Disseram Que Eu Voltei Americanizada

My True Story on Yes & Yes

noreply@blogger.com (Polyana Ferreira De Oliveira) — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 13:44:00 +0000

A few months back, Sarah Von from Yes & Yes, a blog I follow religiously, e-mailed me to ask me if I would like to talk to her about my experience living in the US and moving back to Brazil, which I promptly accepted :-)

She's pretty "OCD," so three months later, she scheduled the post to be published and it was posted yesterday!

If you'd like to read it, you can find it here: True Story: I Immigrated to America... And Then Moved Back to My Home Country.

What's funny is, I'm so used to my "story," and telling it here, that it's almost become sort of blasé to me and I never realize how some of my struggles while living in the US and then moving back, to a lot of people, are seemingly "courageous," "brave," and "amazing."

I realized this yesterday when I posted the link to Sarah's post and was overwhelmed with comments from friends and relatives, and even strangers, who congratulated me on the above adjectives.

You can read all the comments here.

In short, I just wanted to say to those of you who spoke so kindly of me and look up to me, that I couldn't be as brave, courageous, and inspiring if it weren't for those around me - which is what I suggested in Sarah's interview to anyone who is in a similar situation I was in when in the US. Surround yourself with wonderful people, and you shall succeed :-)

"What advice would you give to someone else who feels out of place where they live?

My biggest advice is surrounding yourself with people you trust who you can vent to and cry with. Having good friends to talk to who I can relate to has always been a great way for me to keep my sanity and not go around pessimistic about everything. And also, always be positive and try to see things in a good light. I’m you’re average “Pollyanna,” and think this was all really just meant to be!"

beijos no coração!

-poly.

Hey America, STOP SOPA!

noreply@blogger.com (Polyana Ferreira De Oliveira) — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 15:24:00 +0000

As a search marketer, I'm obliged to spread the word:

Also, from a short spiel I wrote for a blog post on the matter, yesterday:

Like many things in life, despite being an American law, all internet users in the world will be affected by SOPA and/or PIPA (not an exaggeration). In the law's description, found on the US congress website, it is clear that any site that links to a page that has "pirated" content, as they put it, can and should be taken down if that link is not removed, even if the site is foreign. Now, how am I going to know the content I link to is pirated? What about Google or Wikipedia? Wikipedia was on strike yesterday, and they told us on the strike's page that the law can end the "free" internet. Free as in monetary and liberty! Also, who is a congressman in the US to tell us that we can't access sites we want to access? Or to end access to important information we have access to today? Who needs to be punished are those who plagiarize or priatize information online. One of the law's clauses, which hasn't been given much attention, is that SOPA will end the use of "private government information," that is publicly online. Wikileaks ring a bell? I don't see this as a law that will protect intelectual property, but will protect US government officials.

In Portuguese:

Como muitas coisas da vida, apesar de ser lei estadunidense, todos os usuários de internet do mundo serão afetados pelo SOPA e/ou PIPA (sem exagero). Na descrição da lei, encontrada no site do congresso dos EUA, está bem claro que qualquer site que linkar para alguma página que tenha conteúdo “piratado”, como eles dizem, pode e deve ser tirado do ar se não tirar o tal link mesmo se o site que está com o conteúdo plagiado seja estrangeiro. Agora, como que eu vou saber se o conteúdo do site que eu linkei foi piratado? E o Google ou a Wikipédia? O site em inglês da Wikipédia está de “greve”, hoje e eles mesmo disseram na página onde explicam o porquê da greve, que a lei pode acabar com a internet “grátis e livre”, que temos hoje. E outra, quem é um deputado lá da gringa para dizer que não posso acessar os sites que eu quero acessar? Ou para acabar com informações úteis que estão disponíveis hoje. Quem precisa ser punido são os infratores de conteúdo plagiado ou explícito. Uma das cláusulas da lei que tem tido pouca atenção em matérias sobre o SOPA, cita o uso de informações “governamentais particulares” (irônico, não?) como parte do conteúdo piratado. Não vejo esta lei como uma lei que vá proteger a propriedade intelectual, mas sim, os podres do governo americano.

More in portuguese here: O que é o SOPA e o que muda?

10 Reasons to Love or Hate São Paulo

noreply@blogger.com (Polyana Ferreira De Oliveira) — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 14:49:00 +0000

I've been reading a lot of different Brazilians blogs and columns recently, and one of my favorites is Xico Sá's blog over at Folha de São Paulo's blogs, where he wittingly talks about relationships & sex, culture, society and politics. He'll use a lot of literary references I don't know about, so it's a great reason to look this sort of stuff up! haha

He recently posted on the top ten reasons to love or hate SP in honor of the city's upcoming birthday, and I can't help but agree! Here's his list in Portuguese. And my simple translation below, because I'm not nearly as clever as he is. :-)

For those who are planning on moving to Brazil and considering São Paulo, here's the fabulous and harsh reality of it all.

10 reasons to love SP

- The women and their incomparable elegance. :-) I must say that, since living in SP City, I have upped the notch on my style. And I don't mean I've been following every fashion trend out there, but there's something about looking effortlessly classy in SP's women you don't see much elsewhere in Brazil, that is contagious once you move here.

- São Paulo nights. Av. Augusta with it's clubs hosting the world's best DJs, classy bars, brothels, and dive bars until... well, 24h a day... is just the beginning.

- Great waiters. Unfortunately, the 10% included on all tabs aren't always passed on to waiters. When the service is great, I'll usually ask to not pay the 10% and tip my waiter separately.

- Mondays when Corinthians wins on Sunday. The coffee is warmer and the beer cooler.

- The street Art. The biggest outdoor art gallery in the world. Despite the city's efforts to paint over some prime work, there's always something beautiful and new around the corner.

- Xico Sá references 2 Paulistano music artists. The number of local artists and the local music scene has grown so much and is so good, it makes me smile that I have the opportunity to see so many great artists live so often.

- Sugar cane juice and pastel (deep fried wonderfulness filled with whatever you desire) at the farmer's market. The most organized institutions in the city. Nevermind the market's vendors giving you a self esteem boost and free fruit tastings. Yum!

- The metro.

- Italian cantinas downtown.

- The "baiano immigrants" from every state in the Northeast.

10 reasons to hate SP

- Kassab. Our mayor. Who Sá mentions "does so little and prohibits so much."

- Traffic, obvi.

- How much you pay for a cab to the international airport, Guarulhos.

- The assault in restaurants on the west side. On a number of levels - by thieves themselves or the restaurant owners in their prices (TRUE STORY).

- The closeted gay men who beat up openly gay men on Paulista.

- The metro. At around 6 PM.

- The tapioca which is being meddled with and practically turning into a specimen of pizza.

- People on Oscar Freire (street with upscale shops - or as my British friends would say - the posh part of town) who think this is New York, when really, it's more like Mexico City.

- Lines.

- The police.

---

And to add a little of my own loves and hates -

Love:

the parks, the art scene, sunday afternoons at bars in vila madalena, vai-vai samba school rehearsals, japanese food on every corner.

Hate:

any public institution which makes me wait endlessly for the simplest things, really really wealthy paulistanos, cars, lack of cheap greasy pizza, prices on any and everything.

Ex-Pat Interview Series: Helen Joyce of The Economist

noreply@blogger.com (Polyana Ferreira De Oliveira) — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 12:46:00 +0000

A few months ago, I read this great article a journalist for the Economist had written in More Intelligent Life on living in São Paulo, which she entitled, São Paulo: Being There. While reading the article, I found myself nodding a lot in agreement, laughing a little thinking, “She’s such a foreigner,” and after reading it said, “I want to meet her.”

And so I did. My cara de pau self wrote Helen Joyce, The Economist’s Brazil Bureau Chief, an e-mail inviting her to coffee and asking if I could interview her for my blog. She more than made herself available for a chat, and we met up for breakfast.

I had prepared all sorts of questions and notes and thought of possibly recording the interview, but as soon as I got there, Helen was so friendly and chatty that I thought, “To hell with it, let’s just have a chat and then I’ll write about the more fun stuff on the blog.” So here goes, a little bit about Helen from what I recall and the few notes I jotted down, and her thoughts on Brazil, politics, economics and just overall being an expat here!

Intro

Originally from Ireland, Helen had been living in England for quite a few years and has been with the Economist for about 5 years, where she started as an Education Correspondent. She told me that at the magazine, after about four years, journalists are often asked if the would like to switch to different assignments or departments. In her case, she was invited to go from Education Correspondent to Brazil Bureau Chief.

Oi? What’s that? Basically, it’s a fancy word for “The only correspondent to cover stories for the entire region that encompasses the country of Brazil, and maybe manage a few other South American regions... sort of.”

The Educational Aspects

One thing that was probably most interesting about meeting Helen, was having the opportunity to talk to someone as smart as she is!! She would throw out random words I would nervously jot down and then think to myself that I may or may not have seen this in Economics classes in college, but probably not since my education was American (... oops, did I just say that?). There were two concepts we talked about that greatly concerns Helen when it comes to Brazilian politics and the economy which I thought I’d share, a - because she’s right. and b - because I’ve always thought this as well, just didn’t know the terms for them...

Brazil is... an economy of scarcity... Brazilians, in general, especially rich Brazilians, have this sense that what’s expensive, is better than whatever is cheaper. They are prone to purchasing veblen goods (a term Helen taught me!), roping off VIP areas at clubs and concerts (odeio pista VIP), making sure their children attend the best schools and public university (which is free!), and limiting access to the lower ranks of the economy on a number of occasions. What Helen was trying to say of all of this is, Brazil seems to be a country in which everything seems limited to those who have economic means. Sure, there’s public health, but what are the waiting lines like? What about public universities? How many spots are available? And do those who attend public high schools have a chance of being admitted?

All of these were things Helen and I talked about and it was great to talk to someone with a different perspective from middle class Brazilians who I usually hang out with awho accept all of this about Brazil.

Expat Life

I also asked Helen about Expat life, since my own experience wasn’t exactly that of
an expatriate. There were a couple of things she mentioned I thought would be good to share with those who have either recently moved to Brazil or are planning on moving to Brazil!

Nine Month Rule - Helen told me that when she first got to São Paulo, it was all a big
adventure. Getting to know the city, trying to find her way around, learn the language,
get her children settled into school, etc. And then at one point she started to feel
miserable and want to go back home and really just hated a lot of things about Brazil
and São Paulo... Until she went to the UK, and vented to a friend who had lived here
for a while, who told her about the 9 month rule in which at around 9 months, expats
tend to fall into this slump... For her to not worry, it would be over soon enough and
she would get through this and start to feel better soon enough. And she did!!

Family - Since Helen relocated her husband and 2 boys to São Paulo with her, I
asked her a little bit about what they thought of the move and how they’ve been
getting along. Her husband, as she put it, fortunately, is very easy going! He’s a
writer, and I’m sure it hasn’t been easy to find much inspiration amongst the concrete
blocks that make up this city. Her 2 children are at an international school here, but
unfortunately, their transition hasn’t been the easiest, but it's getting better as time goes on.

Difficulties - So what have been some of Helen’s difficulties? Besides the language? And maybe her kids’ school? Like most of us who move to Brazil, accepting the prices of things!! Need I say anymore? :-P

Overall, Helen’s Feelings on São Paulo...

Likes... Friendly people who are always willing to help out. At some points, it almost
makes her feel bad that people waste so much time trying to help her out!

Dislikes... The Tietê River (I don’t blame her), Rich Brazilians and their obsession
with having domestics, and getting around the city (ahem... traffic, much?).

Finds Funny... Relationships between Brazilian women and foreign men. She
thinks it’s funny how “average looking” foreign men get here and all of a sudden
are so attractive to beautiful Brazilian women who here, are so “average looking”
themselves. Oh, and of course... muffin tops.

So there you have it, my interview with the Brazil Bureau Chief of the Economist. A
delightful, funny, intelligent, and sarcastic journalist! Needless to say, it was a great
breakfast, and I’m looking forward to more with her!

Do any of you have questions for Helen?

And some more questions for you, my readers!

What do you all think of the rule of scarcity in Brazil?
Did any of you experience the same sort of slump at 9 months?
Did you find any trouble in adapting or your family adapting?
And has anyone else noticed the excess of muffin tops in this city/country?

Hope you enjoyed, and let me know if you have any more suggestions for interesting people to interview for this blog (or if you'd like to share your experiences yourself!)

Photo Credits: Helen's husband, Andrew! Check out his blog at - Meanwhile, In São Paulo

Feliz 2012! 2011, We Had a Great Ride...

noreply@blogger.com (Polyana Ferreira De Oliveira) — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 17:36:00 +0000

I know these year reflection posts can be super tacky, but I have to put into writing what 2011 brought me and share some of the experiences I had throughout the year. So here's another story in photos that I know you all love!

Dear 2011,

There is no way to thank you enough for the year you've given me. There were many firsts, many reencounters, new friends, fabulous family moments, and travel throughout Brazil. How could a girl ask for more?

I mean, you started off low key. With a small get together of close friends chez moi

But of course, this was because I had already planned on a pricey and fabulous Carnaval in Pernambuco. Which was a success!

I danced on the hills of Olinda

Watched shows in downtown Recife, and swam in its warm beaches

And went scuba diving for the first time ever, in Porto de Galinhas!

Still, who would have known the rest of the year would have been so fantastic and exciting after this?

Twice in one month, I saw two of my favorite bands live!!

U2 in early April for the first time

And The Roots (feat. John Legend) for the 4th time in late April with a newly found soul crew

(I also saw RHCP, but don't have pictures to prove it!)

Easter was spent on my friend's father's farm, where I rode a horse, and where the clouds look like cartoon clouds...

And was surrounded by some of my favorites, and new friends altogether

I learned rodeios can be fun when you're surrounded by a fun crowd (decked in plaid)

I also learned that despite sucking, I love playing soccer. And have done so on the beach. With the boys!

Towards the middle of the year, I felt like I needed something new. Maybe I was lacking travel, or felt blah because of the blah weather. So for the first time, I put some (tiny bit of) artificial color into my hair.

My favorite time of the year in Brazil, and when I lived in the US, was June, because of Festas Juninas, where we all get to dress up all "country", dance around a fire, make up silly choreography to a fake wedding, and eat lots of paçoca, and drink lots of vinho quente.

This year, I got to be the funny pregnant bride

and everyone was there!

In July, I made plans to take my vacation time to visit family and old friends.

I spent a weeked in historic Ouro Preto and rural Luz, Minas Gerais, with my college friend who'd recently returned to Brazil...

Gui :-)

Then I ventured to my hometown for some family loving, and to see my beautiful cousin tying the knot

After that, I spent a week in Espírito Santo, visiting my best friends' parents whom I hadn't seen in over 10 years

And touring around the Vitória area with my cousin Michely

I visited for the first time, our nation's capital in late August...

with my lovely roommate...

and there, stayed with my fabulous ex-roommate and her husband - the perfect Brasília tour guides

My girl friends and I scored cheap tickets to Belho Horizonte in early October, and made a trip to Inhotim, museum/botanical gardens out of it

And since I couldn't get enough Niemeyer, we played tourists in BH too.

I partied a lot with my friends in São Paulo too!

I quit my job to open a new business with my already partner in crime (details to come soon)

And until we start making money with the business, I'm consulting part time with a great group of professionals (who know their karaoke & tequila almost as well as digital marketing)

Last, but certainly not least... you brought me my parents...

who I hadn't seen in nearly four years, for Christmas.

This was by far the biggest present I've ever gotten on Christmas, never mind in 2011! :-)

And then helped me ring in 2012 surrounded by great friends, and my little brother, in Rio.

Hope this small year in review was enough thanks to you. But to my friends and family who helped me make this year one of the best yet, thank you for being there for me. Or as my friend Ana aptly put at midnight this past Saturday night "Thank you for coming into my life. I love you"

2012. Bring it on. You have BIG shoes to fill!

<3,
-poly.

Visit to Brasília!

noreply@blogger.com (Polyana Ferreira De Oliveira) — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 10:00:00 +0000

I just realized I never posted pictures from my weekend in Brasília. Shame on me =/

A few months ago, my roommate Cinthia and I took a weekend trip to our nation's capital! My old roommate Eugenia, and her husband Rafael, have been living there for over a year now and very warmly treated us to a wonderful touristy weekend. She works for Congress and he's a press agent, so they've gotten to know the city pretty well, and have some very interesting friends who we also got to meet!!

I was blown away by how organized the city is. It's a planned city, so one would hope it would be... But this being Brazil, it was funny not to see traffic, people all over the place on the streets. The sidewalks and roads are great! And overall, for being the nation's capital, it's not very reflective of the country...

Plus, Rafael's great at taking quirky photos.

Here's a bit of our shoot!

Aaahh meu Brasil :-)

Dilma's humble abode.

sweet bridge.

inside the congress building.

tallest flag ever.

inside congress!

cinthia, congresswoman

inside the senate room

senate building, me and the Minas Gerais flag! <3

i forget, but very cool.

trying to take a funny picture holding the congress "bowl" #fail

inside the cathedral

outside the cathedral :-)

sunset

brasília at night!

from the tv tower

heyyy. from the Juscelino Kubitschek memorial

chillin' on eugenia and rafa's condo's dock.

with the lovely couple.

playing!

posing.

fabulous lunch!

congress & senate buildings at night.

tchauuu brasíliaaa

Have any of you been to Brasília? Did you like the city?

A Very Brazilian Christmas

noreply@blogger.com (Polyana Ferreira De Oliveira) — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 19:02:00 +0000

Luigi Bertolli, a Brazilian clothing brand, produced a great Christmas video with artists from all over Brazil, playing in different musical styles and rhythms and it's everything wonderful. Makes me think even more of my parents and how it'll be their first Brazilian Christmas in over 20 years!!

From a Brazilian eager for Christmas this year, here's the video :-)

Brazilian States and Abbreviations

noreply@blogger.com (Polyana Ferreira De Oliveira) — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 00:11:00 +0000

My roommate Cinthia and I have put our extra bedroom on Airbnb for short term rental. We bought a fancy little futon for it, and have plans to paint it and turn it into a little office/guest room. Currently, we have a very fun and polite German man who's just moved to SP through his company and will be here for three years.

We oftentimes cook with him and spend week nights cooking and venting about our days at work and interesting cultural differences he's been finding here in Brazil and whatnot.

The other night, he complained that he looked online and didn't find anything with a map of the country, regions, and state abbreviations. He mentioned the German government had a website with all this information, and he was looking for something similar so he could learn about Brazilian geography (SUCH a European!). Cinthia and I thought that was kind of strange, but then again, neither of us had looked that kind of thing up either.

But the next day, Cinthia sent us a site that had all that information and I thought I'd share here!

On the IBGE (Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia & Estatística) site, there's a section that shows all the information our friend needed in English, Portuguese and Spanish, plus links to other important statistical information on different Brazilian states.

If you're also interested, check out the site here. :-)

Just don't memorize Pará just YET, there's a plebiscite to vote on dividing it into three states tomorrow!!

Dilma Rousseff - Amongst Top 100 Global Thinkers.

noreply@blogger.com (Polyana Ferreira De Oliveira) — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 14:12:00 +0000

I'm pretty obsessed with Foreign Policy's "lists."

Just this week, São Paulo was named a Top City to be Watched... and now Dilma's a Top Thinker!

Of course, sometimes I think they pick people just because their country is "being talked about" or what-have-you, but I think I've said this before on the blog... Dilma's growing on me...

And I think FP's explanation of why she's a Top Global Thinker is accurate and more than just "Because she's the first female Brazilian president."

For Dilma Rousseff, a former member of a Marxist guerrilla movement who was imprisoned and tortured by Brazil's ruling military junta in the 1970s, her country's modern-day problems must seem positively trifling. While many world leaders are forced to contend with populist anger in an age of growing unemployment and shrinking federal budgets, Brazil's first female president is charged with managing her country's booming economy, which has more than tripled over the last decade, and its determined ascent to prominence on the world stage...

What do you think? Do you think she's done a good job in her first year as president, and merited being one of the globe's top thinkers?

Full article: Top 100 Global Thinkers - FP Magazine

Fake English

noreply@blogger.com (Polyana Ferreira De Oliveira) — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 12:35:00 +0000

You know how we're always imitating other languages the way we think they sound?
Have you ever heard anyone do that for English? Very rarely do people go around imitating English, but for those who don't know how to speak it, I imagine, many of my family members... Now I know what it sounds like to them when I speak English!! This video is a short film in fake English, which I thought was fantastic because it actually SOUNDS like English, but it's completely fake :-P

Measuring Discrimination: Race and Data in Brazil

noreply@blogger.com (Polyana Ferreira De Oliveira) — Sat, 22 Oct 2011 13:54:00 +0000

Until I get the time to post all the exciting stuff I've been talking about, I'm going to keep linking interesting things. :-)

As some may know from reading the blog, I interned at the Inter-American Dialogue in Washington, DC a few years back and think it's a great organization with fantastic resources for those who are interested in anything Latin America. And since Brazil has been the country most talked about in LatAm recently, they have loads of great articles on Brazil.

If you've got some time on your hands or if you're working and have headphones and like me, can multi-task with this sort of stuff, listen and/or watch, this webcast of theirs on Race and Discrimination in Brazil

Here's a spiel from their site on the webcast:

A discussion on what Brazil’s new census data on race and class reveals about the changing situation of the country’s African descendant population. Our featured guest is Marcelo Paixão, a distinguished Brazilian scholar who teaches at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro and directs the University's Laboratório de Análises Econômicas, Históricas, Sociais e Estatísticas das Relações Raciais (LAESER). Judith Morrison, the BID’s senior advisor for Gender and Diversity, commented on Dr. Paixao’s presentation.

If you know me at all, you know that this is a topic that is near and dear to me, and I'm one of those people who only really worries about color when it comes to... shoes.

Dr. Paixão discusses some really fabulous data on the changes in the situation of those who traditionally are in the lower socio-economic ranks in Brazil, but also some really sad information on the slow process of it all as well.

It's worth watching if not just listening if you're interested in Brazilian race relations and economics!

Measuring Discrimination: Race and Data in Brazil

My Life Story by Rio Gringa

noreply@blogger.com (Polyana Ferreira De Oliveira) — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 13:17:00 +0000

I have lots to tell you all and have a great profile/interview to post, but I can't tell you some of it yet, so in the meantime, I'd love to share a link with you all.

A lot of people constantly ask me why I'm back in Brazil, or how I got to where I am professionally, or what my life was like in the US... A few weeks ago, my friend Rachel, author of the fabulous blog on everything Brazilian, Adventures of a Gringa, "interviewed" me on Skype, and then wrote a great and very complete yet to the point, profile of my life. I felt very honored she would take so much time to interview me (it was like, a 2 hour conversation!!), and then to sit and condense everything and write such a great and accurate profile.

So in order to respect her work and answer your questions about yours truly (saving me some breath myself :-P), I encourage you to hop on over to her blog and read her profile on my 'Exile in the Motherland,' as she put it. And then, obviously check out her other posts if you haven't read her blog (but if you're reading mine, you've probably already read and sign her feed, lol)

Also, if you read it and have any more questions for me, feel free to do so in the comments here, since I don't follow hers continuously!

beijoss, and exciting updates soon!

Inhotim - Outdoor Artwork, Botanical Gardens, Delicious Food, Oh My!

noreply@blogger.com (Polyana Ferreira De Oliveira) — Sat, 08 Oct 2011 19:06:00 +0000

Last weekend, my girl friends (+ one boyfriend), and I went to Belo Horizonte, capital of Minas Gerais, my home state! I was super excited for the weekend for 3 reasons:

1. I was spending the weekend with my ladies.

2. We were going to this place called Inhotim nobody had ever really heard of but everyone said was great.

and

3. I wasn't going to have an accent.

I loved the trip for all three reasons (but really number 3 the most - it felt so good not to restrain myself from speaking with my Minas accent and not having anyone make fun of me!) and was able to document most of the Inhotim experience!

A little more about Inhotim. It's a 90 some-odd acre outdoor museum and botanical garden, about 100km outside Belo Horizonte. There are galleries spread all over the property, and inside these galleries are mostly fascinating work done by contemporary and modern artists, most made especially for Inhotim. The gardens are spectacular and at some points I'd forgotten I was in Minas, because everything was so green (it hasn't rained in the region in months)!

It's been open since 2006 to the public, but has been in the works since the 1980's!! So it's very well planned and structured.

How to get there and how much will it cost you?

We took a bus from BH-Inhotim, which is in the town of Brumadinho. You can go to BH's bus terminal and look for the Saritur ticket stand, and ask for tickets to Inhotim. On Sundays, at least, there is one bus that goes at 9:15 AM and one that returns to BH at 5:30 PM (which works perfectly because that's when the park closes!). This bus is about R$12 each way.

Then, once your there, tickets to the park/museum are R$20 (R$10 for students/elderly/children), and you can pay R$10 for rides to the galleries that are further away (worth it. the rides are on golf carts!). Dining can vary. There's anything from hot dogs, to pizza to lush and spectacular restaurants all in the midst of the botanical gardens.

Here are our pictures from the trip (click on the collage to view pictures or see the album here.) - hope you enjoy and I recommend you go, and take me with you!! :-)

beijoss,

poly.

Brooms Line Ministry Buildings in Brasilia

noreply@blogger.com (Polyana Ferreira De Oliveira) — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 11:00:00 +0000

Can we say - picture of the week?

This image is from the Estadão site, and when I opened it this week, I thought to myself, "Wow, this is the most powerful image I've seen in a while." To you who is reading this and live outside of Brazil, you may not get it too much, but here's the premise of it all...

Wednesday morning, Brasília awoke to find 594 green and yellow brooms on the lawn in front of the congress building, which also is in the center of the many ministry buildings. Why brooms? The NGO that did this, Rio da Paz, used this as a metaphor as a protest against corruption in Brazilian politics. The brooms were meant to be given to each of the 513 Congress persons, and 81 senators, so they could clean away or sweep away with corruption and end our congress' secret ballot system.

A number of the brooms, however, were stolen. Some by building security and even ministry workers. Eventually, they were all removed by the organization that had put them there and most were donated.

Do you think this sort of action will go unheard in Brazil? Or is it a "lost cause" so to speak? What else should we be doing concerning corruption in the country?

Rhode Island Offers In-State Tuition to Undocumented Students

noreply@blogger.com (Polyana Ferreira De Oliveira) — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 13:21:00 +0000

This is why I love my Alma Mater's state. Rhode Island has always been ahead of the game and more liberal than most states, but this is my favorite thus far.

A couple of days ago, my college friend, who today works at the International Institute of Rhode Island, where I also interned my senior year of college, sent me a message on Facebook saying RI had approved in-state tuition for undocumented students!

:-)

You can read more about the legislation, why it was passed and why people oppose it on Reuters:
Rhode Island offers lower tuition to immigrants

Here, I just wanted to say this makes me happy because it shows progress in immigration law in the US. I like that since the federal government isn't making moves to pass anything, states have taken matters into their own hands. Because let's be honest with each other here: the biggest contention is more local than national.

Who knows once this is in effect and people see on a national level how progressive this law will be (knock on wood!) and show how much this will benefit the state as a whole, national lawmakers won't start to wake up to this sort of legislation and act?

What are your thoughts? Should states make these sort of decisions? Will RI serve as a guinea pig for other states?

Convento da Penha - Visiting Vitória & Vila Velha

noreply@blogger.com (Polyana Ferreira De Oliveira) — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 13:27:00 +0000

Back in July when I went to Minas Gerais to visit family and friends, I proceeded to Espírito Santo, the neighboring state to the east, where I also have family and friends I hadn't visited yet.

One of the places I went to, was my cousin's place in Serra, right outside thae capital, Vitória, and we spent an afternoon at Convento da Penha, in Vila Velha, which is this beautiful convent at the top of a hill (mountain, really...), with a 360 degree view of the city and surrounding area.

It was really pretty breathtaking, is a tourist area in a city few people visit. I really recommend checking out Vitória, if only for a few days, if you're planning a trip to the southeast of Brazil!

Here are some of the pictures from our walk up, pictures from all around the convent, and then the sunset on the beach in Vitória we saw on our way back to my cousin's place!

Green Card: Approved & In Hands!

noreply@blogger.com (Polyana Ferreira De Oliveira) — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 10:00:00 +0000

You read that title correctly.

Although it wasn't my green card that was approved and in hands. But it might as well be.

After many many many many years of patiently waiting, my parents received this week, their green cards. And I hear they're actually green!

Last Monday, for some reason I was feeling oddly well. Because who feels good on a Monday? Maybe it had been because it had hit me that I'd quit my job the previous week (more on that in a later post), or maybe it was because I had finally gotten over a near death week of strep throat.

But then my dad called on Monday afternoon, after I had gotten back from lunch and I realized why I was cosmically in a great mood. He calls with a happiness in his voice I hadn't sensed in ages! But then he starts saying him and my mother had cried all morning.

So I say, "Pai, o que foi? Tá tudo bem? Eu vou chorar também?"

Yup, I did cry too. But just a little. Maybe a tear or two. Because what followed that question was a choked up "Nosso documento foi aprovado. Chega essa semana."

Their process had been approved at USCIS and they were getting their green cards soon! Within a week! Was this really happening?

I didn't know what to say. I was at work, on my land line. I couldn't yell or anything. People were working around me. So I just said, "Que notícia boaaaaa".

He asked me not to mention it to anyone, because they wanted to wait for the green cards to get there so they could tell the family... but of course I had to tell a close friend... or 5. And make them promise not to tell anyone because the rest of my family didn't know! Oh, and I also had to tell my boss, because he asked me why I was in such a good mood (for the record, I usually am in a good mood, I was just really exuding happiness at this point, I promise!).

My mom called me on Thursday as I was leaving work and SHRIEKED on the phone that their green cards had arrived! They didn't even have to go in for an interview. And there they were in her hands.

"Polyana, pode ir vendo as passagens para nós. No Natal estamos aí."

So there it is folks. After 23 years, lots of hard work, thousands paid in taxes, building a family, a home, careers, a life, and all without stepping foot in Brazil, my parents are coming home for Christmas!

I can't think of any 2 people more worthy of earning permanent residency in the US than those two, and anyone who knows my parents will agree with me. They are the two most hard working and honest immigrants to the US I know, and after years of sufficing with a working authorization, the right to work and live in the country, without being able to leave, they are finally free to come and go and travel the world as they've always dreamed they would.

Parabéns Mamãe & Papai. Vocês merecem isso e muito mais.

And after 4 years, we'll be together again at Christmas :-)

Guest Post: Erini from Adorkable Me

noreply@blogger.com (Polyana Ferreira De Oliveira) — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 10:06:00 +0000

So since I thought you'd had enough of my "Here's what I did this weekend," and "Why I hate US Immigration Policy So Much," I thought I'd sign up for a "blog sway" on a great blogger network I'm on, 20SB, or 20 Something Bloggers. Basically, we get partnered up with some other blogger and tell each others' readers about our summers. Which was funny for me since my summer's coming up... but this is Erini's post!! She'll introduce herself, her blog, & her summer for you all below, and then you can check out my post on her blog where I talk about my Brazilian summers! Aproveitem!

---

Hey everyone, I’m Erini from Adorkable Me. I’m way up state-side, in Chicago, IL. Poly and I were partnered up for the 9th 20sb Blog Swap. And I’m super excited to be able to share a bit about my summer--though I’ve got to say, I’m a bit jealous of Poly and her amazing, real, Brazilian beaches.

I didn’t have a typical summer. It was mostly by choice--I chose to attend school, which subsequently took over my life beginning in April. I still got to go to the beach.* I even went to the pool. I went to concerts & festivals. I went on a couple small road trips. I may or may not have gotten drunk with my friends.** I did some typical summer things--it just didn’t feel like a typical summer. And I guess I haven’t had that “typical” summer feeling since college when I actually had a summer break.

I don’t know how I feel about that trade off. Becoming an adult and having that freedom, but yet having so much actual responsibility that I can’t just have a few months off doing whatever I please. Honestly, at this point in my life, the idea of have that much free time overwhelms me. Yet I continually wonder when things will slow down.

More than anything, I think I’m hitting that point in life where summer isn’t just a time of year. What summer truly comes down to how you’re spending your time--or to be mildly cliche, it’s a way of life. There’s no reason why we can’t have that fun, carefree, adventure of summer all year round. In the mindset of that happy hour beer commercial, it’s always summer some where in the world. Live life like it’s summer.

With that said, I’m looking forward to what the rest of this endless summer has to offer. More concerts. The inaugural 20sb Summit. My 500th blog post. Hopefully a date or two. Or more. And then some. I’m looking forward to riding my new (to-me) bike along the lake shore. School will continue to be intense until it’s through. Then I get a job that will be equally or more-so intense.

So here’s to enjoying summer, wherever you can find it!

Dani & Alex Get Hitched!

noreply@blogger.com (Polyana Ferreira De Oliveira) — Sun, 31 Jul 2011 22:11:00 +0000

Over my two week break, I had very limited internet access, so I'll be updating you all on happenings over the next couple of weeks.

One of the exciting happenings was my cousin's wedding! She and her fiancé were married last Saturday and the wedding was not only beautiful, but tons of great family fun :-)

Here are some pictures from my camera!!

I took pictures of her getting ready, so here are a couple befores and afters

Before

After

With her papa dukes, Tio Juraci

Married

Cake Topper! Dani's now husband is a personal trainer and cyclist - cute idea!! :-)

The two young ladies in the middle are my grandmothers :-)

My tia/madrinha & I

Ladies of our family & Dani's father's side (& Marcelo weird in the background)

Crazy kids on the dance floor (the little girl is my cousin's new stepdaughter!)

Hope you all enjoyed! More pictures from Espírito Santo this week! :-)

Visiting Ouro Preto

noreply@blogger.com (Polyana Ferreira De Oliveira) — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 21:20:00 +0000

So I had legit, 24 hours in Ouro Preto after getting up at 2:30 AM to travel. This is a prelude saying that I clearly didn't have enough time, and plan on going back!!

But I was able to spend some great QT with my college buddy, Gui, and then after Ouro Preto, fattened up at his family's in Luz, a couple hours west of Belo Horizonte.

We were also able to get some incredible pictures of the town, which is one of the most gorgeous I've ever stepped foot in... despite the scarily smooth stone streets that made it difficult to walk in ballet flats (don't recommend them for when you make it to Ouro Preto yourselves!)

Here goes a photo documentary of our visit to Ouro Preto!

First, we got in to our cute pousada and took a nap. We were both exhausted. Before picking me up in Belo Horizonte, Gui had stayed up all night partying for the rodeo he'd gone to and I barely slept on my bus + plane + bus ride to downtown BH.

Then, we decided to get something to eat, but since it was already around 3 PM, there weren't too many places open. We were lucky enough to find a great little restaurant near the pousada, with good home made typical food from Minas - a lá buffet-eat-your-heart-out style.

There, we decided to check out a live brass band playing outside one of the churches nearby. A girl overheard us and told us she was going too, so we went along with her and her friends, a few college students from neighboring towns.

After watching the band, meeting a Hari Krishna from BH, and shopping for local goodies, we ended up spending the rest of the afternoon wandering around the town, taking pictures and wandering into churches.

We discovered Saturday was Dia de Nossa Senhora de Lourdes, Our Lady of Lourdes' Day, and

one of the prettier churches in Ouro Preto (there are like, millions of

them!) is named after her, so we decided to go to a special mass being held in her honor... which was very nice and all, but we were exhausted from not sleeping and walking up and down the monsterous hills in the town.

So we went to take another nap before heading out for the night. And I definitely got up at 8 AM the next day.

Which wasn't bad. We got up in time for the pousada's delicious breakfast with breathtaking views.

We then decided to take another stroll and visit a couple of churches and museums. After walking around and unsuccessfully not making it to Alejadinho's (the sculpture who practically built Ouro Preto in the 18th century) museum because whoever had the key didn't show up? Only in Minas...

And then we heading to Luz, Gui's hometown, where we were well rested enough to visit his whole family and then head out to the rodeo!!

I'm in Governador Valadares now, my hometown, and this Saturday is my cousin's wedding! I'll be sure to post about my week here next week when I'm on the beach in Espírito Santo! :-)

Hope all is well with all of you!

beijosss,

-poly.

Tour de Sudeste - Let's Meet Up!

noreply@blogger.com (Polyana Ferreira De Oliveira) — Wed, 13 Jul 2011 21:02:00 +0000

Hey hey hey!

So I am very excited to report that starting Saturday and throug the end of July I will not be in São Paulo working or studying or facing traffic and pollution. Férias bitchesssss.

But I WILL be in Brazil. I'll be doing a mini tour of the southeast, I guess :-)

That being said, I would love to meet any of my readers if you happen to be anywhere I may be over the next couple of weeks!

So here's the rundown (sort of, things may change, but we may talk about that) -

July 16-18 - Belo Horizonte/Ouro Preto - MG

There's a winter festival going on in Ouro Preto & I've never been - suggestions for things to do, anyone?

July 19-24 - Governador Valadares - MG (hometown lovin' to visit the family)

A little in the middle of nowhere, but if anyone happens to live nearby and wants to meet up, I'll legit be doing nothing but eating and sleeping (ok, ok, and school work. booo).

July 25-29 - Vitória/São Mateus - ES

I've also never been to Espírito Santo and would love suggestions! I'm staying with a cousin and she's a hard working nurse, so she may have little time to entertain me :-P

July 30-31 - Rio de Janeiro - RJ OR Búzios - RJ (still TBD)

I know there are a slew of you in Rio - let's meet up for drinks!

And then I'll be back in SP so my friends here won't miss me too much.

If you want to meet up, e-mail - Poly's e-mail. Since I'll be doing a whole lot of beautiful nothingness, I should also be writing more. Hope to meet some of you throughout the next few weeks!

beijoss,

-poly.

Getting into São Paulo (City) from Guarulhos Airport

noreply@blogger.com (Polyana Ferreira De Oliveira) — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 11:52:00 +0000

So I realized over the past few weeks that I have been giving friends, friends of friends, Couchsurfers, etc. directions from São Paulo's Int'l Airport in Guarulhos (a town right outside the city of SP)... and writing it out over and over each time and figured I'd keep these directions somewhere!

So really, this post is more for me so that I can just shoot these lovelies a link rather than write the same thing yet again, but also for you who are coming to São Paulo and would otherwise be stranded at the airport or taking a cab that cost more than your plane ticket when there are easy and much less expensive methods of making your way to civilization (or, well... at least sort of civilization).

There are really four main methods (besides getting a ride!) to make it into the city from Guarulhos airport:

Taxi ($$-$$$$)

Fact: cabs in São Paulo are expensive.

Fiction: Cabs are not the only safe way to get into the city. In fact, taking airports taxis may not be so safe.

Depending on where you're going in the city, a cab will run you up to R$200, so plan ahead and have cash on hand just in case you decide to take one because not all taxis take credit cards. A good way to guesstimate is using a cab fare calculator. But look to pay more if you're going to the South or West districts and less if you're going to the North or East (well, east can be relative). And I guess in the middle if you're going to Centro? :-)

Also, a couple of trustworthy taxi companies to call if you want to schedule a pick up are:

Ouro Taxi (warning, annoying music on the site) or ABC Rádio Taxi.

Coach Busses ($$)

Airport Bus Service is probably the most common means of transportation used to and from Guarulhos. It gives you options to take a number of busses that go to different parts of the city for R$33 each way.

The options are busses to with schedules in links:

- Barra Funda Terminal (central/west side - has metro, train & busses to other cities in São Paulo)

- Tietê Terminal (north/main inter-state bus station)

- Faria Lima/Itaim Bibi (south SP, one of the main financial districts)

- Berrini (south SP, another financial/commerical disctrict - a lot of conferences here)

- Paulista (center/south - main Avenue in the city & stops at a number of hotels)

- República (right smack in the middle of the city - not a good idea to take the late busses here)

- Congonhas (the airport inside SP city you wish you'd flown into)

Public Transportation ($) -

For the frugal & adventurous traveler. A well kept secret in the city is that there's a bus that'll run you R$4,05 from the airport to Metro Tatuapé which is on the east side of the city on the red line which in turn will connect you to all sorts of parts of the city. Here's a metro map so you can get an idea: Metrô de SP

Note that this cheap method comes with a cost. I would recommend not taking this option if you get in at 7 AM, or 5 PM and are carrying a lot of luggage. The red line is the most packed of them all, and you don't want to get stuck on a train during rush hour (it'll take you at least 5 trains that pass by to make it onto one that'll fit you, nevermind your luggage).

That being said, non-rush hour times & weekends are quite pleasant on the SP metro system (but especially the green & yellow lines) and you only need to buy one ticket (R$2,90) to transfer from one line to the other, if you need to to get where you need to be.

Airline Bus (-) -

Depending on which airline you take to SP, there are free super comfortable coach busses that take you from Guarulhos to Congonhas airport by just showing your plane ticket stub! This is very handy if you're going to be settling anywhere in the south side of the city. If you're here on business, you most likely will, so look into it! They're mostly national lines, but worth checking out.

The airlines that have these busses are: Gol, TAM, and I think Avianca, but I can't find the times on their site...

I THINK those are all your options on getting to SP City on your lonesome from the airport.

Does anyone have any other suggestions I can add to this guide?

Hope this helps for your next trip to Sampa City!

beijoss.

My Life as an Undocumented Immigrant

noreply@blogger.com (Polyana Ferreira De Oliveira) — Fri, 24 Jun 2011 12:01:00 +0000

For those of you who read the New York Times online, as I do, you may or may not have seen the emotional, sincere, and beautifully written essay by Philippino born journalist Jose Antonio Vargas entitled "My Life as an Undocumented Immigrant," published Wednesday and which will be featured in print in this upcoming Sunday's paper.

Although he immigrated to the US in his adolescence, many of his stories speak to me as if they were my own when I lived in the United States, from difficulties in working, studying, and in establishing a network of people to help and people who we had to "come out" to.

There is a big ordeal going on concerning his status since the publication and who knows this sort of thing will strike some sort interest in acting upon the many immigration laws being discussed!

A few quotes that stuck with me...

On Who Undocumented Immigrants Are -

"There are believed to be 11 million undocumented immigrants in the United States. We’re not always who you think we are. Some pick your strawberries or care for your children. Some are in high school or college. And some, it turns out, write news articles you might read. I grew up here. This is my home. Yet even though I think of myself as an American and consider America my country, my country doesn’t think of me as one of its own."

On the Feeling of Doing Something Wrong -

"This deceit [of using illegal documentation] never got easier. The more I did it, the more I felt like an impostor, the more guilt I carried — and the more I worried that I would get caught. But I kept doing it. I needed to live and survive on my own, and I decided this was the way."

On Not Being Able to Work Althought the Job Was Mine -

"I panicked, thinking my documents wouldn’t pass muster. So before starting the job, I called Pat and told her about my legal status. After consulting with management, she called me back with the answer I feared: I couldn’t do the internship."

Read the full essay here. And for your listening while reading pleasure, my recent discovery of also immigrant to the US, Philippino born, hip-hop/jazz collective Simple Citizens :-)

What do you guys think? After reading the essay, do you have any thoughts on Jose Antonio's story?

yes, i am. no, i don't.

noreply@blogger.com (Polyana Ferreira De Oliveira) — Thu, 16 Jun 2011 20:10:00 +0000

I just discovered the funniest tumblr blog and had to share!

It's called "Yes, but No." They have images of affirmations and negations of stereotypes

And I'm not gonna lie, I got a kick out of the #Brazil themed ones!!

Happy dispelling stereotypes :-)

New Wave of Brazilians in US "Voltando"

noreply@blogger.com (Polyana Ferreira De Oliveira) — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 11:26:00 +0000

Last night, on Jornal Nacional, the evening news on Globo, they talked about Brazilians living in the US who are moving back to Brazil, mostly because they're lacking job opportunities in the US.

Here's the video for yous who understand Portuguese, and some of my comments on it below:

When I came to Brazil, I would never have imagined there to be a recession in the US immediately after, nor did I expect Brazil to grow so rapidly in the past few years.

From what my friends and family have told me, the employment situation for not only immigrant families, but Americans as well, isn't going too well. My father hasn't gotten a raise in years, my mom's losing clients, last year, and it took my brother (who's an American citizen) three months to find a job! Since I've returned to Brazil, 2 uncles and 1 aunt of mine have also left the US to return.

And don't think it's just the gang that doesn't have a college education. One of my friends who is an American and Brazilian citizen is coming back to Brazil next week with an engineering degree from Columbia lookig for work! I've also had Brazilian-American friends with graduates and master degrees from the US who work for large American companies, request transfers to São Paulo, and are here!

So what is this all telling us? Well, first of all, that I definitely made the right move 3 years ago. And secondly, that this new wave of Brazilians voltando from the US will only make the Brazilian economy stronger. It may affect local communities negatively (as it has my home town, Governador Valadares, famous for "exporting" its people abroad), because some communities rely on remittances from abroad. But this also means that people will be bringing back new ideas, new ideals, and will learn to be Brazilian again.... trabalhar pra viver e não viver pra trabalhar.

What do you guys think? Will this new wave be positive?