Maps and Legends

2009-07-01T17:04:00.000-07:00

It’s the end of the blog as we know it (and I feel fine). The first post I wrote from Brazil was back in November 2006 and now this is to be the last one. It’s my birthday, I’m 29, and at the time this post is published to the blog I’ll probably be on a plane out of Brazil to America. True, we’ll still have some weeks in Brazil packing up later in the month, but for all intents and purposes this seemed like a good place to stop. My English Teaching career is over. Our thoughts are on the UK. We’re saying our goodbyes. I’ve enjoyed writing this blog and so thank you to any and all of you who actually read my long-winded, disconnected, haphazard, occasionally passable ramblings. And honorouble mentions to those of you who contributed comments and guest blog entries!

Maps and Legends. The blog in numbers: 310 (or thereabouts) posts at 250 words per post = 77,500 words.5,500 visits and 7,300 page views.85 comments.5 authors.

All the way to Rio. As the observant among you will notice I’ve tried to write a blog post a day for the last month in order to fit in everything I’ve wanted to say. In one respect I’ve failed though. My 100 things I miss about England and 100 things I love about Brazil lists are incomplete by about 10 entries each. I thought it would be a good idea to leave it this way as sometimes ideas for those posts hit me out of the blue, and if this happens over the next few weeks then I still have space to quietly add them in. I am absolutely determined to complete them both, though.

Begin the Begin. I’m sure you’ll all be delighted to hear that there are other ways to still read my writing. I’ll be penning thoughts on just about anything over at beyondrandom and Rach and I are starting a bilingual blog which will become a “proper” website called Britain Brazil Bridge. In fact, today sees the start of that project – check it out over here. And there are those other sites listed over there >>> which I still write for. Thank you for reading!

Until the day is done. I’m still not sure I know exactly reads this thing and so if you’ve been part of a silent majority, now’s your time to speak up. Let's treat this last page as a guest book. Please leave a comment if you haven’t before! That includes you Aunt Betty!

Strange Currencies. Finally, it goes without saying that I need to thank this strange, unique, enormous, beautiful, contradictory, optimistic, festive country of Brazil and it’s gorgeous people for teaching me so much, drawing me closer to God, enriching my view of life and giving me something to write about more than once a week. God Bless you all and may you always win at football except when you’re playing England!

2009-06-30T17:00:00.000-07:00

Things I miss about England #1 and Things I love about Brazil #1: pals, friends, amigos. We’ll miss the ones we’re leaving behind, but we can’t wait to see the ones we’ve been apart from.

2009-06-29T17:21:00.000-07:00

FIVE...
...episodes that made me laugh (with the benefit of hindsight) and that I enjoyed writing about on this blog.

1. Flying BRA (now bust) back home from Europe

2. Chasing away robbers in my underpants

3. Losing the only key to the apartment under a swimming pool

4. Rachel using the “fear of God” technique to get back a stolen Ipod.

5. Using a baby to help with paperwork.

Bonus:

6. The phantom football match.

2009-06-28T18:17:00.000-07:00

Things I love about Brazil #76, 78, 79: Churrasco, Picanha and Meat. I will really miss Brazilian barbecues (churrascos). The quality of the meat is so good and they have a cut, picanha, which doesn't even exist in European and Northern European butchers! It's like the primest of the prime steak and it's fantastic.

As a continuation of the post TILAB #19, I should add Things I love about Brazil #91, 92, 96: Condominums, Salao de Festa and Sweets. Brazilians love parties and they love condomoniums full of apartments and they've combined their loves into the perfect set up: the salão de festa - a room on the lower floors all set up for parties with kitchen, (sometimes) stage, games rooms and swimming pool access. It`s a cheap and efficient away to hold a party. It serves the purpose of a pub function room.

As it happens though, we had our most recent party at a mall. One of our friends noticed a picture we took of all the sweets available for the kids and noted how different this is from the UK where carrot sticks and tomatoes are the order of the day for the health-conscious Mum. Like Rachel said in response: "Your comment is so funny for so many reasons". Parties are about tanking up on sweets and no dental hygiene or child health expert is going to tell Brazilians otherwise.

2009-06-27T18:42:00.000-07:00

Things I miss about England #2: My family. Of course, I miss my family a lot. I was so pleased Mum and Dad and cousin Dad made it out to Brazil. Everyone else was very generous, sending things by post for the kids and creature comforts we missed. We hardly ever get post though, and when we do it's sometimes several weeks late and has been re-routed through Thailand (as was the case with a recent packet of tea). Things I miss about England #4: The post. I'm looking forward to having the post back in England which leads to Things I miss about England #18: Cards in the post. Brazilians don't really do cards, and that's a shame. If the post works, it also means I can order more stuff online (Things I miss about England #53: buying things online). It's just too risky and inefficient to do this in Brazil. The country has one of the highest rates of internet fraud so people are very wary of giving out their details online. Brazil's computer networks, and our school's computers, are unfortunatley riddled with viruses which are proving stubborn to get off. Things I miss about England #17: Not so many computer viruses.

2009-06-26T18:49:00.000-07:00

Things I miss about England #39: Bounty Chocolate Bars.
Things I miss about England #24: Grey hair. Thanks to my Mum for noticing this - dying your hair is very common, especially if you're a woman of mature years looking to hide the aging process. Mum, who has never dyed her hair, felt a bit conspicious with her "unsightly" grey.
Things I miss about England #37: Log fires.
Things I miss about England #19: Duvets. It's just too hot and many people don't have them.
Things I miss about England #40: Spices and Herbs. There's just not a great option of fresh spices and herbs. Coriander, Oregano, mixed herbs - that's about it.
Things I miss about England #42: Rafi's Spice Box. How miss thee oh curry packs (see TIMAE#9). Even when they get sent, the post doesn't always deliver.
Things I miss about England #26: Trees. Oh, they have trees, but they always come second to pavement and sand. Fortunatley, we have one good park in Natal with great trees.
Things I miss about England #54: High-brow Political Satire. Slapstick gets the most laughs in Brazil. Mr Blobby would be a sensation here.
Things I miss about England #66: Carpets.
Things I love about Brazil #17: Guga the Turtle. Our pet turtle has been handed onto a new owner, Teacher Dyego. We will miss Guga. Gloria will have nothing to throw a sponge at, Nelson will have no creature with which to terrorise, Rachel will have no critter to ignore and I will have no small animal with which to forget to feed.
Things I love about Brazil #18: The Pernambuco Flag. Down there on the right hand side. Stunning.
Things I love about Brazil #22: Tiled floors.

2009-06-25T17:36:00.000-07:00

Things I love about Brazil #32: Great Wall Art. That last photo is very bad, I took it out of the back window of the car as I couldn`t really stop. But, the reason I took the photo is to remind me of the group of artists I saw painting this mural. Presumably sent over by the council (who have, it has to be said, a good eye for presentation) several blank or grubby walls have been turned into works of art. You can just about make out some of the themes in the piece above - pollution, war, colour.

Things I miss about England #43: Museums. There are museums in Natal, but they're not very good. One famous one is the blue angel gallery (pictured above) which is around the corner from my house. I`ve never been but I haven't been able to find the door behind the monstrosity in the front yard. A great museum can be found at Parque de Cidade (Things I love about Brazil #38: Parque da cidade). It's a state of the art museum at the top of an impressive piece of architecture which looks like an eye on a pole (pictured above). We've been several times. Only problem is - when the new town council were elected they didn't spare funds to keep the museum open. A crying shame! In any case, I miss museums. There are hardly any up in the north-east of Brazil.

Things I love about Brazil #37: Orange. Orange (see above) is an amazing establishment. It's a diversified video store. It includes a kids play area, a fast food restaurant, a bar and a takeaway service. It's definitely the closest thing we have to "a local" (see TIMAE#10). We're now friends with the staff and they know our kids by name. What I really like about Orange, though, is their brand is a great example of how Brazilians encorporate English and then surround it with Portuguese. The Orange menu is full of such delights as "Orange dogs", "Orange Eggs", "Orange pizza" and even "Orange juice". At least its better than their local rivals Pittsburgh who offer "Pitts Chicken". Hmmm, yummy. Or, several hundred yards away their other rivals "Playburger" (see above). Eeewwwww. It's amazing to me that in the age of multinational brands, there are a few homegrown Brazilian brands which are fiercely resistant and continue to draw the custom of the local population.

2009-06-24T18:09:00.000-07:00

Things I miss about England #83: People are not SO obsessed with Disney. We’re about to leave for 2 weeks in the States. In order to get direct flights from Recife to Miami (normally you have to add about half a day onto your trip going via Sao Paulo) we’re flying with an agency called Arituba who fix package tours for teenagers to go to Disney. Worryingly, some of my students will be on the flight. Even more worryingly, is the news that everyone will be so excited that the whole flight is set to basically be a din of sweaty, spotty, Brazilian adolescents freaking out at meeting Mickey.
　
Sometimes, I think Brazilians are the ones single-handedly propping up the entire Disney empire. They may not buy a lot of original DVDs (pirate copies are more readily available) but they do arrive in shed loads to Orlando’s Magic Kingdom.
　
It’s a rite of passage to go to Disney. If you can afford it, you’ll do it. And when you’re there you buy, buy, buy and probably need another airplane to ship the lifesize models of Pluto, Snow White and Bambi back down the continent. I was in a waiting room the other day and so picked up one of those celebrity mags. The top story was that a TV presenter (for her 60th birthday!) had chosen to go to Disney with 50 of her close friends and families. I was treated to glossy pictures of plastic-surgeried Brazilian b-listers riding carousels and having their pictures taken with Nemo.
　
Really, the final straw for me was when I had to go to a launch event put on by Arituba in order to retrieve some "essential" (read: promotional) info for our journey. Arituba had rented a conference centre had everyone was crammed into a huge room decked from head to foot in Disney gumpf. The man was giving safety instructions to the masses, but the promise of food and a post-talk party could be seen everywhere with stuffed toys, games, competitions and heavily-made-up excited teenagers brimming with electric excitement. I asked the lady if I HAD to stay and when she said I didn’t I took my promotional flyers and scarpered. What I realised then was that Arituba are selling a dream – a dream that starts and finishes at your door and is 100% Disney all the way.
　
Although we’re buying into this dream, we’re not wholesale buying into it. After much argy-bargy with Arituba we’re only going to be in the parks for 4 days ("What? You can’t possibly see everything in four days!". "Really? That’s good! Maybe we don’t want to be trapped inside a fictional dreamland inhabited by Brazilian pre-adults!"), preferring to use the rest of our time in Florida to visit both my and Rachel’s family in St.Petersburg. I don’t want to sound too high-faluting when I say this – and we will enjoy Disney, especially the Pixar Cars attractions (imagining an unleashed Nelsinho at this point) – but isn’t visiting another country about spending time with the people from there, eating their food, learning about their lives and experiences? That’s the way Rachel and I have always and will always do it.
　
Flying to the Disney Parks in Orlando is really not about flying to America – it’s about flying to another planet, another universe, full of animated creatures. And, as far as I can see, that’s exactly what all Brazilians, their tour operators and Disney want.

Things I love about Brazil #86: Turma de Monica. Brazilians have their own cartoon characters. For Christians, it's Smilinguido the ant. For everyone else it's Monica's crew aka. Turma de Monica. We watched a cartoon of theirs this morning - a bit less PC and gory than standard North American kids TV, loved it! They even have their own theme park in South Brazil although it's not a patch on Disney.

2009-06-23T02:14:00.000-07:00

FIVE...
...mates.

Wherever I've lived, I've always had a bunch of blokes around who've been good value for banter, advice, fun and if Chrisitans, prayer and support too. In no particular order here are five Brazilian versions of those:

1. Fernando - teacher at Cultura, upstanding Christian and all-round good egg.
2. Dyego - teacher at Cultura and fellow film, comic, PS2, guitar, writing and YouTube geek.
3. Paulo - Computer guy at Cultura, believer and fellow lover of açai and guitars.
4. Artur - Private student training to be a diplomat: for debates on current affairs and international politics there was no better person to while away a couple of hours (and get paid for it!)
5. Rach's Dad Steve - always up for a beer, a banter and the chance to watch football.

And an honorable mention to Adriano Lima the disabled swimmer (see pic below) who, along with his wife and daughter, have become very good friends of ours in the last few months.

2009-06-22T02:08:00.000-07:00

FIVE...
...things I can do now which I couldn't do when I arrived in Brazil.

1. Speak Portuguese
2. Explain the structure of the English language
3. Body-board (a bit)
4. Drive on the right with confidence.
5. cope with a house reverberating to the sound of TWO screaming kids.

2009-06-21T13:27:00.000-07:00

Things I love about Brazil #3: The Brazilian flag. It's a global symbol, it sums up the colour and optimism of a country, it's unique and unlike any other national flag, it can only be the Brazil flag - the famous green background, yello diamond and ble orb with "Order and Progress" written across the middle surrounded by stars, one for each of Brazil's 28 states.

Brazilians are in love with their flag and celebrate it, along with their national anthem and their country or, at least, the promise their country holds. The flag is ever present in Brazil. I took the top photo recently of just one flag flying at a junction. I only noticed on my way home that every half a mile had another flag flying. In that respect, Brazilians are not unlike the Americans and their love for the star-spangled banner. However, whereas Americans display their patriotism in displaying their banner on their car bumpers or front lawns, Brazilians attach the flag, in other ways - perhaps to their clothing, their shoes (the flag is an integral part of the Havainas brand of flip-flops) and even their supermarket wheelchairs (see above).

Sports, though, is the sphere where the flag is most known. Adriano, my paralympian friend and student, has the flag on his swimming cap (and that of his daughter, above) but it's the volleyballers, the capoeiristas and above all the footballers who display the countries colours so prominenantly. Before 1950, the Brazilian football kit was all white. When they shockingly lost the 1950 World Cup on home soil the national crisis was such that it was decided a new kit should be designed, one which would give the players pride in their country. Ironically, it was a Uruguyan (so says Alex Bellos, a British journalist, in his book Futebol: The Brazilian Way of life) who won the state-sponsored competition to design the kit. His yellow shirt with green trim, blue shorts and white socks are now the stuff of legend. The yellow top, worn by football fans of any and all national backgrounds is the most well-recognised sports design in the world.

And it was all based on that extraordinary flag.

Things I miss about England #30: the radio. I can't really say I miss the Union Jack, and even though it's been hjacked by parties of the right wing, I think it is a stunning flag. It's just that I am surrounded by the thing on a day to day basis in a language school which uses the British flag as one of its strongest marketing motifs. So, instead, I'll say here that I miss the radio in English. IN the car, in the kitchen, in the supermarket. I'd just like some good old-fashioned English radio.

2009-06-20T12:31:00.000-07:00

Nelson turns 3. I'm writing this post later than Saturday the 20th June, but Saturday the 20th was Nelson's birthday. He's three and the two of us held a joint party at Gamestation arcades at Natal's Midway Mall. A great time was had by all especially us who enjoyed the unlimted access to the games for 3 hours. Our party was VW Beetle/Fusca themed. Pictures here for a limited time only.

The day was fantastic, but it looked briefly like all would be doomed. We arrived at a little before 9am (the party was to start at 10am) with all our decorations and food. And what we found was that where there should have been a door, there was now a wall. Three chaps were gainfully employed plastering a wall and there was dust everywhere. The party organiser showed us the "new" entrance to the party room, a metre-wide space between two ancient arcade machines. The only problem was that there was a metal bar loaded with electricity wires running across the gap at about a foot high. Perfect tripping height for anyone, but especially children and how was our wheelchair-bound friend Adriano going to make it past that? (Caz, if you're reading, we wondered what your reaction would have been if this was a party for one of your kids and whether you would have preferred to have the party in the multi-story car park - at least you know where you are with a car park!).

The party lady assured us it would be ready and (remembering my recent blog posts on what people say is not necessarily what you get) I was thrilled to see the bar removed and the opening widened. Masking tape hid the unsightly cracks in the floor and all party guests seemed happy and at ease.

The only notable incident occurred just before 10 when a huge POP reverberated around the arcades. I saw a flash of light to my side and after a lot of murmuring and checking everyone was alright, it seemed like the dodgy electrics (TIMAE: #7) hadn't hurt anyone this time.

2009-06-19T05:44:00.000-07:00

Another story based on last post`s TIMAE #6. Steve and Celia will keep renting our flat after we leave. Indeed, my good friend Tom Reeves is coming out to teach English and will probably live in the place. Steve wants Sky TV installed so he can watch his football. A simple matter? So, we were told.

The guys came to install Sky TV and then discovered that no other apartment on our building had Sky TV so they would have to put a dish on the roof and a wire down the wall and into our flat. To get permission to do this we needed to speak to the head of the Condomonium committee who in turn would need to speak to the residents. Rachel dutifully did this on her Dad`s behalf. First thoughts were, seeing as everyone uses another cable operator, probably Sky wouldn`t be an option. And then came back the news. The committee would like to consider installing Sky in every apartment in the building as maybe it`s better. We rolled our eyes. How long would this take to decide? 3 weeks, 3 months?

And all my father in law wanted to do was watch football!

2009-06-18T05:21:00.000-07:00

Things I miss about England #6: What you hear is what you get. I`ve got to be careful here, because what I`m about to say could be taken the wrong way by Brazilians. So, a disclaimer: I`m not saying Brazilians are liars, I`m just saying that, despite their best intentions, what is said and what happens often seem to have almost no relation to each other. And this is perfectly normal and accepted.

One reason for this, as I`ve already mentioned recently, is that Brazilians tend to say what they want the other person to appear especially when it comes to accepting invitations. But, more than this, and I have dozens of stories about this, plans are made in all sincerity but with some unspoken small print that this may not actually happen the way we said it would. For a Brit this can be exasperating.

A small recent example: we enjoyed a lovely evening with our church group on Sunday. We made plans to go out for acai (see below) afterwards. The rain was pouring down. In the car I asked my good friend and fellow-acai fan Paulo where we would go to eat. He told me the place, which I knew and so I asked my question:"But, surely there won`t be space for everyone inside the small shop because nobody will be outside in the rain?". He barely batted an eyelid. "Of course there`ll be space!". And, when we arrived there wasn`t space...

...but one enterprising waitor put two tables together, wiped them clean and said we could squeeze under the awning. As soon as we sat down the other waitors told us we couldn`t sit there as it obstructed their passage out of the shop (bearing in mind nobody was out of the shop as it was raining). My wonderful wife took the opportunity to teach them a lesson or two about customer service but when they failed to budge we walked off to find the next one. Strange, I thought, but hadn`t that first waitor said we could sit there?

Later, back at our friend`s apartment, we were told that there was soup that Gloria could eat. But after a few minutes word came to us that there was no soup, it had been finished. So we quickly took a starving Gloria home to give her food there. Most of these stories weren`t the fault of any person or individual but rather the roll of circumstance in Brazil which somehow invariably leads us to unusual situations far removed from what we had imagined earlier. Sometimes its annoying, but I guess the main thing is to view it as an adventure.

Things I love about Brazil #9: Sao Joao. Many foreigners know Brazil for its festivals of carnaval. However, for many Brazilians, it's the June harvest festivals that people reall look forward to. Carnaval has come to symbolise extravagance, sexuality and at times a reckless disregard for order. Sao Joao is about folklore, traditional food and costume and dancing. Our kids are going to various Sao Joao parties over the next week and so are we. I need to get my costume sorted so I can dance the quadrilia (vaguely like a barn dance) with my rather excited wife.

Things I miss about England #85: Horlicks.

Things I love about Brazil #13: Acai. I mentioned and described acai back on this post. I`ve grown to love it. It may look like an oil slick, but it`s heaven in a bowl.

2009-06-17T13:08:00.000-07:00

Plastic surgery continued. An interview with a plastic surgeon. As I mentioned in my last post, I teach English to a man called Tony who is one of Natal's top plastic surgeons. Over the course of our 40 hours together we've talked a lot about his profession. I confess to having a lot of unresolved questions about Tony's choice of career and I've tried to put that to him off and on over the weeks and months. Rapport with Tony hasn`t been easy but after 3 hours a week together over several months we have become something like friends. Here are excerpts.

D - Tony, how do become a plastic surgeon?
T - You go to medical school, work in general practice and then train to be a plastic surgeon.

D - Have you operated on anyone famous?
T - A Brazilian actor (my friend) and the president of Portugal.

D - If you were married, would you let your wife have plastic surgery?
T - Of course, why not?

D - Do you agree with Ivo Pitanguy that your job is to restore well-being to people by giving them the appearance they want?
T - Yes.

D - Don`t you think that the solution to a problem like that, though, is pyschological and not physical? Shouldn`t we all be content with the body God has given us?
T - If I meet a person who wants plastic surgery for unhealthy reasons or has expectations way beyond what I can do then I won`t operate.

D - Do you find your job stressful?
T - Yes, very stressful.

D - Why?
T - Because my clients have the highest, impossible standards. And my standards are even higher.

D - Is there an optimum age for plastic surgery?
T - No, we operate on people of all ages although its easier with younger skin.

D - Would you undertake cosmetic surgery on children?
T - Yes.

D - Would you undertake cosmetic surgery on teenage women who maybe aren`t at ease with their bodies yet and perhaps don`t know what`s really best for them?
T - (shrugs shoulders). Yes.

D - Don`t you think that with all of Brazil`s problems with poverty and the inefficiency of your national healthcare system that producing so many plastic surgeons who operate on aesthetics is a waste of talent and a distraction from the real medical problems of your country?
T - No. I think there are many people who suffer from low self-esteem. We need more plastic surgeons.

D - What is beauty, anyway?
T - Beauty is created by our capitalist society. It is different across all societies and is changed every day so that people buy more cosmetic products.

D - Er, are you not saying that...
T - Yes, it`s a contradiction. I admit that my job only exists because of capitalism even though I am against this form of social organisation.

D - So, in a perfect world where everyone was content with their bodies and their appearance we wouldn`t need cosmetic surgery?
T - That`s right.

Post-script. As a Christian I cannot endorse all of Tony's conclusions or contradictions. Equally, I cannot judge him. For, although spending my money on plastic surgery for my wife is an idea that disgusts me (and fortunately it disgusts my wife) I can hardly say I am free from reinforcing unhealthy social norms concerning image. I am also a victim of capitalism's construction of beauty and often feel insecure about my appearance although never to the extent that I would want to change it under a surgeon`s scalpal. This is a complex area, but even so, I have to go to God with my one request - teach us the secret of contentment in all circumstances.

2009-06-16T12:53:00.000-07:00

Brazilians and Plastic Surgery. There is really so much to say about this I don't know where to start. It may explain why I`ve left it late in my time here in Brazil to try and write something that makes sense of Brazilians undying fascination with aesthetics and feminine beauty. Brazilians love plastic surgery; especially, but not only, women. I think I always though plastic surgery was for the slightly mentally unhinged, people with too much money and not enough sense. But, here in Brazil people I know, trust and respect want plastic surgery, and some have even had it.

One man who has done more for plastic surgery in Brazil compared to any other is Ivo Pitanguy. I read an article about him as preparation for the CELPE-Bras exam I did a few months back. He calls himself a restorer of well-being, bringing together the image people want for themselves and the reality. Here is a great article over at Brazilmax.com about his work and why plastic surgery is so popular in this country. Pitanguy is the father of plastic and cosmetic surgery in Brazil and has numerous world-renowned clinics and schools, and he has treated the rich and famous from Europe and North America.

He shot to fame in a story which should be made into a film, if it hasn`t already. A fire in a circus in 1961 caused a tent to fall on 2,500 spectators. Pitanguy worked for weeks in an emergency capacity operating on skin wounds and burns. It was there, he says, that he realised that physical appearance was critical to living. He saved the life of a young burn victim, successfully grafted new skin onto the boy's body and the lad recovered and went on to be a plastic surgeon learning at Pitanguy's own school. For Brazilians, a story like that puts Pitanguy in a category along with all the greats this country has brought to the world. Pitanguy to his credit is a philanthropist and offers cheap or free surgery to the poorest of the poor.

But, not all are so quick to praise him. "He's not talented. He's just lucky". So says one of my students, a quiet, reflective private English learner who is also a plastic surgeon and a very important one at that. Tony Maloney (as we call him) fixes the problems other plastic surgeons make. He is 40 but aims to retire when he's 45 having made his fortune. Then, in his own words, he can stay at home, read and watch films. More on Tony's views of plastic surgery tomorrow...

2009-06-15T15:07:00.000-07:00

FIVE...
...extremely common mistakes Brazilians make when they write English.

There are many reasons why my students get things wrong in English writing. Sometimes its ignorance, sometimes its bad luck, sometimes its laziness, sometimes its because their language skills are not great in Portuguese so they lack the skills to transfer them to English. For example, a sentence without a verb has often more to do with not forming sentences in any language than a misunderstanding of English. And then, and this is where my students draw my sympathy, its because they try to create a construction in English but their Portuguese (whether consciously or not) interferes. This, as the pros call it, is L1 interference. And here are 5 very common examples that I've noticed in my short-lived career as an English teacher.

1. My sister borned in Sao Paulo. In English, unlike Portuguese, we use the verb "to be" before born: He will be born, I was born etc. Also, students typically guess the pass tense as ending in -ed, hence "borned".
2. I got an information and a research about a good weather. Uncountable nouns. Information, research and weather are all countable in Portuguese, but not in English. When I teach students we can have "a piece of" uncountable things like luck, luggage, furniture, information and research they are always totally astonished.
3. The taxi was late and I lost the plane. In Portuguese the verb "perder" means both lose and miss. Its just one example of several verbs which don't map exactly to English (see also: know/meet).
4. His mother was arriving soon - he was waiting for your mother. In Portuguese, we have "seu/sua" which cover the bases of all of "your, his, her, their" - context usually helps decide who is being talked about. Unfortunately, students often try, as in Portuguese, to just use one word to fit and they usually choose "your".
5. I was deceptionated and exausted. This is really two problems rolled into one. In Portuguese, to be "decepcionado" means to be disappointed (and has nothing to do with being decieved). This is an example of a false cognate between the two languages and students who don't realise this will often try and paste across the Portuguese word with an English ending (=deceptionated). Also, English spelling his highly irregular compared to Portuguese, so having to spell words like exhausted which includes an erroneous silent "h" is asking a lot.

When students get these wrong frequently, I blame the teacher!

2009-06-14T05:31:00.000-07:00

FIVE...
...Brazilian legends that are largely unknown outside Brazil.

1. Xuxa. Children's TV presenter.
2. Ivete Sangalo. Pop singer.
3. Garrincha. Played alongside Pele and some people say better than "the King".
4. Santos Dumont. Brazilian who allegedly beat the Wright brothers in the race to invent the airplane.
5. Sebastiao Salgado. Actually, this is in reverse. One of the world's best photographers and he is still laregly unheard of in his home country.

2009-06-13T05:00:00.000-07:00

Brazil 2 Paraguay 1. The last and only other time I saw Brazil play was in 2002. It was just after they had won the World Cup, it was their first friendly on home soil and a chance to show off the trophy. Unfortunately, the players were largely hung over. Paraguay won 1-0. And despite being a small (both in population size and in stature if their players are anything to go by) nation, Paraguay play sharp, tough and effective football and look set to, yet again, qualify for the World Cup. I had all this in mind as we touched down in Recife to go the match. And, as if to focus my thoughts even more, Recife's tourist board had contracted a spotty teenager (who reminded me of the Simpsons character "Puberty Boy" - see below) to do keepy-ups and tricks while we all waited for our luggage in the arrivals terminal. Very strange. Very Brazilian.

Rachel's Dad had kindly bought me tickets for my birthday, and we even managed to wangle it for Rach to come along with various cousins and Aunts staying at home to help Granny with the kids. Rachel's Dad hired a bus and a load of us went down together. We made our way to Santa Cruz's stadium (which had been given a fresh lick of paint although, unfortunately, no new toilets) and into the stadium some two hours before kick off. We found an excellent spot but the downside was we had to stand as we waited. In actual fact, there was another complication: the cake.

Rachel's Dad, always one to think up an extraordinary plan, had decided we should bring a cake and some paper plates and plastic spoons into the stadium so that all of us could eat cake and sing happy birthday to Nelson (Rachel's brother) who was in the UK. Steve was to make a video of this and put it on Youtube. After procuring the help of his daughter to get the item past stadium security (the guards let out a chuckle as a chocolate cake sailed past them), Steve had a change of heart when he realised how crammed the stands were. Messy cake? Paper plates? Napkins? Everyone split up and sitting between strangers? I don't think so. And so, operation "penguin" commenced - or operation "how do we get the cake out of the stadium in one piece". I say "penguin" because for Rachel in the first half and for me in the second half we had the cake delicately placed between our legs in the style of a male penguin looking after his egg (see picture below). The stadium was heaving with people (57,000 in fact) and, despite the jam, the snacks vendors continued to wrestle through the crowds to try and sell their goodies. So, as you can imagine, it was with a sense of relief and a feeling of a job well done when we collapsed back on the coach with the cake in more or less one piece save for a minor bruise to the edge.

As for the game itself, Brazil were unlucky to concede the first goal (via a deflection) to the Paraguayan no.10, who is probably the shortest, chubbiest, rolly-pollyiest international footballer since Sweden's Tomas Brolin. Brazil rallied and Robinha and Nilmar, on his starting debut (see pic below), bagged the goals in the fight back. Robinho should have scored more after good work from Kaka, but the result was the right one for Brazil and the right one for us supporters.

One final highlight of the evening. Its not common for Recife to host a match of such importance so the red carpet was really rolled out for this one. The national team were treated like gods by their adoring fans. (See this video which features the team arriving at the gym next door to Rachel's family's apartment block). For Steve, the icing on the cake (metaphorically speaking) was the fireworks display that accompanied the reading of the starting XI by the stadium announcer. Extra special cheers went up for the current favourites Kaka (who had just been bought by Real Madrid for 60 million quid), Robinho and Pato as fireworks lit up the sky above the arena. Very celebratory. Very Brazilian.

ps. I must add that I experienced another thunderous rendition of TILB #28.

2009-06-12T18:12:00.000-07:00

"Have you ever seen the rain?" So asked Credence Clearwater (pictured at the top), but, by all accounts, Brazilians really haven't. They're scared stiff of the stuff. Things I miss about England #35: people know that a little rain won't kill you. We had a moment on our way into a football stadium yesterday where I wondered if we were going to have a rain-related disaster. Somehow, from walking into the stadium (when it was bone dry) to passing our tickets through the barrier and pacing over the terraces, the heavens opened. In a stadium with no overhead cover there could only be one result. Everyone outside the stadium crammed to get in and everyone on the terraces scrammed to get off. We were in the middle. Fortunatelty, as often happens in the north east of Brazil, a quick tropical downpour often gives way to more dry, hot weather so we were spared a people squash.

But, this isn't the first time I've found Brazilians running from the rain. A few memories stick in my mind of Natal's population viewing rain as pretty much falling poison from the sky. If you stay out in the rain for more than 10 seconds, so the thinking is, you're subjecting yourself to every kind of disease known to man. Back at our old house, I was once walking a very little Gloria home from the shop when, unexpectedly, I got caught in a shower. I cuddled Gloria close to me and walked briskly the last 50 yards to our house. Old women were falling out of neighbouring windows berating me for the wickedness of taking a little child out into such fearful weather.

Another time, we were at the hospital and I had Nelson with me. I was coming out and there was alight drizzle. It was just a short 50 yards to the car so I grabbed Nelson up in my arms and started to slow jog towards the vehicle. Out of nowhere, an umbrella holder (see this blog post) appeared alongside me running. I knew he wanted a tip for the service he was offering and I knew I had no change so I said to him in Portuguese - "don't worry about it. The car's right here!". He gave me a look that suggested he thought I, when it came to callousness, was right up there with vampires, and then mouthed, almost in slow motion: "But the boy! What about the boy!? WHAT ABOUT THE BOY!!!???".

One final yarn on this... several weeks ago Rachel was away and I was home alone over the weekend. I spent Sunday with friends from church and ended up going swimming in my clothes in their pool as it was raining. Very liberating and a good opportunity to pretend I was Andy Dufrense from the Shawshank Redemption. Anyway, afterwards, my good pal Paulo - certainly as much of a "lad" as the next guy - challanged me to run in my wet clothes and dive on the wet grass in the rain. I dutifully did (as I had done on numerous occasions in my misspent footballing or otherwise youth). With gob wide-open he said: "I was joking. Be careful spending so much time in the rain like that. You'll get ill". I waited for the punch line, but it never came. Natal's people are, in this respect, not unlike the Gauls from the Asterix books. They both believe the end will come when the sky falls on their heads.

Things I love about Brazil #35: open air swimming. They're everywhere! What fun!

PS. There is an explanation behind the other photos on this post. All will be revealed tomorrow.

2009-06-11T07:35:00.000-07:00

Things I miss about England #57: English banter.

Things I miss about England #58: Pianos.

Things I love about Brazil #59: The Brazilian national team (for beating Paraguay when I was there to see it).

Things I love about Brazil #100: Umbrella hats (which I'd never seen before last nights football match but which Rachel tells me have actually been around for ages and come from the States...)

2009-06-10T11:43:00.000-07:00

The trees have eyes (or the eyes have trees). The local council have stuck eyes into several trees at strategic locations around the town to encourage people to take notice, adopt and sponsor a tree. The council make a bit of money, a tree gets looked after, and you or your business get a signpost in front of the tree describing who you are. Nice idea. Full marks for Brazilian ingenuity.

2009-06-09T18:33:00.000-07:00

FIVE...
...of my favourite not A-list Brazilian footballers.

1. Giovanni. A kind of wanderer who seems to have played for just about everybody but never ended up being chosen for Brazil or particularly making a name for himself. But, has scored some timely goals - his efforts gave Man City a win over Man Utd at Old Trafford and Hull City wins over Arsenal and Spurs away.
2. Grafite. The Bundesliga's top scorer.
3. Thiago Neves. One of my favourite players and something of an anti-hero. Scored 4 goals over two legs in the Copa Libetadores only to see the game go to penalties at 5-5. Neves scored his penalty, but the keeper complained and the ref made Neves take it again. Neves missed and his team Fluminense lost. Ouch.
4. Hermanes. Centre midfielder for Sao Paulo and a really important player for Brazil's most successful club of recent years. Probably could have had a glamarous career in Europe but chose to stay put.
5. The two unnamed Brazilians who speculatively sent their CVs to a Welsh football team and managed to get trials. They were hopeless. The Welsh team let them train for a few months and then paid for their tickets home.

2009-06-08T18:16:00.000-07:00

FIVE...
...Brazilian habits that we all should adopt (or do more!).

1. Clapping during happy birthday. It makes it more cheerful.
2. Celebrate everything.
3. Use your horn to communicate more (and not just to convey aggression)
4. Hold, cuddle, coo over other people's babies.
5. Pose for photos like you're a supermodel even if you're not. This last one is amazing to me - Brazilians love photos and many have a standard photo smile (and corresponding "best side") which they immediatley turn on whenever a camera is in sight. Maybe they teach it at school. But, they take so, so, so many photos of themselves draped over whatever is lying around (especially when they're in a new place) and just keep on smiling through. I was laughing at the farm we visited the other day. Two ladies, (no spring chickens I should add) frolicked, posed, preened and prostrated themselves in front of a bunch of flowers for 20 minutes taking innummerable and seemingly identical photos all of which, I would wager, were to end up on Orkut (a popular social-network site) faster than you could say "Your knickers are showing in this one". The thing is, it's kind of cheesey, but you've got to love a people who are so confident, forward and full of the love of life - us Brits with our stoney faces and Victorian positions take note.

2009-06-07T18:00:00.000-07:00

FIVE...
...Brazilian habits that (to put it nicely) should be left in Brazil.

1. Cycling the wrong way up a street. For safety, of course, to see the cars that might hit you. But for the driver it adds an otherwise unneeded dimension to the already hair-raising experience of driving in Brazil.
2. Motorcycling barefoot. I don't use motorcycles so I'm sure this shouldn't annoy me, but it just makes me squirm thinking about putting nice fleshy feet on fast-moving, fritty concrete. I had to crack a smile though - in torrential rain, seeing a man dressed from head to ankle in an anorak but wth his feet nicely exposed to the elements as he rode his motorcyle past was a sight to behold.
3. Saying what you think the other person wants to hear. This applies mainly to two areas of life 1) party invitations 2) asking for directions. In both cases, Brazilians are loathe to say "I don't know" or "no, I can't". Better to lie (or flavour the truth, at any rate) and say you're coming / able to give directions. Result: nobody knows how many people are coming to any event. Nobody can be trusted to tell you the way if you're lost in a Brazilian city.
4. Why are so many of these connected to driving? Not letting people in to lanes. The other night I was coming back from the school and I tried to switch lanes, I indicated, slowed down and everyone in the other lane flashed at me and accelerated into the potential space. I didn't make my turn and I had to take a significant long cut home. (Interesting that when cars flash in the UK its to let traffic in. In Brazil, it means much the opposite - here I am, get out of my way!).
5. Everything is always so LOUD. Right now, this applies mainly to the church on the corner. On average 4 nights a week they drudge out Brazilian worship music which makes me want to roll over and die (and, therefore, arrive in the skies where the worship music will be better!). Questions Rachel and I have asked as we our TV competes with the din from yet another all night service: "Do you think they ever experience burnout?", "Why don't they do some evangelism on the streets (away from here)?", "Why are there only two volume levels in Brazilian music - loud and louder?" Whatever happened to the quiet contemplative number or the pause in silence?" (Come back St.Mikes, all is forgiven!). But, its not the churches that are loud. Its everything from the cars to the fireworks, from the music to the neighbours... FOR CRYING OUT LOUD STOP BEING SO LOUD!

2009-06-06T02:26:00.000-07:00

FIVE...
...unusual Brazilian first names.

1. Jamaica. And her brother Israel, and sisters Argentina and Libya. True story.
2. Keith. For a girl. I talked about this in my blog several months ago.
3. Everton. One of the students at Cultura is Everton, as in the football team.
4. Various male names beginning with J - Jurandir, Jaelson, Joris, Jaibelerson, JurIraeldson and so on... (I find several new variations on this every time I go to the supermarket and read the shop assistant name tags).
5. Madeinusa. Rachel told me about this one. Named after the place where an item of clothing was manufactured. Although, in recent years this could well have resulted in the name Madeintaiwan. That's almost as bad as Beckham calling his son "Brooklyn..."

2009-06-05T02:18:00.000-07:00

Africa at war. Today, I gave a lecture to the International Relations dept at UNP (basically, Natal’s second university) on the subject of Africa at war: reflections on Somalia, Sudan and Chad. One of my students, Artur, is training to be a diplomat and we’ve struck up a good friendship. I suggested it and he made it happen. He also translated for me and did a good job of it too.

I didn’t really have nerves, even when Artur was 45 minutes late for our agreed meeting time. I used to break out in a cold sweat over lateness of that magnitude but I’m accustomed to it now. When the Director of the International Relations dept appeared (15 minutes late) I was astonished to find that he was the jovial chap who lived on the 11^th floor of our apartment block. Lots of hugs and back-slapping ensued. I recognized several of the 30 or so students that were there for the talk. Had they been students at Cultura? Time to move on, I say, when you begin to feel you know the whole city.

Natal 2014. I mentioned a few days ago that Natal will host some games from the World Cup, the city has been abuzz with people vocalizing their thoughts on the momentous occasion. The current Mayor is pushing for everything to be completed by 2013 – one year early – so she can be the one to milk the praise before her term finishes and someone else comes in. This being Brazil, I highly doubt it will be ready one year early, however. The local newspaper estimated R5 billion (UKP1.5 billion) will enter the city in the lead up to the World Cup. Various people I know are rubbing their hands with glee at the prospect of work, business opportunities or simply getting to watch a football match. Generally people are very happy Natal was chosen and hope to see a corresponding improvement in transport, health and sports facilities. Steve, my ever-enterprising father-in-law, is already thinking of how to market the services of the language school to Natal’s population as a preparation for the arrival of English-speaking tourists.

Life lesson learned: don’t let a stranger take a photo of you sleeping. On Sunday, we visited a fantastic mini-farm on the edge of Natal which has events for kids as well as the usual animals to see. Cultura had a stall there so we spent the whole day in gorgeous weather enjoying the facilities. Late in the afternoon, Gloria fell asleep on my lap and I nodded off too. A picture of my daughter and I having our nap has since appeared on the farm’s official site. D’oh!

2009-06-04T05:10:00.000-07:00

FIVE...
...things I still haven't done in Brazil that I need to put on my "bucket list".

1. Visit the interior/amazon. I've spent most of my time here on the coast and have hardly ventured inland (except to Chapada Diamentina in 2005). There are various interesting aspects to Brazil "no interior" within this state, including the quaint villages that are the perfectly places to be when celebrating the June harvest festivals. And of course the best thing about going inland is that the ecology changes dramatically with mountains, plains, unusual geological sites and ultimately you eventually get to the Amazon which is like no place no earth. Also, Brasil's capital is inland - Brasilia. A tour inland: something for next time with Nelson when he's a bit more grown up.
2. See a football match at the Maracana.
3. Visit the south - foz de iguacu, Florionopolis, Porto Alegre.
4. Go to a forro concert. It has to be done, just once. I want to see one of these forro bands that are so popular up here in the north-east - Deseja de menina, Avioes do Forro etc. - and I want to see them live. Think cheesey country music for chavs.
5. See an historical passion play. There is a famous passion play every year in the interior of Rach's home state, Pernambucano. We never made it to that. Something for next time.

2009-06-03T05:05:00.000-07:00

FIVE...
...unusual ways to make a living in Natal.

1. Joke teller. At the crossing for a ferry once, everyone arrived hawking their wares. One enterprising guy however proceeded to tell Rachel several jokes and ask for money!
2. Shopping Mall Nappy Changer. Enough said.
3. Car Shepherd. A very common way to earn a bit of cash. Stand around the street and wave vehicles into spaces and back out again. In theory, these guys are "security" for your car but if a guy with a gun turned up and threatened to break in, I`m pretty sure the car shephereds would scarper very quickly.
4. Umbrella holder. When it rains (more about this in another post) a bunch of people with umbrellas suddenly appear and walk around protecting you from every drop... for a price.
5. Flag holder. Not very glamorous, but a lot of the large car and property companies pay people to hold flags for the day. I heard that they even give you a free lunch but only provide it at the end of the day in case you don't come back to work.

2009-06-02T17:35:00.000-07:00

FIVE...
...footballers who played in Euro 2008 but were actually Brazilian.

1. Marcus Senna. A contendor for player of the tournament, playing for Spain, born Sao Paulo, Brazil.
2. Deco. Playing for Portugal, born Sao Bernando de Campo, Brazil.
3. Roger Guerreiro. Playing for Poland, born Sao Paulo, Brazil.
4. Kevin Kuranyi. Playing for Germany, born Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
5. Eduardo Silva. Should have been (but was injured) playing for Croatia, born Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

2009-06-01T11:31:00.000-07:00

Natal in the news. Today, Brazil and Europe have been rocked by the missing Air France Airbus flight from Rio to Paris. No news is not good news in air travel, and Brazil looks like losing up to 60 of its citzens in another terrible air diaster to follow the TAM disaster of 2007. The Air France plane last showed up on the radar a several hundred kms out to sea off the coast of us here in Natal.

Natal has been in the news for much happier reasons lately. Our little city was awarded a venue for the 2014 World Cup. I've been gleefully poring over the designs of the new "Area das Dunas" complex which will replace the current delapadated Machadao stadium. I'm not sure where we'll be in 2014, but Nelson will be 8 and I would happily take some unpaid leave to be back over here for that. What fun!

And Natal also has the prettiest and most talented ladies, clearly, as Brazil's entry to the Miss Universe competition has just been chosen, and the winner - a Larissa Costa - hails from our little town up here in the north east. I assume she speaks English. If so, who taught her? This could be great publicity for Cultura Inglesa...

2009-05-23T18:32:00.000-07:00

How Brazilians see the British. It so happens that we've been talking about national stereotypes in some of my English classes. How do Brazilians see themselves? How do they see other nations? Interesting questions. Brazilians perceive themselves as happy, fun, relaxed but students quickly cited laziness and dishonesty as being typically Brazilian traits. I actually think those last two have more in common with a trait I've noticed in Brazilians - paranoia and a general feeling that the world is against them. Firstly, Brazilians are not lazy. They know how to relax and celebrate but they work long days and they seem to me to be generally conscientious and hard-working. Nonetheless, Brazilians perceive North Americans, Europeans and especially the Portugese as looking down on them as inferiors. They imagine themselves as a third world country and while that's true for much of the interior of the country, Brazil is definitely "second" world when it comes to its megacities and in recent years proving to be a 21st Century economic power house. "You think you're third world?" I sometimes provokingly ask my students. "You haven't been to Chad".

But, I'd suggest that Brazil has in recent years been a very popular place - both in the imagination and in reality - for us Brits back in the UK. From the football shirts to the carnival holidays to the music and the film, Brits have generally received with open arms anything coming out of this giant-sized country. The exotic, the bright colours, the tropical beaches, the uninhibited desire to wiggle one's hips - all of this is very un-British and so we envy it and secretly want to be it.

And the Brazilians? How do they see us Brits? My students often shirk back from coming out with anything too stinging against their British teacher, but over the last couple of years I think I've got the general idea. Brits are polite, educated, cultured have a dry sense of humour but are a bit cold and reserved. Maybe, though, the best expression of how a Brazilian feels about us Brits should come from the mouth of one of their finest poets and musicians Caetano Veloso. During the 1960s, Caetano fled the dictatorship here and passed some years in 1960s London. And during that time he wrote this song, in English, about the nation's capital:

Here are the lyrics to London London. You can see the tune right here being performed recently by another Brazilian artist, Paulo Ricardo.

Im wandering round and round nowhere to go
Im lonely in London
London is lovely so I cross the streets without fear
Everybody keeps the way clear
I know, I know no one here to say hello
I know they keep the way clear
I am lonely in London without fear
Im wandering round and round here nowhere to go
While my eyes Go looking for flying saucers in the sky

Oh Sunday, Monday, Autumm pass by me
And people hurry on so peacefully
A group approaches a policeman
He seems so pleased to please them
Its good at least to live and I agree
He seems so pleased at least
And its so good to live in peace and
Sunday, Monday, years and I agree
While my eyes Go looking for flying saucers in the sky

I choose no face to look at
Choose no way I just happen to be here
And its ok Green grass, blue eyes, gray sky, God bless
Silent pain and happiness I came around to say yes, and I say
But my eyes Go looking for flying saucers in the sky

Nevermind the bits about the flying saucers (whatever that might mean - but this was the 1960s, you know) and putting aside the rather on-the-nose rhyming in places, we can see that Caetano is expressing a sense of dislocation from his native land while at the same time highlighting elements in his new city of residence which he warms to and likes.

Security, quiet efficiency and order seem to be some of his themes. When I saw the lyrics I chuckled at the lines about the police. To a man in exile from the murdering special forces of his own nation, polite bobbies on street corners were obviously a strange enough sight to comment on. The British police - the best in the world. That may have been one stereotype that Brazilians signed up to for a few years. And yet, after the death of one of their own - Jean Charles de Menezes - at the hands of a British agent, you can't help but imagine that this positive reputation and stereotype of the British force by Brazilians may have died alongside the young man shot in the head on that London underground train in July 2005.

2009-05-21T18:13:00.000-07:00

What's going on!? And I say... For some inexplicable reason, our local radio station has started playing The 4 Non-Blondes song "What's up?" on heavy rotation (despite being over 15 years old). So, I've had that chorus going round my head "What's going on!?". A quick wikipedia search reveals the singer-songwriter is a one Linda Perry who is actually half-Brazilian. Maybe that's why she's especially popular out here.

Whatever, "What's going on!?" Well, let me tell you. Gloria turned 1 and we had a big party down in Recife for that. Rach's sister and bro came up over and surprised Celia as it was Brazilian mothers day as well. I came back to Natal to teach and spent a week here "sozinho" (alone) as Rach stayed in Recife with the kids and her family and then went down to a conference in Porto Alegre of which more in another post. Now, we're all back together our routines are in place, more or less and we're trying to get to the end of the semester in one piece so we can start to think about our move back home.

2009-05-17T05:26:00.000-07:00

Brazilian rugby. The other day I was astounded to see that the sports channel ESPN was showing coverage of a Rugby World Cup qualifying game between Brazil and Uruguay. It was in Montevideo, Uruguay, the attendance seemed to be in hundreds (if that!) and not the thousands and, of course, I knew none of the names of these Brazilian "stars" of the national team. The Brazilian coach was French too which perhaps points to the dearth of experienced Brazilian mangers (is this the case with the English football team and Capello?). The commentators reported that Brazilians had lost 79-3 to Chile in their opening match. So, I sat back and waited for the action to begin. Within 3 minutes the Brazilian backs were knocked over like bowling pins and they were a try down. Uruguay went onto win 71-3, which if you look at it positively, is an improvement on the score against Chile. Argentina have the finest team of course, followed by Chile, then Uruguay with Brazil quite a way down the pecking order.

I'm afraid we won't be seeing the men in yellow at the Rugby World Cup in 2011 but on one level they are already the winners of another competition. Before the match against Chile both teams sang their national anthems. The Uruguayans mumbled the words to their anthem under their breaths. The chaps from Brazil bellowed their rendition with such gusto that I felt generally heartened to their cause and for a split second wondered how they couldn't possibly win.

Things I love about Brazil #28: The national anthem. My first exposure to the Brazilian national anthem came when I was dating Rach and visited Brazil in 2002. The national soccer team had just won the World Cup and although we were about to watch a different sport - live Volleyball - the national fervour was clearly spilling over as everyone in the arena, clad from head to toe in yellow, stood up and with arms outstretched boomed out the anthem. As a gringo wearing blue who didn't know the words, I stood out like proverbial sore thumb.

I once heard a BBC radio presenter comment that it's no wonder Brazilians feel so good about themselves and their country and it's no wonder they excel at football - just take a look at the words from their anthem. If this doesn't get you up in the morning, nothing will!

Here is a translation of the complete thing (and they even manage to get the phrase "star-spangled banner" in there) which I picked up from this website:

First Chorus

The placid banks of the Ipiranga (river) heard
the resounding cry of a heroic people
and brilliant beams from the sun of liberty
shone in our homeland's skies at that very moment.

If we have fulfilled the promise
of equality by our mighty arms,
in thy bosom, O freedom,
our brave breast shall defy death itself!
O beloved,idolized homeland, Hail, hail!

Brazil, an intense dream, a vivid ray
of love and hope descends to earth
if in thy lovely, smiling and clear skies
the image of the (Southern) Cross shines resplendently.

A giant by thine own nature,
thou art a beautiful,
strong and intrepid colossus,
and thy future mirrors thy greatness.

Beloved Land amongst a thousand others
art thou, Brazil, O beloved homeland!
To the sons of this landthou art a gentle mother,
beloved homeland,Brazil!

Second Chorus

Eternally lying in a splendid cradle,
by the sound of the sea and the light of the deep sky,
thou shinest, O Brazil, garland of America,
illuminated by the sun of the New World!

Thy smiling, lovely fields have more flowers
than the most elegant land abroad,
"Our woods have more life",
"our life" in thy bosom "more love".
O beloved, idolized homeland, Hail, hail!

Brazil, let the star-spangled banner thou showest forth
be the symbol of eternal love,
and let the laurel-green of thy pennant proclaim'
Peace in the future and glory in the past.'

But if thou raisest the strong gavel of Justice,
thou wilt see that a son of thine flees not from battle,
nor does he who loves thee fear death itself.

Beloved Land,amongst a thousand others
art thou, Brazil,O beloved homeland!
To the sons of this land thou art a gentle mother,
beloved homeland,Brazil!

Things I miss about England #32: Singing hymns in English. I can't say I really miss our own national anthem, but I do miss singing belting songs and hymns in English when I'm in church.

Brazilian rugby: a footnote. The ESPN coverage of the Brazilian game I mentioned didn't last long. Within about 15 minutes they switched the transmission back to football!

2009-05-07T17:29:00.000-07:00

Gloria at number 1. Today is the first birthday of little Gloria. We took her out for ice cream this afternoon but proper celebrations will be occurring in Recife this weekend. Unfortunately, she looks a bit like someone's been using her as a baseball bat (I promise we would never do that! Please don't call social services!) as her head is covered in bruises. Basically, she's been exercising her new found freedom to walk by careering off into the nearest wall or doorpost or fence or whatever. Steering has yet to be mastered.

Anyway, we're so grateful to God for a great year with her despite the health scare in January. This was the post I wrote when she was born last year. Rach posted a cute picture of Gloria over at her (Rach's) Mummy Club blog.

Two special videos. Rachel (and the kids) were on a local TV show promoting the Mummy Club recently. They all did excelently. We've got the short 2 minute TV clip and wacked it on YouTube. So, this seems as appropriate a way as any to celebrate with Gloria today - by viewing her first (but perhaps not last?) official TV appearance.

Another video which really made me laugh. The football club Corinthians (who now have Ronaldo playing for them) won the Sao Paulo state championship. The ridiculously large trophy was given to the captain who was then (along with a few other dignitaries) raised up on a platform to parade the prize before the crowd. Streamers, fireworks, sparklers, smoke were wafting through the air... well, you'll just have to see for yourself what happened next. Let's just say it's a miracle nobody got hurt. Even more astonishing - once the platform was lowered, everyone just picked the trophy up and started the party again. This just goes to prove three things that I have oft repeated on this blog: 1) Football is a drug that stops Brazilians seeing the problems immediately before them 2) Brazilian health and safety is not all that great 3) Brazilians know how to party OR, that is to say, Brazilians will probably be the ones obliviously dancing away when the 4 horseman of the Apocalypse gallop into town.

For more info see: TILAB #19. TIMAE #7. Thanks to Danny Byrne for first drawing my attention to the video.

2009-05-05T07:03:00.000-07:00

How I got to and back from CELPE-Bras: a mini-Adventure. Last post, I mentioned a bit about the CELPE-Bras test I took. Getting the paperwork sorted and getting to and from the test were not entirely straightforward processes. I couldn't do the test in Natal - the nearest federal university was in Paraiba, in the next state, in Joao Pessoa. Being a 3 hour drive away, I had to take a day off work drive down the night before, stay with Rach's family so I could be on campus for the insanely early start of 7.30 am.

The drive down took a long time. I had my Portuguese CDs blaring out dialogues through the stereo and when we stopped for half an hour because of road works I could even get my grammar book out and revise the 2nd and 3rd conditionals while we waited. At one point a whole village had come out to oggle us in our cars while we waited - I couldn't even see a reason for the stoppage: my best guess was that a tree had fallen across the tarmac. They are widening the road between Natal and Joao Pessoa but it seems to be a case of things getting worse before the get better for now, with traffic being fed through one lane at points on the route (Things I miss about England #97: motorways). We're into Natal's rainy season now (or winter as they call it) and so visibility was quite low in places slowing the traffic down further. I enjoy the drive though, not least because for stretches of it you feel like you're driving through the middle of nowhere (Things I love about Brazil #97: The Outback) and, even though the ride might not be as picturesque as the TILAB #40, it gave me plenty of chance to exercise the TILAB #'s 51 and 52.

Although they don't have Welcome Break service stations here (Things I miss about England #96: road-side services) they do have grilled corn for sale by the side of the road (Things I love about Brazil #12: grilled corn on the cob sold by the side of the road). As it was coming towards evening the enterprising lady with her corn sold me three cobs for 2R so I could clear out her box. A sure bargain although it was quite hard to work my way through 3 corn on the cobs. My jaw muscles ached the next day too - those husks were husky.

I stayed the night with Tia Claudia, Rachel's aunt on her farm with her family and horses, dogs, fish and othr critters. I love being out there - it's so peaceful and quite a contrast to the beach-centric side of Brazilian life. Having said that, the wet weather caused a surge of mozzies (Things I love about England #13: not so many mozzies) which had me slapping my ankles every 5 seconds as I tried to cram for the test. Also, I panicked at one stage as I realised I had forgotten to bring any tea with me. I'm partial to a cuppa and while in Brazil often have a longing for TIMAE #'s 8 with 16. Despite a couple of years of being cold turkey on tea, Rach and I are now back on the habit and if we don't get our early morning fix of PG tips it can leave us with some nasty migraines by lunchtime (Things I miss about England #15: readily available tea). I was not looking forward to having splitting headaches through my written paper so, mercifully, Tia Claudia found a box of Twining's Blackcurrent tea which made a nice brew and seemed to have done the trick.

Early the next morning Elyn (Rach's cousin) drove me onto the University Campus. I arrived before 7am to see sleepy students and professors overloaded with folders trudging in. The early start to the day suits me though and the sunshine at the time of the morning is glorious (Things I love about (the north east of) Brazil #55: All-year morning sunshine). I enjoyed being back on campus. I felt a strange longing for Heslington and the university of York. Perhaps there is some sort of essence of campus which doesn't change across the world: the pro-marijana posters, the students sitting around picnic tables, grafitti in the toilets, pokey offices belonging to eccentric lecturers whose doors are plastered with flyers for this and that conference, the prevalance of cats... Wait a minute? Cats. This was definitely a novelty for me. Whereas we had ducks in York, Paraiba university has loads of cats around the place. I guess they keep the vermin down. Anyway, I like cats and I appreciated them being there - it gave the whole campus a very homely feel (Things I love about Brazil #94: cats on campus).

After my written paper it was lunch time so I went for a walk to find a supermarket to get some lunch. By the time I got there and back I had probably only been walking for half an hour but I was as hot as a pig on a spit. Now, I'm a fan of the hot weather hear as much as the next man but in the middle of the day it can get unbareable (Things I miss about England #81: not needing 3 cold showers a day to stay fresh). So, a rather sticky me took the oral test in the afternoon, then I drove off to find Rach's family. Rach had driven down with the kids so they could see their cousins Mel and Johnny in JP. She came with her folks in another car and again I found myself thinking how great it was that child safety laws were slightly less stringent than in the UK (Things I love about Brazil #83: kids don't have to use car seats up to the age of 11!) so that they could all fit in one vehicle with the kids sitting on laps. I'm all for child safety, don't get me wrong, but I think the UK laws need to be rolled back a bit in favour of letting parents take their own common sense decisions on this (hear, hear!).

We all met up for a great meal at Mangai, our favourite restaurant for regional food and then piled back to Rachel's Uncle's house for the night. Unfortunately, there were several city-wide power cuts which made for an interesting drive home (no traffic lights working) and a pretty broken night as we tried to keep the kids cool without air conditioner (Things I miss about England #25: less power cuts). The next day we visited several of Rach's relatives and made our way back together. But, all in all, the whole couple of days were excellent and worth doing - mainly because, when all's been said and done, I've really enjoyed learning the language of my wife and her family (Things I love about Brazil #7: Portuguese).

2009-05-04T12:41:00.000-07:00

CELPE-Bras. This time last week I was in the middle of a gruelling 3-hour writing paper for the government Portuguese exam, CELPE-Bras. I decided to take the test to give myself something to work towards to improve my Portuguese before we left. With a reasonable result, I hope my certificate might also provide something to stick on the ol` CV. The test itself was OK - I had prepared for it fairly well, utilising all the techniques and strategies I've been trying to teach my own students taking English exams. I had memorised idioms, set phrases, useful collocations, linking devices and I frequently used strategies in my oral test to buy time and stall if I didn't know how to express my answers.

Generally, I think the writing went OK. The oral test was hard as I was being interviewed by someone I'd never met before I wasn't used to their voice. The hardest section of all was the listening - a woman was talking about a restaurant. After the test, I heard two other candidates talking about the listening part - "Did you manage to get the address for the restaurant?". "Not all of it", came the reply. Meanwhile, I was in the background with eyebrows raised thinking "what address?!!!".

Twenty or so of us took the test in Joao Pessoa. I was the only Brit/American. Several other Latin Americans were there (not fair, I thought, as Spanish is so similar to Portuguese). Some candidates were definitely European - French, Spanish and I think. With test centres all around Brazil and the world, the CELPE-Bras seems to becoming increasingly well-known and sought after. Before my oral test I chatted to one of the helpers for the test - a university student studying literature. My conversation with her went a lot better than my oral test, I felt, and she had a lot to say about university life in Brazil. She explained that for many people the CELPE-Bras is their ticket to a new life in Brazil. Some companies, professions and many university research or teaching positions will require the certificate if you are to make a living here (similar, to be fair, to all the university-entry English tests I prepare students for back in the UK). In actual fact, she was teaching 8 Congolese refugees (who did not know French - so for them, Portuguese would be a whole more alien than it was for me!) who were going to win VISAs if they passed the exam. I felt humbled - my reasons for taking the test were rather low-key in comparison. For others the stakes were much higher.

One final note - a further question to the student from Joao Pessoa. Whenever I meet anyone who isn't studying to be a lawyer, doctor, engineer, nutritionist or computer scientist at university I always have to ask them how they're managing. This is because I've come to realise that many parents and families exert pressure on their kids to do courses that lead to certain traditional, high-earning careers which often comes at the expense of art, music, history, literature or philosophy. So, when I asked the young lady studying literature how her parents reacted to her course choice, she gave me a weary sigh as if this was a topic that frequently came up. "All I say to people is that the biggest and best thinkers - the people who changed society - came from studying the arts and humanities. That's what I'm aiming for". As someone who spent an inordinate amount of time in the York university library hunched over tomes on the Politics and History floors, I couldn't agree more!

2009-05-02T04:00:00.000-07:00

Guest photoblogger: Nathan Rockley. A bumper final offering from Mr. Nathan. Four more photos from their time in Fortaleza, including an appearance of Smilinguido (the famuos Brazilian Christian ant painted on the walls of Gabriel's home) and also a young chap who Nathan befriended. A big thank you to Nathan for his photos. They've certainly brightened up my blog. All we need now from the ever-talented Rockleys is a contribution from Priya which, Paul assures me, is in the pipeline. In the meantime, I leave you with Nathan's top ten experiences in Brazil:

1. Meeting Gabrielle
2. Walking through the jungle (That is, the Eco-sanctuary at Pipa)
3. Sand dune buggy ride
4. Ma-Noa (The waterpark)
5. The fabulous beaches
6. All the piscinas (yes, it is fair to say, Nathan and Priya road-tested many swimming pools during their time - Ed).
7. Nature park
8. Plane flights
9. The heat
10. Crazy road train at Fortaleza. (I wasn't there for this - you'll just have to ask Nathan to explain next time you see him)

2009-05-01T11:52:00.000-07:00

May Day round up. We're enjoying another national holiday - I think its the third in recent weeks. We had our new friends Sam and John over with their three boys. Nelson was so excited he was QUITE LITERALLY bouncing off the walls. He (Nelson) also found a stash of new undies that his granny had bought him. He changed in and out of various pairs 5 times before 10am.

Blog round up. This is the 300th published post on this blog. While the Rockleys were here we passed the 5,000 hits mark as well ( = just under 17 hits per post). Thanks to everyone who reads!

Footy round up. I wrote an article over here about Ronaldo - not Cristiano, THE Ronaldo who has scored more goals in World Cups than anyone else. He is starting to cause a stir back in Brazil as he's now playing for Corinthians.

Guest photoblogger: Nathan Rockley. Another installement from Nathan, two pictures from their trip to Fortaleza: it's the Rockleys with Priya's Compassion sponsored child - Gabriel!

The internet wasn't working here recently which is why we got behind on his series - sorry Nathan! Also, another question - this time one that Nathan asked me. The thing is, Natal hosts the biggest cashew tree in the world. It's something the local tourist board are very keen on and they've done quite a good job even since we've been here of putting in walkways, drumming up interest and creating nice publicity. Having lived here for 2 and a half years, I feel the cashew tree is something of an amusing joke. I mean, it's just a tree. It's also very wide, not very tall. It just looks like an overgrown hedge. It's the sort of thing guests are keen to see (yippee!! The world's largest cashew tree!!!) then after 3 minutes they sort of look slightly bemused (oh, right... ok, then... well, let's go to the beach). So, with this in mind, I tend to downplay the cashew tree when visitors are here. But, on our last day, I took the Rockleys to experience the wonders of the tree for themselves. A couple of hours later, having had time to ponder the merits of the foliage, Nathan had this to ask me while we were in the car:

Q: Dave, why do you say the cashew tree isn't very good? It's amazing!

2009-04-29T18:44:00.000-07:00

Guest photoblogger: Nathan Rockley. Two animals Nathan spotted. The first may look like loch ness monster (this photo has already been sent to specialists to see if its a hoax) but Nathan assures me its just a clay tortoise he made when he visited a farm with the other kids from the language school. The rabbit was on the farm too. Another question to Nathan:

Q: Who was the most interesting Brazilian you met?
A: Rachel.

2009-04-28T18:39:00.000-07:00

Guest photoblogger: Nathan Rockley. Another couple of highlights from the memory stick of Nathan Rockley, aged 8. There's the kids again and a great contribution (actually taken by Paul) to the collection of Fuscas we have on this blog.

Another question I asked Nathan.
Q: When were you most scared?
A: On the sand dune buggy ride.

2009-04-27T18:36:00.000-07:00

Guest photoblogger: Nathan Rockley. Another nice couple of shots. A purple flower, probably from Pipa. And, the kids relaxing at home.

I also took the chance to briefly interview Nathan on his experiences in Brazil and I will post some questions and answers with his photos. Here's the first one...

Q: What was the strangest thing you ate in Brazil?
A: Beer fruit. (Also known as sapote - my son Nelson's favourite).

2009-04-26T18:21:00.000-07:00

Rockley 'n' Roll. Well 3 weeks came and went very quickly and the Rockleys, we trust, are all safe and well back in the UK. What a talented bunch they are though, because if this blog hasn't benefitted tremendously from the insightful commenteering of Paul, we now have the creative inputs of Priya and Nathan to look forward to. First up is Nathan, who was asked to choose the best 10 photos from his camera that sum up his time here. He chose 14 - a measure, I hope, of how much fun he had. So, two a day for the next week... Nathan Rockley, "Maps and Legends" is in your hands.

Guest photoblogger: Nathan Rockley. Above, the first two in the series of 14 photos by Nathan. A view, I believe, looking out from the fort toward Redina beach and a nice one of a smiling Gloria pushing her "hippo".

Açai. One final anecdote here. Something the guidebooks and aficionados recommend is for visitors to Brazil to try an "açai". Açai is a purple fruit from the Amazon which, along with Guarana, has many great nutritional properties including providing energy. Basically, one açai = 7 bottles of Red Bull. But, to go for "açai" is not just to go out to eat the fruit somewhere - it's to go and have it served to you in a particularly special and unusual way. The açai is liquified and cooled (sort of like a slushy) and then extra pieces of fruit and, most importantly, granola (breakfast cereal grains) are added to it and served in large bowls. Anyway, this is what we all decided to do as we took the Rockleys to the airport - one last Brazilian festivity, and something to fill them up before being served airplane fare.

The number 1 place for Açai, so several of our friends said, was a shop which I was told was "next to the main BR petrol station". When we arrived, I was rather discouraged to find that the outlet consisted of one room with a box freezer which was literally IN the petrol station. Tables and stools were crammed together outside on the pavement and forecourt of a cycle shop. 8 lanes of traffic whizzed by within 100 yards (and this was at rush hour) and the smell of cars filling up with petrol and diseal would come wafting across to us as we sat huddled around our menus. What a nightmare, I thought, and no way to enjoy an açai or anything else! By this time Gloria and Nelson were bawling and I was grinding my teeth. Someone get me out of here! However, when my bowl of açai arrived... words cannot describe. A true Brazilian delicacy. I'm just sorry I discovered it so late.

2009-04-24T09:47:00.000-07:00

Guest blogger: Paul Rockley.

`Travel broadens the mind.´ Discuss.

That was an essay title given to me by an over-zealous prefect for some minor misdemeanor at school. I´ve no idea what inane drivel I produced to satiate his unreasonable demand for retribution. As I reflect on our time here in Brazil, I think there has been some mind-broadening through new experiences. Here´s some of the `firsts` that have happened to me in this amazing country.

1. Guest blogging.
Surprisingly more enjoyable than I expected. Not enough to make me want to persist, but worth the dabble. Thanks for reading. Both of you. And thanks too to O Gringo Maclurio for his kind permission and licence to blog.

2. Preaching to Brazilians.
I had a couple of different opportunities. Both very positive (for me at least). Another reminder to me that God uses our availability more than our ability.

3. Bodyboarding.
Exhilirating, but I needed some coaching first. I tried surfing as well. Ouch. It looks so easy on TV.

4. Watching ESPN.
This is a Brazilian channel which shows English football. I loved the passionate commentators and their uncanny ability to make saying the words `Goal´,` Rooney` and `Monshesterrr`(sic) last at least 3 minutes.

5. SKYPEing.
To Dave´s parents and some of his friends. It´s amazing to think this technology is available and doesn´t cost.

6. New fauna.
Including a basislisk lizard running upright on 2 legs right in front of me, humming birds, irridescent butterflies and frogs that go ´whoop´ instead of `ribit`.

7. New tastes.
Feijoada, acai ice cream, carne de sol, fresh papaya and caremallised cashews are some of the things that have made my tastebuds tingle.

8. The `louca loco`.
This was my name for a surreal road train ride along the seafront and surrounding streets of Fortaleza, accompanied by some Brazilian cartoon characters and Scooby Doo who kept jumping off and accosting innocent bystanders, all with a deafening kiddypop soundtrack. (Louca is Portuguese for ´mad`.)

9. Crazy stunts.
A hair-raising, white-knuckle, sand buggy ride, a 70m (that may be an exaggeration) vertical water slide and an even higher horizontal zip wire into a lake. I survived all of them. Intrepid, or what?

10. Visiting a sponsored child.
Humbling. Inspiring. Shocking. An immense privilege and very moving.

2009-04-20T09:13:00.000-07:00

Bits and bobs. Some amusing signs we've spotted recently above. They are from some of Genipabu's finer establishments. Paul and the kids have gone with Rach and our kids to Fortaleza for a couple of days leaving me to babysit Guga the turtle and revise for my Portuguese exam. I've been regularly adding photos to this album of their time here. Yesterday, we did the sand dune buggy rides - fortunate, as it was all nearly scuppered by tropical rain. Some new YouTube videos will probably be posted today to.

Before the leave next Friday, I'm expecting a post each from Priya, Nathan and Paul so stay tuned!

Picture quiz below. The picture from my last post below is an advert for real estate. It's talking about new holiday apartments...

2009-04-14T10:00:00.000-07:00

Guest blogger: Paul Rockley. (Scroll down if you missed the links to pictures and videos of the Rockleys in Brazil).

Appearance and Reality

"Seems madam? Nay ´tis! I know not seems."

So Hamlet explores a familiar Shakespearian theme – appearance and reality. It´s particularly pertinent here where ´delusive appearances have appeared with metronomic regularity throughout the social history of Brazil´(Joseph Page). One example was in the 19thC when the British (with almost breathtaking hypocrisy) were seeking to ensure their demands to end the slave trade in Brazil were met. They sent delegations to see if Brazil was complying, but since the Brazilians had no intention of doing so at that stage they created an impression that they were. Thus the phrase was coined ` para ingles ver´ (literally ´for the English to see´), which has survived to the present day.

We´ve also encountered some things that have been somewhat deceptive. A harmless looking millipede which is quite common here can give you a nasty sting. (It´s even worse in Amazonia where a touching a certain caterpillar can be fatal). My previous blog entry rejoicing in the absence of mozzies was premature – over 20 maddeningly itchy bites on my legs alone prove otherwise, though I´ve still hardly seen any of the infernal, pesky beasts. We were keen to sample some of the exotic fruits here. On our first day I bought a selection from the shop around the corner. ´Custard apple` tastes like neither custard nor apple, but is rather a collection of water melon seeds covered with bits of lychee flesh. I bought a large pack of ´Star fruit` for Rs 2 (about 70 pence in the UK) and instantly regretted it when I ate one. The children were similarly unimpressed. ``But they look so nice,`` I protested. One we sampled in church yesterday looked for all the world to be a Sharon fruit but stuck to your teeth with a bitter aftertaste.

And then there was one that looked just like a large Kiwi fruit. ``It tastes like beer,`` remarked my 8 year old son. ``How do you know what beer tastes like? I enquired. ``Grandad.`` was his laconic reply.

2009-04-13T16:34:00.000-07:00

Linktastic. A blog post full of links isn't supposed to be that interesting, but look what we've got for you today.

Check here for videos of the Easter period - notably, Paul Rockley on a Ma Noa waterpark slide, Guga the turtle moving to a new home, Gloria with her chums Priya and Nathan and Dave running down a sand dune.

Pictures of some of our adventures are posted in this facebook album. You have to work hard at spotting the Rockleys and Nelson and Gloria in amongst the flora and fauna of Brazil. Some of these photos were taken at the Eco-Sanctuary in Pipa, a part of which we got to know only too well: namely, half way up the mud truck on the way out. That's where our car got stuck and we were left somewhat at a loss for the best part of an hour. But, I'll let Paul fill in the details of that adventure, should he choose to mention it, on one of his elabarate posts...

Also, couldn't resist posting this video. Even Brazil's less than famous footballers are still brilliant. Here's a chap called Grafite (pronounced grafitti) scoring the fifth goal for Wolfsburg against the mighty Bayern Munich in the German Bundesliga last week. It's as cheeky a goal as you'll ever see, and a prime example of the "jeitinho" Paul was talking about below.

And the last one isn't a link at all - it's the picture above. Pop Quiz: What's that poster advertising? You'd think the English translation would make it crystal clear, but...

2009-04-12T13:15:00.000-07:00

Guest blogger: Paul Rockley.

The Divine jeitinho

Today is Easter Sunday, so a very feliz pascoa to everyone and especially our family back in Blighty.

Prior to our trip some kind friends bought us the Lonely Planet guide to Brazil, which was helpful preparatory reading since I didn´t know very much about this fascinating country at all. One of the things they mention is the Brazilian way of doing things called jeitinho. Apparently it´s a difficult word to translate, but it carries the idea of a creative way around things which are seemingly difficult or intractable. A sporting example which comes to mind was a jaw-dropping piece of skill and inventiveness I saw a Brazilian footballer perform against my team (Manchester United) in the the FIFA World Club Championship in 2000. Receiving the ball with his back to the goal and a hulking defender right behind him, Edmundo somehow contrived to spin the ball one way, turn the other side of the dumbstruck defender, collect it again and smash it past the goalkeeper. I´ve never seen it repeated. Apparently Brazilians pride themselves in doing this sort of thing in all sorts of situations.

One French scholar described jeitinho as ``an ingenious manoeuvre that renders the impossible possible, the unjust just, and the illegal legal``. With it being Easter my thoughts turn naturally to what happened on that ´green hill far away´ outside Jerusalem. Here was the God of awesome holiness facing the dilemma of what to do with sinful, rebellious humanity who yet remained the objects of his love and with whom He desired relationship. What would He do? The cross is His answer. In the cross He somehow managed to satisfy the demands of His justice with the lavishness of His grace. In the cross the sinless one was ´made sin for us´. In the cross the immortal dies , God pays our debt `the just for the unjust´ Genius. Mystery. ´A deeper magic since before the dawn of time´ as C.S. Lewis puts it in his allegory The Lion , the witch and the wardrobe. I´m calling it ´Divine jeitinho.´

2009-04-11T18:12:00.000-07:00

Guest blogger: Paul Rockley.

Wot no mozzies?

One of the pleasant surprises about our trip so far is the distinct lack of mosquitoes here in Natal. Of course I´m not missing them or their irritating high-pitched whine in my ear, it´s just I was geared up to resume hostilities after our last time in a hot country. I brought all manner of repellents and was ready for the nightly ritual of checking every nook and cranny of the room to hunt down and destroy the insectoid enemy. So we´ve been able to sleep in relative peace, rather than being woken every five minutes by that tell-tale whine, jumping out of bed, turning the light on in a blind panic and carrying out another frenzied search. I remember one such night in a Maputo hostel where the drama was heightened by the fact that we were in a malaria-ridden region. It all reminds me of the Kenyan proverb; ` anyone who thinks they are too small to make a difference has never spent the night in the same room as a mosquito!´

2009-04-08T17:30:00.000-07:00

Introducing... The Rockleys arrived safe and sound on Sunday night and I've been fortunate to have a few mornings off to be with them, see some of the sights and catch up with (former boss!) Paul, the Nathmeister and the "Praia-loving" Priya. One of the first things Paul asked me is if he could be a guest blogger. That's the first time anyone's actually asked to be one - but I couldn't say no as Paul is somewhat an avid reader of Maps and Legends and so its my honour to let him put something back into it. Here is his first entry which he spent the best part of 7 hours honing into as fine an example of a blog entry as you could ever hope to read. Over to you Paul...

Guest Blogger: Paul Rockley.

First impressions last

Let me say at the outset of my foray into blogdom I´m not a blogger or the son of a blogger but I´m happy to have a go while I´m on holiday. As someone who is a regular reader of Maps and Legends I know others will read this, which is both reassuring and an incentive to write something worthwhile. Also, it´s a good way for the folks back home to follow what we´re up to, is more informative than a postcard and gives Dave a well-earned break . So here goes…

Our journey from London via Lisbon was pleasantly uneventful. The interesting thing for me was the importance of first impressions. Admittedly it was late at night (around 11:45pm) so there were presumably fewer staff around, but I´m not sure why we had to stand in a queue for an hour in immigration before we could finally retrieve our bags and be on our way. I´m British, I love queuing normally (!), but this was different and was especially tough on the children who were hot, bothered and exhausted. Effectively it was 4:00am in the morning for us, and we just wanted to collapse somewhere. I didn´t see any ´welcome to Brazil´ signs anywhere in fact the only sign I saw in English was one warning of the serious punishment for any would-be ´sex tourists´. Nobody spoke to us or smiled at us and I was somewhat taken aback by the apparent unfriendliness. I had read somewhere that Brazilians are suspicious of strangers, so maybe I´m reading too much into all this, but I couldn´t escape a feeling of not being welcome somehow.

At least we´d already seen a beaming Dave sporting his England football shirt waiting to meet us from the plane before we headed into immigration. We felt bad that he´d had to wait so long, but were so relieved to be whisked away from the airport to their apartment, where Rach had stayed up to greet us which we really appreciated. Also there were beds made up for us, a fan cooling the room down and the inviting prospect of a shower! What a contrast to what we´d felt moments earlier. And what a difference a warm welcome makes to tired travellers.

2009-04-05T18:33:00.000-07:00

Dan's gone, Rockleys are almost here. I'm about to set off the airport to pick up Paul, Nathan and Priya. Dan left this morning at 3am so we're really enjoying have a full house. With Easter here, it will be great to do some things with Paul's kids.

Sand dune buggy ride is worst/most exciting yet. I took Dan on the sand dune buddy ride. Now, the lady who owns the joint knows me by name and gives me discounts. She also provides the crazyiest drivers. Dan's mountain-biking experience seemed to help him because I was flung about the dunes like a pebble in a can. Nearly came off twice.

10 smashed cars in one day. I've commented on here regularly about the propensity for bumps in Natal. It's now getting beyond a joke. We were woken at 3am the other day by a guy rolling his car (with no one else around) at the junction outside our window. This has made me jittery and I keep getting up at night when I hear tires screech or horns blare (which is every night). Then, during one day this week, I counted 10 dented cars that I saw around town - recently dented, I mean. With the owners standing around scratching their heads and waiting for the traffic cops to arrive. Worse yet, while driving my mother-in-law to the airport a couple of weeks back the traffic in front of us suddenly started skidding about and going at zig-zags. It was a day time police car chase. A bermuda-shorts wearing chap was apprehended by gun-carrying special forces.

2009-03-26T12:23:00.000-07:00

Abortion and the Catholic Church. Almost a year ago I published a post on here in which I expressed my horror at the story of Joseph Fritzl, the Austrian man who imprisoned and raped his own daughter. That case is back round again with Mr Fritzl in court for his crimes. Another recent story caught my attention which has left me similarly aghast, but its closer to us here in Brazil. Maybe, you heard about it. It's the story of the 9 year old girl, pregnant with twins, who was allegedly raped by her stepfather. The girl and her family live in Rachel's home state (Pernambuco) and the aftermath of her abortion - supposedly, on twins in the womb - has caused a furore here and abroad. The controvesy? The Catholic church excommunicated the doctors who performed an abortion on her, in spite of the fact that the girl's fragile frame would not have withstood the pregnancy. Abortion is illegal in Brazil, but it is permitted if there is significant risk to the mother - as there was in this situation. To this, the Catholic line was that she have a c-section, but the babies should live. The Catholic church did not excommunicate the man alleged to have raped her.

I've just read in Veja magazine an interview with the Bishop of Recife who announced the Catholic church's position - that the Doctors and mother, as those who approved and carried out the abortions, should be excommunicated. It is extremely revealing to me - not only on how the Catholic church functions as regards to its laws, but also how the official position is now at odds with the majority of Catholics in the country.

Here are a few pointers from his interview that I found interesting. What this case represents is very much a clash of two worldviews and the Bishop articulates this stating early on that God's law must come first and that the life of an unborn child has as much value as a grown human adult. As it happens, the Catholic church excommunicates people for nine different reasons, but rape is not included in the list. Abortion is included because it is considered to be wilful murder against an innocent. The Bishop goes onto explain some of the other 8 possible reasons for excommunication - physical harm to the Pope, apostasy and desecrating the bread and wine. In other words, excommunication can occur for (to a non-believer) seemingly trivial things while other crimes, so heinous, "appear" to go unpunished by the church.

In a small way, I have grudging respect for the Bishop. He is caught between a rock and a hard place and he is simply the mouthpiece for church law - it was not, per se, actually his own decision, rather the decision of Rome. Also, as I am a Christian who is often misunderstood by people who have no faith and as someone who has made and continues to make seemingly odd decisions based on my beliefs that there is a God and we can know what he wants us to do based on the Holy Sprit and the Bible, I relate to the Bishop and his quandary. He is, in his way, trying to do the right thing. Through the prism of Catholic law and in such a context as this inflammatory story, his words seem calaous and harsh. I can also see in a him a genuine desire to stop abortion (and rape and murder) - as he recounts several "positive" stories of mothers being talked out of potenitally reckless (and illegal) abortions by Catholic Doctors.

I guess what I'm really trying to say is that my critique would not be against him as a person. (Veja opens the article by saying that there are those who base their lives on the "Doctrine of Love" and others who live out their lives because of the "Love of Doctrine" - the Bishop being an example of the latter). Rather, I think, it would have to be against Catholic doctrine which elevates certain acts into an untouchable territory liable for excommunication. For me, this contradicts biblical teaching which suggests every sinful act is an abomination to God - be it, on the one hand, a seemingly insignificant "white lie" or, on the hand, a Joseph Fritzl-style lifetime of abhorant acts. Therefore, we all stand accused. But the Christian message is that absolutely anyone can claim forgiveness through Jesus Christ, regardless of their past transgressions. In this sense, none of us can ever be "excommunicated" - Jesus accepts all of us in spite of our position vis-a-vis any established church. My prayer is that everyone in this story - be it those in or out of the Catholic church will come to realise this.

One final note to show what this case means for Brazilian society. The editorial of the Veja issue concluded by saying how thankful it was the church was seperated from the state so that Catholic law was not punishable through state channels. Likewise, the Minister for Health roundly criticized the church's position as being impractical in real life and out of touch with modern society. And one letter from a reader caught my attention. It said: "I cannot believe the Catholic church has taken a decision out of the middle ages. Is it any wonder the protestant churches are growing in this country like a plague?"

POST-SCRIPT: I should say, that I consider myself to be very much "pro-life" in my beliefs, but that being "pro-life" includes honouring the lives of all involved including the little girl as well as the unborn children. Therefore, in this extreme case - in which a young girl is unwittingly pregnant at an age in which she lacks the maturity and even physical development to care for children, and with the health risks involved, I would say that the decision to take an abortion is at the very least understandable. The question is, if I was a Catholic clergyman - would I be able to say that? And if so, would I lose my job?

2009-03-25T07:02:00.000-07:00

Things I love about Brazil #42: Fuscas / VW Beetles. VW built many of their famous cars in Brazil, and I've realised many Brazilians have a love affair with the little vehicles. For many poorer people, or for students or those buying their first car, a used but reliable "Fusca" or Beetle is your best bet. And then, if you're so inclined, join a society of Fusca owners and paint your car interesting colours (see above), add stickers, oversized tyres and generally "pimp" it. That top car has a sticker on it claiming a 4x4 gearbox. Yeah, right.

Nelson loves "Fuscinhas" mainly due to his fascination with the Herbie films, especially the most recent one.. People have been kind enough to buy him toy VW Beetles which he treasures and he has also taken some of his favourite toy cars to his own personal workshop (ie his Dad) in order to modify and personalise them, just like the real owners of Fusca's do - often with stickers of numbers front, back and sides just like the Disney film model. For his 3rd birthday which he will celebrate in June, why not a Herbie themed party? The only problem: we can't seem to find any of the merchandise/posters/stickers anywhere! Unusual for a Disney franchise, that.

Anyway, Nelson's day was completely made a couple of weeks ago when Teacher Dyego from the language school came over for lunch with his girlfriend. And what should they drive in? Dyego's brand new (for him - but the car is from 1983) metallic green VW Beetle with rims and purple-tinted windows. Nelson and his Dad drew a picture of the car. Can you guess which one it is from the pictures above? Dyego even drove a stunned Nelson round the block in it. Nelson's only comment - "this Fusca makes a lot of bumps!" - a product of sitting in the back seat which is pretty much on top of the engine. So, that's another milestone achieved in my son's short life: first ride in a Fusca.

LANGUAGE NOTE: All this talk of VW's reminds me of something I heard recently. My father-in-law, never one to switch off from the business of teaching English likes noticing how English is creeping into the Portuguese language. And, have you seen the futuristic film Code 46, in which the language of the future is an amalgam of English with several other languages? Well, this is already occurring in Brazil and Steve spotted it. A sentence above a garage which drew on THREE languages: "Faça o check-up no seu Volkswagen aqui".

2009-03-25T05:26:00.000-07:00

The Mummy's Club. Rach has started with the help of people from church a playgroup for Mum's on Saturday mornings. Rachel modelled it on "Rainbow Club" - a similar and successful group from St.Mikes in York. It's interesting that this kind of thing isn't done more in Brazil but it seems as if young mothers generally turn to family for advice and support - and then there is the Brazilian suspicion and mistrust of strangers which creates a barrier for Mum's who are understndably reluctant to let unknown people near their kids. But, its slowly picking up and Rach hopes that it will find a niche in the market for young Mums who don't have so many family or friends nearby. There's been a lot of positive support and even an invitation for Rach to go on a TV chat show about it.

GMAIL NOTE: Rach set up a Gmail account for The Mummy's Club but they've recently stopped her sending out group emails because they think it's spam! Rach is a bit grumpy about this and our attempts to contact Google haven't been too successful. Anyone had this problem?

Pictures. Slowly rotating in the sidepanel are some pictures from a recent Mummy's Club.

2009-03-23T10:40:00.000-07:00

Cousin Daniel arrives. Just got a call from Rach at the airport. Dan is here! Woohoo!

Things I miss about England #42: CDs on magazines. if you want new music in Natal, you download it illegally or you go the guy with the wagon on the beach and you ask him to download it illegally. Cousin Dan could well be bringing me some music mags from the UK with CDs on the front - for many years, this was my way to hear new, legal, good music. Maybe, I'm just a traditionalist, but...

Amusing uses of English. Just been marking more tests. From some tests about parts of the body and ailments... Students had to fill in gaps with the correct words and sometimes the first letter was given as a clue. Expected answers were, of course, blowing/fainted/fainted/throat.

When you have a cold you spend a long time chewing your nose.

I was on the train and lost consciousness. I failed.

I was on the train and lost consciousness. I falled over [sic].

I have a sore toe - it hurts when I laugh.

2009-03-17T11:43:00.000-07:00

Life rumbles on. Time is flying by and lots is happening. My cousin Dan is coming out to visit (hurrah!). Gloria got ill again but now is better (hooray!).

I'm keeping busy with my classes and students - one of whom is the state's most important plastic surgeon. With a Dutch name, oriental appearance and Brazilian passport he's already an extraordinary guy, but at the age of 40 he is 5 years short of being able to retire for good. His plan for his retirement is to stay at home (he lives alone), read books and watch films. I'm not entirely sure why he is even learning English, but we're happy to teach him for the money he pays us.

Also, I've started turning the cogs on the machine that will be our move back to England. I've signed up for numerous job sites, freshened up my CV. But, and we're going to really have to trust God on this one as we believe it is Him who is asking us to return, the situation in London isn't so good. Some of the organisations I've wanted to work for have frozen their recruitment in wake of the economic crisis. I got an email today from a great little charity which do education work with children of war torn countries (right up my street!) saying that a job prospect I showed interest in has been withdrawn for the very same reason. Rach's bro and sis are there already but have struggled to get permanent work. We sure have picked a humdinger of a year to return to the UK, but we have faith something will work out. As I keep saying: "we'll build the ark, and God can make it float".

2009-03-10T18:29:00.000-07:00

Are these toys really a good idea? Nelson with enough "instruments" (as given by hs great Uncle Andy) to drown out a real orchestra.

2009-03-10T18:05:00.000-07:00

Things I miss about England #2: family. It goes without saying, really... we're making our plans to move back to the UK and being close to Mum and Dad, to my cousins and Uncles and Aunts is a fantastic boon to our inklings to leave Brazil. In terms of having my family to visit us here, we've been blessed to have Mum and Dad and, all being well, cousin Dan should be joining us making him the first cousin to make it to Brazil to see us.

Things I love about Brazil #2: family. Rachel's family are wonderful and I've enjoyed getting to know them more and more over our two and a half years here. Rach's folks are a constant source of generosity and encouragement as well as numerous cousins, Uncles and Aunts too numerous to mention individually.

However, two stories that occurred across the Carnaval period really brought a smile to my face and made me grateful for such a joyful and well-meaning bunch of people I get to call my in-laws.

The first was down at Muro Alto (High Wall) where Rach's folks have recently procured a beach house. Lots of family were knocking around including Alvaro (Rach's Uncle) who taught us how to fly a kite, Aurora and family (who were based at their beach house walking distance away) as well as Laulau, Rach's granny. At one point, Rachel and Nelson and the girls found a large snail on the lawn. For quite some time they observed the chap sliming his way over some grass. When Laulau turned up she scolded everyone for playing with the "poisonous" creature. Before anyone could stop her or explain that nobody was about to touch the thing, Laulau had booted the offending critter into the nearest bush. Of course, there was no coaxing him out of his shell after that and three generations of Laulau's progeny (daughter, 2xgranddaughters and 1xgreat grandson) gave her a proper ticking off for spoiling their fun. I chuckled from a safe distance away!

And then, just 10 days ago we were down in Joao Pessoa for Rach's cousins 7th birthday. Melissa and her little brother Johnny (Johnny Pequeno as Nelson calls him) are some of our favourite extended family to visit as our kids love being around them. Anyway, just as the party was in full swing, and Nelson seemed to be a bit under the weather for some reason, who should roll up but Rach's Dad's brother Andy with his family in tow. Andy sat next to Nelson and pulled out a plastic bag claiming there was a present in it for Nelson. (Odd, I thought, as it isn't technically HIS birthday). But, there was. And the first item was a rattle. Like one of those you see kids using in football matches from the 1960s. One twizzle of that thing and the whole party was brought to a grinding hault, all heads turned to our corner by the deafening sound. Oblivious to this, Andy pulled out his second gift for Nelson - a bird whistle. Then 5 minutes later, a toy horn, and then one or two other noise-inducing items including something that made a piercing beep. Why, I thought to myself, would anyone possibly want to give a nearly-3 year old such ear-splittingly annoying toys? The answer, of course: but that's what kids want! Nelson, of course, was happily entertained creating a sizeable din. I'm constantly amazed by Rach and her family in how they prioritise the enjoyment of the kids above their own comfort (Tio Andy's presents being a case in point). This is, of course, a Brazilian trait but it's a good one. Victorian Britain may have given us all from the UK a sense that "kids should be seen and not heard" but Brazilians seem to hold the view that "kids should be both seen and heard".

However, my Englishness got the better of me as we got in the car for the 3 hour journey home. It was getting dark, it was raining and I didn't want any distractions as I drove. Andy's bag of tricks was stowed away deep in the back of the boot.

2009-03-05T12:13:00.000-08:00

AN A-Z OF ADVENTURES WITH MUM AND DAD

M is for music. My mother has very strong opinions about what makes good music or not, especially at Christmas time when well-sung carols should be the order of the day. Unfortunately, there weren't too many examples of well-sing anythings during their time in the UK, with the possible exception of Pastor Gerson's church whose power-house worship group were probably heard by (and probably overpowered) Hillsong, Australia. Also, a 5-piece Baptist church group put on a special concert which we all attended too. That was well done.

N is for Nelson. Rach's brother has moved over to the UK. All of us went to the airport to see him off, just after Christmas.

O is for Orphanage. We took Mum and Dad to visit the orphanage briefly where we help out sometimes.

P is for Pipa (meaning "kite" in Portuguese). The beautiful seaside town, an hour south of Natal. We stayed in a chalet as part of a new development and pretty much had the place, and the enormous pool that came with it, to ourselves. Sunday morning, watching the wild parrots in the trees as we prayed and read and slouched on hammocks will be an enduring memory...

Q is for Quiet. That is to say, not much of...

R is for Rummikub. A good way to while away an evening.

S is for Scrabble. Another good way to while away an evening. Mum and Dad's travel edition was never far from hand.

T is for Table Tennis. And another good way to relax. Dad proved to be surprisingly adept around the table despite his many years, beating his son more times than he lost. (T is also for Tennis, played against Pastor Gerson and his friends one morning. Sadly, the Maclures slumped to defeat in that match-up).

U is for unexpected and unplanned. A large majority of what we did fell into these categories.

V is for Variety. As Mum noted toward the end of our stay - we certainly managed to do a host of different things: from the giant puppet fair to sitting next to a poorly baby in hospital, from seeing the city of Natal from the top of Marcelo and Veronica's skyscraper to swimming in the Lagoon near Genipabu, we crammed a lot in...

W is for wedding anniversary - for Rachel and I, it was our fifth on December 27th.

X is for caiXa. Mum and Dad, very helpfully, managed to bring a new car seat for Nelson from the states. It arrived in a huge box (caixa in Portuguese) which was a bit worse for wear by the time it got to Natal. Fortunately, its contents were in good nick and Nelson enjoyed the pleasures of a slightly more grown up seat (with cup holder).

Y is for youth group. Dad spoke to a crew of 90 young people all fired up to do a mission trip. Rachel translated and the whole experience seemed to be a real encouragement to everyone.

Z is for ZZzzzz. Sleep. We managed to get some in, and we hope Mum and Dad did too, getting the rest they deserved.

...and that concludes the A-Z of adventures with Mum and Dad. God was good to us to give us such an unforgettable time together as a family.

2009-03-02T17:33:00.000-08:00

Time is at a premium or why I'm not blogging as much as I'd like. For the first time since starting this blog, I can honestly say I am just not finding the time to update like I'd like. The main reason lately has been that I'm focussing in on taking the government Portuguese exam for foreigners, called CELPE-Bras. The test is in April and I recently bought a fantastic new book which is 400 pages long. It tests all the skills, is very accessible and uses authentic matieral - its easily the best textbook of Brazilian Portuguese I've seen so far. So, any spare moment I'm slogging through that to try and prepare for the test. On top of that, my dear wife is turning her hand to more internet based projects - including our very own Britain Brasil Bridge, an idea (which presently exists only as a group on facebook) to unite Christians (but not exclusively) whose lives are somehow caught between the wonderful countries of Great Britain and Brazil. More on that in another post. Rach is also pioneering several other projects in her capacity as a Mum, at least one of which will involve a blog of sorts.

dılɟ/ɯoɔ˙pɐɟʌǝɹ˙ʍʍʍ//:dʇʇɥ :ǝɹǝɥ ɟlǝsɹnoʎ ʇı ʎɹʇ˙˙˙ʇuoɹɟ oʇ ʞɔɐq puɐ uʍop ǝpısdn ǝʇoɹʍ ı ɟı ƃolq ʎɯ ƃuıpɐǝɹ dǝǝʞ plnoʍ ǝldoǝd ʎuɐɯ ʍoɥ ɹǝpuoʍ ı ˙unɟ ɟo puıʞ sʇı ˙ʞooqǝɔɐɟ oʇ sʞuɐɥʇ ʎɐpoʇ sıɥʇ pǝɹǝʌoɔsıp

2009-02-22T05:35:00.000-08:00

The youth of today. I've been reading an interesting article in the latest edition of Veja, a popular Brazilian current affairs magazine. Its talking about research conducted on attitudes among young people in Brazil. I found this quite interesting because it speaks directly about our client base - most of my students are middle class Brazilian adolescents. The basic point seems to be that teenagers have more spending power than ever before, cost more to their families, are so immersed in a digital word in which various gadgets (phones, ipods, computers) are like essential extensions to their own limbs and they have greater authority to make decisions about family purchases. They are pragmatic and not idealistic. In spite of all this, they are more "disoriented" then ever, says the magazine...

Here are some of the stats - remember that a large portion of Brazil's population is still very poor. Over 80% of young people use Orkut (like facebook) and MSN and 70% download music illegally. They spend, amazingly, 3 and a half hours online per day, almost as much as me (that's just a joke, by the way!). All of this has greatly increased within the last 3 years. In 2005, only 12% of teenagers wrote a blog, now 21% do. One statistic that really surprised me was to do with how many young people buy online - up from 14% in 2005 to 40% in 2008. Brazilians, as I've said on here before, generally distrust strangers, distrust (quite rightly) the mail service and doubt (also, rightly) the adequate provision of any customer service or returns procedures for products. Consequently, Marcado Livre - the e-bay of Brazil has never really flown like its counterpart in the UK and the States. So, while 40% is probably lower than the equivelent statistic in the UK, its still a lot higher than I thought it would be and, thinking optimistically, if young people experience success in their online purchasing, this all may mark a much needed up-turn in overall levels of trust within Brazil.

I've always been impressed how much Brazilians are able to assimilate new technology into their lives, homes and businesses so I reckon these statistics don't surprise all that much. What would the equivelent stats be back in the UK? I guess this is the kind of world, be it Brazil or back in the UK, that my own kids are growing up in so I'd better get used to it!

2009-02-19T04:20:00.000-08:00

AN A-Z OF ADVENTURES WITH MUM AND DAD

L is for Language. With Mum and Dad here, I took the opportunity to "show off" my grasp of Portuguese when Rachel wasn't around by ordering food at restaurants, making enquiries in shops and asking for directions. Most of the time things went smoothly but I still found myself in occasional situations where, as a gringo speaking Portuguese, the assumption from the receiving end was that I could speak no Portuguese at all. In Joao Pessoa on one occasion, I found myself jamming my finger into a menu at the item in question (which was "Apfelstrudel") which clearly so flummoxed one rather pale-looking waitor, that he ran off. Ten minutes later back came a colleague of his who nervously said in very broken English "I help you?". Its funny how something like this can make one frustrated when one has poured out a lot of time and energy into learning a new language. WE DON'T NEED THE WAITOR WHO SPEAKS A BIT OF ENGLISH - WE JUST NEED THE ONE WHO UNDERSTANDS PORTUGUESE!

Another time, we pulled over to ask for directions. All I had to ask was "Sir, do you know where Marco Zero is?". So this is what I said to the security guard by a builing: "O senhor sabe onde fica Marco Zero?". A blank stare in reply. "Como?"came the tentative reply.

At this point, Rachel reached across the seat and spoke through my window. She said: "O senhor sabe onde fica Marco Zero?". The man smiled, relieved. He then helpfully gave us directions. Now, maybe this has more to do with the Brazilian man wanting to help out a beautiful lady, but in language terms WHAT DID I DO WRONG?

Fortunately, this kind of thing doesn't happen too often. Dad, bless him, actually worked quite hard at picking up some Portuguese (to add to the half a dozen languages he already knows) mainly so he could communicate a bit with Nelson. But, one afternoon we came across a (for these purposes, unnamed) employee of the Cultura Inglesa language school who Dad intended to wish a Happy New Year too. This was the conversation:

Dad (trying his Portuguese): Feliz ano novo!
Mr.X (in Portuguese to me): I don't speak English.
Me (in Portuguese to Mr.X): He said "Feliz ano novo!"
Mr.X (in Portuguese to me): Feliz ano novo? Wow! English is easy. That's exactly the same as it is in Portuguese...

2009-02-17T03:55:00.000-08:00

February = No Man's Land. We're at a strange time of the year, where the summer holidays have ended and term has started up at the start of February but in reality everyone is waiting for Carnaval to finish (end of February) before they really throw themselves back into normal life. For an English teacher this means 3 weeks of teaching half-empty classes knowing that half the group won't come back until March, at which time they will promptly fail their tests for not having been in any lessons. Even the students that are here are not really here in spirit - homework doesn't get done. It also perputates the notion that Brazilians (at least up here in sleepy towns) know how to relax. Essentially, December through to the end of February is chalked off for summer. Any work done during that time is clearly a fortunate coincidence.

I am applying to take CELPE-Bras, the official government test for foreigners learning Brazlian Portuguese. Last night, Rachel and I found that their official website had only been updated at the end of last year and the application page was shut down. Apart from this demonstrating the vulgaries of Brazilian beaucracy, it also reinforced the iron law I'm talking about here. When I suggested to Rachel we should call a number to try and make progress, she replied: "I wouldn't bother this week. Just check back after Carnaval".

2009-02-11T05:07:00.000-08:00

AN A-Z OF ADVENTURES WITH MUM AND DAD

I is for Ice Cream. Much thereof consumed by all, including and especially Gloria.

J is for Joao Pessoa. Festivities either side of Christmas were held in Joao Pessoa. Mum and Dad participated in the traditional Barlow/Gueiros secret santa institution giving and garnering many gifts in the process. Mum and Dad also got to meet Marcus and Tamara, our good friends also based in JP.

K is for Kung Fu Panda. One of the films we watched when Gloria was in hospital, Mum even saw it too. Nelson's reaction was a thumbs down. Dad and Mum's reaction was a thumbs up!

2009-02-05T11:14:00.000-08:00

The two faces of Brazil. The satirical online newspaper The Onion has put this picture on the front cover of its 2009 World Calender. I think the image captures something of Brazil's contradictions - beauty, devotion and religious fervour, on the one hand - favelas with gang violence which rival war zones, on the other. As the tagline I read for the photo says: "People at their most beautiful, humanity at its ugliest".

This addition should be added to this montage of alternative Christ the Redeemer photos I published on here back at the start of 2007. Click here for those.

2009-02-02T15:40:00.000-08:00

Sorry, sorry. After such high-faluting resolution s this year has started rather sputteringly on the internet front. We've been away a lot, tired a lot and without internet at home. The regular semester starts this week so with routine will come normality. We've got Rach's sis Amy with us right now and we've had Mum and Dad and Rosie amongst others staying with us. The kids will be bored stiff when everyone goes and its just us for entertainment.

AN A-Z OF ADVENTURES WITH MUM AND DAD

C is for Church. Mum and Dad experienced the full breadth of church styles and sizes while they were with us. They got to see a contemporary Christian gospel group do a presentation, they went to our little church group where Dad spoke (12 people or so), they went to Pastor Gerson's Nazarene church and Dad spoke with the aid of Fernando translating (500 people or so) and they also managed to get to a charismatic Anglican church in Recife on New Year's eve.

D is for Driving. We spent a lot of our time on the road and all managed to fit into one car thanks to Rach's folks lending us their 7-seater Chevrolet Zafira.

E is for English. I managed to convince to Dad to help me out with a few of my final lessons before Christmas - in particular, talking to my group of pastors and also to a prospective Brazilian diplomat who was keen to interview Dad on his experiences in Africa. E is also for English because this is also the language that Nelson has trouble understanding - despite this barrier, by the end of the trip he had great rapport with both Mum and Dad.

2009-01-26T04:28:00.000-08:00

Guest Blogger: Dave's Mum. As we come to the end of our stay in Brazil we have stored up in our minds some wonderful memories of special occasions with Rachel’s generous and friendly family – annual family reunions with lots of cousins, aunts and uncles which we’ve still not quite sorted out! And of course the many happy hours of just being with David and Rachel, Nelson and Gloria. Being able to see changes in both children just during the time we have been together has been such a special treat. We’ve been privileged to see more of the spectacular scenery of the northeast coast of Brazil and enjoyed many different beaches. Sadly, just as we were coming to the end of our visit, little Gloria fell ill and had to be admitted to hospital. I stayed with Rachel and Gloria in the hospital so was able to see first hand the workings of a Brazilian hospital and was impressed with the care and expertise of the nurses and doctors. How grateful we were that she received such good treatment and is home again. It was sad to say good-bye, but we will look forward with great anticipation to their arrival in Britain in August.

2009-01-19T06:16:00.001-08:00

AN A-Z OF ADVENTURES WITH MUM AND DAD

(Due to not having internet at home at the moment my blogging plans have been temporarily scrambled. Letters C,D and E are to appear in the next post. Mum and Dad left this morning at 4am for their 24 series of flights to take them back to the States. One more post from Mum is due so watch this space).

F is for food. Lots of. And very delicious. The highlight for me was a fabulous meal in a restaurant based in a renovated old British train station just outside Natal.

G is for Gloria. In the month that Mum and Dad have been with us, Gloria has changed considerably. She had just mastered clapping her hands and now, by mid-January, we think she has her first word (a mumble that sounds like "Mum") and she can walk along the side of a sofa and she has hair which could be brushed. Progress indeed. Its been great for Mum and Dad to have time with her.

H is for hotels and hospitals - where we spent large chunks of our time. We spent 4 days over Christmas in Cabo EcoResort lodge down in Porto de Galinhas (as described by Mum in an earlier post) and we managed one night away in Pipa, the coastal town close to Natal. We picked out a hotel in development (there was no breakfast included) with a HUGE pool. Nobody else was there - the views, the sunset, the company were excellent.

Unfortunately, after our trip to Pipa Gloria contracted a nasty infection resulting in frequent fevers. After several days and not much improvement, she began to vomit too. Rachel and Gloria installed themselves in a hospital which is where they stayed for the best part of 4 days. Gloria has my inherited blood problem and so a blood transfusion was felt to be necessary. All went well, and she is her usual pink, beaming self again - she was so grateful to be home, I was surprised her first words weren't "For goodness sakes, don't ever take me out of here again! Where's my cot?".

Thanks to many of you who prayed and to an awesome God who heals.

2009-01-13T17:47:00.000-08:00

AN A-Z OF ADVENTURES WITH MUM AND DAD

A is for Amusing uses of English. I think I understand what the above helpful messages are saying, or do I... Also, is there anything wrong with this option on a menu: "A chest of backwoods chicken"? My Mum ordered it. We think it means, "A breast of country chicken".

B is for Beautiful. The most uttered adjective when viewing sunsets, sunrises, spectacular views, New Years fireworks, food, wildlife, birds, the swimming pool, the moon and so on... Some pictures of the above are now revolving in the slideshow to the right.

2009-01-07T02:22:00.000-08:00

Guest blogger: Nelson with "Nelson's column" - a review of the last year.

Hello everyone,

Dad asked me to write the Christmas letter for us Maclures but, as you can see it’s late. This is primarily because I am not even 3 and don’t have a fully developed concept of time. Anyway, what I can recall I will write here.

2008 in review

2008 was quite a year for me. Accounting for nearly double the amount of life I had before I can honestly say that, relatively, I have accomplished a great deal within the last year.

Just like my Mum, I love talking away – I speak Portuguese but sometimes mix it up with the language my Dad speaks. Its all very confusing. Right now, Granny Sally and Grandpa “Click your fingers” are here from somewhere far away (they came on an airplane “bem loooonge”) and they only speak to me in this other funny language. I get some of what they’re saying but when I speak back to them, they don’t understand… how strange. I love them very much though. Granny Sally makes great cookies shaped like cars and Grandpa fixes my toy cars.

As I have said many times before, cars are my favourite things. I recently discovered Herbie and think these films are really ace. I also like swimming. Mum and Dad say I am a very good swimmer because I don’t use arm-bands and I am somewhat fearless in water. Other children who are bigger than me ask me how I can swim so much. I don’t know the answer. I just practice a lot because there is a swimming pool in the same building as my apartment. I can jump in by myself and swim half the length of the pool. I am yet to master breathing underwater. When I do, I may just choose to live in the swimming pool.
I have many friends at my nursery school. My best friend is Rafa. He is one of the only boys who also has fair hair like me. My teacher is Tia Mona Lisa and she is really nice. Often, Mum or Dad walk me to school and I chat to the various pets we see on the way and point out how many red cars I can see.

I have met many excellent people this year. Gracie came to visit me (with her parents Danny and Caz) last January when we lived in our old big house. Now we live in our new apartment and here we welcomed in July a big family with tons of people (with Hugh “amigao” and Timmy “amiginho”) and also Tia Hooty and several other people including, as I already said, Granny Sally and Fingers. Some other Barlows, some from Manchester, some from Switzerland, have also been to visit.

I love going on trips in cars (but especially airplanes) to visit my cousins Johnny “bem pequinino” and Melissa and also to see Gaga and Gugu (my Grandparents) in Recife who I adore, and Tita the dog who I also adore. My Uncle “Doidao” (Nelson) and Tia Mamyha (Amy) live somewhere far away (you have to get an airplane there) and I miss them very much.

Gloria Gloria Hallelujah.

Sometime ago (Mum says “only 8 months ago” but it feels a whole lot longer than that) I went to visit Mum in hospital and found that she no longer had a big tummy – and instead there was a small baby nearby. After some days this baby did not go away. I later made the startling realization that this was my sister Gloria Safi Barlow Maclure and that I was to be her big brother. Gloria is good fun – I knew this as she gave me a present of a car when I met her for the first time.

Although Gloria is a very smiley child, I am the only one in the family who knows how to make her really guffaw with laughter. I do this mainly by pulling faces at her, squeezing her, kissing her, shouting at her, poking her, prodding her, pinching her, hitting her, tweaking her, tipping her over, rugby-tackling her, talking to her, whispering to her, headbutting her, pushing her around on her little chair and so on. Sometimes these things make her cry too but she seems to like it a lot of the time. Mum and Dad tell me off about all this occasionally and I have to sit in the naughty corner which I DO NOT LIKE. Dad once said he doesn’t know how I could have learned such a repertoire of pokes and pinches. I don’t know the answer to this – I think it comes naturally to big brothers.

Gloria is quite different from me. She doesn’t seem to be interested in cars (a shame) but she seems to like clapping and dancing to music (a good thing). She also appears to have a very different philosophy of sleeping. Whereas, obviously, sleep is something we need to get through as quickly as possible to be able to have energy for the next exciting thing coming along, Gloria sees all this differently. As far as I am concerned sleep is an annoyance that needs to be fought. Amazingly, Gloria seems to tolerate sleep to the point where I think she actually enjoys it. She patiently plays for half an hour at a time waiting for the next nap to come along. When Mum and Dad put her down and give her little blanket she sticks her thumb in her mouth and positively beams back at us all (in gratitude at leaving her alone for a while?) and nods off for a few hours. Why does she do this when she could be playing with me? How utterly boring! No matter how much sleep I’ve had during the night I will always insist on waking up at the crack of dawn, shouting out for Dad to play with me. Gloria stays in bed for a few more hours with Mum. I don’t always understand girls.

Mum and Dad

Mum and Dad are OK I think. They work hard at the Cultura Inglesa English language school. I’m always asking Dad if he has to work because if he does it means I have to spend the afternoon with Gloria and Mum and sometimes it´s difficult to share Mum with Gloria as well if nobody is around. I am fascinated by shoes and clothes (especially football shirts with numbers and badges) and am well aware when Mum and Dad are in their work clothes and shows I am in my school clothes and shoes then we probably aren’t going to be seeing as much of each other as we would if it were a weekend.

Speaking of weekends, something we do every Sunday is go to church. Dad asked me recently why we went to church and I said “to run a lot”. Which is true. I do run a lot at church. I love it there because my good friends Johnny and Kaka and Tia Veronica play games with me and let me run. It´s true we also learn about “Papai do ceu” (Heavenly Father) and his son Jesus and I think these stories are strange but interesting. Sometimes I get confused though. Like for example, what’s the difference between “Noé” (Noah) and “Papa Noél” (Santa Claus). Dad showed me a picture of an old man with a white beard on a boat full of animals and I’m sure it was Papa Noel. I mean, they both have big beards. They both hang out with certain types of animals.

Sometimes Dad speaks at the church service although he says he finds it difficult in Portuguese. Mum also meets with other people and talks with them about God and prays with them.

Also on weekends we go to the beach, or to the shopping centre, or to the park, or to some attraction to see animals, or tractors, or big cars or fast cars. Sooner or later we always end up at Habib’s – a fast food restaurant which has a play area for me. I can now climb up the slide, an achievement for a not-yet-3 year old, I think you’ll agree. Habib’s is not the best place, though. They don’t really serve my favourite food or drink: beans and rice washed down with a glass of cool coconut water. Also, I fell out of an open window at Habib’s (I thought it was closed – this is the problem with clear glass: you can’t see it) and landed, splat, in a bush. My new year’s resolution is to not let that happen again these next twelve months.

Well, that’s long enough, I guess. Hope Dad’s happy enough with this, the task master.

Happy New Year
Nelson.

2009-01-01T05:10:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year! Where were you for New Years eve? I was in the same place I've been for the last two years - in Recife, once again on the roof of a skyscraper overlooking the city, seeing the fireworks lighting up the beaches.

I just wanted to write a brief note here to say thanks for reading my blog in 2008 and I hope you keep reading until July 2009 which is when we'll stop (as we'll be leaving Brazil, actually).

Just a few end of year stats, miscellany and thanks. The blog has steadily averaged 200 views per month, with a peak last year in May (coinciding with Gloria's birth and the 10 extra posts I did about that). You readers have been treated to more posts this year - 124 as opposed to 107 in 2007. That's well over my two posts a week policy.

Sitemeter informs me I have readers in Norway (I'm guessing ex-International Students), the States (you know who you are in Utah and Seattle!) and throughout the UK as well as occasional readers from other continents. I know who you regulars are and I'm grateful for your interest! However, some mysteries still present themselves - who is reading the website regularly from Portugal? And there are others within Brazil reading as well, it seems. Whoever you are, thanks!

I have a lot of plans for the final 6 months as there's still so much to write about, especially if I want to complete my 100 lists of things I miss and things I love! Also, in true web 2.0 spirit, if you have any ideas, suggestions, questions, corrections, etc. concerning content please let me know.

Once again, feliz ano novo!

Funny video. Q: What happens when you work a 7-month-old baby hard in the swimming pool then leave her to eat her lunch? A: A small child asleep on a plate of soup. See here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bc57qS7PN4g

2008-12-31T03:40:00.000-08:00

Guest blogger: Dave's Mum. We have celebrated Christmas in many different ways in quite a few countries and this year is at the top of the list as perhaps one of the most special and most unusual! Above alI it is a wonderful joy to be together with our family who we’ve been apart from for too many years. This Christmas was celebrated in a beautiful resort on the beach south of Recife with Rachel’s family. (Sorry for everyone back home struggling with snow and freezing temperatures!) We had our own family time of worship and giving gifts which was great, but I guess we did miss the joint worship with other believers and singing the familiar Christmas carols. Nevertheless we have been overwhelmed by love and generosity on all sides and feel thoroughly spoiled. God has been so gracious in sending His Son the Lord Jesus at Christmas to bring us salvation and He continues to pour out wonderful blessings as we follow Him.

Sally Maclure

2008-12-22T11:56:00.000-08:00

Guest Blogger: Dave's Mum. Wow! What a joy and privilege to be here in Natal after all the past months of planning and anticipating coming to visit David and Rachel, Nelson and Gloria. (The two most beautiful grandchildren in the world!) Natal is a lovely city with beautiful beaches stretching north and south along the coast of N/E Brazil. It is surrounded by amazing sand dunes covered here and there with bunches of trees and bushes. Its lovely and warm, not too different from Florida where we came from, but not as hot as Chad. There are many reminders of Africa – mangos, paipai, pineapples etc, some bumpy roads, horse drawn carts etc but all mixed in with high rise apartment buildings, huge beautiful malls and interesting old churches. Everyone we meet is friendly and pleasant – probably because David and Rachel have made many friends here and for us it’s a great joy to see something of the life and situation in which they are living. Our only regret is not being able to speak Portuguese, especially with Nelson who is not keen on English!

Sally Maclure

2008-12-16T17:26:00.000-08:00

Internet goals 2009. A bit like new year's resolutions and a few weeks early, I've decided to follow the suggestion made on dailyblogtips.com of making a list of blogging/internet aims for 2009 and publishing them as a post. The idea is then to check this next year and see how I've been getting on. So, in no particular order, in 2009 I will aim to:

1. Finish and finish well Maps and Legends when I leave Brazil in August.

2. Rachel and I are working on an idea for a website called, tentatively, "BRitain BRazil BRidge" which, as the name suggests, aim to be a bridge between these two fantastic nations. By this time next year the website should be up and running with half a dozen key articles and full resources sections.

3. To get over 100 daily hits on maddogsandenglish.wordpress.com.

4. To read the internet more efficiently and to apply (in my life, in my writing) what I like about what I read.

5. Write better blog entries. This entry from Jim Estill posted on copyblogger is a good model to start with, although I don't want to "dumb down" just for the sake of it.

6. Write at least 1 article per month for a website/publication which I am not a regularly contributing writer.

7. To be somewhere further down the road on understanding what God thinks of the internet and what he wants us to do with it.

8. Give twitter a go...

What are your internet goals for 2009?

2008-12-16T17:23:00.000-08:00

Mum and Dad are here! I've not had the time to even say this - but Mum and Dad arrived positively on time at Natal airport on Sunday lunchtime. We've had a great, if full, few days. Nelson seems to be handling the English coming at him from his other Grandparents quite well. Gloria has learned to clap which impresses her Grandparents no end. I haven't told him yet, but I may try and get Dad to "guest" blog on here.

Christmas blogging. I'm expecting this may slow down a bit over Christmas as we'll be travelling and doing a lot. So, wishing everyone a happy Christmas and fantastic New Year if I don't get many opportunities to say so...

2008-12-09T17:32:00.001-08:00

Anderson and Kessia on their wedding day. The good news: they didn't get food poisoning.

Football round up. The Brazilian season is over and Rach's Dad's team Nautico survived on goal difference from being relegated. Sao Paulo won again. Corinthians were promoted and now look to have Ronaldo playing for them (or sitting on the bench for them). Vasco, Romario's old team, were relegated. But, more tellingly, my sister in law enjoyed a VIP salmon dinner at Stamford bridge with flowing champagne overlooking tonight's Champions League fixture. As the English teacher of several of the Chelsea staff, including Scolari's coaching assistants, she's entitled to her Christmas dinner, I suppose...

2008-12-07T01:41:00.000-08:00

6 reasons why Dave is thankful this Sunday morning... (a belated Thanksgiving post)

1. Anderson and Kessia's wedding went really well. A couple from our little church group organised a small and intimate wedding gathering involving just a few of us to officially dedicate their relationship to God. Rachel and I had to speak at the service which involved me preparing a talk in Portuguese. It seemed to go OK thanks to my wife proof-reading the whole thing beforehand. It was a very special evening. Anderson and Kessia (with the help of their three beautiful daughters) run a fantastic little restaurant called "Sal da terra" (Salt of the earth - notice the biblical reference there?). I was telling Rach that their restaurant which serves fantastic homemade Brazilian fare with delicious meat for a good price is like our local pub, like "Central Perk", like a home-away-from-home rolled into one for us.

The painful irony is that Anderson and Kessia hired a friend to cater their wedding - preferring not to do it themselves on this occasion. This guy is a lovely Christian man and a mutual aquaintance and has catered for us before. Unfortunately, and this is not the first time this has happened, I and a few others got food poisoning the next day. (This rasises a thorny question in Brazil - you are obliged to provide business to people you know personally if you can. What now? Are we to keep using this guy just because he's our friend and a fellow-Christian?). Well, my prayer is that Anderson and Kessia didn't feel any after effects of the grub!

As the restaurant takes up their entire time (they never get holidays) they were to have a 1 day honeymoon on the Saturday with their daughters manning the ship while they were away. It would be awful for them, who have a reputation for cooking such great tucker, if their one holiday had been undermined by somebody else's bad cooking!

Anyway, I had it pretty bad last night. It wasn't helped by being at a kids party where I had to chase Nelson round for a couple of hours. But after an early night...

2. I feel much better this morning.

3. Carnatal finishes today. Carnatal is Natal's carnaval (you see what they did there?). Knowing a bit more about the sort of stuff that goes on there, knowing how it puts a strain on emergency services (sirens were the soundtrack to my night), knowing the mayhem it causes to the city in terms of clogging up traffic, knowing how much it disrupts my students who fail to show up for their final exams because they're too hungover or drunk... we'll be glad to see the back of it.

4. Natal's Christmas tree is nearly up. The town council have really not held back in lighting the town up for Christmas this year. Being a city that is obviously named after the festive occasion, Natal prides itself on attracting its tourists with the biggest and best lighting displays. Recently, as I have been driving home each night, I've noticed they've added more and more to the trees in the central reservation of the main road. I'm beginning to think they look a bit garish now - they certainly aren't very subtle. I also have no idea what its doing to Natal's power grid. We had a power cut at the school yesterday. Carnatal + Christmas lights = no power for anyone else.

In any case, Natal is once again making a bid for having Brazil's largest (fake) Christmas tree. This was what I said about last year's effort. Not to be undone by Rio who keep putting up bigger ones, Natal have put together an ENORMOUS crane and scaffolding-like construction close to our old home. This bohemoth of metal will be lit up in the shape of a Christmas this week, I guess.

5. We haven't been in any road accidents. Having talked about Natal's road safety in recent posts I thought I should mention an incident yesterday. It's not uncommon to see people shunting or rear-ending each other. Traffic volume does seemed to have increased in Natal recently and I am spending more and more of my time in jams. Consequently, I see the aftermath of small traffic incidents once a week, more or less.

But, yesterday, we arrived at the scene of some particularly nasty carnage probably within 30 seconds of it having taken place. Natal is situated on a triangle of main roads with a national park in the middle. For the last few days, we've been driving down the other side of the triangle, down Via Costeira, a tranquil but lengthier coastal road which has all the main hotels dotted along it, to get places because of the disruption caused by Carnatal.

At a seemingly innocuous point we saw a taxi and a car had just met in a nasty head on collision. The road was impassable because of debris, including a bumper strewn across it. Fortunately, it seemed most people had seatbelts on so they were shaken up but not seriously hurt. Nonetheless, an ambulance was called for the driver of the car. As we pulled away, and after saying a prayer for all those involved, I donned my (figurative) Hercule Poirot hat and tried to deduce how that could've occurred. In short, (and driving home the same way confirmed my suspicions), the driver of the car must have been from out of town, perhaps a guest at one of the hotels along the stretch. About 20 yards before the incident the road splits but, based on the non-conclusive road markings (scroll down to Nov 24 post for more on that), he may have assumed he was to carry on straight, the split being only for traffic entering the hotel. If you hadn't been along there before it's more than possible you would draw this conclusion. The taxi driver, an old hand at Natal's roads, probably quickly pulled out as the road was clear (in the direction it should've been!) and would never have expected somebody coming up the wrong side to his left. A nasty shock for both, then, as they pummeled into each other front to front. Both cars totalled. I pray no lasting injuries.

6. Mum and Dad arrive a week today!

2008-12-03T01:19:00.000-08:00

Sorry the hiatus. I love the word "hiatus" and am always looking for ways to worm it into my writing. Anyway, sorry for the sporadic posting. General end of semester busyness is to blame. Also, our internet has been dodgy but then so has everyone else's across the city. I think (with the opinion of a complete layperson on these matters) the servers are melting in the summer heat. It has been hot around here.

Too much to write about. I love writing and rarely seem to encounter writer's block. On the contrary, I often have the opposite problem which I will call "writer's flow" meaning I have a bunch of stuff to write about but not enough time to do it... how frustrating.

So, just two stories from yesterday...

Nelson the jovial dentist. Rachel (with kids in tow) was in a medical centre near here for another reason and was stuck for a place to sit and wait. Nelson the jovial dentist let her use his waiting room. He was so jovial, jolly and kind-hearted we decided to make him our family dentist. (Scroll down to November 7th for my first impressions of the man).

So far, he has proven to be a great dentist, just inefficient with his time-keeping (a problem, it has to be said, for 95% of Brazilian medical professionals). He works for 10% of the time and banters for 90% of the time. When he's not bantering his cheerful assistant takes up the mantle. Unsurprinsgly, they both banter with me about my two small children, endlessly. Yesterday he even showed me he had a picture of Gloria on his cellphone... In turn, I learned about his older son (who is studying computer science at the university) and about my dentist's passion for cycling and also that the procedure he was using on my teeth was invented by a Brazilian dentist from Sao Paulo who has the extraordinary name "Iraildes Jesus de Deus". All this with the astonishing view from the 16th floor of the medical centre of Natal's via costeira and north side beaches. And all this with piped Celine Dion and Enya coming out of his CD player...

Brussel sprouts. Another tale from the supermarket. One of my first destinations upon entering the hallowed aisles of Nordestao with my shopping list in hand and empty squeekless trolley is the back of the veggie section, where a cooler resides with imported or special goods which are only occasionally stocked. I'm always dying to know what they've got in. Sometimes the price is extortianate for something that is relatively ordinary in the UK: fresh mushrooms, asparagus, fresh broccoli and rocket salad spring to mind. But, yesterday, for only the second time that I can remember, they had brussel sprouts. These dozen sprouts looked a bit dissheveled for the price I was paying for the quantity contained but I went for it anyway as I was to buy a roast chicken and potatoes in order to fix a faux English roast lunch for Rachel.

At the check out the two baggers suspiciously eyed my brussel sprouts. One of them muttered something to his colleague along the lines of "what the @*$# is this?"

I decided to chirp up at this stage with an explanation. I accounted for the fact that I was a gringo and that this was popular where I came from. Both baggers, who were what Americans would call "blue-collar workers" and who may never have spoken to a foreigner before, returned a look of utter incredulity. Neither of them had any idea how to continue the conversation at this point. Eventually, one of them asked me something so fast I had no idea what he said. After a couple of repititions (where I apologised - like a true Englishman - for not speaking very good Portuguese) I got the gist. He was asking me what it tasted like. I confidently began my reply. "They taste just like small cabbages!". However, inexplicably, the word for cabbage had, without telling me, taken a hike out of my brain and I was left open-mouthed saying: "Tem sabor de.... de.... de... a coisa que voces tem ai... esqueci o nome!". At this, both baggers wore expressions that suggested they were conversing with a recent fugitive from the nut house.

I smiled and chuckled inwardly. It should never have been this hard, surely...

"Couve" is the word for cabbage, which I remembered, of course, once I was in the car park and on my way out.

2008-11-24T04:00:00.000-08:00

Life is life. So, over a week since my last update on here. Basically, we`re pretty busy! The kids were also ill last week which really reduces all systems to survival mood. Having said that, we had a quiet long weekend (thanks to a saint`s holiday on Friday) and I think Rachel and I are refreshed to a certain degree. This is the final busy week before the semester starts to wind down... some kids are already on their summer holidays and won`t be back at their schools until February! Not surprisingly, they complain a great deal about still having to come to English lessons.

Noisy driving, night driving and drink driving. Continuing the theme of Brazilian driving habits started in recent blogs... our apartment block is on the corner of two main roads and it is one drawback that the noise level can be quite high. Windows will invariably be open to let some cool air in, and you`ll be halfway through a conversation when a motorbike with severe exhaust problems will tear down Alves Fonseca or Albrto Maranhao and you`ll have to stop and ask everyone to repeat what they just said. If sleeping at night is a stuggle with two small children it isn`t helped by night time traffic.

Two nights ago, I was woken at 3am by a man driving very fast beeping his horn without ceasing until he was out of ear-shot. "Why on earth...?" I bleerily thought to myself. Last night, the same thing happened again and I twigged what it was. Brazilians have a different set of road rules after dark. Basically, in the interest of security folks will ignore red lights so they don`t have to stop their cars, thus potentially falling prey to carjackers. This used to be more popular in Recife but it seems to be catching on here. What this means is you can`t trust a green light after dark - you have to look both ways anyway, and it means if you`re prepared to play chicken with a blind junction you can drive across on red. In order to make one`s presence heard and to announce that you will follow on through on red, one repeatedly sounds the horn to warn the greenlighters you`re going to be in the way. At 3am, somebody obviously feels its not even worth waiting for traffic lights to be any colour - they`d just rather drive home, across red lights without slowing and have their horn on 100% of the time. Nevermind, all the sleeping residents.

Last year a famous footballer, called Acosta, who was playing in Recife for Nautico at the time crashed late at night in an incident probably caused by two people driving across green lights. The other guy, whose car was a wreck, was alright and he hung around for the police and ambulance. When it transpired he had crashed into a Acosta`s car, he was reported to have broken out into a cold sweat. As a Nautico fan he couldn`t face the fact that he might have just hospitalised his team`s star player. His pals and fellow fans would ostracise him! When the medics arrived, his first question was: "are his legs OK?"

Night time accidents are also common because of drink driving problems, especially with motorcylcists who somehow seem to feel they are immune to road laws and traffic rules. I noticed a motorcyclist zoom through a red light in broad daylight this weekend and I commented to Rach "It seems that the smaller the vehicle you are in, the more you feel you have the right to ignore road rules". Come to think of it, the opposite is also true - the bigger you are (like public buses) the more you can aggressively and illegally boss the roads at the expense of others.

The Brazilian government has recently clamped down on drink driving and stricter laws are in place across the country (including no alcohol at football matches!). Adverts for alcohol now all have to contain the statement: "Se for beba, nao diriga" - If you`re going to drink, don`t drive. So, things are on the way up, but driving under the influence is still a severe problem in this part of the world. And, whatever you do, don't trust the traffic lights!

2008-11-15T16:40:00.000-08:00

Dave is a ninny. It's Saturday night and I'm home alone writing another blog entry... I should be in Recife with Rach and all the family but this morning I missed my flight to see them.

The flight was due to leave at 4.15am so I dutifully set my alarm for 2.30am to ensure maximum time to get up and drive out to be at the airport at 3.15 or so, an hour before I needed to be. I woke up at 1am when I heard noise outside. Seeing that I still had plenty of time for sleep I put my head back down and next thing I knew it was 3.35am. In a blind panic, I threw some things in a bag and raced out the door. I bombed down the main road to the airport arriving at about 3.55am. But the lady there said they had already closed the doors on the plane... As we were only going to stay until Sunday, Rach and I decided it wouldn't be worth getting another flight and so I've been enjoying a quietish weekend here. I've been able to Skype several people today, do some paperwork, watch some football, go to the cinema as well as read and pray too - the sorts of things that usually get pushed to the side in the busyness of life.

Rach and the kids were in Recife because this weekend is a national holiday. The reason I was coming down later was that I stayed in Natal to help with a spelling bee competition at the language school. Annoyingly, I lost my voice this week after a cold so I wasn't much good at the spelling bee reading out words or even judging on the panel. It went OK though, the winner being a young girl (who had negotiated the tricky word "symphony" at one point) scooping an ITouch for the top prize.

Why is it called spelling bee? Wikipedia informs us: Although its only modern usage is in spelling bee, the word bee has historically been used to describe a get-together where a specific action is being carried out, like a husking bee, a quilting bee, or an apple bee.

2008-11-14T07:24:00.000-08:00

Should I stop or should I go? A small display of Brazilian traffic lights. This post is dedicated to Ruth Leckenby - a long-standing fan of the Brazilian mode of traffic signalisation.

2008-11-14T06:53:00.000-08:00

Things I miss about England #20: Traffic lights.
Things I love about Brazil #21: Traffic lights.
Let me take the latter first. Continuing a theme started a few posts back about driving in Brazil, it seems an appropriate time to comment on something I noticed within about two days of being in Brazil.

Basically, local councils use their transport budgets to continually innovate in the realm of traffic lights - often, it seems, attempting to out-compete the last guys with ever more ground-breaking, animated and at times baffling signalisation. Above are pictures of four sets of traffic lights which all sit at junctions within one block of our apartment. As you can see, there's a paucity of consitency about the whole thing. At least they've stuck with red and green (although occasionally dispensing with yellow when necessary). If you were to go to Recife, you would see traffic lights with a countdown digitial display of when the light will change - a sure-fire ticket to people speeding up at an alarming rate as they notice the counter approach zero. But, it has to be said, it makes life interesting and it is quintessentially Brazilian - uniformity is not prized here, flexibility and acceptance of new technology are. Long live non-standardised Brazilian traffic lights.

On the other hand, taking the other side, there's something altogether reassuring about driving in the UK that almost everywhere one goes one can expect a consistent set of road markings, signs and traffic lights. Local road habits and norms vary considerably between cities (for example, turning on red or driving through red after 9pm at night). Sometimes traffic lights won't work (who's to know if we can go or not?) and efficient and long-suffering traffic police are often called out to speed up the rush hour jams. Sometimes one way streets are created and nobody erases the old road markings leading to immeasurable confusion. Out on the open road it's anyone's guess where you are and how far you are from your destination. Your best indication is to make sure you know if the sea is on your left you're driving south and if it's on your right you're headed north. In Natal, somebody has decided you can't turn across traffic at a junction (see pictures above with no left turn signs). This results in us (and everyone else) driving for miles in the wrong direction looking for a spot to do a U-turn. Seriously, Rachel was once half an hour late for an engagement as a result of trying to find a location to perform this maneuvre. We call it the "Natal shuffle" and, although it probably reduces accidents somewhat, it's not something I love about Brazil at all.

I'm not saying here that the British have the perfect road system. Far from it. Apparently, the French say we have too many road-signs and they're right. Come off the A64 into York and there is no way you can possibly digest all the information on display - there seems to be a sign for everything from low-flying planes to recycling rubbish. But, all in all, I think more signs and more consistant signage is still arguably better than no posting whatsoever or the potential for traffic mayhem a la Brazil.

And speaking of transport... We took Nelson to the Natal air show last Saturday. We had a great time and so did Nelson. Only, problem is he was far more entertained by the small display of vintage road vehicles on display than any of the jetplane acrobatics taking place in the sky.

Staff dinner. A few weeks ago it was teacher's day in Brazil - a wonderful idea for a national holiday. Pictures in the slideshow to the right are of the Cultura Inglesa staff at a special meal for the occasion.

2008-11-10T03:59:00.000-08:00

Vitrola. I mentioned a couple of posts back that I'd seen a local band playing at the university "Science" Fair. Well, lo and behold, my good pal Dyego got ahold of their latest CD and its ace. They are called Vitrola and this is their myspace page and, yes, that first song is in English - it reminds me of old indie stalwarts the Bluetones.

Things I miss about England #8: Cream teas. Perhaps 90% of the things I miss from the UK are comfort foods and here's yet another entry about grub. I was giving a test the other day to students in a classroom which had a picture on the wall of a bonefide English cream tea. Scones, fresh cream, real home-made strawberry jam ... it was torture to see it.

Things I love about Brazil #9: People are not afraid to pray, really pray. I recall one summer at university when I worked for a programme that accepted foreign teenagers to the UK to learn English. I was an activities organiser and one fine day we went to Howard's Castle. The tour finished at a small chapel on the premises. I was astonished when a dozen, rowdy, disinterested, flirting, swearing Italian teenagers all sobered up, got on their knees and started saying their prayers as soon as we stepped into the little sanctuary. Something of holy fear exists in these Catholic nations which we've lost in the Protestant north...

Today, as I drove to work I passed a lady I had seen several times. At a certain corner near a lamp-post not far from the language school, there she was as usual bent over with a shawl across her head, face in hands, weeping and rocking back in her knees with her face to heaven and arms outstretched. A few yards away a car had pulled up and I saw someone else on the pavement, a younger lady, a professional, head to the floor, also praying - I couldn't tell if the latter was an acquaintance of the lady or a stranger who had been convicted by the older woman's devotion.

I've often wondered why this old lady is there. I once thought it was a routine of hers - every Thursday, but I haven't worked out a pattern as she disappears for a while and comes back on random days. Once, she was out there in torrential rain - and it made for quite a dramatic sight. I have to admit that as I'm driving to work, head full of things to do, her presence their unsettles me. It forces me to consider my own spiritual life just when I`m least thinking about it. Occasionally, a list of my fine Protestant criticisms roll through me head: "Why is she there? Hasn't she got anything better to do? Is she mourning someone who died near there? She should get over it! Is she praying to saints? What good does that do?". The truth is I don't know why she's there so my list of complaints sounds very Pharisaic. I think of the woman who poured perfume on Jesus' feet... for many reasons it wasn't a sensible idea and everyone vocally pointed that out at the time. But, Jesus didn't see it that way.

In other more familiar settings too, I`ve seen Brazilians far less inhibited to get on with the needful thing of praying, often with a dramatic accompaniment of body language and tears. To the extent that this equals a genuine pouring out of the heart, we could learn from them.

2008-11-07T01:36:00.000-08:00

Trip to the dentist. This week has flown by in a whirl and I'm not sure next week is going to be much easier. Sporadic posting will probably result. One reason for busyness this week was a trip to the dentist that was supposed to only last an hour and took all morning. That was Tuesday. Neither Rachel and I had been to the dentist in probably 3 years so it was high time. We picked a Dentist Nelson (good name) who was the most jovial, friendly medical professional I have ever met. It reminded me of this observation I made around the time Gloria was born of Brazilian Doctors. It was like meeting a cross between Dr.Patch Adams and Dr.Julius Hibbert. Anyway, after a quick inspection, Dentist Nelson, gaffawing all the way, delivered the not-so-good news. I need to have quite a bit of work done, the result of which is my wallet is probably going to hurt even more than my gums will. But, we'll probably go ahead with it as it will be cheaper here than in the UK and the idea is to "invest" in my teeth not causing problems later, I suppose...

Homophones. I've been doing some work with my higher level students on homographs, homophones and oronyms. I found this cool poem which sums up homophones and oronyms quite nicely. You need to read it aloud for the full effect...

Eye halve a spelling chequer
It came with my pea sea
It plainly marques four my revue
Miss steaks eye kin knot sea.

Eye strike a key and type a word
And weight four it two say
Weather eye am wrong oar write
It shows me strait a weigh.

As soon as a mist ache is maid
It nose bee fore two long
And eye can put the error rite
Its rarely ever wrong.

Eye have run this poem threw it
I am shore your pleased two no
Its letter perfect in it's weigh
My chequer tolled me sew.

Obama and Hamilton. So, fans of both the politician and the racing driver have had a good week all in all. Brazilians are preferring to "not mention the war" concerning the dizzying climax to the F1 season at the Brazilian Grand Prix. I, meanwhile, by not being a fan of Ferrari or Felipe Massa have been seen to be rather smug of late.

CONSPIRACY THEORY: Barack Obama, Lewis Hamilton and Theo Walcott are secretly brothers imbued with special superhero powers. It's not just that they each have mixed black-white lineage and have recently become lauded by the public for their extraordinary abilities, they also have similar faces - so much so that one chap out here keeps me calling me the Obama supporter because I cheer for Hamilton.

2008-11-02T18:36:00.000-08:00

Every cloud has a silver lining. There's a whole series of posts waiting to be written about driving in Brazil, and, on balance, there's a bit of work needed to be done by my Brazilian counterparts to ensure efficiency and safety in their road travel. But for now, let me concentrate on some of the positives.

I recently discovered the joys of driving with the window down. Usually the car is so hot that AC is necessary, but why not, I thought to myself recently, switch off the AC and enjoy the fresh(ish) air of Natal's rush hour combined with the cacophony of sounds that eminate from every street corner. It's oddly liberating, it relaxes me and it's giving me a truckers one-armed tan in the process. Things I love about Brazil #51: driving with the windows down (and not freezing in the process).

On weekends and on mornings off I'll get into my car with flip-flops on as will the majority of drivers in Natal, I suspect. Driving with flip-flops is actually illegal (you don't want your havainas wrapped around the accelerator by accident!) so people shuffle them off and drive barefooted (barefeeted?), which is something I had to get used to when we arrived here. Sometimes the police try to scare tourists by telling them driving barefoot is illegal, but that's a big porky pie.

I reckon driving barefoot is the automobile-piloting equivelent of swimming naked in a lake at night. It feels mischievous and wonderfully liberating and may result in your extremeties (I'm talking about toes in the car example) being unusually exposed to the elements. After some time, and most people I know who drive barefoot agree with me on this, that skin to metal contact results in better clutch control and a feather-light touch on the accelerator. Things I love about Brazil #52: driving barefoot.

And, as a direct result of the thing I love about Brazil #54 - things I love about Brazil #53: Somebody fills your car up with gas, checks your oil and your tires without you having to get out.

2008-10-31T17:42:00.000-07:00

Every silver lining has a cloud. Just a few short observations today and tomorrow. I realised recently how often I get in trouble with Rachel (and other folks for that matter) for storing everything important from keys to DVDs, from money to essential certificates in the pockets of my multi-pocketed shorts. The problem is, I change my legwear everyday resulting in stuff left behind in yesterday's pockets which at times finds its way through the wash. I caught myself recently, much like an Israelite wishing for Egypt, thinking how nice it would be wear a jacket for a change - a big leather one with an inside pocket for a wallet and two hand pockets on the sides for keys (to the left) and coins (to the right) as was my way in York. Living in a climate where no jacket is required (spot the Phil Collins reference) is its own reward and I should be grateful but I can't help thinking that this is an example of a thing I miss about England, in this cast #99 to be exact: leather jackets.

Things I miss about England #63: photocopiers. Things I miss about England #64: people know how to photocopy. Photocopiers are expensive beasts to maintain up in the north-east of Brazil and, like many things, they break down with monotonous regularity (why would it work?), and despite the language school being a good-sized business which relies heavily on photocopied material, its not possible for us to have our own "xerox" as the Brazilians say. So, we have it done at a shop down the road.

Teachers have to prepare their copies several hours in advance if they want handouts for every student in their class. As you might expect, I am only ever that organised about 10% of the time so my photocopying count is always quite low. I always seem to get inspiration for my lesson plans 5 minutes before the class starts (necessity is the mother of invention?) but I often have to make do without copies because there isn't one handy for last minute emergencies. If only I was back in the purple towers of the St.Mikes office in York...

Anyway, even when you do order photocopies from the shop, there's a fair chance they might cock it up. This they did spectacularly for me this week. I am giving an exam preparatory class for FCE (the world's most popular general English test, by the way). I wanted 15 tests photocopied and stapled, one for each student coming to the class. When the copies came back, some bright spark HAD stapled them, oh yes, but without collating them. In other words all the page 1s were stapled together in a pile, all the page 2s were stapled together, all the page 3s etc. As I grumbled away with furrowed brow pulling the staples out, re-collating the whole stack of sheets and re-stapling them one more I wondered to myself, "what possible use in the whole world could I have had for a stapled collection of exactly identical sheets?" - I suggested that the jobsworth at the shop obviously had no lateral thinking capabilities. Fiona, my boss, thought s/he probably didn't have any thinking capabilities, full stop.

2008-10-27T18:53:00.000-07:00

Things I miss about England #69: small talk. There's an old joke: Two Italians, two Frenchman and two Brits are stranded on a desert island. The Italians immediately strike up a conversation and launch an Italian restaurant. The Frenchmen do the same and start a patisserie. The two Brits move to opposite sides of the island and never speak to each other as they haven't been formerly introduced.

Now, what would happen if you put two Brazilians on the island? I think they'd watch football together buut sleep with knives under their pillows for fear of the other guy stealing their wallet in the night (see this post for more on why Brazilians have the lowest levels of trust for all of South America). Either that, or they'd discover they were distantly related, in which case they'd team up and start a successful samba school.

So, why the long preamble? Well, its just that how Brazilians get to know strangers is profoundly different to how Brits do it. For many Brits there is an expectation that small talk, although often a nusiance, is an essential part of social interaction. For example, weddings. There are always a few tables at British reception dinners made up of a handful of odds and ends friends and relatives who have to sit next to each other. By the end of the meal, Mr.X has discovered he shares a passion for tiddly-winks much like Ms. Y sitting next to him and Mr. Z has learned that he shares an office with one of Mrs.A's old school friends. etc. etc.

In Brazil, the situation is wholly different. At a wedding, all the family and kids would all come along and there wouldn't be set places so there would never be this need to confront people anyone didn't know. What I've noticed (by often being on the receiving end as a stranger in various settings myself) is that to get to know Brazilians you have to approach them in much the same way as Donnie Brasco did the mafia. Just keep showing up with people who can vouch that you're "safe" and after some time you'll be absorbed into the group and find yourselves doing the same things as everyone else. Equally, its possible you could hang around some Brazilians for a long time and never learn any details about their lives - you just happen to have a few shared experiences together. I have this sort of relationship with some of Rachel's friends - I'm definitely part of the gang on account of being married into the Barlow clan and a handful of them are even my facebook friends, but none of us have actually had anything like a conversation. Small talk has been absent.

Why do I mention this now? Last Saturday we went to a birthday party for a kid from Nelson's school. The usual candidates were there - Nelson's best pal Rafa and her Mum and one or two others that Rach has gotten to know. To my delight, I found that one of my ex-students, a lawyer was there with her husband. And then, one of her friends, also an ex-student turned up. They eye-balled me suspiciously for a while to the point where it was just getting embarrassing for me and for them so I crossed the balloon-infested floor to do "small talk". After some stiff handshakes and kisses they asked me how I was and what I was doing there. I explained my presence at this festa on a Saturday night and pointed out Rachel, Gloria and Nelson strewn around the corners of the room. My two friends/aquaintances shot me a quick glance as if to say "why are you telling us this? We won't be introducing you to our families". So, I quickly changed the subject to the weather or travel or something and moved on. We never spoke again all evening. Small talk was absent, and I have to say I missed it.

Things I love about Brazil # 69: live music. On Friday afternoon I took Nelson on an adventure. We recruited Tio Dyego and made our way onto the UFRN campus for the Sciene Week fair. Now, thoroughly accustomed to the fact that any Brazilian event doesn't have to do what it says on the tin, I wasn't sure what to expect and I thought it might be lucky if we saw anything sciene-related. As it happens, they were starting to take down some of the stalls as it was the end of the week but I, and Nelson, did get to see some cool stuff. I found out one interesting fact: UFRN (the State university of Rio Grande do Norte) had about 8,000 students in 1970, about 9,500 students in 1998 and now has nearly 30,000 - a testament to both how little education was prioritised until relatively recently (this stems from the colonial legacy - unlike the British, the Portuguese were not interested in educating their subjects) and also how much the government sees tertiary education as the key to Brazil's future as a competitive developing nation.

Most perplexing though, was how the sciene fair was dominated by two large stages for Rock concerts. Indeed, the evening performances by the acts on stage constituted the heart of the week´s events as the students themselves had been given the week off from studying to contribute to the whole hoopla. As for me, I was able to see, over a popcorn with Nels and Dyego, the start of a set from a pretty nifty campus band and it brought back fond memories of propping up dingy bars in York catching the latest wannabe act. In the end, as was the case with the local elections a few weeks ago and also with a recent Catholic procession that practically rearranged the paving stones outside the language school thanks to a bass drum, academia, debate, religion and a serious consideration of the facts very quickly give way to a party atmosphere where he who plays loudest wins. If heaven is a place where Brits will provide the hymn-writers, Americans will supply the electric guitars and Africans will be the singers then without a doubt we can expect the Brazilians to provide the walls of speakers on wheels.

2008-10-22T04:33:00.000-07:00

Some final firsts: Obama, the economy and the Tampa Bay Rays. Last Wednesday I sat down and watched most of the final presidential election debate, a first for me. It was rivetting stuff and I found myself watching more of that than Brazil`s World Cup qualifier against Colombia which was on at the same time. Politics ahead of football? Another first for me. For me I thought Obama won hands down - he gave reasoned responses, appeared calm and in control and on top of his subject matter, was magnanimous but firm and presented his policy ideas with clarity. McCain appeared blustery and resorted to the rhetoric of fighting and conquering and often opted for listing ideas rather than providing a rounded policy package. Perhaps, McCain needed this as the polls show him losing - his approach was throw mud and the kitchen sink at a wall to see what sticks. I guess both styles of communication appeal to different sections of the populace but I was left more convinced than before of Obama`s credentials of being president. The CNN tracker of undecided voters responses to the speech as it was happening suggested so as well. I, for one, would vote for Obama - I have far more in common with his outlook than not - and I think the appointment of an African American to the presidency pours healing oil on a lot of America`s own history as well as it`s relations with the world outside it`s borders. Most Brazilians agree, although some folks here have voiced their concern that Obama may become an assissination target if he were to be elected.

If, as seems likely, Obama does become the first black president of the USA he has the enormous burden of a crumbling economy to sort out. In small ways news is trickling through to us here of how the credit crunch is affecting people we know across the globe. Brazil has remained relatively immune so far, a product, says Rachel`s Dad, of a history of huge monetary upheavels in the past and dictatorships freezing savings accounts. In other words, its nothing Brazilians haven`t seen before and they were never too keen on filing their money away in savings accounts or pensions for a rainy day only for somebody else to help themselves. Furthermore, Lula`s workers party, despite attracting investors and opening up markets, still have more clout to reign in their own market it seems. Certainly, the Brazilian banking system is not nearly so ubiquitous in the lives of its citizens as it is in the UK or the USA. That said, this week we had lunch at one of our favourite little restaurants called Sal da Terra. The proprietor and his family are friends of ours and attend our church group. He told me some of his larger suppliers who are linked into foreign markets are feeling the pinch and are starting to raise prices. The chain reaction impacts him , of course, leaving him a tricky choice of hiking the cost of the dishes on his menu or cutting costs elsewhere. So, this is the first direct example I`ve seen of the economic crisis affecting Natalenses.

There`s been a few firsts in sport recently too. Andy Murray won his first Master Series final, well done to him. Lewis Hamilton just needs to finish higher than 5th in the Brazilian Grand Prix next weekend to claim his first F1 World Championship. The Tampa Bay Rays are in their first World Series. The team, which is only 12 years old, are largely responsible for my interest in baseball. I watched them several times back in 1998 when I was living in Florida. Back then, they were dire and could only fill their stadium by a third so it was a case of watching them play more prestigious teams like the New York Yankees (in the same way that if you were a Derby County fan you would try and get along to watch them play Manchester United, Chelsea or Arsenal). Now, Tropicana field is packed and they stand a good chance of taking the game`s biggest prize. I'll be sure to tune into the first game of the World Series tonight. I`ve even twisted Rachel`s arm to watch the first innings with me so I feel like I have somebody to be excited with about all this. Go Rays!

And thereby concludes my posts about firsts...

2008-10-20T18:41:00.000-07:00

The third first: Our first visit to the Bull festival (festa do boi). The annual bull festival has been in session this week in Panamarim, a small town nearby which doubles as Natal's southerly suburb. We took the kids along on Friday afternoon and a great time. "Bull" festival is an apt name as their are cows everywhere including some MASSIVE horned beasts who look like they share their genetic makeup with rhinos, bison or mammoths rather than their bovine counterparts.

All this was basically an excuse to see what Brazilian cowboys do. There was cattle auctions and best breed competitions and displays from the major suppliers of compost, cow urine, vegetables, fish, beef, cowboy hats, farm machinery and tractors. The last was of particular interest to Nelson, and perhaps surprisingly Gloria, who both happily passed 15 minutes sitting on a new Massey Ferguson pretending to tend their crops. As was the case at the Brazil shows Brazil fair I mentioned a few months ago, there was plenty that was not strictly relevant to the occasion's billing - noticably, swimming pools for sale and fake Nike baseball caps. They had a fairground too which Nelson loved despite the very real lack of health and safety procedures on most of the rides. For me, even more interesting than the astonishing smells and tastes accompanying the bevvy of snacks that were being roasted, fried and boiled everywhere, was just the chance to see Brazilians from the interior - real Potiguar folk, generally smaller and with darker skin - in their element displaying their cattle and wares proudly.

NOT QUITE A FIRST: The musical soundtrack to the north-east interior of Brazil is forró music - which features a heavy dose of accordians. The general consensus is that the old forró stuff is excellent but the new bands are very brega (cheesey). Playing after the bull festival on the Friday night were the forró outfit Deseja de menina, one of the brega-ist around. These were the guys who remade Robbie Williams' Angels as I mentioned (with a link to the video) back in May on this post. I would have given my right arm to go to this - just once to see a full-on cheesey forró show. But, sadly, I needed to keep my right arm so it wasn't to be. Next year, maybe.

On the subject of cheesey forró I recommend the following delight. I mentioned back here that James Blunt has become extraordinarily popular after his song Same Mistake was used as the theme team to a Globo TV soap opera. Well, the airwaves are still clogged with Mr.Blunt's warbles and his song has also been given the forró make-over by the most famous of contemporary forró acts, Aviões do Forro (Airplanes of Forró). Their version is better, in my opinion. Click here to be entertained and amused. And this is also funny - a forró remix of the same song but keeping James' voice.

2008-10-19T18:33:00.000-07:00

The second first: Nelson's first cinema experience. I was not wholly convinced when Rachel piped up on Wednesday with the idea of the whole family, her folks included, piling along to the cinema on teacher's day holiday. I expected Gloria to cry all the way through and Nelson to get bored after ten minutes. But, in the end it seemed like a good idea, as we were going to watch the animated feature Fly me to the moon and internet reviews said it was pretty dreadful so I figured if we had to leave early we wouldn't really be missing out. In the end, Nelson - and Gloria for that matter - sat transfixed through the whole thing. The lad was visibly upset when the credits rolled and the lights went up: "Quero mais, Daddy. Quero mais!".

AMUSING MOMENT: Nelson sees the spaceship shed its rockets in space and in a voice loud enough for the whole cinema to hear declares: "Olhe! Quebrou ess... quebrou!" (Look! It broke. It broke!)

All in all then, a successful first...

2008-10-18T18:00:00.000-07:00

A few firsts...

The first first: My first visit to INPE (Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas Espaciais). Thanks to one of the teacher's at the language school who organised it, I took 4 students on a field trip (well, a 20 minute walk) onto the campus of UFRN (Universidade Federal Rio Grande do Norte) where INPE have a base. INPE is to Brazil what NASA is to America, except on a much smaller scale.

I learned a whole lot from the hour-long presentation, given by a middle-aged, CPE-level, English-speaking engineer who went by the name of Alexandre Nowasad. Principally, I gathered some interesting insights into why a developing country like Brazil needs to be involved in the space race.

Brazil doesn't have it's own satellites but it shares a couple with the likes of China and the USA. They also have 10 offshore buoys (compare to the USA which has a whopping 300!) which measure depth, sea-temperature and weather patterns and Brazil has some fancy equipment at the South Pole amongst other places. INPE seem to have their fingers in a lot of pies, working with the likes of the the Brazilian Air force who launch INPE's satellite pieces, the private sector in testing materials and products in specialised conditions, with the Navy and also with various environmental agencies, governmental and non-governmental, as they try to map and account for the climate changes in the oceans and the amazon. The last point is crucial for Brazil. As our excellent host informed us, vast expanses of dense foliage still mask potential species of animals and plants and possibly some lost Indian tribes still in the jungle of Brazil's interior. Brazil's vastness makes it exceedingly difficult to govern efficiently - INPE are trying to help the country's elected officials have some idea about who and what they are officiating over. Also, given the controvesy in recent years concerning the destruction of the rainforest, Brazil needs to know what's going on inside its own borders for the benefit of future generations. As Alexandre succinctly put it: "We have to know whats in our own house if we want to protect it".

THE DUMMIES GUIDE TO INPE: As I'm no engineer or scientest I appreciate all the help I can get in understanding the intricacies of something like INPE. At one point Alexandre said: "Has anyone seen the film The Day After Tomorrow? Do you remember the satellitles, the buoys and the control room at the start of the film - basically, we do that for Brazil but on not such a big scale". Helpful.

A few more firsts tomorrow and through the week...

2008-10-15T04:55:00.000-07:00

Beetle: the backwards Good Luck car? The side-panel reads... FOR ARE YOU sun a day is overfiown with warm the Memory will stop here to savor the sweet fragrance.

2008-10-15T04:48:00.000-07:00

Amusing uses of English: Nelson's party present. Nelson had a party at school for Daniel, a buddy of his. As per usual he came home with a small box full of sweets. This time the box in question was a small metal car. On closer inspection I found it had been made in China and demonstrated some startling authentic examples of Engrish.

I recently wrote a big chunk on one of my other blogs about why the English language is funny - you have a read of that here, if interested.

2008-10-12T16:29:00.000-07:00

Macaco Tião. Finishing in a respectable 3rd place in the 1996 Rio local elections.

2008-10-12T16:22:00.000-07:00

Things I miss about England #33: Elections. Despite all the fun that surrounds an election in Brazil, I've became increasingly disillusioned (as I'm sure many Brazilians already have) with how the democratic process is carried out. Although British politics is by no means a model of how to organise power, my main objections with the Brazilian way are:

1. Candidates are not elected for real policies. The general rule of thumb is "say what you need to say to get in to power". Doesn't sound wholly unlike British politics but here there really is a license to say almost anything. In the local election here in Natal the third placed candidate promised to build a bridge from Natal to the island of Fernando de Naronha. Sounds like a good idea? Not when the bridge would have to be over 350 kms long!

2. When candidates do have real policies - their campaigns struggle to gain traction unless they flower them in populist rhetoric. One candidate from Recife, a Sr.Henry, and the preferred candidate of Rachel's brother and Dad proposed a solution to the problem of violence in Recife which is the worst in Brazil. Henry suggested bringing experts in from Colombia who had run a series of urban community projects working with young people that had produced astounding results there. So, why not in Recife? It sounded like a great idea, but as Rachel's brother told me, Henry rarely had the opportunity to talk about it and even when he did he opted for a fairly meaningless populist pitch as per the norm.

3. Debate is often avoided. Some Politicians prefer not to turn up to debates for fear of being made to look like idiots. This is what Lula did in the first round of presidential elections in the last presidential contest. As the big man of Brazilian politics the best way for him to maintain his popularity was not to say anything to anybody else. And, generally, it seems to me that electioneering at local level is all about noise, parties (the non-political kind) and music and not about a series of debates with other candidates as is (occasionally) the case back in the UK, or even door to door discussion with constituents. I recall on my first visit to Brazil seeing the national football team playing in Fortaleza. A politician standing for re-election had organised the occasion and used the match to do several laps of the crowd before the game started.

The harsh reality is all of this may stem from the lack of education among the numerically massive contingent of Brazil's poorest. Politicians want them on board and aren't losing sleep over a handful of university professors.

3. Nepotism and Corruption. As Pastor Neto, one of my students and a very important man in Natalense Evangelicalism, told me with respect to Christians involvement in Politics - the further you go into politics, the dirtier you become. In order to gain credibility Christian candidates have to form coalitions across the board and often end up palling up with some disreputables in the process. In his opinion, Christians should steer clear - an unfortunate conclusion when involvement in Politics would surely be a good thing. But, he has a point - how far can Christians meaningfully make a difference and keep their integrity? Probably, this is the question all Christians have to circle when they enter political life in any country.

Even so, nepotism and corruption is a frowned upon but generally an accepted part of the political process in Brazil. Rachel's brother was telling me that politicians who are not in office lobby for harder and stricter rules about who can work for an elected official (namely, not the guy's wife, kids, cousins and school chums) but, not surprisingly, as soon as those politicians are elected they forget their election pledges and appoint their next of kin to the treasury. A ticket to office is, as is the case across the globe in countless so-called democracies, a free lunch for the family, relatives and associates of whoever just got elected.

4. It's too noisy! Elections are just plainly a big din. After our busy weekend in JP we got back last Sunday and crashed into bed at 9.30pm. 25 minutes later and a cavalcade went by blaring music at top volume and setting off fireworks. I would have been annoyed if I wasn't just numb - this has happened so much in the last few weeks.

5. Candidates would rather vote for a monkey. This may seem funny or a collectors item in the history of democratic elections but in 1996 450,000 Cariocas (people from Rio) voted for Tiao, a monkey from the local zoo to become mayor. Tiao (pictured above) garnered 9.5% of the votes and came third, significantly way above many other human candidates. As a monkey is not allowed to vote or be voted for, all of the ballots were nullified. Tiao died a few years later, a famous hero in a famous city. Its all a good laugh, but it doesn't say a whole lot for the development of effective democratic processes in Brazil if people feel they can waste their votes in this way. We have our crazy candidates in the UK but none of them have got as far as an ape has in Brazil.

2008-10-12T16:16:00.000-07:00

The Ney Lopes Jr Kombi. (Visible beneath the loudspeakers)

2008-10-09T06:24:00.000-07:00

Children's Day. The frankly ridiculous idea of giving children their own day has caught on in Brazil and that day was today. Yesterday, we went to the mall and they had a small troup of actors doing a (tame) take on the 3 little pigs. The bad wolf was dressed as Elvis and played electric guitar. Today, we went to another mall where they had clowns and magic tricks - birds and bunnies coming out of hats, that sort of thing. Nelson endured it all admirably...

Anyway, on Friday, as part of something Rachel organised through the language school a few of us went and spent a couple of hours with 35 orphans at a home we've been involved with. It's a challenging group of kids but Rachel and I were pleased to see they had more amenities and generally looked in better health than when we'd first come. We delivered presents as donated by the parents of students of the language school and we played loud and silly games and generally had a good time. Pictures are here on flickr and are now circulating in the slideshow in the sidepanel over here >>>>. To round off Children's Day/Weekend, we held a small and intimate dedication service at our church group for Gloria. We'll do the same when my folks are here at Christmas and all the family are together. Despite my frequently grumblings, I suppose children are pretty cool...

Things I love about Brazil #74: Elections. Last Sunday saw the culmination of the local elections, held simultaneously across Brazil on the 5th of October. Natal got a new mayor in the process - Micarla, the daughter of a famous TV presenter. I chuckled this week as I saw a poster hanging in the language school written by one of the lower level classes. In an activity where the kids had to describe people I read: "George Bush is boring, short and old. Micarla is short, chubby and interesting". That about sums it up, I guess.

There's a lot of razzmatazz that accompanies an election and some of it can be a lot of fun for the innocent bystander. Unlike in the UK where the primary tool of the local campaigner is the poster in the window, the most essential piece of equipment for the Brazilian equivelent is a VW Kombi with a loudspeaker on the top (see pic). From there begin the festivities, music, parties, flags-waving and general hubhub that certainly help make life more colourful. Brazil is a young democracy and, to be fair, they certainly make participating in the electoral process seem a great deal more enjoyable than back in the UK. As voting is compulsory, its something people can't simply ignore... and so, for all of the above I salute the energetic Brazilian democratic system and toast its health for the future.

Tomorrow, the bad news...

2008-10-07T05:39:00.000-07:00

Blog recess. Sorry for the delay in getting any "proper" posts on here. There's been lots going on and I've had a few writing engagements elsewhere so promise to get it back on track this week.

For now, if you're a fan of Premier League football. you might want to have a peak at a blog entry I wrote for www.reallifenews.com on Brazilians in the Premiership. Click here for that.

Weekend away and adventures on the road. In part for Rach's birthday and in part for the chance to have a curry and a banter with some British blokes, we headed down to Joao Pessoa this last weekend. Rach got to see plenty of rellies all bearing gifts of chocolate cake and wotnot. Saturday evening was spent in the most excellent company of Andy Roberts, girlfriend Rosie and Marcus and Tamara Throup, Anglican missionaries to JP. As 3 British blokes of roughly equal age who like football and curry and are married to or dating Brazilians we all had a lot in common. The next day I was able to preach at the monthly English-speaking Anglican service. It was great to be singing songs in my mother tongue again and following the Anglican order of service was a treat; something I've missed from St.Mikes in York.

The weekend's major adventure came on the way back home. 2/3rds the way back to Natal and we stopped off at a petrol station to have a loo stop. We also changed drivers and Rachel sat down in the front seat only for the car to refuse her key and complete fail to ignite the ignition. Our spare key was in Natal, still some 45 minutes drive away, locked up in our apartment. Thankfully, my phone had 1 bar of battery so Rachel was able to make some calls. The people at the petrol station provided a number for a chaveiro (key guy) and it happened to be that he was driving past anyway (thank God!) and pulled up to see what he could do.

It transpired that our key had lost the coded chip which was unique to our vehicle - a security measure on Ford EcoSports cars. Amazingly, we found the chip on the ground outside - it had fallen out when I first stepped out the vehicle, but even after it was reinstalled the car still assumed we were robbers and refused to start up. The chappie got it working though and at a price too, but unfortunately we didn't have much cash with us with which to pay him. In the end, as the banks weren't taking Rachel's cards, we bought him petrol on credit at the gas station. Anyway, we made it home, and not too late - it could've been a lot worse and the two little ones behaved themselves very well considering. Also, how bad would this have been if we had stopped, as we often do, for a loo stop behind a bush in the middle of nowhere?

2008-10-02T18:30:00.001-07:00

Rach is 28 today! Here's a short history of my exceptionally wonderful wife. Click here to see.

2008-09-27T01:50:00.000-07:00

I'm outta here... The Maclure clan have a packed few days ahead. Today, directly after my Saturday lesson, its off to the airport and on a plane and down to Recife to see our good pals Mariano and Babi and their kids Miguel and Sofia back from Seattle. Should be great fun!

Finlay Joel Byrne. Awesome news coming out of York this week - another Byrne! A brother to Gracie and a son to Danny and Caz. Congratulations you guys!

A fuller post coming soon...