Well the title says it all. Here’s the story in Portuguese, but for those who don’t speak the language, I’ll explain it in English.
A couple who live in a favela in the state of Pernambuco (which happens to be the state where my fabulous boyfriend is from) have five children. Two of the kids are black like the parents and the other three are albino. Of course these children have special needs and therefore, it is difficult for the parents to take care of them. They can’t afford to buy the necessary clothing to protect them from the sun. The parents are afraid that the kids will get skin cancer because of this. The kids also suffer because they get picked on in school (and other places) where people don’t believe that their mother is really their mother.
Valdir Balbino, a genetics professor at the Federal University of Pernambuco, says that this is a very rare case – especially because the other two children are not affected. Both parents need to have the gene for albinism in order for their children to be affected. And then there is only a 25% chance that it will occur. However, this happened three times in this case.
Here’s a picture from the story on the Época website:
Last Thursday night I went to an amazing performance by the group called “DanceBrazil”. The performance was on UT campus, and was offered on behalf of the Cultural Attractions Committee. DanceBrazil performs a variety of tradition Brazilian dance along with the always exciting Capoeira. Also, the show opens with three men who play keyboard, drums, and a variety of other percussion instruments…along with another guy who sings and plays guitar. They entertained us with 2 or 3 songs in Portuguese; while encouraging the audience to sing along with some of the easier parts…the ones that didn’t require a knowledge of the language, that is. The music was great and it was certainly fun to hear an auditorium full of people singing “Ay-oh, ay-oh-oh-oh”, etc.
There are some seriously talented dancers in the crew, and I was incredibly impressed. My mom went with me, and though she doesn’t really know a whole lot about Brazil…other than what I tell her….she enjoyed the performance too. I really wanted to take pictures, and I even had my new camera with me. However, there was no photography allowed. Boo.
Anyway, it was so good to have a little taste of my home away from home right here in my hometown. How’s that for confusing? Here’s the website for DanceBrazil: http://dancebrazil.org/
Also, here is a link to an article that was written about the performance: http://tnjn.com/2009/mar/10/dancebrazil-brings-energy-styl/
Well, today is the first day of a brand new year!! Yay! How exciting! I’m starting a new college (University of Tennessee) this year. I have orientation on Monday Jan. 5th, and then classes start on Jan. 7th. This is just one of the many changes I am looking forward to for 2009. I’m hoping this will be the best year yet!!
Today’s word is the Portuguese equivalent of the word “kiss”.
Beijo=kiss
There are a few different forms of the word, so it can be adjusted to change the meaning just a little.
For example: beijinho=little kiss, beijão=big kiss, and beijos=the plural form, kisses
Brazilians often type “beijo” at the end of a note or an email. It’s sometimes also said at the end of a phone conversation. Think of the end of the conversation going something like this: “Ok, talk to you later. Beijo! (or kiss!)Bye!” It seems a little strange to us because we don’t generally send a kiss to our friends or family members every time that we talk to them, but it’s the Brazilian way!
I have a treat for you all, but first, I have to teach you something!
Today you will learn how to say a very simple phrase that is used on a daily basis in Rio.
Tudo bem? = How are you?
It literally translates to “Everything well?”, but it’s used with the casualty and frequency of our phrase, “How’s everything going?” So now you know how to greet someone in Brasil!
And now the special treat!!! You are probably wondering why this post is titled “O Holy Night”. It comes from a discussion with a guy at church today. We were talking about this lovely rendition of the song that we have heard. I found a video on Youtube, so I decided to include it for you. Watch the whole thing for the best parts! Enjoy!
As usual, I’ve been terribly behind on posting. Would yall expect anything less from me?? Ok, didn’t think so. But, since i’ve been getting hits from people other than my usual friends/family, I’ve decided to make my blog a bit educational. So I’m going to start teaching a little bit of Portuguese vocabulary along with my general entries. I’m gonna shoot for writing an entry every day….but we all know that might not happen! However, that’s the goal. I’ll teach a Portuguese word or a phrase in each entry. But never fear, if you aren’t too interested in learning Portuguese, I’ll still be writing about my experiences from Brasil, and other general things. But maybe someone might stumble upon my blog and find it useful.
So for the first mini-lesson, I’ll teach you something that is very relevant to the coming days: How to say “Merry Christmas” in Portuguese!
Feliz Natal! = Merry Christmas!
Here’s a picture of the Christmas tree at Lagoa in Rio. Beautiful, huh? Feliz Natal for everyone! Hope your holidays are fabulous!
André and I went to Lapa on the last Friday night that I was in Rio. The trip there was pretty interesting, and so was our time there, but that’s a whole different story for another time. This story is about a delicious pastry-ish snack known as a “pastel“. While hanging out in Lapa, André decided he wanted a pastel. I had never had one, so I was kinda excited to try one. And oh my goodness, was it ever wonderful! There are different varieties of fillings, but the one we had was beef and cheese. The filling is put inside dough and then deep fried to a golden brown color.
For the last couple of weeks, I have been craving a pastel. So I decided to look online for a recipe. They are so incredibly easy to make! I bought a deep fryer and all of the ingredients at the Super Walmart this afternoon, and then cooked them tonight. They were great, and my family loved them too.
Here are some pictures of my pastéis, as well as, me in Lapa:
A couple of weeks ago I met up with a friend that I hadn’t seen in about a year and half. I met her when I went to Rio the first time in the summer of 2007. Amy worked in Rio for about 3 months with the mission teams. She was living in Nashville, but decided to move to Knoxville. So, a few weeks ago, she sent me a message saying she was living here now, and she wanted to get together. We met at Starbucks, (which, any excuse to go to Starbucks is fine with me!), and we enjoyed coffee and conversation for about an hour and a half. It was wonderful to catch up with her, and to actually see her again. And it just reminded me that I have yet another cherished connection that I made once upon a time in a country called Brazil…..
I cannot even begin to say enough good things about this software. It has so many cool features, and I have just recently become a Skype user….or “Skyper”. lol. André told me about the website, and he told me to download the program, which you can do for FREE! Once you have it downloaded, all you need is a microphone (I bought mine at Walmart for about 7 bucks) and speakers or headphones on your computer. If you’ve got that, you’re all set. The basic features of Skype are absolutely free, and they include computer to computer voice calls, as well as, text chatting. You can also do video calls for free if you have a webcam. But, if you are interested in the more advanced, and even cooler features, Skype has a few options. You can buy Skype Credit and then use your computer to call any landline or any cell phone (in many countries). You can also purchase a monthly subscription to Skype. There are 3 different choices for this. The U.S. and Canada plan is $2.95/month. The U.S. and Mexico plan is $5.95/month. And the World plan (36 countries included) is just $9.95/month. All of the subscriptions allow unlimited calling. The only downside I have found for me, personally, is that Brazil is not included in the Unlimited World subscription However, I could purchase Skype Credit to call Rio for $.033/minute! That is incredibly cheap. But, because André has bought the Unlimited World plan from Brazil, he can call my cell phone any day, any time. When you get a subscription, you can also set up an online number. (Which he did.) He picked his to be set up as a Nashville, TN number, so now, I can call that number (which dials to his laptop) and I don’t have to pay any long distance charges!! It’s just like I’m calling someone in Nasvhille, but I’m really calling a computer in Rio de Janeiro. It’s pretty amazing. Skype also allows you to forward phone calls, send/receive voice messages, and send/receive text messages. Those things cost a little, but like the other features, they are cheap. So, this is my plug for Skype: If you have friends or family that you would like to call for a really low price, then you should definitely get Skype. It’s a fantastic way to keep in touch with the people you love who live far away. So far, I’ve talked to André pretty much every day, and his sister, Vanessa, and her little girl, Luiza, called me a few days ago. It’s so exciting to be able to talk to them more often now.
Black beans and rice are staples in most meals. I ate that combination twice a day for pretty much every day I was in Rio. It’s a good thing I like it so much!
Chicken Stroganoff was my favorite dish that I tried when I went to Brazil the first time, and I liked it so much that I found a recipe for it online, and I make it every now and then. AND, when I went back to Rio this past summer, Leila (my friend Luan’s mom) cooked it for me because I had mentioned how much I liked it. She is one of the ladies from the church that we worked with in 2007 who cooked dinner for us every night….which is when I ate this particular meal the first time. It was absolutely delicious!! Obrigada Leila
André taught me how to make pizza (Brazilian style) this summer. It’s so yummy, and I have made it for my family a few times. In fact, I made it tonight, and it was great. The only thing I do differently, is: I buy Pillsbury pizza dough in a can, rather than making my dough from scratch. André always makes his own, but I didn’t really pay enough attention to that part……
And, I enjoyed my favorite Brazilian drink tonight: Guaraná!!!! I bought a couple of two liters at a store called “Tienda Nony” last week, and I had forgotten that I had them at first. But, while I was cooking the pizza tonight, I remembered. And I was sooooo happy. I really do have a serious addiction to that stuff.
Here’s the website for DanceBrazil: http://dancebrazil.org/
Ok, didn’t think so. But, since i’ve been getting hits from people other than my usual friends/family, I’ve decided to make my blog a bit educational. So I’m going to start teaching a little bit of Portuguese vocabulary along with my general entries. I’m gonna shoot for writing an entry every day….but we all know that might not happen! However, that’s the goal. I’ll teach a Portuguese word or a phrase in each entry. But never fear, if you aren’t too interested in learning Portuguese, I’ll still be writing about my experiences from Brasil, and other general things. But maybe someone might stumble upon my blog and find it useful.
However, I could purchase Skype Credit to call Rio for $.033/minute! That is incredibly cheap. But, because André has bought the Unlimited World plan from Brazil, he can call my cell phone any day, any time. When you get a subscription, you can also set up an online number. (Which he did.) He picked his to be set up as a Nashville, TN number, so now, I can call that number (which dials to his laptop) and I don’t have to pay any long distance charges!! It’s just like I’m calling someone in Nasvhille, but I’m really calling a computer in Rio de Janeiro. It’s pretty amazing. Skype also allows you to forward phone calls, send/receive voice messages, and send/receive text messages. Those things cost a little, but like the other features, they are cheap. So, this is my plug for Skype: If you have friends or family that you would like to call for a really low price, then you should definitely get Skype. It’s a fantastic way to keep in touch with the people you love who live far away. So far, I’ve talked to André pretty much every day, and his sister, Vanessa, and her little girl, Luiza, called me a few days ago. It’s so exciting to be able to talk to them more often now.