that keep popping up (like a carnival shoot-em-out game) until I am walking in a corridor of all the festas and shows and lazy nights we had ever experienced.
I´m writing with all the sounds that belong to Dona Marcia´s street - Rua Direita do Santo Antônio (#135, I think) - there is no lull, just life.
And there, I heard him (was waiting for him) - "Bras Gas....Bras Gas" - a voice I could pick amongst voices, a deep baritone laced with copper bells. He is the propane deliveryman, and he is like clockwork every morning.
... And Naoul is here. He doesn´t live with Dona Marcia now, but Meghan says he visits at night and I so look forward to seeing him.
...and on language
Speaking a language that is new to you or that you speak rarely at home, you live inside an invisible box with boundaries of communication. Familiar transactions are empowering and make you feel functional (to yourself and perhaps to those around you), but any variation in the pattern causes confusion and momentary (feelings of) helplessness - ´was that information important?´, ´does that mean tonight or tomorrow morning?´, ´pay now or later?´...it feels wrong to nod and smile sometimes because I worry that I will smile or laugh at something I should not (updates on the evening news or an insult intended for me), so I apologize and ask for a simpler explanation.
It is interesting what we assume when communicating this way. When you speak with someone whose native language is not your own you have to determine what layers of metaphors and slang to peel away, and, for me, in doing so I have discovered just how much I take linguistic short-cuts for granted and that words whose English meaning we transfer from one situation to another (you can take a class, take the bus, take a number) don´t necessarily translate.
It is interesting what we assume when communicating this way. When you speak with someone whose native language is not your own you have to determine what layers of metaphors and slang to peel away, and, for me, in doing so I have discovered just how much I take linguistic short-cuts for granted and that words whose English meaning we transfer from one situation to another (you can take a class, take the bus, take a number) don´t necessarily translate.
some thoughts & expectations
07.11.07 (and, still...)
I have the urge to keep writing, I think, on what I expect of the next 5 weeks - the group is so different from last year (10 women!) and I am not arriving in Salvador after weeks of total immersion - some of these women have already had incredible experiences in Brasil themselves, speaking português and loving every moment. I know that my role in the group will be much tempered and supported by their own lessons and travelers´ intuition.
I am nervous to come off as a know-it-all - pointing out the obvious, if only because I reason that they seem important to note (bus stops, the laundry, where to get a great breakfast and watch the ocean) - and that it will seem that I assume they know far less than they do in giving advice or directions. I realize how much I learned last year as our group worked together to learn the city.
I have the urge to keep writing, I think, on what I expect of the next 5 weeks - the group is so different from last year (10 women!) and I am not arriving in Salvador after weeks of total immersion - some of these women have already had incredible experiences in Brasil themselves, speaking português and loving every moment. I know that my role in the group will be much tempered and supported by their own lessons and travelers´ intuition.
I am nervous to come off as a know-it-all - pointing out the obvious, if only because I reason that they seem important to note (bus stops, the laundry, where to get a great breakfast and watch the ocean) - and that it will seem that I assume they know far less than they do in giving advice or directions. I realize how much I learned last year as our group worked together to learn the city.
revisiting the past
07.11.07 (still!)
...now I have a rush of emotions from my first visit to Brasil - as if someone has held them for me and waited patiently to hand them back (surely I would return, ne?). I imagine I look as though I am harboring a fabulous secret.
...now I have a rush of emotions from my first visit to Brasil - as if someone has held them for me and waited patiently to hand them back (surely I would return, ne?). I imagine I look as though I am harboring a fabulous secret.
Wait - the beginning!
Ah! I forgot the most wonderful beginning!
I should start with my last day in Austin...one last breakfast taco at Quack´s with Stephanie - a blur of last minute moving errands - a short trip with Coby, (trying to) catch up on a whole summer adventure between the bank and a wonderful bowl of soup (lime and extra pepper!) - more last minutes in the house that has been my home for the last two years (amazing!) - clearing tire marks off the wall from early morning biking and one last bath (double duty to clean the tub!)
Sarah had a long evening at work, but we manage to fit in a bottle of wine on Larry´s porch to talk about friendships and travel and knowing yourself - I am so blessed to have met her as a true friend when I first arrived in Austin. When Larry arrived home I watched a bit of a movie with him - I could only stay a bit, no sleep, just sweeping and double-checking everything - then Stephanie pulled up and two very sleepy people rolled out to the airport.
I snored all the way to Atlanta, but on the flight to São Paulo my seatmate was an elderly man - the sort that inspires you to catch his elbow, and it reminded me how much I miss my grandparents. He has two children in the U.S. and was returing from the wedding of his grandson - the "Inglês, Urgente!" book in his lap began a long conversation in a mixtura of português, english e questions - miming is helpful, but the pocket dictionary is gold.
Entering Brasil, I am happy - our talk dissolves many fears I have been able to rid on my own.
I should start with my last day in Austin...one last breakfast taco at Quack´s with Stephanie - a blur of last minute moving errands - a short trip with Coby, (trying to) catch up on a whole summer adventure between the bank and a wonderful bowl of soup (lime and extra pepper!) - more last minutes in the house that has been my home for the last two years (amazing!) - clearing tire marks off the wall from early morning biking and one last bath (double duty to clean the tub!)
Sarah had a long evening at work, but we manage to fit in a bottle of wine on Larry´s porch to talk about friendships and travel and knowing yourself - I am so blessed to have met her as a true friend when I first arrived in Austin. When Larry arrived home I watched a bit of a movie with him - I could only stay a bit, no sleep, just sweeping and double-checking everything - then Stephanie pulled up and two very sleepy people rolled out to the airport.
I snored all the way to Atlanta, but on the flight to São Paulo my seatmate was an elderly man - the sort that inspires you to catch his elbow, and it reminded me how much I miss my grandparents. He has two children in the U.S. and was returing from the wedding of his grandson - the "Inglês, Urgente!" book in his lap began a long conversation in a mixtura of português, english e questions - miming is helpful, but the pocket dictionary is gold.
Entering Brasil, I am happy - our talk dissolves many fears I have been able to rid on my own.
Eu chegei!
There is so much to write already, so read on at your own risk!
07.11.07 (my journal date)
I arrived yesterday - last night - to São Paulo. Friends of Ô de Casa (a hostel) picked me up at the airport - Paulo e Sushi, irmã e irmão - then lovely André checked me in and I played cards with four men from Dublin - Jaime, Daniel, Ian & Red (I´ll have to think on his name...). I don´t know what they call their game, but it comes from Red´s family, involves a spiral of cards, and I think I will call it "John & Margret", after his parents. After that, a good sleep - a funny dream and then I find myself in line to Salvador.
Meeting two sets of travelers - a Polish couple just rounding up 6 months of travel and a Swedish man about to begin (not a big city person, just looking to trek South America) - the bug, the urge to travel, to have absolutely no idea what comes next...their nervous energy is infectious.
In the cab I knew immediately that I must come back to São Paulo - the driver makes me feel comfortable in português, and the buildings...large, beautiful houses of every architectural style and era pose as medical offices and small businesses - the atmosphere is different, but I am somehow reminded of the embassies in D.C. along Massachusetts Avenue (?).
It is crazy to step off of an airplane - the same rounded floor treads and accordian walls as I walked through in Atlanta, and yet the change is palpable - all I needed was one breath and I know I am back in Brasil.
07.11.07 (my journal date)
I arrived yesterday - last night - to São Paulo. Friends of Ô de Casa (a hostel) picked me up at the airport - Paulo e Sushi, irmã e irmão - then lovely André checked me in and I played cards with four men from Dublin - Jaime, Daniel, Ian & Red (I´ll have to think on his name...). I don´t know what they call their game, but it comes from Red´s family, involves a spiral of cards, and I think I will call it "John & Margret", after his parents. After that, a good sleep - a funny dream and then I find myself in line to Salvador.
Meeting two sets of travelers - a Polish couple just rounding up 6 months of travel and a Swedish man about to begin (not a big city person, just looking to trek South America) - the bug, the urge to travel, to have absolutely no idea what comes next...their nervous energy is infectious.
In the cab I knew immediately that I must come back to São Paulo - the driver makes me feel comfortable in português, and the buildings...large, beautiful houses of every architectural style and era pose as medical offices and small businesses - the atmosphere is different, but I am somehow reminded of the embassies in D.C. along Massachusetts Avenue (?).
It is crazy to step off of an airplane - the same rounded floor treads and accordian walls as I walked through in Atlanta, and yet the change is palpable - all I needed was one breath and I know I am back in Brasil.
Monday, July 2, 2007
Getting started...
I started this when my friend Patty first sent me her blog link ("Patty has a blog?!", I thought, "It would be so cool to have a blog!"), and playing with the layouts and pretty colors became a bit of a diversion (see subtitle) as I worked on my thesis - like a good procrastinator, I never managed to put up a worthy post, but now it will be a perfect way to keep in touch without jamming your inboxes!
The next several weeks I will be in Brazil working on a design/build project with ten students (all women this year!) and an incredible group of teachers/guides/designers/mentors. I cannot wait to reconnect with some of the people we worked with last year, and though I'm nervous about my new responsibilities, I'm up for a challenge and am in total awe of the opportunity to return (to açai, and Olodum, and samba, and Tia Maria's granola...).
So, I will do my best to post often (with photos!), and I can't wait to get questions or links or fun stories from you all!
much love,
megan
ps - Here are a few photos of where we're headed...
This is the view from the neighborhood where we'll be working.
The hill we'll walk up everday (I don't know those lovely people walking towards me, but our house will be in the neighborhood just beyond the houses at the bottom of the hill).
And a cool panoramic photo from our project last year.
The next several weeks I will be in Brazil working on a design/build project with ten students (all women this year!) and an incredible group of teachers/guides/designers/mentors. I cannot wait to reconnect with some of the people we worked with last year, and though I'm nervous about my new responsibilities, I'm up for a challenge and am in total awe of the opportunity to return (to açai, and Olodum, and samba, and Tia Maria's granola...).
So, I will do my best to post often (with photos!), and I can't wait to get questions or links or fun stories from you all!
much love,
megan
ps - Here are a few photos of where we're headed...
This is the view from the neighborhood where we'll be working.
The hill we'll walk up everday (I don't know those lovely people walking towards me, but our house will be in the neighborhood just beyond the houses at the bottom of the hill).
And a cool panoramic photo from our project last year.
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