11.25.10

I finally got a sense of the danger of Rio today. For the past few days, the drug gangs have infiltrated the city. It’s a reaction to the government’s attempt to clean up Rio de Janeiro—and more specifically, the favelas—for the World Cup. Typically, the gangs have been taking over public buses, asking the passengers to get out, then burning the buses down. I haven’t seen any of this, but it’s been on the news and all over the TV.

It seems like things are becoming particularly serious because the police have now infiltrated one of the favelas, which is atypical. In addition, several people have been killed in Zona Sul, the area where I live—and the area that houses the higher class residents of Rio (Ipanema, Copacabana, Leblon).

Of course all of this didn’t quite hit home until today I was suggested to leave Fiocruz—where I work—earlier than usual. You could hear the gun shots in Manguinhos, and one of my coworkers told me he that yesterday he had to wait for the gunshots to stop before he took a bus home. In fact, most of my coworkers told me not to come in tomorrow. It’s a little scary, not really having access to a TV or Internet, and knowing that there is something dangerous going on around you. People have been crowding the main street in Ipanema watching the TVs in the restaurants of every update of the situation. A fellow American friend told me that people were leaving work early and rushing to the metro (the safest form of transportation in this city) and everyone’s plans to go out have been cancelled.

I’m not sure if the violence will ever reach Ipanema, and for the most part these gangs are not interested in killing civilians, but people have been caught in the crossfire.

For those of you who travel abroad, it’s a wise idea to sign up with the US Embassy. They periodically send out information relating to events like this; those who signed up for people residing in Rio got a warning message yesterday.

thoughts on language.

All of a sudden, last weekend, my Portuguese finally clicked. My grammar is still terrible, and I can’t speak with a large vocabulary, but I can TALK. And understand. And I feel more comfortable riding the buses and the vans, knowing I can ask the driver to stop where I need him to. I feel more comfortable at the farmer’s markets, too. Everywhere really. It’s an incredible feeling, to know that you can communicate in some way, quite efficiently. There is a bit of security there in knowing that you can speak and be spoken to.

my research process.

One thing that’s striking me about my research project in Rio is how slowly it has been taking off. I came to the city completely prepared, with all my research clearance in the US finished, and a good idea of how to approach my study. But interestingly, my project has yet to even go through the most basic of clearances here.

It’s partly the research process, I think, because I am fortunate enough to have collaborators at Fiocruz who are willing to work with me and find the best ways for conducting my research. It’s something I truly appreciate, because it allows me to understand their way of thinking, and better understand the way the process works in Brazil.

All that being said, it’s a funny feeling, not having to go and do field work, or really any sort of work. Right now my primary goal is to pick up the language as quickly as possible, but that seems to be happening even passively, as I meet with people and move in groups where people speak the language. It’s hard to not pick up phrases an words when every day you are immersed. (That being said, you can also very easily not learn the language if you refuse to try. Many people do speak English and you can get by without knowing a lot of Portuguese.).

Observation.

Girls here DRESS UP for concerts. Really dress up. It’s all the same: short tight skirts or flouncy short skirts. Heels. Tight tops. Everything and anything to emphasize their, erm, backside assets.

What’s funny is that 90% of them couldn’t even last through the first hour of the show with their heels…. but who could blame them? The main act didn’t even start till 3 in the morning.

David Guetta

On Friday, a few friends and I went to see David Guetta, live at RioCentro. 50,000 people, all packed into one space (where drinking and smoking are permitted indoors—my clothes reeked of stale cigarettes this morning). For those of us who live in a hole (ie, me), David Guetta is an incredibly famous DJ who has produced a lot of music with artists that nearly every American has heard of: Black Eyed Peas, Akon, Rhianna…. the list goes on.

It was funny to be in a space where the music was all in English, but the Brazilians were wild for it. Akon and Vin Diesel made special appearances (Akon actually released his latest single that night on the stage) and the special effects made me feel, literally, like I was in some alter-reality.

It was a change of pace from some of the places I’ve frequented in Lapa, where it’s all Brazilian music, the crowd is much more low key, and the people are fewer.

But maybe my favorite part was the ride home on the bus, at 6 in the morning, everyone tired, strung out, but still feeling the energy from the concert. The route the bus took was right along the coast, so you could see the amazing views of Rio as the sun rose in the morning. Pretty epic.

Sao Cristavao Fair.

On Thursday, my Portuguese class (all three of us students) and our teacher, Laura, went to the Sao Cristavao Fair in Centro. The fair features a variety of stores, foods, and other events that are typical of the Northeast of Brazil (think Bahia). While most of the shops were closed, our group was able to drink and dine at one of the many restaurants located inside the center. After being pulled in many different directions by the silver-tongued hosts that stand outside each of the restaurants (it’s incredible how they try to lure you in), we found one that seemed to be worthy of Laura’s standards. We had some Guarana Jesus (the “Coca Cola” of Bahia—it tastes like bubblegum, and not in a good way. I recommend Guaranaviton, or some other natural Guarana drink), and lots and lots of different meats, farofa, rice, and beans. We ended our meal having some tapioca—a type of pancake made with tapioca, which is topped with different combinations of doces (sweets) or queijo (cheese). We tried one with queijo and doce de leite, and another called romeo and julieta (it’s a famous combination of guava and cheese in Brazil; it sounds a little strange, but it’s actually really really good).

Side note—while I haven’t exactly been enjoying the abundance of meat in Rio, the sweets are pretty amazing. They have one that is called pudim de leite; it’s like flan but it’s made with eggs, condensed milk, and carmalized sugar. And the ice cream—so many fun flavors like fig, guava, torta limao, and other exotic fruits that can only be found in Brazil.

Living Primitively.

My lovelies, I don't have Internet at home, so forgive me for the lack of posts that are about to ensue....

fashion in rio.

I haven’t been terribly impressed with the fashion in Rio; I expected to find a lot more interesting textiles and silhouettes, but I really haven’t found much. Most of the stores have replicas of a lot of trends that are in the US, and the few Brazilian brands that I’ve found to like are very, very pricey. That’s one thing about Rio—EVERYTHING is expensive.

I stumbled into a store called Vila Flores the other day, and I fell in love with a designer named Cecilia Prado. Her clothes, which are colorful but have delicate patterns like sheer laces with tropical prints, have a certain refined-ness to them that a lot of other brands lack. She hails from the state of Minas Gerais, and since finding her clothes in that store, I’ve found them in a few other boutiques in the city. I’ve got to keep my eye out for her stuff elsewhere; her stuff might be worth the splurge.

Street food in Rio.

If you’re a fan of red meat, then Brazil has got to be one of the greatest places on Earth for you. At almost every restaurant, the meat is of good quality, fresh, and cheap. But since I’m not big on carne, I’ve taken to liking other things (like the sweets! Omgoodness the sweets!) to more than make up for my lack of enthusiasm for feijoada.

In most cities, there is always a special type of food that’s reserved just for vendors on the streets.

You can find most of these foods anywhere, but the vendors usually come out around the late afternoon, when people are coming home from work and are craving a snack or sweet before dinner.

Here are a few I’ve found so far…

Pipoca: Popcorn! It’s sold here as salgado or doce (salty or sweet) or in some situations, you can ask for it “misto” (mixed). There’s usually a little bottle of lete condensada (condensed milk) lying around, and you can ask for some on top of the pipoca.

Tapioca: This one is a little hard to explain, because the tapioca is really only found in Brazil. The vendors make a sort of white pancake out of the tapioca flour, and you can have different toppings put on it—cheese, doce de goiaba, doce de lete, lete condensada, chocolate… I’ve found that lete condensada and queijo (cheese) makes the best mix of sweet and salt, but you may disagree

Hot Dogs (Cachorro de Quente): I have yet to try these, mainly because I never really crave hot dogs, but a lot of the carts are self service, and you can have a variety of toppings put on them. Cariocas really like their hot dogs; I’ve found them in so many lanchonetes as well.

Churros: I wish I had never tried these, because they can very easily become a very dangerous habit. Unlike churros anywhere else around the world, they STUFF their churros here with all sorts of goodness: chocolate, doce de lete, doce de banana, doce de goiaba. It’s really, really good, but very sweet—be forewarned, one of these can really make you feel full for a while.

(updated with photos 1.2.11)

one month.

So, it’s been exactly one month since I’ve left the United States. In some ways, I feel like everything is very similar; daily errands don’t really change much from country to country. I still have to time manage, figure out my schedule for the week. I hang out with friends on the weekends, go out, work out. But in some many other ways, everything has changed. I’m dealing with learning a new language. I’m constantly hyper-alert, not just for my own safety, but to be aware of the culture and people around me. Everything takes so much more time here. I factor in at least an hour to get to work. The ride home has taken up to three. It’s tiring, dealing with the traffic, not understanding what people are saying around me, not being able to just call friends at my own convenience. But in other ways, it’s highly gratifying to be able to figure things out on my own. Finding a beauty salon that provides eyebrow threading. Learning how to get around on the buses. Finding a yoga class, a rock climbing class, a surfing class. Making friends. Going to another country really teaches you patience.

Interestingly, the weather hasn’t been nearly as wonderful as I had hoped. I hope that when the sun does come out—and stays out—I’ll be able to really experience Rio in its fullest form. I’m enjoying living in Ipanema; walking down the streets, having everything I need within arm’s length… it’s nice. The beach is just two blocks away, and Lagoa is another couple in the opposite direction. And while at times the area can feel a little “Gringa” (you hear English here more than in any other area), it’s one of the few neighborhoods where the main street feels comfortable enough for me to walk around at all hours. Plus, being just a stone’s throw away from the farmer’s markets, the hippie fair, and about five fantastic ice cream stores is dangerously addictive.

In Urca, at a conference on health information.

Election Day and Pedra Bonita.

Yesterday was election day in Brazil, which was actually the second round of elections (the first round weeds out the candidates to the top 2, and the second round is just between the top 2 candidates). Dilma won, which was to be expected, but I was more curious to see how exactly the electoral process works in Brazil. Apparently, wherever you register to vote, you must go to that exact location-- and transferring locations of registration is a big pain (sounds similar to the US....).

After checking out a voting center in Urca, where residents pick their future leader with the view of the Sugar Loaf outside the windows, I met up with some new friends to go to Pedra Bonita, part of a massive trail of mountains that extend from Pedro Gavea into Jardim Botanico. The trail was pretty simple to the top of the mountain; maybe a half hour, at most. And while it was foggy, the view of Rio was pretty spectacular. Lush trees, lagoons, a perfect glimpse of the Christ, and a clear depiction of why the city is so special. Pictures don't do the view justice; your best bet is to climb up to the top and see for yourself.