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Today, March 13, 2015, marks a week since arriving in this "______" (insert any ambiguous adjective here) town/city of Araguaína, in the state of Tocantins in the middle of Brazil. It was wonderful to have the support of English professors Alessandra and Miliane when first arriving here - they have been so helpful with federal police registration, housing and even hosting us! Miliane picked me up at the airport last Friday and then brought me to Alessandra's house to stay for a few days. When Ben, the other ETA, arrived in Araguaína (by the way the smallest airport I have ever landed in!) the next day, we both stayed with Alessandra for a few more days while looking for places to stay. We were in a bit of a time crunch with housing and so we chose the best option available to us rather quickly - we are conveniently (both for us and for having students over to our house) living across the street from UFT (Universidade Federal do Tocantins, where we will be working) in a sort of condo that had just recently been built (we are the first people to ever live in it). Like most nicer houses in this city, it has a huge gate around it with an electric fence over that, has a nice porch area (cement) in front and in back I was able to hang my camping hammock (but I accidentally shocked myself in the process, ha!). There are two bedrooms, one for each ETA, a kitchen/entry space that is still mostly empty (we have been eating all of our meals on the floor), and a bathroom/shower with only cold water (this actually works out perfectly in Araguaína's hot climate). Since deciding to move there, we have been busying ourselves with negotiating prices and delivery of new mattresses and used furniture from all the owners of "lojas de móveis usados" (used furniture stores), making several walking trips to and from the town center (about 20 minutes away) and prioritizing our needs. So far, we have bought a stove, a water filter, a refrigerator (fresh produce in Araguaína would go bad in about 24 hours if not refrigerated), mattresses for each person, a closet/wardrobe, along with a broom, bucket, and cleaning supplies as well as plates, pans and silverware.
I am having great difficulty wrapping my head around what Araguaína is, so maybe it is easier to start of with what it isn't. Araguaína is nothing close to the stereotypical beach resort Brazil that many U.S. Americans envision at the mention of this country. It is also not a large touristic city like São Paulo, Salvador, or Rio. As Araguaína only really developed into a sizeable city in the last 75 years and was founded by rich ranchers who moved here from the surrounding areas, the most popular event each year is the Rodeo, held in June. To put Araguaína into perspective for many family members reading this blog, Araguaína could sort of be equated to a Brazilian version of Oakdale, California (where my grandma, Sugie, has lived for the past 50 years and where I grew up visiting each year).
Like Oakdale, Araguaína is subject to extremely high temperatures, but in a different way. When I would try to run while staying with Sugie in the summer, I would feel my mouth dry up so much within a few minutes that I could no longer form saliva or swallow. Thankfully, Araguaína does not give me this problem, but causes its inhabitants a different sort of temperal torture. The moisture in the air here means that almost the second one steps foot outside, no matter at 8 AM or 1 PM, little beads of sweat instantly form on the skin's surface. This makes running, of course, a particularly perspiring endeavor! The only times I have managed to go are at 8 AM when I first wake up or at 6 PM when it is starting to cool off. Regardless of when, I am aware of just how much a spectacle I am for the local people. Besides the boys playing soccer in the local campo de futebol (fucheebol), I have seen very few people exercising outdoors here, and if they are, they are usually dark-haired men jogging by in full track suits at sundown, not blonde-haired girls in shorts. Having lived in Greece and Argentina, I am used to physically standing out and was initially oblivious to the stares Ben and I attract whenever we leave the house, but as since he pointed them out to me, I have become increasingly aware of just how prevalent they are. Everywhere I go, there are eyes watching me. In all of the hundreds of people I have seen since arriving (which could not be an accurate sample), only maybe five of them have had blue eyes. Potentially one of those was blonde. Although it is incredibly awkward to feel like such a freak, and I sometimes find myself wishing I could change my appearance to detract from the attention, I think being a minority is valuable learning lesson and something everyone should experience at least once. It is humbling to be made more aware of how many times in my life my race has worked in my favor, and even now that I stand out here, my whiteness still isn't something that will hinder my academic or professional image. I know that many people of color in the US lack this privelege.
Ben and I have also had the opportunity to observe several English classes at UFT this past week, as well. The teachers do not have an easy job. Some of the students are really motivated to learn English and have a lot of vontade, many are not. Students here are typically trying to work, manage family life, and fully support themselves in addition to dedicating time and effort to their cousework, so the overall academic drive, I would say, is incomparable to the stressful, sleepless night situation of many students studying at US American colleges or universities. Many of the students require an oral explanation of concepts in Portuguese (and the CELTA-trained part of me wants to rebel!!!), but I still feel my Portuguese is too choppy to well-articulate the type of response that the students require. Portuguese is interesting - never before have I tried learning a language that I already understood so much of (thank you, Spanish!), but I still feel silly when I try to speak and stumble over the new ways my mouth is supposed to turn and my nose supposed to be incorporated in that process (there are so many nasal sounds!). I miss the feeling of words effortlessly flowing off of my tongue. I have met a few native Spanish speakers at UFT, and it has been helpful for my confidence to reminded of my competence in at least that language. Regardless, I really look forward to learning more and improving language skills quickly to become more involved in the local community. I would really love to start volunteering and potentially start a girls' running club outside of my hours teaching, but first my Portuguese must improve! This week we will be provided many more details that will (hopefully) start to clarify expectations of us in teaching. I also look forward to meeting more students, making friends, and finding a church community. I will update you all in a few weeks on these developments.
Thank you all for your support, love and prayers! I would love to hear from you.
Much love!!
I am having great difficulty wrapping my head around what Araguaína is, so maybe it is easier to start of with what it isn't. Araguaína is nothing close to the stereotypical beach resort Brazil that many U.S. Americans envision at the mention of this country. It is also not a large touristic city like São Paulo, Salvador, or Rio. As Araguaína only really developed into a sizeable city in the last 75 years and was founded by rich ranchers who moved here from the surrounding areas, the most popular event each year is the Rodeo, held in June. To put Araguaína into perspective for many family members reading this blog, Araguaína could sort of be equated to a Brazilian version of Oakdale, California (where my grandma, Sugie, has lived for the past 50 years and where I grew up visiting each year).
Like Oakdale, Araguaína is subject to extremely high temperatures, but in a different way. When I would try to run while staying with Sugie in the summer, I would feel my mouth dry up so much within a few minutes that I could no longer form saliva or swallow. Thankfully, Araguaína does not give me this problem, but causes its inhabitants a different sort of temperal torture. The moisture in the air here means that almost the second one steps foot outside, no matter at 8 AM or 1 PM, little beads of sweat instantly form on the skin's surface. This makes running, of course, a particularly perspiring endeavor! The only times I have managed to go are at 8 AM when I first wake up or at 6 PM when it is starting to cool off. Regardless of when, I am aware of just how much a spectacle I am for the local people. Besides the boys playing soccer in the local campo de futebol (fucheebol), I have seen very few people exercising outdoors here, and if they are, they are usually dark-haired men jogging by in full track suits at sundown, not blonde-haired girls in shorts. Having lived in Greece and Argentina, I am used to physically standing out and was initially oblivious to the stares Ben and I attract whenever we leave the house, but as since he pointed them out to me, I have become increasingly aware of just how prevalent they are. Everywhere I go, there are eyes watching me. In all of the hundreds of people I have seen since arriving (which could not be an accurate sample), only maybe five of them have had blue eyes. Potentially one of those was blonde. Although it is incredibly awkward to feel like such a freak, and I sometimes find myself wishing I could change my appearance to detract from the attention, I think being a minority is valuable learning lesson and something everyone should experience at least once. It is humbling to be made more aware of how many times in my life my race has worked in my favor, and even now that I stand out here, my whiteness still isn't something that will hinder my academic or professional image. I know that many people of color in the US lack this privelege.
Ben and I have also had the opportunity to observe several English classes at UFT this past week, as well. The teachers do not have an easy job. Some of the students are really motivated to learn English and have a lot of vontade, many are not. Students here are typically trying to work, manage family life, and fully support themselves in addition to dedicating time and effort to their cousework, so the overall academic drive, I would say, is incomparable to the stressful, sleepless night situation of many students studying at US American colleges or universities. Many of the students require an oral explanation of concepts in Portuguese (and the CELTA-trained part of me wants to rebel!!!), but I still feel my Portuguese is too choppy to well-articulate the type of response that the students require. Portuguese is interesting - never before have I tried learning a language that I already understood so much of (thank you, Spanish!), but I still feel silly when I try to speak and stumble over the new ways my mouth is supposed to turn and my nose supposed to be incorporated in that process (there are so many nasal sounds!). I miss the feeling of words effortlessly flowing off of my tongue. I have met a few native Spanish speakers at UFT, and it has been helpful for my confidence to reminded of my competence in at least that language. Regardless, I really look forward to learning more and improving language skills quickly to become more involved in the local community. I would really love to start volunteering and potentially start a girls' running club outside of my hours teaching, but first my Portuguese must improve! This week we will be provided many more details that will (hopefully) start to clarify expectations of us in teaching. I also look forward to meeting more students, making friends, and finding a church community. I will update you all in a few weeks on these developments.
Thank you all for your support, love and prayers! I would love to hear from you.
Much love!!
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