flor da maçanilha
My life and thoughts in Rio Grande do SulAntidote
I wanted to share this picture with everyone suffering from the heatwave in Brazil:
- my parent’s garden
Ah….that’s better. Cool Cool snow. Cold wind. Ice.
Back to reality:
FOURTY-FOUR Degrees in Porto Alegre??!! Apparently the city was the hottest place on the PLANET a couple of days ago. The local news reported that pigs are dying all over the state because the farmers just can’t cool them down. I’m worried about the two dogs living with me; despite the heat, they don’t seem to be drinking much water.
Needless to say I am spending 24/7 in our air-conditioned bedroom, leaving only to pour an ice-cold glass of milk or throw a meal together. It is so hot in our living room that just sitting down and doing a row of crochet (yes, I am a “crocheteira”) is too exchausting. Besides the heat and humidity (oh the humidity), there’s also this really strange hot wind blowing through town.
Would you belive that only a couple of weeks ago I was blogging about the incessant rain?!
No Brazil at the Bloggies…
Besides [somewhat sporadically] writing, I really love READING other blogs. My blogroll falls into two categories:
Blogs on Brazil and Other Blogs.
I love reading about my fellow expats, they make me laugh, show me a little about other parts of Brazil and especially put my own experiences into perspective…so I sometimes find my fiancé’s 20+ relatives a bit overwhelming? Stephanie LIVES with her in-laws and mine are a 2 hours drive away!…bad day speaking Portuguese and explaining YET again that I’m a German from Germany (as opposed to a German from Brazil, or whatever that is), Danielle’s experiences show me how rude people could be to me. I guess this is a THANK YOU to all of you who write about expat life in Brazil.
The other blogs I read, mostly based in America, give me a lovely insight into lives that are like 180° degrees different to mine or provide me with wonderful recipe’s I cannot make (see food woes!). Plus it’s the only “real English” fix I get out her in the Brazilian sticks. I think that if it weren’t for these blogs, I wouldn’t know how to use slang or phrasal verbs anymore! (Plus, I just really really really want to live on a farm with Mustangs)
Back to the TOPIC of this post. The Bloggies. I headed over to vote for some of my favourites and to browse through some new blogs. What a pleasant surprise to find a “Latin American” Category!!!
What an UNpleasant surprise to actually look at the entries. Not ONE of the blogs was about Brazil. Ok, I know we’re not THAT important, and most of Europe thinks we speak Spanish anyway, but I’m pretty sure we make up about half the landmass, let alone population of Latin America.
Furthermore, the rest of the entries really even about the rest of Latin America either! 3limes is actually about Trinidad and Uganda, with (at least it seemed to me) the bulk of writing about Uganda! (there IS a separate Africa category) and TaxiGourmet is from a girl who USED to live in Buenos Aires, but whose blog is now based in the States and will branch out to other countries…
Obviously, this is not the BLOGGERS fault, bloggers write about whatever they want to write about. I’m just surprised at the Bloggies category selection criteria and that Brazil Bloggers have had so little impact, www-speaking.
Queridos Blogistas, I think our goal for 2011 should be for ONE of our number to make the Bloggies. Show everyone out there what Brazil is really about, that our lives are more than just Samba, Caipirinha and Favela.
Any opinions? Ideas? Suggestions?
Stop Press!! Great Site for Brazilian Portuguese
I just found this site through Regina at Deep Brazil – she has some great contemporary info on Brazil, plus some really useful and little-known links.
Especially this one:
www.sonia-portuguese.com
A wonderful Brazilian Sonia, with years of teaching and travel experience, exasperated by the lack of Brazilian Portuguese teaching materials (aren’t we all), wrote her own course, made her own CD and put up her own website! It’s basically the beginner course I never had, but also includes some great tidbits for advanced learners, like:
* Recipes in Portuguese and English (wohoo!)
*Songs in Portuguese and English (no gaúcho songs, grumble… just kidding!)
* Proverb with translation: “quem não tem cão, caça com gato” – make do with what you have (haha)
* Confusing words (starting with ser/estar going on to pais/país/parentes)
* Slang words and phrases
* Differences between Portuguese and Brazilian Portuguese (personal favourite, loads to giggle about)
Sonia’s got loads of other exercises and explanations, plus some regularly updated sections (word of the week/cartoons), so whether you are “iniciante” or “avançado” I think her site is worth a look.
Grande Abraço
Julie
