Some Maceió History

There’s a river that runs through Maceió which is referred to as Salgadinho or “Little Salty.” I of course remember this river from when I lived in Maceió in 2012. I remember hurrying across the intersection that stretches above the river so I would not get stranded at the red light and be forced to breathe in the horrible stench until the light turned green again. Upon returning to Maceió, I’m saddened to report that since 2012, the river has only gotten more polluted.

Though Salgadinho has not always been like this. In fact, the river used to be clean, fresh water and the neighborhoods surrounding it were where the most prosperous folks lived up until the 1980s.

About 15 years ago when Salgadinho was on the downswing, local Mayor Kátia Born ran on the campaign that she would clean up the river. In fact, she promised to even take a swim in the body of water. To me Kátia Born, sounds like a character from a James Bond film- which gives hope to the idea that she could accomplish superhuman things- and perhaps others thought so too. In any case enough people voted for her and even believed that she would stay true to her political promise, something that Brazilians will tell you is rare or even impossible. However, she did stay true to her word, or at least some of them. She was unsuccessful in cleaning the river, but she did take a dip.

Rumor has it that she went to the doctors and got every type of shot and vaccine she could prior to her plunge. At that point in time, there were parts of the river that weren’t as polluted, and that naturally is where she entered, standing waist deep in the water with news cameras catching every moment of her daring feat.

Despite her best efforts, Kátia Born did not do enough to reverse the tide of property value around Salgadinho. The wealthy and touristic neighborhoods now include Ponta Verde, Pajuçara, and Jatiúca- which up until the 1980s were nothing but beaches and some scattered houses. Now they are chock-full of high-rise apartment buildings and about every four blocks there is one in the process of being built, with fancy pictures on the side of the construction site, promising to be the most perfect oasis in town.

The beaches in these towns are beautiful to look at with their emerald green waters and white sand. On the weekend locals and tourists alike flock to these beaches and rent chairs, kick up their feet and enjoy cold beer and snacks that hawkers run up and down the shore selling. While some people swim, it’s common knowledge that the water is polluted, and therefore many prefer to sit on the sidelines rather than enter. Of course, the water is not nearly as bad as Salgadinho, but still this has persuaded many to choose a different weekend destination. The beaches just out of town, as close as a twenty minute drive away are more popular destinations for those who wish to swim and surf in pristine water.

It’s unfortunate to think of the potential and the downfall of Salgadinho. Here’s to hoping that history does not repeat itself. It may be too late for Salgadinho but there is still time to reverse the damage and ensure that generations to come can enjoy the other bodies of water in Maceió. Though, regrettably- as of yet- there is no plan from the local government to stop the pollution.

Salgadinho in the old days (above) and today (below).

Coffee Break

I have to say that my intake of coffee has substantially increased since moving to Brazil. Coffee is so ingrained in the culture that the word for breakfast in Portuguese is café de manha which literally translates to “morning coffee.” Yes there is food at breakfast too but, as the language demonstrates, coffee has an instrumental role.

Though coffee is made in a variety of ways here (including a coffeemaker, a version of the K-cup machine, and, of course, instant coffee) the most common way I have encountered to brew coffee is with a thermos and a funnel. Basically you take a large thermos and place the funnel on top equipped with a filter and coffee grounds. You boil water and when it’s ready slowly pour the hot water in the filter so the mixture drips down until your thermos is filled. Then you simply remove the filter and screw the lid back on the thermos and you have easily dispensable coffee. Plus you have coffee that stays warm through the morning, until you are ready to make another batch.

Because in addition to morning coffee, Brazilians in the Northeast often have afternoon coffee as well. This is like the British equivalent to tea time. Though someone may ask you if you want coffee around 6pm they are not only asking about café. If you decline the offer, you may be off to bed without dinner. Afternoon coffee implies food and in many homes it takes the place of dinner. Most commonly crackers, bread, cheese, butter, deli meat, cakes, fruit, are served for this light supper.

While I have trouble drinking coffee past 4pm and still having a decent night’s sleep, Brazilians seem to be able to drink coffee at any hour. In fact, I’ve had several Brazilians tell me that they drink coffee at night before they go to bed to help them sleep. Of course, they drink café com leite or coffee with milk because black coffee is the only potential drink that could truly keep them up at night.

Should you ever find yourself at a Brazilian conference or seminar you may be lucky enough to experience a “coffee break.” The English phrase is used in lieu of any Portuguese phrasing. And rather than the several short breaks I am accustomed to, there is usually just one longer coffee break which again includes food. It is similar to afternoon coffee you would find at someone’s home but on a much larger scale. Though it is advisable to not dillydally on your way to the line for refreshments as sometimes they run out of snacks or only have the mysterious-looking deli meats by the time it’s your turn to stock your plate.

New Years in Brazil

2016 marks my first New Year’s celebration in Brazil. Actually, it was my first time ringing in the New Year without having to bundle up in a winter coat so I thought I would memorialize it by writing a post about my experience.

Over the past month I have learned that securing the right outfit for New Year’s in Brazil is a big deal. All through December friends and family will ask if you bought your outfit and shops promote almost exclusively white clothes in their display windows. This is because in Brazil colors represent different wishes for the upcoming year. White represents peace and by far it is the most popular choice. But there are other options as well: Yellow= Money; Red= Love; Blue= Health; and Green= Hope. Of course you can go with my approach and wear a multi-colored dress. Looks like 2016 will be a healthy, hopeful, wealthy, and peaceful year for me!

Different from my experience in the U.S., New Years in Brazil is more commonly celebrated with family, rather than friends. In this sense it is more similar to an American Christmas or Thanksgiving. Families celebrate together with lots of food (typical meals include turkey or ham) and drinks. The meal and the party start late (ours started after 11pm) and similar to the U.S. the champagne toasts and fireworks commence at midnight.

Naturally in a country as big and diverse as Brazil people celebrate in vastly different ways and I am speaking mostly from my observations and experiences in 2016. I celebrated at a family party in a small beach town in Northeast Brazil called São Miguel dos Milagres. The party was simple but fun and filled with food, laughter, and loud music- as people put speakers on their front porches and dance all night long. Those who are up for it go to the beach to catch the sunrise or jump in the sea.

However, even in this same beach town with a population of less than 7,000, people celebrate in completely different ways. For the past three years there has been an influx of wealthy Brazilians who travel from all over the country to party in São Miguel dos Milagres. There are thousands of tickets to the party but they sell out fast, which is saying a lot considering the party costs $1,000 (USD) just to enter. The event lasts several days and nights, and it is quite different from the family affair. This celebration is shared with friends and features electronic music, alcohol, and celebrities. Rumor has it Rodrigo Santoro (the hunk from the film Love Actually) was in attendance this year.

Unfortunately, I did not have the opportunity to strike up a conversation with Rodrigo but the same company that throws the New Year’s party is planning a Carnival party for the first time this year in São Miguel dos Milagres- so we will see who that attracts in February.

I Moved to Brazil and I Was Married

When I moved to Brazil from the U.S. a few months ago, my boyfriend and I moved in together. We share a one-bedroom apartment and in the eyes of most Brazilians this constitutes marriage. While in the U.S. children generally move out of their parents’ house at the ripe age of 18, Brazilians continue to live with their parents until they are married. There are exceptions in both countries of course. Some Americans do not move out of their parents’ home after graduating from high school. And we are seeing a trend with my generation which some call “the boomerang generation” as that many teenagers move out of their parents’ home for college but after move back in with their family. Some Brazilian adolescents need to move to a different city because of their university or job or perhaps they choose to move to a different country. And others are just very independent and choose to live on their own.

However, usually when Brazilians graduate from high school they go to a university near their home and stay under their parents’ roof until life takes them away from their childhood home. And if they are not moving out of their hometown than the most acceptable reason to stop living with their parents is getting married.

Compared to the U.S., dating in Brazil implies a more intimate relationship in which one is already part of the family. This is clear even through language. In Portuguese you do not say “my boyfriend’s mother” of “the father of my girlfriend.” Rather you say “minha sogra” or “meu sogro” translating to mother-in-law and father-in-law. Just dating someone means that you have in-laws. More likely than not, these in-laws live with your significant other so this closeness is not just through language but also through shared time and space. As opposed to the occasional Sunday brunches or family get-togethers, much more is expected from you as your role as a “daughter or son-in-law.”

Though one thing that Americans and Brazilians share is the idea of the undesirable mother-in-law. Brazilians love to tell jokes about the stereotypical mother-in-law. When sharing personal anecdotes they trump Americans in this sense because they have so many more experiences to draw from as they have had many more mothers-in-law.

And so when my boyfriend and I moved in together everyone from the doorman, to my capoeira instructor, to total strangers and even friends refer to him as my husband. If I try to correct them and inform them that really he is my boyfriend, that we are not married, the follow-up question is usually “but you are living together, right?” This is accompanied by a quizzical look and is really a rhetorical question, as though they are asking, “what are you trying to prove?” You live together and that’s marriage, no rings or ceremonies required.

What’s Trending in Maceió

In 2012 I lived in the Northeastern Brazilian city Maceió on a Fulbright scholarship. Afterwards, I moved to New York City and in July of 2015 I returned to Brazil for another year in Maceió. And so I thought it was time that I revive my old blog.

It is always interesting to revisit a place or move back to a city that was once called home. In many ways I expected Maceió to remain stagnant, to be preserved as it was in my memory. Of course that is never the case. Not only has the place changed over the course of a few years but so have I and my perspective.

Over the past few months, while readjusting to life in the Northeast of Brazil, I have recognized many changes since my last stint here. I have outlined a few of my observations below. Of course none of this is based on quantitative/qualitative data of any kind, but rather anecdotal evidence, the advantage of an outsider living in a Brazilian city which does not garner much (if any) international attention, at two different periods of time.

Health Craze

Sitting at a restaurant in New York City shortly before returning to Brazil, some friends asked what food I would miss most. Moving from a city that offers literally every type of food imaginable to the Northeast of Brazil can be a bit of a shock, but I had done this before- I was prepared. I thought about it and then responded that while I would certainly crave a Chipotle burrito I would miss bagels, Thai food, and salads.

When I lived in Maceió in 2012 and even when I came back for a visit in April of 2014 it was nearly impossible to order a salad at a restaurant. If it was on the menu and I tried to order one the waiter would always respond with “acabou” that they were out of salad. But I was suspicious that they even had it to begin with and was curious as to why it was on the menu at all. The only “salad” I managed to get consisted of a wilted piece lettuce and two sad slices of tomato that’s sole purpose was to add color to a plate of rice, beans, and meat.

Yet, to my surprise (and delight) salads have been trending in Maceió. Salads at restaurants and even restaurants focusing on salads and healthy foods like the restaurant Salad Creations have become the new norm. 

In addition to this focus on healthy food there has been an influx of health fitness classes. When walking along the beach to the next neighborhood I encounter no less than four workout classes. Additionally near my apartment there are free dance fitness classes and Maceió even has a free, outdoor, beach gym.

Baby Parties

As long as I have known Brazil, baby clothes and toys have been expensive. Throwing birthday parties for one’s children is nothing new in Brazil. What is new, is throwing parties every month for the first year of their life. Yes, there are actually one-month parties and then two-month parties and so on until each baby has had a total of eleven parties (that they will never remember) leading up to the lavish one-year old party.

Parents are not skimping on these parties either. While I have not yet attended a month birthday party, I have heard stories and seen pictures. I did have the opportunity to attend a one-year old party, and granted the one-year old party is more grandiose than the month parties, but I was still not prepared for what I encountered. The party had a clown, catered food- including a crepe station, and decorations galore; it lasted until about 10pm. Brazilians have had years to practice the art of the one-year old party. According to my friends many one-year old parties are even more extravagant than the one I experienced and go into the wee hours of the morning.

Selfies

To be fair selfies have become popular world, not only in the Northeast of Brazil. However, in my opinion Brazilians have truly mastered selfies. If selfie-taking were an Olympic sport, Brazilians would easily take home the gold. It’s nearly impossible to be around other humans here and not see selfies being taken- whether they are individual, couples, or the large group selfies you can be sure that a Brazilian will document what is going on.

They may even embellish to secure an optimum selfie. I was at a party recently and the woman next to me wanted a drink. I offered her a glass of red wine but she declined, saying that she does not like red wine. Later on at the party the same woman was asking to borrow her friend’s glass of red wine so that she could snap a chic selfie of her with “her drink.”

Needless to say the selfie stick has done quite well here. And you see men walking around selling them one the beach about as often as you would see them sold in Times Square.

English= Still Impressive

Of course not everything has changed in Maceió. For better or worse, many things have remained the same. For example, English is just a trendy as it had been before.

New English words continue enter the (Brazilian) Portuguese vocabulary. Beyond obvious words that relate to technology and are new in any language- such as “selfie” there are unexpected words as well such as “bullying” which Brazilians say in English with a Portuguese accent.

Even Black Friday has become popular here. Throughout the month of November many stores and travel agencies advertise Black Friday specials, pronounced here as “Black-eeee Free-day.” Though many Brazilians lament that the sales are not as good as those they hear about in the U.S. Even people who sell snacks on the bus have started promoting Black Friday specials on Ruffles and Doritos!

I see more t-shirts with sayings written across the front in English than in Portuguese. I often wonder if the owner understands the meaning because there are many instances in which I do not. Some of the shirts were clearly bought in the U.S. or imported. There are shirts referencing bands or movies that you would see New Yorkers wearing on any given day. Then there are the shirts with cheesy catchphrases like “No Pain, No Gain” or “Do what you love and love what you do.” But there are also some confusing ones that I have never seen (nor expected to see) like one I saw the other day “The first name is Hungry. And my last name is Always. Nice to meet you.” Forget the awkward sentence structure and messed up grammar, if you’re going to try that on a shirt shouldn’t the name at least be “Always Hungry” instead of “Hungry Always?”

Moreover, restaurants, bars and other small businesses continue to employ English names to attract customers. There are many examples like the aforementioned “Salad Creations.” Speaking English continues to be a status symbol in Brazil, much like an iPhone 6.

Crooks, Clowns, and Pornographers: What do they all have in common?

It’s that time again folks. . . Election Time!  Not just in the U.S. but in Brazil too.  Though the presidential election is not for another 2 years here, municipal elections just took place on October 7^th.

In case you are unfamiliar with voting in Brazil let me give you a brief history.  The country was ruled by a military dictatorship from 1964-85.  Following the dictatorship, presidents were elected by congress, not directly by the people. Around this time there was a general outcry for direct elections.  In response the president back then, José Sarney, condescendingly pronounced that the Brazilian population was incapable of electing a president.  Despite his best efforts, direct elections were instated and voting was made mandatory in the late 1980s.

Decades later, it appears that politicians have not shaken this false notion that the people in their constituency are brainless tools.  Candidates try a whole host of gimmicks to get votes.  In the eyes of politicians, everyone is a potential advertisement for sale.  People are paid to stand in high traffic areas and hold signs for an afternoon or bike around town bolstering a politician’s smiling face and reference number.  Cars with pimped out speakers parade through the streets playing popular songs that they transformed into “catchy” campaign slogans.  I guess candidates believe the most effective money and time saving strategy is to play your jingle so loud that it drowns out the sound of any competitors while simultaneously reaching different neighborhoods, or by my estimate different states!

This cartoon roughly translates to, “Someone tell them that we have brains, and we will vote for the best policies for our city, not the car with the loudest, most annoying music.”

So back to the original question: what do crooks, clowns, and pornographers have in common?  In case you haven’t figured it out yet. . . they’re all running for office in Brazil.  You don’t have to know much about Brazilian politics to know that it’s a corrupt system that has its share of crooks.  But I was just recently made aware that there is a clown in congress- an actual clown!  His name is Tiririca, and in his commercials he makes such outlandish statements as “I want to get elected to help the people most in need. . .  and also my family.”

You can checkout Tiririca’s commercial here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=myWRb0IWPFY

In Maceió there was even a pornographer in the race.  He goes by the name of Lobão (meaning big wolf) because of his physical likeness to a Brazilian rock star that goes by that same name.  Maceió’s Lobão is famous for filming pornos in common places, such as public buses, parks, you name it.  He’s also known for not informing the public or even the people on the same bus or in the same park that he is filming a porno.  2012 marks Lobão’s second attempt to enter public office.  While he did not win, he came very close. 

Wanna see some more politicians commercials?  Watch this YouTube video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AIjTtvgZElU it shows the most outrageous political gimmicks from this year.  Trust me, you won’t have to understand a word of Portuguese to understand how crazy politics is in Brazil and how relieved I am that elections are finally over.

Ain’t No Sunshine After Five: A closer look at the 3rd most dangerous city in the world

Up until now this blog has primarily focused on positive, unique, and albeit strange occurrences that I have experienced while living on the coast of the northeastern Brazilian city, Maceió.  However, there is a whole other reality in which the majority of Maceió’s residents face everyday.  This reality does not involve paying patronage to the beachside restaurants or ordering a passion fruit cocktail.  This other reality takes place in the interior of the city where the vice is much stronger and more dangerous than cachaça (sugarcane alcohol). 

I took this photo at one of the beaches in Maceió.  While this may be a lovely image of an incredible vacation spot, there are some things that are left unseen in a simple snapshot.  For example, many do not know that the sun sets early in Maceió compared to the rest the country and the world.  It gets dark by 5 o’clock or 5:30 at the latest.  This is something the guidebooks might not always share.  Something else you might not encounter when you look in Lonely Planet, do a Google Image search of Maceió, or even spend a vacation on the coast, is the outrageous crime rate.  Statistically speaking Maceió is ranked the 3^rd most dangerous city in the world, sandwiched between Mexican cities, Juarez and Acapulco. 

The violence is not random.  Much like these infamous cities in Mexico, the violence is directly linked to drugs.  In poor areas where children have far easier access to crack cocaine than a decent education, they get addicted early on.  Their addiction forces them to consume drugs they cannot afford.  When the drug dealers decide to collect and realize that their customers can’t repay their debts they often make an example of them by having them killed.  To get a better idea of the problems you can watch this video report by Brian Andrews that shows police going into shantytowns in Maceió and also interviews locals. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ry7j6RJbqnw

In fact the crack problem has gotten so out of hand that in some areas of Brazil drug gangs are actually prohibiting the sell of crack.  An article in the Times Colonist explains how some drug dealers in Rio de Janeiro’s favelas have banned the sale of this addictive substance.  While crack brings in high profits for dealers, they have found that this drug in particular is simply too detrimental to their communities.  Many remain skeptical of this sudden change in drug dealers’ conscience.  Rather than concern for residents, they believe that this is a way to trick police or that crack is simply causing drug gangs more trouble than it’s worth.  But drug gang leaders insist that as community members they also feel the repurcussions of crack in their personal lives; one dealer explained, "The same crack I sell to your son is being sold to mine.  Everyone is saying we have to stop."
You can read the rest of the article at http://www.timescolonist.com/news/Drug+dealers+crack/7112756/story.html

While I fortunately I feel very safe here and have truly been enjoying my time in Maceió, it is important to remember that several, starkly different, realties exist within this city of about a million people.  In a place filled with stunning sandy white beaches and emerald hued waters, it can be hard to pull yourself away from the coast and draw your attention to the interior of the city.  It is hard to think that somewhere in the dark shadows of this city is a child taking his first hit of crack, a father is unable to pay his children’s debts, and a mother find her son’s murdered body.  Though it is hard, it is important to remember that there ain’t no sunshine after 5, and as stated in the Brian Andrews report, statistically speaking two more people will be murdered in Maceió before the sun comes up.