Politics! Election Day today (Sunday!) Went with Cris to the
voting center run by a group who were chosen, like jurers, to run the
operation. It is mandatory to vote here. If you do not vote you have to pay a
fine. Failure to vote twice in a row leaves you with less citizen benefits-whatever
that means. Incorporated this conversation into an English class with Michele. Everyone
wants to practice their English with me and I want to speak Portuguese. Of
course, they want to speak in private since they are shy. So, I promise time
alone with those that are interested. There is always “tomorrow.”
The garbage truck came today as well. Huge metal baskets sit
on the street, several feet apart, with piles of plastic bags. Where does the
garbage go? If you haven’t seen the movie Wasteland, it will help you
understand the issues this developing country faces. It was at the Port
Townsend film festival a few years ago and I was so moved by it.
Speaking of films, saw the fantastic French film
“Untouchables” Saturday night. At times I had difficulty with the subtitles
since the words sped by or they were white-on-white and I couldn’t make them
out. We chose our seats from the monitor at the cashier’s station, like a
concert. A restaurant straddles the entrance of the theatre and a coffee shop
sits on the corner of the bookstore that carries mostly foreign DVD’s, books,
magazines and movie posters. No popcorn but small snacks, mints and gum were
available for an arm and a leg at a little kiosk in the lobby. R$48 for two
tickets ($24US) It is an alternative theatre, showing mostly foreign films and
rarely popular Hollywood movies.
Shocking prices at the Ibeapuera Shopping Mall so I chose
not to buy pj’s. Will just have to make do at the farm. The chickens won’t mind
a terrible view of a big white naked butt! Certainly not a shapely curved
Brasilian butt…yes, it is true, the women have very generous, rounded buttocks.
A “big handful” as they say.
I do so love it here yet Sao Paulo has a very high cost of living.
Even though I could make good money being a weekend Bilingual Nanny (I could
even dress up as Mrs. Doubtfire!) it would be a stretch to live in this city. I
saw a butterfly on the ceiling…that is the extent of the wildlife, thus far!
Walked through the Park again and a commercial was being
filmed. No security guards, no roped-off areas just a backdrop set up in the
middle of the walkway.
Having lunch, the smells are wafting up from the other
apartments. The kids are at school four hours a day then they come home for lunch
and stay to play in the apartment complex for the rest of the day. The maid is
cooking and cleaning, ironing the sheets and wears a uniform with a scarf on
her head. I feel like a scholar with her, she is amazed at my Portuguese and I
am warmed by her compliments. She is a tiny thing, lives in a favela and has a
son who is 8. Everyone knows everyone else’s story. A lot of drama in their
lives. Cristina is a good example of a Brasilian with a heart who helps her
employees better themselves.
Off to the bus!
Preta is the black Schnauzer (?) scruffy and affectionate. Had
to snatch the cats (Gato e Gatihno) and snuggle with them, struggling to get
away but after a few minutes of Tellington Touch, they relented. It is wonderful to be staying in a home in the
forest with animals again.
Dario’s childhood friend, So, was here with us. We scaled
the hillside with a wheelbarrel to cut cabbage leaves and collect papaya in the
dark. I had on my flipflops and a pair of shorts. Leaning over the plants, I
had a sneaky suspicion that there might be something lurking in the dark trees,
waiting to latch onto me, besides the mosquitos…So told me-no, there are only
cobras, the red ones are dangerous and usually do not come out at night…what a
relief! Later, Ana told me, “You are so courageous! Going up into the hills
like that.” There is comfort in naivety.
We stayed up slicing the palm casings off, weighing them and
wrapping them in …plastic! I am horrified and hoping I can help Ana and Dario
find another option for packaging their food. Shrink-wrapped the eggplant and
stuffed the green cabbage leaves in labeled plastic bags to sell at the market.
Tomatoes, oranges and lettuce were stored in plastic baskets for transport and
the frozen mango pieces were piled into a large Styrofoam cooler. The new Fiat
was crammed with goods to deliver to the restaurants, markets and school. We drank tea and ate rolls, fresh cheese from
the neighbors who have buffalo, an eggplant spread, marmalade and hard roma
tomatoes. I feel thinner already! Dario and So left at 3:00am to bring the
carload of goods to another city. So is leaving today, he misses the bus last
night. Gave us extra hands to prepare everything.
The family who lives on the farm has their own house with a
veranda and an area for other workers. The couple works on the farm and in
exchange, has a place to live. They have been here for three years. Their
oldest son is 17 and left school. He doesn’t have many opportunities here but
they don’t seem overly concerned.
I chose to stay in the house with Ana and Dario, close to
the dogs and cats!
Now, if only I could figure out how to sync my Ipod Touch
with the laptop, I could share some photos…where is a teenager when I need one?
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