First, I want to thank everyone for their support and kindness over the past week regarding my mugging incidence. All of your kind words have meant a lot to me and have really make me feel closer to home.
This past week has been much, much better and I am finally adjusting to the Brazilian life style… here’s the scoop on what’s happening south of the equator! I still can’t believe I have been here for two weeks already!
Monday to Friday from 8:30 to 5: Life at Imazon
I absolutely love my work at Imazon! I am working with two researchers (including a Brazilian Stanford masters graduate) on a project to identify locations suitable for reforestation projects within the municipality of Paragominas in Para State. Twenty percent of the global carbon dioxide emissions come from deforestation… so curtailing the rate of deforestation and the reforesting devastated areas can have a large impact. The State of Para has recently pledged to plant one billion trees - this is a similar to the UN’s initiative to plant one billion around the world, however the twist on this project is that the one billion trees are concentrated in one State. So lots and lots of trees need to be planted and this is where my work comes in… My project’s goal is to identify locations within Paragominas eligible to receive carbon credits under the Kyoto Protocol’s Clean Development Mechanism. Therefore, a developed country (only the EU, Japan, and Australia at this time - feel free to ask Bush why the US is not included in this list) could fund a reforestation in Paragominas at a lower cost than an equivalent carbon dioxide reduction would cost in their home country. It’s all about economics!
Paragominas has witnessed over four decades of logging, ranching, and farming to become the most devastated area in the Amazon. Therefore, this municipality serves as an excellent model of how reforestation projects could be, if this project is successful, replicated elsewhere in the Para. I will also have the opportunity to travel with my research mentor to this region to see the devastation first hand.
My project will use GIS (Geographic Information Systems - computerized mapping) to identify the areas that qualify for Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) projects. Also, my goal is to design educational curriculum for high school and middle school science students using my work at Imazon. This part of my project will be concluded in the Fall at Cornell University.
Ok, and now for a peak into life outside of Imazon…I have been hanging out with a few people from Imazon and on Friday night I went out with one of the guys to a party. It was sooo much fun, though I really was dreading it in the beginning - he told me that it was a "San Juan" party (St. John) party and that the guys wear girls clothes and visa-versa. (So, my host family brother (age 16) dressed me up in his clothes - for a visual effect my shirt could be described as: red, long sleeved with the words "bad, boy forever" written on it -- definitely not to be worn in the U.S.). It actually turned out to be quite the festivity and there were 30 or 40 kids from Hugo's (guy from Imazon - name pronounced "Oogo" - "h's" are silent in Portuguese) law school class at one of their houses. It was so much fun - tons of dancing (which by the way I am truly horrible at and lack total coordination) and just really, really nice kids. The whole atmosphere of the party was so different from college parties in the US and it was totally refreshing to be in a very relaxed place. So it was a really fun time! And everyone wanted to talk to me - the stupid blond American girl who cannot speak Portuguese beyond the level of a 2 or 3 year old. But it was still fun and they loved practicing their English, though clearly I am the one who really needs practice!
On Sunday I went to a river beach at Mosqueiro. The river was so big that I couldn't see across it - and it isn't even the Amazon River!!! I went with Professor Arima's wife, Norma, and her parents, and her brother (and his family). It was tons of fun and I went swimming with their kids (ages “walking baby” to 16).
On the Future Agenda:
This Thursday I am going to the beach with Norma and her parents, etc. I just saw pictures today and it looks beautiful with white sand beaches. Hopefully, it won't be too, too hot. I'm hoping to be able to go shopping there and find some cute clothes. I have never been (nor had the desire) to be on the cutting edge of fashion, but in Belem I feel like a total and absolute slob. For a city that definitely would not win any beauty contests, the women here certainly make up for it and always wear high heel shoes and are put together to the “n-th” degree. So I am hoping to find something mildly trendy- for some reason I was not aware at all that the people would dress like this in the North. I brought one pair of jeans and everyone wears jeans regardless of the humidity and heat! I need to get with the program.
Word on the Weather:
I really don't know what season it is here… I have heard that it is technically winter, though I have been told there are really just two seasons here "dry" and "wet" (I would refer to them as "wet" and "wetter," personally). But we are in the "dry" season ... It rains almost every day here in the afternoon with tons and tons of thunder and lightning. Even after four years of thunder and lightening in upstate New York, I am still not used to this loud and bright weather event! The rain is nice though because it cools off the temperatures a little bit and makes the heat a bit more manageable.
Meet My Host Family Vlamir, Iranley, Neto, and Thais
Vlamir and Iranely are my host parents. I believe we had a language issue and they were scared that I wouldn’t understand what they were saying. (Ha – this is probably true, but still…) However, after about a week of silence, the words and hand gestures are flowing just fine!
Neto is my host brother. He is a tall, very skinny 16 year-old boy and the one that lent me clothes for the party. He is very nice and spends most of his day playing computer games in English. These games are his way of learning English. He is pretty good in English and much prefers English to Portuguese. But I have started forcing him to speak Portuguese – at least a little bit!
My favorite is Thais. She is a 14 year-old, perky girl with a beautiful smile. She is the family “maid.” Yes, you read that correctly, she is the maid. I still have a hard time understanding how she really can be the fulltime maid and definitely not treated as a “14 year old girl,” but apparently it is perfectly normal and common here. Not every family has maids, only weathy ones from the "interior" (i.e. the country side). But it is not perceived as strange or bad.
There are clear differences between her treatment and Neto’s… for example she goes to public school (which are apparently horendous here - the teachers were on strike for a month and a half) and he goes to private school. Her teeth are not straight and Neto wears braces. She goes to school and comes back to do the wash by hand, scrub the floors, and make the family meals and he sits in front of the computer or in front of the mirror combing his hair and asking me if it looks good. Clearly he hasn’t picked up on the fact, that I am not a fashion guru and also don’t stare at the mirror that much myself.
Anyways, Thais and I have bonded and she teaches me Portuguese and I teach her English. She comes in my room and we both plop ourselves on my bed and read over grammar and vocabulary lessons. She also brings me her English homework and I help her or maybe I should say she helps me! Last night she taught me the Brazilian States and their capitals. She is soo sweet! And she is very patient and we struggle together in languages not our own. Ok, that’s all for now!
Hope everyone has a great week!
Tchau!
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