Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Wet n' Wild




















I went to a water park yesterday with Renan, Marqinho, and friends. Since I am in Brazil, I did what the Brazilians do (I wore a spedo yesterday). HAHA! I'm not posting any of these photos on the internet though. The spedo just isn't my style. I can pull off short shorts, but not the spedo. My legs are just too long and white. It reminds me of the Seinfeld episode when Kramer becomes and underwear model. Rsrsrs... very goofy looking.
Spedo aside, It was a fun day. My portuguese comprehension is getting better too. Just like in the US, this week is poular for vacations and holidays. Except for Tiago & family. Their family business rarely closes. Now that the kids have grown up and help manage the company, the family rarely goes on vacations together. Usually Mineiro and Angela will go on a vacation, and the boys will run the company in their absense, and vice versa.

Michel and Family













I've been hanging out with my friend Michel a lot lately. He is the one who invited me to the megachurch on Sunday. The previous Sunday I spent at his house as well. I've met his family several times. They are good people. Here are some photos of Michel and his family. Michel's father is the one who smokes the corn cigarettes. Michel is in the bottom photo in front of the Brick BBQ. He's also center in the top photo holding a trumpet (he plays the trumpet).

Monday, December 29, 2008

Musical Megachurch Sunday








I went to a mega-church yesterday. It was interesting, very interesting. This megachurch encourages the congregation to bring their musical instruments to play hymns. People without instruments can stand or sit on the sides of the corridor of players and sing. I’ve never seen anything like this before, in real life or on TV. It was very, very neat. I wish I had had my trombone. The acoustics of the church were very good, but the mic on my camera doesn’t capture this very well. There were lot's of cameras out, so I felt free to take a few videos.

The place was packed, I estimate there were about 2000 people there yesterday. The first service started at 4pm. It was more focused on the music. The second service started followed two hours later. It was more in line with what you think of when you see the word megachurch, much more evangelical. Altogether I spent 4 hours at church yesterday… yikes!

The church was very traditional, with women and men standing on different sides. I noticed that there were no women playing in the orchestra section. I asked Michel about this. Women aren’t allowed to play in band in school. They also can’t play on sports teams… It looks like there’s room for progress in this area.

This makes me recall reading that women make only half of what men make doing the same job here in Brazil. It also makes me remember that the home cooking here is absolutely delicious… a double-edged sword!

I rode with Michel, Angelo, and Joao Loco. It was about a 3-hour drive there and back. It was good day overall, and a unique experience that I won’t forget.

Music & Worship Video Clips

This was tough to choose which video clips to post. The service was so darned neat. I've never seen anything like it in real life, or on TV.

Friday, December 26, 2008

Certeneja


Certeneja music is Brazilian country music. From the music I've heard, it's most similar to Mexican country music. Duplos, or pairs of singers are very popular in this style.

Montando a Cavalo



Mineiro and I rode to a friend's house on Wednesday. It was a nice ride, but I turns out that I'm very allergic to horses. I didn't used to be allergic when I was a lad. This must be something that I grew into.


Wednesday, December 24, 2008

Merry Christmas, Feliz Natal



































































Hello Mr. Frog

... just a frog that wandered onto the patio.

Tuesday, December 23, 2008

Brazilian Bocce




Played some bocce ball last weekend. I played against Bruno & Mineiro. This Bocce out was at a bar / certeneja club... a real country atmosphere. We were the only ones there when we visited in the early evening. Bocce Ball, not a bad bar game if you have the space.

Monday, December 22, 2008

High Noon


Yesterday was the shortest day of the year in NY. Jau is just within the tropic of capricorn, and the sun was very strong today. Here's a pic from today when the sun was at its highest point.

Sunday, December 21, 2008

Brazilians smoke a lot.


It's seems like an awful lot of people down here smoke cigarettes. Girls smoke just as much as the guys do if not more. I ran into a type of cigarette today that I haven't seen before... unfiltered tobacco wrapped in a piece of corn husk. Don't worry dad, I didn't smoke it.

Garapa


Garapa is a drink made from sugar cane juice. Usually sugar cane is crushed along with other fruits like lime and pineapple to make a delicious drink. If you ever have the chance, you should definitely try Garapa. If you're travelling in Brazil, you're bound to run into a migrating garapa stand.



Thursday, December 18, 2008

I went to a rave on Saturday











I went to a rave with some friends on Saturday night (Sunday morning to be more accurate). I don't know why, but we left for the rave at 4am. Why this time was chosen I have know idea, but it screwed up my clock for a couple of days. By the time we got there, it was dawn. It was fun for a while, then I got sick of the techno music. Here's some pictures of the set-up, the Cirque do Brazil, me rockin' out, and a couple friends.

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

The Eucalyptus Tree





From what I’ve seen so far, I am convinced that Brazil’s greatest natural resource is it’s climate. The fecundity of Brazilian land far exceeds that of the United States. With ample rainfall, plant life thrives under the strong tropical sun. Many crops have multiple growing seasons every year, which is one reason why the price of food here is so low. It’s no secret that Brazil has the largest rainforest in the world.

There are several species which Brazilians use to exploit their climate. Sugar cane, which I will feature again in another post, has three growing seasons per year. The second non-food species I have seen so far is the eucalyptus tree. The eucalyptus tree grows very tall and very straight, with each tree having a small canopy on the top. The vast majority of the plant mass stays in the trunk of the tree. Eukalypti tree trunks are very efficient. They don’t need much milling to yield useful lumber. The trees are used for telephone poles and building construction.

A fifty to sixty foot tree takes only 7 years to grow and mature here in Brazil. What’s more, is that these trees can be farmed in a high density, with spacings of just 2 to 3 meters between trees.

... I also chew eucalyptus chewing gum. It's a Trident flavor down here.

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Maculele Video

The viewing angle and acoustics don't do the performance justics. But, here's a couple of short clip of the peformance

Maculele






















Sorry, I'm posting a LOT of capoeira stuff. This isn't usual. There have been 2 batizados in the last 3 weeks... that's a lot. Here's some pictures of the maculele show that the academy performed.