Did I just see that? #1

I was asked to name the weirdest thing I've seen in New York so far, and I was torn...

1. There was the guy riding his bike with no handle bars carrying a big screen TV overhead. Seriously, how are you going to get yourself out of that position?
2. There's the bike that was locked to a stop sign with a big Kermit the frog sitting on the seat (note: I saw Kermit sitting on a fire hydrant later that night).
3. It could be the man I saw in Trader Joe's today who literally had every inch of skin tattooed some shade of blue or green. Not kidding, even his nose.

Because I see some pretty odd things on a pretty regular basis, I'm going to start posting regularly about some of the strange things I see on the streets of New York City. Please comment on favorites :)

RIO

Looking out over a favela in Rio

Rio was our final stop in Brazil, and it was very different from each of the first two stops.  As we drove into the city, we could see the favelas looming over the highways -- 20% of the population lives in the slums, and the favelas are integrated into the wealthiest parts of town. There is a big police pacification movement (UPP) going on to try to reduce the amount of drugs, gangs, and violence in Rio since the World Cup and Olympics will be bringing in so many tourists in the upcoming years.  We did a favela tour while we were there, and it reminded me a lot of the neighborhood I lived in in Nicaragua.  I think the best message from the favela experience was that the people who live there are POOR, but they're not in misery! The favelas are communities, people live there with their families, there are banks, schools, taxis...the people are just poor.

Our hotel was a block in from Copacabana beach, and we were just a couple miles down from Ipanema. Outside of class meetings, we had plenty of time to explore markets, hang out at the beach, and see the iconic touristy sights

We didn't do such a good job of abiding
by the "do not feed the animals" sign

...including THE Cristo,
and we took the cable car up to Sugarloaf Mountain.

Sugarloaf

Some of us also took the tram up to Santa Tereza and stopped for the traditional Saturday meal, feijoada (rice and beans and pork). On a scary note, about an hour after the four of us who went to Santa Tereza came back down on the tram, one of the cars on the track had its breaks go out.  When the car came to a sharp turn, it flipped over, killing 5 people and injuring at least another 35.  Scary.

Sunday, we went to Ipanema, just like the rest of the town.  It was amazing to see how EVERYONE was at the beach.  People were playing volleyball and futevolley (a combination of soccer and volleyball), running, biking, flying kites, laying on the beach, selling food, drinks, and hats....the beach is where life happens and people make friends in Rio.  It was a nice way to end our trip and relax for a bit before dodging the hurricane and making it back to NYC!

SALVADOR

Amazing.  Salvador is much more what I was expecting out of Brazil -- very cultural, great food, lots of beach! Our hotel is on top of a huge hill that overlooks the city and the ocean.  We have been doing more university visits here.  It feels like a very fast stop!

There is a much bigger African population here than in SP (80%!), and we had the chance to see a performance that combined traditional African dance, condomble (African religious ceremony), and capoiera (martial arts meets dance -- slaves used this to train to fight in an undercover way!)

...This was after an amazing group dinner of moqueca, a traditional Bahian dish...fish in a tomato and coconut milk-based sauce, served with grilled peppers and onions, over rice.

We had a free weekend, so Saturday we went to the historic center to go to the huge Mercado Modelo, a market with all kinds of leather sandals, tshirts, artwork, jewelry, and on and on and on...

Sunday was beautiful.  So outside of a long run through town and a quick food break, most of us spent the whole day soaking up the sun from our rooftop pool.

One thing I've really enjoyed here is the language.  My Portuguese is pretty limited, but I know enough to get by for the few days we're in Brazil.  The only people here that speak any English are the hotel staff and the professors we meet with at universities...people have been really patient though, I think they mostly appreciate the effort of foreigners to speak their language (and to realize that it is NOT Spanish). The exposure has made me really excited to learn more when I get back...I'm thinking a Port. class this fall is a must!! Monday night,w e fly to Rio de Janeiro for our final days in Brazil...

Ate mais!

SAO PAULO

Sao Paulo felt like a strange combination of NYC meets South America.  It was very obvious that it is the big business and financial center of the country.  Our hotel was located just off of the big, trendy shopping district.  It was good to see this side of South America, because most of my Latin American experiences have been in poor, rural areas.

At the Japanese district in Sao Paulo - The second largest Japanese population in the world lives here!

We had several site visits for class, meeting with universities and public and private high schools.  The course is about race and higher education in Brazil.  Brazil imported over 10 times the number of African slaves that the US did, so 50% of the population is of African descent.  There is also HUGE income inequality in Brazil, and blacks are disproportionately affected.  Much of this problem relates to the structure of the education system.

Public high schools are free, but the education is of very low quality, and the schools have very limited resources.  Those families who are well-off pay huge amounts of money to send children to private high schools.  These are usually white students.  Attending a private high school and getting a good education leads these students to landing spots in *free,* highly-respected public universities.

There is much competition for admission to Brazil's state and federal universities.  Admission is based on an exam called a vestibular, created by each department within each university.  Public high school students are not well-prepared to perform on the exam, and since they come from poor families, they are unlikely to be able to afford test prep or tuition at a private university.

At the public high school we visited, only 20% of the students go on to college, whereas the private school we visited sent 98-100% of students to college.  To attack the problem, the government has toyed with affirmative action and quota policies to increase the number of public HS students or the number of black students in universities.  It's difficult to determine whether this is a problem based on race or socio-economic status. There's also much debate over the "fairness" of implementing steep quotas...Should the government stop or reduce funding a the university level to enhance public education at the high school level?

We have been studying the system, the outcomes of affirmative action and quota policies, and meeting with activist groups that help with exam prep, black representation, etc.

Outside of class visits, SP was a huge city to explore...lots of antique, craft, food, and jewelry markets, museums and parks, but my favorite part was visiting a neighborhood outside the city center.

Rubber Ducky High Heels from the Melissa Store....

Some of us ventured out to find an extended alley that was transformed into an amazing work of art.  The government was basically getting fed up with graffiti and vandalism, so they decided to pay artists to decorate (graffiti) the walls of this street.

Boca de Batman --- Graffiti

It was beautiful, the paintings were all so colorful and so different from one another. It was very off the beaten path, not mentioned in tourist books, so it was nice to see the residential side of SP.  That was more "real Brazil" to me than being in the hustle-bustle of the ritzy shopping district downtown.  The graffiti is redone every 4 months or so, so it is kind of cool to think about how unique my experience was from what anyone else has seen or will see in the future. Next up: Salvador!

Week one in the Big Apple

I wouldn't all myself a "New-Yorker," by any means, but I feel like I've learned to navigate well enough in the last week. I've kept a map on me at all times, just in case, but I've only looked at it once, on day one. I've been forcing myself to do something new and semi-intimidating each day...go to a new gym or a new grocery store, take a different street home, etc., and tomorrow's goal: go to a laundromat. Horrifying, right? I've just never had to do any of these things before, life was so simple in Iowa!

There are a lot of pros and cons about living here -
*I can pretty much find anything I want within a 10-minute walk from my house.
---->But everything here is pretty expensive! (The one thing that I've found to be cheaper here than in Iowa is shipping costs from online purchases.)
*I can walk virtually everywhere I need to go on a daily basis.
---->But it's not that enjoyable on rainy days.
*My street is generally pretty quiet.
---->Except for when street cleaners and garbage men come making all kinds of noise between the hours of 3 and 4am!
*The number of people here is a little overwhelming.
---->But getting off of main roads, like Broadway, helps a lot! It's also nice to know that I have my own room to come home to, or that I could reserve a private study room at the library on campus.
*People here have been surprisingly helpful and polite.
---->But not everyone falls into this category.

Other random sightings in NYC include:
*A man shaving his face in the side-view mirror of a parked truck on Broadway.
*A woman applying lipstick, using a store's display window as her mirror.
*People out walking 1 or 2 LARGE dogs. I mean, if you live in this part of town, your apartment REALLY can't be big enough to house two dogs AND yourself, right?
*SO* much Spanish! I love it.
*Clothing choices: every-other person is either wearing their shorts up to their ears or I can totally see booty hanging out the bottom. Can we please find a happy medium?
*Workers standing out in the streets on strike, yelling, whistling, waving around signs. Police quietly overlook, not stepping in, just ready in case anything gets out of hand.
*The weight room at Palladium (one of the NYU gyms) appears to scare away ALL females. I could use a little company in there.
*Parking lots look like this:

The first few days of class have been great, and I'm excited for Brazil *amanha*! (tomorrow)

NOLITA

I survived my first full day living in NYC. After getting my things organized, I went to go find a nearby Kmart...which was not at all at the address Google claimed it would be (I think I actually do know where it is now), ended up wandering up to Union Square, and picked up some groceries at the place across the street on my way back.

Going out to eat here is expensive, but so are groceries! I couldn't find a single-serving of yogurt for less than $1.15, and the lunch meat I normally get at home for $2.99 was $5.99. One thing that is kind of interesting though, is that all stores identify the price per pound on the shelf label, so that makes for easy comparison.

Then I went to Brooklyn in search of the nearest Target. Some of the subway lines were down for the weekend, so it took a little maneuvering and some map-reading skills (thankfully, I picked up a map in Union Square earlier). My main goals were to find a fan and a curtain. It was comforting to be in a Target where I knew exactly what I was going to find, but it was SO busy that it was a bit difficult to enjoy. Then I had to haul my purchases back onto the subway with me and back up the 5 flights of stairs to my apartment...After going up and down those stairs 4 times yesterday, I think my glutes may have already turned to solid steel.

Then, I went to check out the Whole Foods around the corner, which has a MUCH better selection than the market across the street, but it's also pretty pricey. I think my next grocery attempt will be Trader Joe's, but as of right now, Whole Foods wins.

After dinner, I met up with Vaske and got to see some of the sights in the Financial District. It was nice to have someone who has been here for 8 months to show me around and to discover some places that would be fun to go back to and hang out. I obviously don't have things completely figured out, but I feel like everywhere in Manhattan that I have been is pretty safe! ...Even my neighborhood where I live next to the ex-mafia joint!

This morning, our cheerful exterminator was banging on the door by 7am for his monthly visit ...So now my goals for the day include - getting my student ID card, checking out the rec center, and then catching up on some reading before I have class this evening. We'll see what else I stumble into...

i still love home.

Well, over a month late, I announce my return to the USA!!! The last month has been pretty full - spending a week at the lake in Minnesota, a week hiking (and sledding down mountains sitting on a rain jacket!) in Colorado, back to Minnesota for the Warrior Dash, and trying to pack for New York!

I move this Saturday and will have 6 days till I jet off to Brazil for the rest of the month. I am moving into an apartment in Nolita, where my room will be the size of my mom's closet, and my rent will be outrageous. I AM within a few blocks of campus though, so that will be super convenient and safer than having to deal with a commute out to the outskirts of Brooklyn. It will be a big change, but I'm sure once I get there it will be a fun, fast year.

A couple of fun facts:
NEW YORK
*I'll be living on Mulberry Street, but it's NOT the Mulberry Street from Dr. Seuss.
*I'm 2 doors down to the old Manhattan Mafia hangout, so I'm sure there will be dead bodies buried under my building.
BRAZIL
*There were 4.8 million slaves brought from Africa to Brazil, 10 times more than in the US!
*Earlier this summer, Peru put up a pretty much exact replica of Cristo el Redentor (Christ the Redeemer) statue in Rio = dramaaaa. ***ate logo***


Updates on life in NY and adventures in Brazil soon!