Stories Inspired by Life in Rural Brazil
Describing the world around me–from the big picture all the way down to our little local news.
Ok, you guys, I survived weeks of classes away from home. I stayed with relatives who generously extended a spare bed and dinner every night. Dinner invariably consisted of a triple-carb combo (beans/pasta/rice), meat, and they avoid vegetables like they were are an endangered species. It was all yummy (and hey–free!), but I´m pretty sure …
I saw this on the wall of the Churrascuria near my school. I haven’t been here since last week and this must have been posted by the staff over the weekend. Love it. Translation: “We are smart We are caring We are fighters We are delicate, beautiful and sensitive. We are romantic, sensual, and sincere. …
Dear friends, for the next few weeks I’ll be off taking a class in our state capital of Belo Horizonte (if you want to sound like a local say: “Beh-Agha” — B.H.). Travel always gets my pen (cursor?) rolling, and I have no doubt that I’ll have lots of observations and crônicas to tell by …
I’ve recently joined an elite club: the sellers at the Saturday feira (market). After a few weeks, I have a few observations. It’s a secret society. The first rule of Feira Club is that you do not talk about Feira Club. Membership is as simple as having a bench or a cloth laid out to sell …
See those thorns the size of effing knitting needles? That’s a wild lemon tree, which grow all over our property. Good for caipirinhas at the end of a long day, not so good for those doing the yardwork. It seems everything has thorns here. Last year started counting thorny and stinging plant varieties as a way to …
I put on this “transparent” band-aid today and was amused that on my pasty-white skin it wasn’t transparent at all! I guess in Brazil the “flesh”-toned band-aids are of a different shade. Which makes sense. Even when I’m very tanned from lots of time outside working on the farm, I’m still whiter than most people …
A friend passed along this fun parody of the Gangnam Style video. Thought I’d share it. For those that don’t read Portuguese, here’s my attempt at the lyrics: Vu pra Cametá Cametá Vu pra Cametá Tava numa roça com um trampo meia sola Passava muita fome E até pedia esmola Foi quando a minha sogra …
They ask: What do you do for a living these days? I answer: I’m a farmer. Yes, really! Me, the career professional. We’re milk farmers now. Really. No kidding. Yeah, huh? Isn’t life wild. But the real answer only works in Portuguese. If you raise cows you say, Mexo com leite. I mess around with milk. If you grow things, Mexo com roça. I mess around in the countryside. …
This photo is one of those “lost in translation” moments that made me chuckle. Judging by the name, there is no nutrition in these banana candies. Not quite sure if that’s what the marketing team meant to imply.
