university

final exams are approaching and besides cinema and theater I'm spending more and more time in my room to to the finish at least some of the mandatory reading. There is an interesting difference between brazilian readings and the kind of reading I am used to from Germany. The same difference can be found within the lessons, from students and teachers likewise.
People here refer so much more to classical literature! Of course we get an introduction to Maquiavelli, Hobbes, Locke in Germany. But we don't really READ there books. If we do the mandatory reading we get a glimps of their writing, 20-50 pages at most. If we don't we might still pass the exams without ever take a look at their 'original writing'.
Here it is VERY different.
Within the first year, students are obligated to actually read and summarize the most important books of political thought history. So, later in their studies, they are trained to constantly refer to those authors. It is very interesting how they manage to bring in, especially Hobbes and Maquiavelli, into nearly any conversation. Oh, and Weber is also VERY beloved. Sso in the end it did make sense to work myself through Weber for my 'Zwischenprüfung' (= global exam after about 2 years of your studies in Germany).
I must admit, that my theoretical knowledge is not as wide as the one of my fellow students. But on the other side it seems I am much more used to formulate my own thinkings without having to legitimate them with classical authors. But I do wonder about the reason for this difference...
Does it refer to the 'periferical self-consciousness' of Brazil as a third-world-country? Do they have to show to themselves AND the leading academic world (here: USA and somehow Europe), that they are able to work on classical authors in order to be taken serious???
Or don't they have enough 'worth-to-cite'-authors in Braszil? Of course, the University of Sao Paulo only exists for 70-80 years... and this is the most important university in this country...

Christmas...

... is drawing closer. So Santa Claus just takes a nap before the real stress starts. How lucky he can be, that there is a shadowy place for him in the 'hamaca'. Because running around in winter outfit while outside the sun is shining brightly at 35°C is really NOT funny.

I feel really sorry for the many students who are behind the living Santas around town.

PD: Christmas with 35°C just doesn't feel like it. And the fake snow in the shopping malls doesn't help either.

prince, frog or....

...a giraffe?
No, I won't kiss you. Who knows, you'll turn into a liquidificadora...
Although... we COULD need a new mixer in our kitchen ;-)

Embu das Artes

Embu is a nice little town where you can buy everything imagenable, as long as it is handycraft. I went there last weekend together with Kimberly (USA) and Jacobo (Spain). Interesting how it is always the foreigners who are exploring grand Sao Paulo.

Nice little houses, not those huuuuge skyscrapers I'm used to in Sao Paulo. Actually it is quite nice to see the sky from time to time...

pobreza

Even in fancy Embu there are kids who have to make a living by cleaning other people's shoes. Well, the picture has been taken on a saturday, so he probably isn't even missing school, but nevertheless...
I'm still not used to see the kids working on the streets.

Sao Paulo

Sao Paulo is BIIIIIIG. Just in case you didn't notice yet ;-)

Piscina Natural

Parati has not only prayas (beaches) but also trilhas through the forest to get from one beach to the other. This one was specially challenging, bur definetly worth it. At the end of the trilha there is a so called natural swimming pool. Big stones build a circle into the ocean, so the water inside the circle stays rather calm and invites to enjoy some swimming without being crashed back into the beach by the waves.

Greetings from the sunny side

Yes! There we go... enjoing a little more of the sun. Wishing you all the best there in cold, windy Germany (or whereever you may be at the moment). At least ou will feel like Christmas. I am shocked every time a meet a Santa under the blue 34° sky we currently enjoy in Sao Paulo...

the boat tour

We also made a 'Escuna'-trip, visiting four islands. To get some sun, to do some swimming, to see some nature...

So I tested how much sun my skin was able to absorb without getting burned (Factor 50!!! does help), especially because the first day we did already get a little too much sun. But it has turned into a nice honey-shade by now.


Later the day some clouds were coming up, so it became a little cold. Luckily Anja and me had bought two of those really cheap tourist-t-shirts, originally to protect us from too much sun, but it helped against the cold as well. But people did kind of stare at us wearing the same shirt (and later on the same kanga as well).

Result: Dori

I wrote about my new hairdresser in my last update, didn't I? Anyway, here you get a good impression about how I look now. Shorter, and more red. Although the colour is basicely due to Juliana, my language partner.

Ok, and I am trying to absorbe as fast as possible the most important touristic attractions in Parati before getting up and strolling with Anja through the town.

Parati

First thing to do when arriving in a new town: going to the tourist office and get some flyers, including a map to get some orientation (orientation only applies to me. Anja just follows me, trusting that I somehow might find the way).
Just in case you have never heard about Parati: it is one of the first portuguese settlements and had his high phase during the gold rush in Minas Gerais, because the gold was shipped to Portugal via Parati. Today it is a touristic town above anything. But as Luiz (the guide) told us: enjoy the center and when you get hungry try to get something outside of it. That makes the money last a lot longer.

adaption

Hi everyone,
inspired by Anja's update I decided to compile a little list how far my adaption efforts have brought me... while I am waiting my friends to get ready for the disco (it's only 22:00, so we still have two hours before we leave the house)

• ... I talk about a quiet weekend when I stay home Friday OR saturday
• ... I don't plan more than two days ahead (apart from weekend-trips)
• ... I leave the house at midnight and catch the first metrô to come back home (that's six in the morning) without complaining
• ... I actually posess enough handbags to match any outfit I choose (OK, to be frank, a blue one is still missing)
• ... I invest 1 hour to get to the hairdresser (one way), only because my friend told me, he is the absolutely BEST in town (by the way: he is)
• ... I sign the lists in class for friends who didn't make it in time (hey, they have only four hours to show up and sign in)
• ... I don't feel guilty any more for not reading all of the 'must-read'-texts. In fact, by reading half of them I am still ahead of everyone else.
• ... together with Giulia and Ligia, I order 'beirute' (you could compare it with Döner) at 1:00 in the morning.

Things I do not intend to change:

• ... never challenge my green tea habit!
• ... I actually show up in class on time, having read some of the literature
• ... my weekly telephone chat with Anja in Rio.