ICICT Final Presentation.

Yesterday I gave my final presentation on my research, to my institution at Fiocruz. The crowd was filled with researchers within my group, other groups in my institution, as well as some researchers from other institutions across Fiocruz and the director of ICICT.

It was really rewarding to be able to share my experiences with my fellow colleagues, and be able to discuss a little bit about my experiences in Manaus, where I had a truly enriching experience conducting my focus group there.

8 months.

I can't believe it, but I've been in Rio for eight months now. I know that my time is ending here, and I'm trying to prepare myself to leave, but it's incredibly difficult. I've gotten used to the pace of Carioca life.

I can easily transition into and out of Portuguese, and I think that marker--my ability to speak and converse-- is perhaps my greatest indicator of how much I've changed since I arrived here. I feel comfortable giving presentations in Portuguese, and I can converse with people on many different topics. I'm far from completely fluent, but I would say that I'm conversationally adept.

There's still so much to learn about Rio and Brazil, and each day I find myself wanting to take the time to learn a bit more. It's a pity that I didn't read enough books during my past seven months-- I was too busy trying to be outdoors enjoying the sunlight.

The weather has somewhat come full circle-- I arrived wearing jackets and jeans, using my sleeping bag as a makeshift comforter. I pulled those all out again. I'm starting to think about the places I want to revisit-- I never really fell into a routine here in Brazil, with all my traveling in and out of the city, but I feel like I established some internal favorites-- my go-to farmers markets, what I like to do when it's sunny, when it's raining....

I haven't really got a bucket list, but I know I'm going to try to spend as much time outdoors as possible, soaking up the last of the South American sun. Then I'm off to India and back to New York in a sort-of whirlwind summer.... if you can believe.

Manaus.

manaus.

Through the help of my institution at Fiocruz, ICICT, I was able to apply a part of my questionnaire of health workers in the city of Parintins, a city in the interior of the state of Amazonas.

The objective of the focus group was to gain a perspective on the types of health information sources used by residents, as well as access to these sources of health information. This information will be recorded and used when adapting the questionnaire I used for my Fulbright research project. Eight participants, all from different areas of the interior of the state, were selected to participate in a one-hour session, with me as the moderator.

It’s difficult to get a comprehensive look at how the public health system works in the Amazon, as well as how people access their health care information (and health care in general) there, but this focus group provided some interesting input to consider when adapting this questionnaire—what options to provide for the closed-ended questions, how to format the answer choices, etc.

Highlights from the conversation:

• Some places in the Amazon take 22 days to reach Manaus (by boat), the closest city with tertiary level health care.
• There are several communities with no SUS community health agents, and many communities with only one community health agent in a community of 3,000 people. This agent only goes once a month to Manaus to report to the public health workers there.
• Many of these communities have no public health infrastructure (family health clinics, UPA, etc.)
• There is a high trust in benzadores and midwives. This isn’t even considering the indigenous populations.
• Towns in the interior of the Amazon, including Parintins, have no access to printed information material, including newspapers and magazines.
• There are no libraries in the interior.
• Prior to Internet, residents received information through local radio (weak and not very good health information) and TV.
• The idea of passing information and medications from one person to the next is common in these areas. Using the medicine that was given to your aunt, heeding the advice of your grandmother’s sister—high frequency.
• The Internet has become their door to the world (the residents). All of a sudden, there is a huge overload of information. Many of these focus group participants stressed the need for filtration of information, and expressed concern about Internet literacy among the non-educated.
• Participants mentioned the use of books—an uncommon source among university students in the pilot study.
• The focus group participants tended to be more health information-seeking savvy, choosing scientific literature and websites like SCIELO versus random Google searches.
• Participants mentioned the use of family members for health information.
• Concept of family member as a health professional—asked what they consider first—them as a health professional or a family member. First they are health professional (how to consider this during a future questionnaire).
• Main health problems encountered in the interior are vector-borne diseases like malaria, as well as digestive problems and respiratory problems (from creating fires for homes and building).
• Participants mentioned the lack of UPA-24 hours, Family Health Clinics. Mention the North (Ceara) as the reference for good healthcare. (Cariocas/Rio mentions the south—Curitiba, Porto Alegre as references for good SUS/public health care).
• Same problems with rural health care in the US, the intensity is much greater. The US has telemedicine, incentives for medical students to work in rural healthcare, etc. These problems are becoming a focus in Brazil. (Side note: medical students going to Argentina, Bolivia to get their license and coming back to work in Brazil. No one wants to work in primary care.)
• My own observations. In addition to the lack of newspaper stands, I noticed some things about living in a small town that make it inherently healthy—people use their bikes everywhere, there are rickshaws… now it is changing, more people are using motorcycles. Wonder what this means for the future.

brasilia.

about brasilia.

Half of the Fulbright research grantees of the Southern Cone (Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Paraguay, and Uruguay) had a research conference-- a regional conference-- in Brasilia this past week to share our research projects and meet and swap ideas. I wasn't exactly sure what to expect, but I was pleasantly surprised by everyone's projects-- it was one of those unique situations in which you had something to learn from everyone, and everyone had something to learn from you.

The days were filled with short, fifteen minute presentations going over what your project was about, your cultural experiences, etc. In between all of these, we had the chance to tour Brasilia, the capital of Brasil, and home to many of Oscar Niemeyer's works (he planned the city from the ground up to be shaped like a cross-- it ended up looking a bit like an airplane). We also got to hike to Chapada Imperial, which was filled with lots of waterfalls, and fun plants from the Cerrado.

surf competition.

the billabong pro-surf competition is going on right now, and though the waves have been super lame these past few days, they finally rose-- and they're BIG now. today the competitions in arpoador. i'm going to go check it out in a bit.

indian food...

singing adele and the beatles in a supermarket in leblon, and good conversations with good people. rainy day loveliness.

the leblon jazz festival...

was not jazz. more like rock and roll. ugh.

Anconchego Carioca.

A cute little bar in Tijuca/Sao Cristovao that has hammocks on the ceiling, a wonderful selection of dark beer (and it's Brasilian!), and fun foods like polenta with Doritos (yes, I'm serious).

There was a bit of a wait to get in, but it's worth the trek.

graduate student lecture.

I had to give a formal presentation to the post-graduate students of my institution the other day. I discussed the results of my project, as well as reflections on my time here in Brasil, both from the research perspective, and as an expat living in Rio. It was the first time that my head supervisor actually took the time to sit and listen to my project, which was quite nice-- she's usually too busy, but she made sure to take time out of her day to listen in.

sopa no mel.

It's a saying for, basically, being in the right place at the right time-- when something happens with the perfect timing.

I heard it in the car the other day with my apartment-mate's grandmother, as we were driving to Barra for their housewarming at their new apartment.

getting the key stuck in the lock...

having your key break inside your bike lock, after some night surfing in arpoador, can be tricky. lucky for me, surfer boys and construction workers seem to know what they're doing when breaking chains...

Seven months.

Well, it's weird to say it, but I have to start thinking about home. I've got only two months left in Rio (I'm not so sure if I want to think about it right now), and for a large part of May I'll be traveling-- first for the upcoming Fulbright regional conference in Brasilia, then to Manaus to apply my research in a small town in Amazonia, Parintins (exciting!).

I can't believe how different my life is here from when I first arrived. Last night, I met up with some friends, who, ironically, I first met during one of my first weeks in Rio-- and then not again till last night. They couldn't believe how much Portuguese I'd learned, and it was so funny to be able to sit in on their conversations and actually participate. To understand what was going on. I felt like I was slowly integrating into the culture and the city-- it's not the first time this has happened to me, but it's been happening with more frequency these past few months.

Besides the language, it's very satisfying to know that a large part of my project is finished, and I'm in the final stages of piecing together my final article. I presented at a public health conference, and I'll be presenting my work again to my institution-- first as a guest lecturer to the post-graduate students of ICICT, and then again as a formal "palestra" to the whole institution. I'm also getting my article ready to submit to a journal-- nine months isn't a long time to do everything, but I've realized that patience and dedication go a long way in getting things done.

Outside of my research, these past couple months I've really been able to enjoy Rio. I've got to shows, listened to samba and chorinho, have been surfing, traveled a bit more (to the Pantanal), gone to art galleries, and been much more pro-active about my time here. Because I haven't had to go into work every day, and the weather has gotten much more bearable, it's easy for me to move around the city.

I'm anxious to see how the next two months will go. I know it's going to be quick-- and gone before you know it-- but I need to remind myself to take it one day at a time and really enjoy my time here. I started out with a bucket list of things that I want to do-- but I realized that I need to also just let things happen organically. My experience in Rio has been been interesting in that, in a lot of way, I've let the city and the people shape the way I see their culture. I hope that I can continue to do that even during the final stages.

Pantanal.

Heading to Manaus.

In a wonderful whirlwind of events, I'll be heading to Manaus in a few weeks (right after I get back from my trip to Brasilia) to conduct my research in the city of Parintins. Parintins is most famously known for its Boa Bumba festival, held every year in June. Though I'm not going to be around for the festival, I will be able to get a glimpse of what is going on through their ensaios (rehearsals). I'm going to have to take a boat to get there (Parintins has no roads because its essentially an island along the Amazon river) and I'm going with a Fiocruz Amazonas research group. Stay tuned for updates.

Drinks at Copacabana Palace.

If you've never done it, getting drinks at the Copacabana Palace is a nice way to end your night. The drinks are incredibly expensive, but the ambience is pretty cool and there's lot of people watching that makes your R$16 caipirinha worth it.

Go to the pool and hang out there-- it's better than entering the club. Alternatively, you could do tea, but I find that the night crowd is much more interesting.

missing flights and traffic in Sao Paulo.

I've lived in several places throughout my life, and I'm no stranger to traffic jams-- from the Bay Area to Long Island. But I've never, never, never seen such incredible traffic as I had in Sao Paulo. It makes sense to me now why people use helicopters to get to work... it takes forever to get anywhere and do anything.

Case in point. Even though we planned and started my return trip to Garulhos, the international airport in SP, four hours ahead of boarding, we hit so much traffic (and part of it on a motorcycle, at that), that we missed my flight back to Rio de Janeiro.

It might as well have been out of a movie. I headed to Garulhos on a motorcycle of a friend's brother, who races (motos, obv) for a living. Driving 150 km on a highway is fast, my friends, and we still didn't make it in time. After missing the flight, and finding out that the next cheapest tickets were $300 and $500 respectively (I used Webjet, which seems to have a pretty bad policy with exchanging flights if you miss them), I decided to take a bus back (thank goodness it was just Sao Paulo). I caught the 10:30 PM bus back to Rio and arrived around 6 AM at the Rodoviara, and then 7 AM back at home. It was a rough night, but I needed to get out of the city with insane traffic. 23 km in nearly an hour? Ridiculous.

Thoughts on my research conference.

This past week, I presented my findings from my Fulbright research project at the Fifth "Congresso Brasileiro de Ciências Sociais e Humanas em Saúde," a research conference on social sciences and public health. The conference is the second most important conference in the field of public health in Brazil-- the first is ABRASCO, which happens every year that THIS conference doesn't (hence, next year). In fact, many researchers reference to this conference as "ABRASCinha".

I had been preparing for quite a while for this presentation, and after a few rehearsals with my research advisors, and then again with my friend in Sao Paulo, I headed to the event to give my speech. It was interesting (although a bit difficult) to learn about all the different projects in my field, "Internet, Society, and Health." All of the projects presented during the oral presentations had some emphasis on Internet, but I believe mine was the only project to create a research methodology and do field work. All the others that I learned about had a more theoretical emphasis, and some were broad reviews of literature and propositions of future research.

I thought that my project was well received, though there wasn't enough time to have a discussion. The event was a bit rushed, so some people were not able to explain their projects as clearly as I would have liked.

I'm happy to say that I didn't stumble too much on my Portuguese, and I do believe everyone was able to understand me--- it's hard when the language is not your first, and you need to be careful about what you say in a formal setting. Unlike English, where I can easily correct what I'm saying mid-phrase, Portuguese takes a bit longer, and during proposed speeches it is much easier to have the sentences written down.

Oh(!)- and another Fulbrighter was able to sit in on my presentation, which was very nice.

Espirito Santa.

I'm super excited to tell you about this restaurant because I think it might be one of my favorite ones (if not my favorite) in Rio. It's a charming little place in Santa Teresa, and every time I've been, I've been nothing less than very satisfied. The restaurant focuses on Brazilian foods-- which is a general, sort-of unhelpful term, but unlike other traditional Brazilian restaurants (where rice, beans, and beef are the staple dishes), this one has plates from Salvador, Belem, Manuas, and the like.

There's also a selection of juices from the Northeast, which can be a bit tricky to find in Rio. I like tapereba and cupuacu.

http://www.espiritosanta.com.br/novosite/

comida de buteco!

Friday started the festival of the Comida de Buteco (or bar food, more directly put) all around the city of Rio. I'm looking forward to it-- all the traditional and somewhat noteworthy bars around the area offer interesting bar food and live music for the next month. I've had a list of places I've wanted to visit-- traditional bars, and the like-- and I think this is the perfect month for checking all of this out.

Restaurant Week is also coming up in Rio, and I'm excited about this one too....

Check out more information here:

http://www.comidadibuteco.com.br/

vezpa.

there's a late night pizza joint in Leblon that seems to be open all the time-- it's sells slices fresh from the oven, for give-or-take 5 reais. It seems to be the spot everyone hits up after an early evening party, before heading out to party, or even coming back in, in the "madrugada" (twilight hours). i went yesterday with some friends and had a slice of the vezpa (made with their homemade "pimenta" source) and quarto queijos (four cheeses). i'd have to say the latter was delicious, and reminded me of being in nyc all over again-- granted the pizza isn't as authentic, but nearly seven months away from a good slice of pie.... vezpa did the job.

Ilha Grande.

(this guy started dancing like crazy to music from monobloco)

This past weekend I went with a Brazilian friend to Ilha Grande, the much-famed, much-talked-about island off the coast of the Costa Verde. You have to take a bus (or two) and a boat to get to the island, and if I wasn't already so used to this process from Buzios to Floripa, I would say it was the cutest thing ever. But for some reason, I've become quite accostomed to the idea of grabbing a fisherman boat or the like, heading out for an hour or so to god-knows-where, and ending up in some sort of paradise. You could say I'm becoming a Brazilian, because it's becoming a bit of a routine.

We stayed in Abrao, because it was easy and cheap and we didn't have the necessary equipment to go camping. But we went to Lopes Mendes, a magical sort of beach (but has nothing on Ilha da Campeche in Floripa) and kayaked for a few hours along the coast of the island.

It's a great trip-- if not tiring-- but you can spend the whole day laying in the sand. There's lots of cute little restaurants and pousadas (ours served a delicious banana cake with chocolate icing for breakfast-- plus loads of passionfruit, mango, and pineapple juice) waiting for you when you return from bliss. I recommend grabbing a pastry or two from the carts that are parked on the sides of the streets-- they sell everything from brigadeiros to cuscuz, torta de limao, to pave. I grabbed some sort of italian bar made with chocolate and nuts that wasn't too sweet, and a cuscuz made with corn.

getting ready for ABRASCO.

My research has essentially been finished, and I'm wrapping up my oral presentation that I was selected to give at the ABRASCO conference next week, in Sao Paulo. It's my first time I'll be presenting at a research conference AND it'll be completely in Portuguese.

It's a 15 minute presentation, and I'll be talking about my research and my findings. I'll be sure to post a brief about my results on this blog as well.

bip bip.

there's a bar in Copacabana called bip bip that has a roda da samba (musicians playing samba music) every Tuesday. I headed there after dinner with a friend yesterday, and was suprised (but not unpleasantly so) to hear chorinho (choro, or music played with brasilian instruments). It was a lovely way to end the evening. The tradition has been going on for years, so it's something that you can (hopefully) count staying around in the future.

living near a university...

or three is amazing. there's always shows and concerts. right now there's (what i think) a student band playing in the plaza at UFRJ. they're pretty good too.

broinha de milho.

I've started rowing in Lagoa, and I've also started a (somewhat) dangerous habit of buying a few (ok, three) broinhas de milho and a suco (I've been slacking on trying all the juices, so I've incorporated it into my breakfast). Broinhas de milho (or broa de milho) are these little breads that look like muffin tops. They're made with corn, and flecked with fennel seeds. The best ones are a bit sweet, and not too oily. I've found that the bakery on Vincius de Morais and Visconde de Piraja makes them best (of the ones I've tried so far). They're a little crunchy, a little soft, a little warm. Mega Matte also makes them pretty well, but they can be oily, so I try not to get them from there too often.

place in centro.

bar in laranjeiras.

There's this great bar in Laranjeiras that's located on the morro, and you get this fantastic view of the high rises in Rio, and the morros of Rio. I went with my apartment-mate to a birthday party of one of her friends, and there was music playing in the streets, and a churrasco going on in a local playground. You can get there by cab or by bus, but by bus you're going to have to walk up the hill. To get back down, you end up climbing a set of stairs that puts you smack dab on Rua de Laranjeiras.

cute place in catete.

check out this bar in catete. it's in the middle of nowhere, on this hill that leads up to one of the many morros of rio. the bar was absolutely lovely, lined with old beer bottles and a vintage cash register. i wish i could tell you the name, or where it is, but unfortunately, i've got nothing. i'll update the blog if i ever find out.

rowing in lagoa.

Today, I took my first rowing (crew) lesson at Lagoa. It kills me that I waited till this long to actually go out and row, considering I've known about it since I first got here, but I finally got a friend who was a bit more ambitious about finding the clubs to get excited about it, and I went with her yesterday to try it out (and today, my first lesson).

I never did crew in high school or college-- which is a shame, because my body is made for it-- but rowing out in Lagoa is absolutely fabulous. You just can't get sick of the views-- the Christ, wisps of Jardim Botanico, the skyline buildings on Av. E Passoa... and of course the funky duck boats that have tourists and Cariocas alike inside them.

I am pretty sure I'm going to join the Botafogo club, just because it's the closest one to where I live (and by close, I mean it takes about an hour by bike to get there). That being said, it's worth the trek. If you have enough time, it's a fantastic way to stay in shape, take in the great views of the city, and enjoy one of the wonders of Rio that's hard to get anywhere else.

metro prices...

are going up this month. eeekkkkk. and the cabs have gone up this month; i'm paying an average of 2 reais more... AND the vans have gone up. my regular van to fiocruz now costs 3 reais instead of 2.50.

Stand up Paddle Surf.

Stand up Paddle Surf (or SUP) is a pretty popular activity in the US, but since I live near a freezing cold beach, I figured Rio would be the perfect place to try it out. It's pretty hilarious, I'm not totally sure I would love to pick it up as a sport, but, (en fim), it was well worth the lesson. You can find classes at Copacabana, near the Forte (there's a little tent and just walk towards the boards), or in Barra.

Here's the contact information for the lesson I took:

SUP Copa: Posto 6 - Copacabana Rio de Janeiro - RJ, 22070-002

(21) 7887-6247

(21) 9828-2566

ID Nextel: 98*26468.

Sabado em Laranjeiras

There's a chorinho that happens every Saturday in Laranjeiras. It's the perfect spot to grab a pastel and a caldo de cana, and listen to some wonderful Brazilian music. There's a tent to buy a caipirinha or some beer, but I was happy with my juice listening to music for a good couple hours.

Tacaca Acai.

There's a restaurant (really, a lanchonette) on Rua Barao do Flamengo that sells what everyone in the news world claims the "best acai in Rio." I tried it, and I don't know if I would agree (I happen to think that the acai at Amazonia Soul in General Osorio is pretty good) I do think that their acai ice cream is absolutely delicious. It's pretty pricey, at BRL 8 per scoop, but the scoop is actually a 200 mL cup filed with the stuff. It's incredibly refreshing, and I've made it my dinner on more than one occasion.

Try it out-- and check out their other typical foods of Belem. I'd like to go back and try the regional food as well, when time allows.

Address: Tacaca do Norte, Barão do flamengo, no. 35

Celeiro.

It's a bit like Whole Foods, but Celeiro is supposedly the best place in Rio to get the best salad, according to Veja Rio, the magazine that puts out annual ratings of all the restaurants in Rio.

I went there after an incredibly long bike ride one day, to check it out. At 100 reais per kilo, it's super expensive-- you'll be happy to make out with less that R$30 worth of food on your plate. The salads are pretty interesting, but there not that much different from what you can find in the US, at Whole Foods. I won't be back, but the visit reminded me how much better it is in the US to find good quality, cheap food when eating out. People in the United States complain about prices, but they haven't lived in Rio.

Evidina.

If you're looking for a place that seems to be the exact OPPOSITE of Rio (think refined, tea, pearls), then head to Evidina in Leblon. It's a parlor that sells chocolates, tea, and yummy ice cream. I had a brownie with ice cream for lunch there after a bike ride to Leblon.

The church in Pena.

When I first arrived to Brazil, on my way to Zona Sul to my apartment in Copacabana, I saw this beautiful white church on this desolate hill in the middle of--what I now know-- is Zona Norte. I was informed that the church was the Church of Pena, and I noted it as something that I would have to go see before I left.

Months passed, and of course I never made it to the church. But last week-- by coincidence-- I happened to be working and observing at a Clinica Familia de Saude in the very neighborhood where the church is located. On my lunch break, I went to the top. It's pretty easy to get to the church-- just take the metro to Central, and catch a train to Pena. From there, just walk through the tiny downtown towards the Clinica and you'll see the entrance-- there's a small circus with a ferris wheel and the like at the bottom. You can grab a motorcycle ride to the foot of the church, or just walk it-- it's a breezy 15 minutes that is in the most picturesque road. Once you get to the foot of the church, you can walk to the top, or take the bondinho-- it's a cute little cable car that takes you to the top in 2 minutes tops. I walked the steps to the top, and took the ride back down.

The views are magnificent, as you can tell, and there's a wonderful little per-kilo restaurant that may be the cheapest place I've ever eaten. 14 reais per kilo!

Try to go on a clear day, and you can catch a glimpse of the Pao de Acucar and the Christo.

Six months-slash-last third.

Well, it's been six months, and time is flying. I can't believe I'm entering the last third of my grant.

I took a look at the posts I wrote when I first arrived, and it's weird to think how much I've changed in the past six months. I've learned another language, dealt with cultural differences, figured out how to complete my research, and faced the everyday problems that you encounter when you live in another country. My tastes and preferences are constantly changing, and I can feel this too.

It's also interesting to see how a whole world is slowly opening up to me here in Rio, as I find more things to do and places to see. Knowing Portuguese and being able to communicate with people really makes a difference-- I've made new friends sitting at the beach in Arpoador, waiting in line to get to an art gallery, going to dinners of friends of friends, standing outside a bar drinking choppe with my roommate.

I'm trying to think back to my major goals (personal and research-oriented) that I wanted to achieve before I left Brazil. In some ways, I'm far from completing them, but in other ways, I've made some immense progress. I've finished my field research and analyzed my date. I'm going to be able to present my work at a national conference in Brazil. I live with a Carioca. I'm constantly improving my language. I'm learning to surf. I row. I longboard. I own a bike.

I hope that I can keep these aspects of my life and these perspectives I'm gaining when I'm back in the United States. But for now, I'm going to keep enjoying every second and minute of my time here-- it's essential that I leave my Fulbright without regrets.

Pedra do Sal.

Every Monday and Wednesday, in Gamboa (but really Saude), there's a roda de samba. It's a pretty lively event, I went this past Monday, with people sprawled out in this tiny little nook of a street that has staircases made of stone that wind up into the sky. You can grab a beer (they were selling cans that still had the mark of Carnaval on them) and find a place to sit-- or-- dance. It's quite touristy, which I expected, considering it's the most well known roda de samba, but it's worth the visit, if not to see a different part of the city, away from Zona Sul.

cuscuz.

Yesterday, my roommate took me to Prainha, Grumari, and Macumba-- a set of coastline and beaches past Recreio, the farthest "town" per-se, after the major neighborhoods of Ipanema, Leblon, Sao Conrado, and finally, Barra.

The beaches were beautiful, and I'll have to have a separate post of pictures just for that, but there was this little old man sitting by the parking lot in Prainha selling cuscuz, the Bahian sweet that I never got to try in Bahia.

A sort of dessert bar made from tapioca flour, milk, coconut, salt and sugar-- it's delicious, especially when served with leite condensado (condensed milk) drizzled on top. It's not too sweet, a small slice is sufficient to feel satisfied.

Here's the recipe for making it; I've got to save it (along with many others) for when I head back to the United States. It's right up there with avocado smoothies, passionfruit mousse, and doce de leite.

Receita:

1 pack of tapioca flour
1 shredded coconut
3.5 cups of milk
2 tablespoons of sugar
pinch of sal

Place in a bowl: coconut, tapioca flour, salt and sugar.

Add to the mixture, boiling milk.

Stir until all combined.

Pour mixture into a pan (wet the pan before with cold water).

Smooth surface with a spoon.

Cover the pan and wrap with a cloth for 3 hours.

Serve cold or at room temperature.

Top with shredded coconut and condensed milk, drizzled.

danoninho.

I tried this yogurt/cheese type food the other day-- it seems to be pretty popular in Brazil. It seems like it's yogurt.

Capoeira.

For about a month, I tried my hand at Capoeira Angola, one of the two types of capoeria most taught in Brazil. Angola can be defined by the slower movements, the more "joga" or game that is played between the two participants, and the pace of the music (also slower). I've never really played Capoeira before, and having a little taste of it was pretty fun. The movements are pretty jarring-- they say Angola is much prettier than Regional (the other type) but for someone who's done ballet, modern, and the like for a majority of her life-- the movements seemed pretty rough to me. I did get to try out the berimbau, which was loads of fun-- and play the tambourine.

They offer capoeira classes all over the city, but I took mine at a school of dance in Botafogo (Escola de Danca Angel Vianna). It wasn't too expensive, and there were just two students in the class-- me and another woman. If you're looking to try out capoeira, I'd suggest trying both styles before committing to one. I have a feeling there's going to be one style you prefer over another.

birthday.

My birthday fell on a Tuesday this year, so having a huge birthday bash was a little bit out of the question. Luckily, I had really only wanted to get a big group together and have drinks at Bar Urca-- which was exactly what I did. I was praying all day that it wouldn't rain... luckily, it didn't. Bar Urca is a little bar at the edge of Urca. You grab some choppe and sit along with Bay of Guanabara, watching the sunset, the boats on the dock, and the locals fishing along the side of the bay. It's a magical place, where I feel like I'm in another part of Rio. My roommate surprised me with a birthday cake (delicious, I think it was from Torta and Cia in Cobal do Humaita) and I ended up having a large group of people-- a mix of foreigners, Brazilians, and Fulbrighters (I categorize them into their own group).

I spent the other part of my day reading the newspaper at Parque Lage, and eating a delicious dessert at the Copacabana Fort. I had never been, but the views were splendid. It was worth my 2 reais entrance fee.

All in all, I couldn't have had a better birthday-- spending the night with a wonderful group of people, beautiful views, and wonderful weather.

Field work.

I'm in the middle of my field work, collecting data for my survey questionnaires. It surprises me everyday how willing and able students are to complete my questionnaire, and how they all take the time to thoughtfully write down responses.

Even with my language barrier-- they all knew that I was from the United States (apparently, our accent is unmistakable)-- they were patient with me.

I have to note however, that field work is actually pretty tiring. I'm at the Department of Letters-- my camp, basically-- for a half day almost every day for the two weeks I'll be doing my surveying. Asking the same questions over and over, and making sure to take down the responses properly; finding people in locations that are easy to approach, making sure there aren't large groups of students around your participant, etc.-- they're all things to be thinkng about.

Off to see Obama today...

A good start to a Sunday in Rio.

The coconut water...

in Bahia is much sweeter.

Carnaval (in Salvador).

For the last day of Carnaval, I headed up to Salvador with a friend. I had some research work to do up there, and it coincided with the last day of the biggest festival in Brasil.

I had heard a lot of stories about Carnaval in Salvador prior to going-- that it would be crazy, the most intense experience of your life, and unlike anything you had seen before. People were right. It's not like Rio, where you can pick and choose the street parties you want to go to. There are specific places that you go (say, for example, like Barra) where are the parties are concentrated onto one street. And it's a bit like a parade. The music is blasted from a float, and the float keeps moving down the street. The float is surrounded by people all wearing the "party t-shirt" called an abada. You have to buy these shirts ahead of time for an incredible price, and then wear them in order to enter the confines of the bloco. What I mean by confines is that there are people that surround these "tshirt" partiers and the float and form a barricade with rope. Kind of like a corral. I'm not kidding. Only those who have the t-shirt can enter, and the rest of the population stands outside, partying, and doing what's called "fazendo pipoca" (making popcorn).

We were told the popcorn crowd gets pretty wild and isn't exactly safe, so after a couple bus trips to malls that were sold out of the t-shirts, we ended up buying our shirts on the street, after being tipped off by a Brazilian girl which blocos were the best ones to go to. She did us well. Not only did we buy the shirt for significantly cheaper than in the stores, we ended up going to a bloco that was just as insane as you can imagine a party. I've never been to Coachella, but it must be something similar. The bloco was DJ'd by Will.iam and was a big mess of sweat, dancing, bodies, dancing, kissing, dancing. It's hard to piece together everything, but I came away alive, my body intact, and not a single thing stolen.

A word to those who end up in Salvador-- most of the blocos play pagode, which is a type of Brazilian music that not everyone may be interested in (say, for example, like me). I highly suggest checking all the lists before you go so you have an idea of what is good and bad out there. And you'll probably be able to buy your shirt on the street, especially if you speak Portuguese.

Sambodromo.

I forgot to mention in my last post one (slightly important) experience I had during Carnaval. My colleague and I got to participate in the Sambodromo, the large samba competition held every year during Carnaval. The escolas de samba practice the whole year to participate in this event, and they usually have outsiders (ie, me) come and "fill in the gaps"-- they use us to help create a larger and more spectacular show.

The experience was incredible-- and unlike anything I could possibly describe. Every samba school has it's own theme-- ours, Sao Clemente-- was the ocean. Everyone had costumes relating to the ocean-- I got to have one with a life saver. There were others who carried umbrellas, ones that looked like fish, etc. The floats-- there were, I believe, three-- were tremendous.

My feet were tired from dancing for over 60 minutes (there's actually a specific time frame that the school must be performing in the Sambodromo) but I couldn't stop-- especially because we were positioned right behind a group of samba dancers (college-aged boys dressed in sailor uniforms and little girls, no more than 10, busting moves I couldn't dream of pulling off) and the bateria (the percussion section). The show ended too quickly, and because I was performing, I wasn't able to stay around to see the rest.

If I lived in Rio, I'd like to participate in the school and really learn the moves-- it would be incredible to learn how to dance the way they do. Until then, I'm happy being a filler, and would love to one day go and see the show in the Sambodromo. I'll just have to make sure to rest up the night before-- the show doesn't start till around 9 PM, and finishes at about 6 in the morning. Yowza.

Restaurante SENAC.

If you're ever in Pelourinho, there's a restaurant called Restaurante SENAC, located at Pça. José de Alencar, 13/19 - Largo do Pelourinho.

For 36 reais, you get a buffet where it's a spread of choices of all (and I mean all) Bahian food. After a few days of eating relatively cheap (and well, for that matter), we decided to splurge. The place was empty when we went, but it's usually pretty full. I highly suggest going-- it's worth the money.

Tel.: (71) 3224-4550