Outside My Comfort Zone – Daily!

March 7. Mission: Mail a Package to the USA

Traveling in a foreign country puts one outside of their comfort zone constantly. Take, for example, my quest to mail a package home to the USA. I had a little duffle bag of things to send home -a World Cup t-shirt, some Brazilian flip-flops for my family, a map of Rio de Janiero (shouldn´t be needing that anymore this trip), a mask given to me during Carnival, etc… just little unnecessary stuff that I didn’t want to be lugging around in my backpack for the rest of my journey.

Lucas helped me map out where the post office was relative to his apartment. He then sent me the link so I could see it on the iPad. My iPad is only good on wireless networks, though, so why invite someone to steal it by strolling around town with it?? Therefore, I looked at the map, figured out where I must go, and started walking with my bag in hand. The first time I walked about 5 blocks to some railroad tracks. I remembered it was near the tracks to my right, so I started walking that way. A block later, I saw the “Correos” sign – meaning mail!  Perfect, I thought. I went in and that´s when I got really nervous. A lady was in front of me having photocopies made. I found a couple Spanish Birthday cards in a rack while I was waiting. My mind was also racing as to how I was going to ask to mail these things. Enviar is the verb, to send off, I knew that. I want – Quierro. I want. That’s a start. “Quierro enviar ese cosas”… I want to send off these things… yes, I´d try that. The lady in front of me finished, and I offered for a lady who had strolled in behind me to go first. No, she insisted, it was my turn. Crap! Here goes… first I bought the cards – is that all, the woman asked in Spanish. And… I tried my Spanish line from above.

I have no idea what was said next. The lady behind the counter took off in Spanish for the longest 15 seconds of my life… the only words I heard were “no mandar”… which I knew meant you could not send from this spot. So, I tried, “Donde puedo mandar,” when she was done – which should be, “Where can I send”… Again, off she went. When done, I said, ¨Lo siento, pero no comprendo.¨ This is a line I have used a ton in the last 48 hours. It means, I´m sorry, I don´t understand. She repeated some of what she had said much more slowly, but I still only captured marcado — market. So, there must be a market where I can go to send mail to the USA.

I thanked the woman and scampered out as fast as I could – wow, how stressful! Back at the apartment, I looked at the map again… oh, for the official post office, I had to cross the train tracks and go to the right… one block further before turning right!  Are you kidding me? So, off I went, retracing my route again, this time crossing the tracks. As I did, I got to see a group of about 10 high school students playing soccer in a park – holy cow, they are GOOD!!

I walked a few blocks and came to a train station. This made sense, as Lucas had said it was by the station. And there, across the street, was the sign – “Correos Argentino.” I went in and found my place in line – about seventh. Over half an hour later, I took my bag and set it on the counter. The post offices in Argentina have a clear plastic barrier between you and the person helping you. It is like the glass at the ticket booth at Cinemark in Helena – when the person talks to you, it comes out through the speaker just like at the movies (2021 update – the Cinemark doesn’t use the ticket window anymore… so this probably doesn’t make sense to my current students)! The man in front of me had sent some packages, and I noticed his were all boxed up and ready to go. He also had a form filled out that he turned in. Then, he walked across the room, a drawer opened out of the wall, and he put the boxes in the drawer… this place is like a bank, I thought. Well, it was my turn. I took the things up, and got another ton of Spanish thrown my way, none of which I could understand… except the no mandar… I heard that phrase again. So, I picked up my bag and headed back to the street. When I got back to the apartment for a second time, still with my bag of goodies to send back, I laid on the bed and fell asleep – exhausted.

After my nap, I looked online and discovered that nobody trusts the Argentinian post to deliver mail. I also learned that it is very expensive to send packages from Argentina to other countries in the world. Great, I thought.

For dinner, we had peas, eggs, and chicken. Also a leftover stuffed squash from teh night before!

Later that night, after we had a delicious meal of peas, eggs, and chicken, I asked Ale and Lucas what they thought. Fed Ex or DHL shipping, they said. This is what I had read on the Internet as well, so they just verified what I was thinking.

Lucas looked up the two, and told me Fed Ex would be the easiest to find. He used Google Places to make a map that showed our apartment, the bus stop, the Fed Ex office, and the Pink House (see the previous post about the Pink House we had looked at the first night I was here). He also marked the subway station (Called the Subte (sube-tay – Green line D) that is on Congresso Ave., not far from Ale and Lucas’s home. In the morning, I would try that!

March 8 – Mail Day #2

I woke up after a good night´s sleep (I added ear plugs and a blindfold after the first night so the noise of buses and the daylight didn´t wake me up so blasted early… another lesson I learned the hard way). I did the dishes for the second day in a row (least I could do after they cooked the Argentinian meals for me), and looked again at the map on my iPad that Lucas had shared with me.

I walked down to Congresso Ave., and when I got to where I thought the bus would be, there were a couple people already waiting. On the sign by the bus, I saw 41 and a couple other numbers. That is the bus I wanted. I went to get a picture of the sign, but saw the bus coming around the corner as I did so. I put the camera away and got on the bus after the others when it stopped. There is a scanner that reads pre-paid cards. I had a card Ale had given me, but had no idea how to use or if it had enough. I knew the cost was 1 peso and 20 centavos ($1.20), but all I had was a 1 peso coin and a 25 centavos coin. I dropped them in the slot and the bus driver said, ¨Cuanto?¨ Huh, I stammered back. I don´t remember what he said, but I know it meant, did you put 1.20 in? Ah, Si, I answered. He hit a button on the dashboard and the machine beeped. I was in! After watching others board the bus on the next few stops, I realized I was supposed to hit the button the driver had hit for me so that it spit out a ticket for me to board. Ooops. Ah well…

I paid attention out the bus window as we drove. We went up Congresso Avenue for over a mile, stopping frequently along the way. I noticed where the buttons were that people used to tell the driver they wanted to get off. The bus turned right onto Calbildo – This was the street Fed Ex is on… I watched the numbers. I needed 1559, and we were up over 3000 — so we had a ways to go! The bus worked well for seeing people on the city, for watching those around me, and for giving me a chance to relax!

When we hit the 1600s, I went to go hit the next-stop button, but someone already had. The bus came to a stop, and we got off… I walked back up the street, watching for 1559… 1529, 1535, 1547, 1549… then there was a street, and on the other side… where was the number? Funny, I wasn´t seeing a Fed Ex sign anywhere… I crossed the side street and found the number — 1575. What???  Where was 1559? As I took in my surroundings, there… across 6 lanes of traffic, I saw an awning that said, ¨Fed Ex!¨ I was assuming all the odds would be on the same side of the street like in the USA… not true! I crossed the street with hundreds of other pedestrians at the cross walk and was soon in the Fed Ex Air Conditioned office.

I said, ¨Quisiera enviar esos cosas…¨ which means, I think, I want to send off these things. The man soon realized I wasn´t fluent in Spanish, but spoke slowly and simply so I could understand. He asked to where, and I said the US (Los Estados Unidos). What do you have… weird question, I thought, but I opened my bag and began to show him. He weighed the bag, went to the computer, and told me 108 dollars. US or Argentine, I asked… US dollars, he said. Yikes!!  Expensive, but I didn´t want to haul all that stuff for a couple more months.  Esta bien, I said (that is good)!

Next, I was given a form to complete with my name and Argentine address along with the address I was sending things to. Since this is Fed Ex, I knew it might be tough for my roommate and housesitter Dan to be there to sign for the box. I also wasn´t sure of Dan´s cell phone number, which I would need. So, I crossed off Dan´s name and put our office manager at my middle school – Candice – instead! I knew the address and the phone number, and someone is always at the school to accept a package. I will Email to let her know it is coming!

Now the man was going through my things. As he did, I had to write down the contents of the package – en Engles –  in English. So, I did… but, when he came to the map of Rio de Janeiro, he said, ¨Que es eso?¨  What is this? Un mapa del Rio… I said. He looked at it, called another employee over, and handed it back to me. The famous words no mandar came through loud and clear. “Por que?” Why, I asked. I don´t know everything he said, but I understood enough words to discover the Argentine Military doesn´t allow you to send maps to other countries!!  Well, guess I can either throw that one away or keep it with me for the rest of my trip!

Everything else went in a box, he charged my credit card $108, and I was done!  Within about 10 minutes, I had finally finished my 2-day mailing project!

ARGENTINA: A New Country, A New Language!

I am in a new country with a completely different feel: Argentina. Not better, not worse, just different! I don´t know where to begin. The flight down was interesting. I had a few hours in Sao Paulo´s International Airport to wait for my flight to Argentina. There was a man there who approached me and asked if I spoke English. When I said yes, he asked if he could use my iPad to send an Email. The man spoke with a British accent. I said that would be fine, although inside I was nervous that this man was going to somehow try to steal it. As I stood up, he took a seat on the floor. This made me more comfortable, as nobody in their right mind would sit down and try to steal something from someone standing up!  Turns out, this man (named Salim) was just being honest. He had been in Peru, run short on funds, and come to Brazil with a friend he had met in Peru. The thing you need to know about Brazil, however, is that nothing is cheap!  Salim had run out of money. He Emailed his brother and asked him to have his dad put enough money in his bank account that he could get a cab back home from the airport when he arrived home in London! Salim thanked me for letting him use my iPad, and I hustled off to check in for my flight. After checking in and sending my big backpack down the luggage conveyor, I went back to find Salim and offer to buy him lunch (he had said he was down to 9 Reals and wasn´t flying out for a few more hours… that is not even

For dinner, we had peas, eggs, and chicken. Also a leftover stuffed squash from the night before (which is the meal I’m talking about in this blog).

enough to buy lunch in the airport). Unfortunately, I couldn´t find him, so I ate a bite myself and went through customs. Airport security is much different when you leave the USA. In South America, I have walked through security machines (like we have in the states at airports) with coins in my pockets, my watch and shoes on, and they never beeped at all!  It didn´t take long and I was in the customs line, getting my passport stamped for leaving Brazil.

It was still about an hour before my flight. I logged onto my iPad, and with the “Translator” app, I was able to visit with a Brazilian medical student on his way to BA (Buenos Aires) where he was a first year student at the university. I told him my brother had gone to medical school also and that he is a dentist in the USA. He chuckled, and explained that dentists in Brazil don´t go to medical school! Orthodontists do, but not dentists. Interesting (“Interesante,” I said in Spanish). He was fascinated by the Translator app, so we ´talked’ through it for almost an hour before boarding the plane. During our conversation, he said that teachers in Brazil don´t try as hard as I do… what´s he know??

As we took off from the city of São Paulo, the obvious thing that struck me was how huge it is!  As our plane climbed into the clouds, I saw mile after mile of skyscrapers below. In fact, I read on the trip, São Paulo has many ethnic neighborhoods in it. There are, for example, more Japanese people living in São Paulo than anywhere else in the world besides Japan itself!

Just after 6pm, we landed in Buenos Aires. I went down and felt relief as my backpack came out on the conveyor belt. I went through customs, having to pay over a hundred dollars as an entry fee to the country. Only citizens of a few countries have to pay this fee, which is charged by the Argentine government to people from countries that charge entry fees to its citizens when they leave their country. So, because of the fees the USA charges people who come to visit us, I had to pay a tax to enter their country. The same had been true in Brazil, although for that country you must send your passport and pay for a visa before you travel! I paid the fee with my credit card and proceeded out the automatic doors and into the ´receiving area´ of the airport. First, I asked for an ATM and got some Argentinian money in my pocket. There were a number of people on the street offering cab rides, but I knew BA was a big city, so I opted to go to the official stand inside. Official taxi stands are known to be more expensive, but with my big pack and all my stuff, I wanted to play it safe. The man at the desk punched in the address I wanted to go to (I had found some friends through CouchSurfing – Ale and Lucas – and I had both the name of their neighborhood and their address), and it showed up on a map on his computer screen. I knew it was the right spot, because I had pulled it up on Google Maps back in Sao Paulo. The cab driver came in, asked where he was headed, and complained a bit when he found out. The man behind the desk said it would be 180 Argentinian Pesos. I had no idea how much money that was (about $50 US), but I paid him and went out with the elderly cab driver into the loading zone. We started to drive, and I was immediately glad I´d gone with the official cab service. Buenos Aires is HUGE (CIA Factbook puts its population at 12.9 million) and an unofficial cab driver could have easily gotten ‘lost’ and driven me around the city for hours without getting me where I needed to go… and then charged a pile of money for it!

Again, thanks to Google Maps, I had an idea of which streets were in the neighborhood and when we got close, I knew exactly where we were. This was funny, because the cabby put on his reading glasses, looked at the numbers on the street, and then started driving toward the smaller numbers, but my address was bigger!  So, I said, ¨Talvez, detras de, no?¨ I think this was, ¨It´s behind us, right?” No he said and drove on. A block later, he laughed, and said yes, it was behind us!  As we came up on the block with my friend´s appartment, two things happened at the same time. First, I got a strong smell of natural gas. Second, I saw police cars all over the place. Oh, great, I thought… I´m in a bad neighborhood. The cabby asked what was up and I have no idea what the policeman said, but the next thing I knew we were being detoured around the block. When we got back to the street I needed after the detour, we were almost right in front of the apartment building. I said, aqui esta bien… here is good. The man pulled over, I got out of the cab and walked the 40 feet to the apartment. A large glass door prevented my entering. I rang the buzzer for 8C. Someone said, ¨Hola,¨ and then added, “I will be right down.” Soon thereafter, my new friend Ali came walking from the elevator. He opened the door and greeted me. Luckily, I had just read on the plane that EVERYBODY greets one another by embracing and kissing one another on the cheek. Otherwise, I would have been a bit uncomfortable when that happened!  🙂

We rode up the elevator to the 8th floor. Ale and Lucas have an awesome apartment with pretty incredible views. It doesn´t feel as cramped as many city places I have been. For dinner, we had stuffed squash… it reminded me of stuffed green peppers in the USA. Good stuff! As we sat down to eat, Lucas looked at the spread before us, spread his arms wide, and proclaimed, ¨Welcome to Argentina!¨ It was the perfect welcome from what are turning out to be the perfect hosts!

After dinner (11pm, mind you), we went up onto their rooftop deck with a BBQ area to see the view at night and then down into the garage in the basement of their apartment building. We got in their car and they gave me a nighttime introductory tour of Buenos Aires… what a city!?! I didn´t realize we were going to do this, so I didn´t have my camera! The Pink House – equivalent to the White House in the USA (except it is only the President´s office, not her residence) is lit up a brilliant pink at night. President Cristina strikes me as a pretty amazing woman… more on her soon.

By the time we got home, it was well after midnight. I sat down to update this blog, and fell asleep with the lights and my iPad on!

Pirenópolis: Tourist Town on My Final Day with Alexandre

Mr. elder sits on a bench with a model of the horse riders with masks they use in this town for their Saints Celebration – check out the photos to see more!

I spent my last day with Alexandre in the small tourist town of Pirenópolis. And a tourist town, it was: sidewalk shopping, expensive boutiques, little cabins for rent in the woods, some tubing/rafting, and a number of mountain bikers. We had lunch at a little restaurant. When we came up to it, I thought it was weird to have a restaurant with only 5 tables. But Alexandre led the way basically through the kitchen to a covered back patio with live music going – couldn’t have been better! We also went to a couple museums and went on a brief little hike to see a waterfall!

Alexandre and I went to a waterfall near Pirenópolise. Note to self: never again without a swimsuit!

There was a museum of an old church which, a Jesuit Priest informed us, had been supplied with a number of items from the old segregated ‘Black’ Cathedral before it was demolished.

The Main Chirch (built in 1749) in the background as people swim in the water.

Today, I’m flying to Argentina (Buenos Aires) from Goiâna via São Paulo. Sitting in the waiting area at Gate 20 in the international terminal now – made it through emigration and got my passport stamped – Goodbye Brasil!

Brasília: the Nation’s Capital!

Cows dot the rural landscape around Petrolina.

We started for Brasília from Petrolina about 10:30. We passed hundreds of cattle. No Angus or Herfords  here, though. The cows in this region are of the Zebu animal family. The specific species here is Nelore (Nellory). These cows were imported from India and are well fitted to the hot climate of this area. They also have thick skin, a natural repellent to all the bugs found here. Further south in Brazil as well as in Argentina/Chile, Red Angus can be found, but the Zebu dominate this part of the country.

Banana Trees.

There were some Banana trees just off the road, which Alexandre explained were sometimes part of what a farmer does, but are not the only activity on the land for that farmer. We also passed a sugar cane plant and a brewery on our way to the city. I asked where the trucks were today, as the smoke-belching beasts were nowhere to be seen and driving was going incredibly easily and stress-free! Alexandre explained they often didn’t start hitting the roads until after noon on Saturday. As we neared Brasília, the roads got nicer. In fact, for about the last 20 miles, we were on the closest surface to an interstate I have seen during my time in Brazil. They usually don’t use interchanges (off ramps). Instead, cars will use a ‘returno.’  This is on the left side of the road. There is often a little lane leading up to the returno so cars can decelerate as they approach without risking getting smashed by someone cruising along in the fast lane. The returno itself is really not much more than a paved emergency vehicle turn-around like those we have on our interstates. Even so, there isn’t much speeding on these highways. Massive speed bumps are spaced every kilometer through towns, forcing you to slow to about 5-10mph over each bump. We didn’t see one coming and hit it doing about 50… You really don’t want to do that often, as you seriously won’t have a running car for long! They also have radar stations that clock you – if you are speeding, there is a camera that captures your license plate number, and they send you a bill. Alexandre learned the system works the hard way, when he received a few hundred dollar ticket in the mail!

The capital of Brazil was a planned city. The original capital was Rio de Janeiro, but in 1956 Juscelino Kubitschek pledged that if he got elected, he would move the city inland to help distribute the population inland. He won the election, and Brasília was built from scratch and made the capital in 1960. The main body of the city is shaped like an airplane. There is an axis that runs up the middle of the city, with another curved axis crossing it like the wings of a plane. The heart of government is located where these two main avenues meet. The rest of the city is divided into sectors. So, there is an Embassy sector, a hotels sector, a banking sector, and a shopping sector. Residential areas – which have their own shopping and restaurants – are found north and south of the center area. It is probably one of the easiest cities to find your way around in that Mr. Elder has ever seen.

Just like Washington DC in the USA, Brasília is a federal district. It is not a part of any of the 27 Brazilian states. a famous South American architect, Oscar Niemeyer, designed many of the important buildings in the city. These ‘modernist’ buildings were designed in 1960 to be buildings that would make Brasília a shining example of a city in the future.

Well, some 50 plus years after they were built, I know I haven’t experienced many (any) buildings like these! Before we got to the buildings, though, Alexandre took me to see the JK Bridge (named for President Juscelino Kubitschek, creator of the city). The bridge’s supports are three large arches. Alexandre told me they were like a rock skipping across the water – and I could see that. Brazil is indeed by and large a land of “haves” and “have nots.” the people who have things tend to have a lot, and the people who don’t really don’t have much besides the support the government gives them.

JK Bridge.

The middle class is growing in Brazil, but the difference between the poor farmers and vendors peddling food and such along the highway contrasted starkly with the sights around the lake. People were on jet skis, tubing, and boating around in large, expensive yachts. Kayaks and long boards could be rented along the shore, and valets waited to park your car if you opted to dine in one of the fancy restaurants along the shore. On one side of the lake were the ‘associations,’ waterside clubs for those with the status allowing them to come – the banks and many large companies had their spot along the edge of the lake for their top management and invited clients to use. On the far side of the bridge was the ‘mansion district.’ the people living in these lakeside estates had a lot of money – far more than you would expect from Brasília’s government workforce. We had a nice French lunch looking across the water. I had a braised beef with some scalloped potatoes and asparagus. Alexandre informed me that asparagus is a rare item in Brazil; not typical food for this country. It was a delicious meal and got things going on the right foot for our visit to the city.

After eating, we headed to the ‘nose’ of the airplane – the government complex. The first thing I noticed as we got closer was a huge flagpole with an immense Brazilian flag hanging from it. When we neared the flag, the National Congress building was next to meet my eye. Two distinctive 28 story towers shoot skyward, but it is the base of these towers that is really unique. This building is the equivalent of the US Capitol building in our country, but it looks nothing like what you picture!

The Congress building – This is one of Niemeyer’s buildings, and it shows you how unique this city is! There are two geometric shapes built below ground level at the base of the towers. These are the chambers of Brazil’s two congressional bodies (Brazil has two houses (bi-cameral, remember?), just like the USA). The concave ‘bowl’ on the right is for the House of Representatives. The convex ‘bubble’ on the left is the Senate chamber. My guide book said the tours closed at 2, but it was 2:30 and there were still people going near the front doors. I got excited at the thought of maybe getting to take a tour of the building after all. “Let’s see,” said Alexandre. “We’ll go check it out!” As we walked up the ramp to the main doors, I was amazed we were doing it. Just walking right up… No crowds, no lines,no tickets – all so different than the USA. We were in luck; they were still giving tours. The next one was in 15 minutes – perfect! We went through the security screening – I wore my shoes, my watch, my belt – no problem! It took maybe 30 seconds and just like that, we were in the legislative building! The tour was AWESOME.

One of the paintings on the House President’s wall.

We got to see the President of the Senate’s office with some really cool art on the walls. House members receive people in the ‘Green Room,’ a sprawling expanse of space with a tile wall along one side. The tiles aren’t original. The wall was to be glass, but the House members feared the glass would be too easy to get through if someone wanted, so the tiles were installed. Right this way to the House chamber, and in we went – onto the floor of the Brazilian House of Representatives!  How cool (you can’t do that in the US, for sure)!

The fingerprint reader and voting options on House desks.

We sat at a desk and saw how the voting works. A representative has to put their finger in a scanner to verify it is them. Then they enter a PIN number, and finally thay choose their vote!

The Brazilian Senate chamber.

And, as if that weren’t enough, Alexandre and I had our picture taken with his state’s (Minas Gerais) flag and then – walked right on to the floor of the Senate with it’s blue carpet! So cool… The tour guide gave us a book of the artwork and then, after the tour finished, took Alexandre and me to see the access ways to the 28 story office annex. Finally, I wrote a couple postcards – the Brazilian government is mailing them for me!! It was one of the best things I did in Brazil – so easy to access!!

After the Congress building, we went to see the Metropolitan Cathedral and the National Museum – both of which were also designed by Niemeyer, the architect. Bet you can tell, huh??

The Metropolitan Cathedral.

We then saw the ministry buildings that line the broad grassy area from Congress up to the bus station. On the other side is a large open square. This is the Praça dos Três Poderes (Plaza of the Three Powers). There is the Congress to the one side (legislative), the Supreme Court to a second (Judiciary), and the President’s office on the third (executive). No sooner did we walk up to the President’s than I said, “I read there is a changing of the guard here twice a day.” interior of the Cathedral.

The President’s Guard folds the flag as the bugle plays.

Within 10 seconds, we heard the sound of marching. Sure enough, around the corner came a small group of the President’s Guard – and we saw the flag lowering/retiring ceremony! Nothing could go wrong!

We drove back to Petrolina as it got dark, and finished the night with some pizza at a little cantina a couple blocks from home – listening to Men at Work, Nirvana, Brazilian group Mono Bloco, and other awesome 80s music! Yes, this will be remembered as one of the better days I had in Brazil, probably because Mr. Elder is such a government geek!

This is a Big Country

The country of Brazil is about the size of the USA. It has about 1/3 the number of people, many who live hear are clumped in very large cities on the coast. Much of the land in the north and west is very rural, much like Montana. Here is a map of the road trip I went on to get to Petrolina:

This map shows: A) Petrolina. B) Anápolis (a town I put on the map so GoogleMaps used the same route we drove). C) Belo Horizonte. And, D) Rio de Janeiro.

Hours and hours were spent in the car, and the roads are like the road going up to Great Divide ski area, except with hundreds of cars, trucks (slow on hills), and motorcycles. It is crazy!

Hundreds of this termite mounds dot the countryside.

During the drive, Alexandre explained that mounds in the middle of fields were termite hills. The thought of termites wasn’t surprising, but the number of hills really surprised me. In a field the size of our school classroom, there might be 3-5 of these piles – that’s a lot of termites!

A Brazilian soda pop – perfect for the long drives in western Brazil!

The countryside in this region of Brazil is filled with cattle. Corn is grown to be used as feed for the cows. I’ve seen some big farm equipment, but less is used here than in the USA.  As we drove past Goiâna (the capital city of Goiás) again, I was taken by its size. High-rise buildings seem to be everywhere, and yet it is a city of only 1.2 million, which is big, but it just seems much bigger! As we left town, Alexandre pointed out some common looking houses out in a field. This is subsidized housing (houses that the government helps pay for for poorer people to live in), he said. These homes are very popular with some of the poorer people who want to live in a house. We also went by some make-shift houses along the side of the road. Alexandre explained that these people were squatting on a farmer’s land – just camping out there – until the government provides them land to live on and farm. Where does this land they may receive come from? Does the farmer just lose a part of his plot when the government decides to give the squatters land?  These are things I don’t know, but it was interesting to see.

I only brought two pair of pants, both of which were in the laundry process at Petrolina. So, for this trip, I only brought shorts. That was a mistake. This morning as we got in the car, Alexandre told me he was afraid I might not get into the Valec Corporation’s office without pants. Sure enough, at the security gate, I got turned around. See class, how you dress does matter in life! So, I had to wait outside in the parking lot for a couple hours while they had their meeting! All went well at the meeting. Alexandre plans to hire people and begin work on the issues blogged about yesterday early next week.

After the meeting, we returned to Petrolina, checking on a plane ticket to São Paulo on the way. I wanted to fly to São Paulo on Saturday, allowing Bernardo (who has a meeting there on Monday) and I to check out the big city together. Unfortunately, we will not be able to meet up in São Paulo, however, as the best plane option wound up being Monday morning. I will fly into the same airport I leave from to go to Argentina later in the day. Because of this, I chose a window seat so I will at least be able to see one of the biggest cities in the world (São Paulo) out my plane window! The iPad saved the day at the airport. I had left my passport back at the home in Petrolina (a good couple hour drive away). I had scanned a copy and had it stored on my iPad, though, and the ticket agent used the picture to book my ticket!

Once I had my plane ticket (which Fred insisted and graciously purchased for me – he is too nice, this man), Alexandre took me to a large shopping mall in Goiâna. We investigated cell phones (too expensive – about US$500 for two months) and I found a very cool CD/DVD to share with students and friends back in Montana of Brazilian music! We finished the evening by going to a very nice restaurant that overlooks a lake in the heart of the city. It was a lot of fun. Then, as Alexandre drove back… and I slept!!

Next, we will go to Brasilia – the nation’s capital and also it’s fastest growing city!

Life ‘Out West’ with Alexandre!

From Wednesday, February 29:

A typical lunch – the big meal of the day. Eaten between 11:30 and 2:00 usually.

Two days ago for lunch, Alexandre’s boss Fred (said Fredge) took us to a little cantina down the street. The owner called out and embraced Fred as we walked in. I had beans, rice, some carrots, corn, cooked kiabo (a vegetable sort of like peppers mixed with cucumber tasting), and a little salad. Then you walk over to the grill, where a chef is cooking various meats. You grab the tongs and take whatever looks good! I got a nice piece of thinly sliced steak that the cook pulverized with a knife as it was cooking.

After lunch, I had a few hours to catch up on my blogging. Then Fred said, “Let’s go!” to where, I didn’t know, but I took my camera and got in the car. Turns out, we drove a couple hours to Goiânia. I’ll never forget when we popped up over a hill and went from rural cattle-raising countryside to a sprawling skyline like the one in the picture – wow!  1.2 million people live in this city. It is the capital of the Goiás province (like a state in the USA).  We drove through town. Before going to dinner, though, Fred had us park. He went and bought tickets to a soccer game – who knew?? Goiás had a ‘night game’ tonight. When will it start, I asked. 10, he responded. Whoah – that’ll be a late night, I thought. Once again, I wondered when people in Brazil sleep!

The “Montana Grill” is a churrascaria – here are the two sides of the card next to your plate!

Then we went to eat at a restaurant called ‘Montana.’ it was an all-you-can-eat Brazilian BBQ place, or churrascaria. Boy it was good, but for the second time in one day, I was stuffed! Waiters come by your table with huge cuts of stake on big skuers. You point at the cut you’d like, and they slice it off for you. About a minute later, another option is presented. As long as the green side is face up on the table (sim, por favor – yes please), they keep coming by. When the card is flipped to the red side (não, obrigado – no thank you), the meat offerings stop! Then, at 10pm, we went to the soccer game! It was fun – we were much closer to the field than I had been for Vasco game of the Guanabara Cup. Fred got some ice cream as the vendor came by – just what I need, I thought!

And now for Yesterday… Typed in the present tense, but just published on the blog this morning… So, from Thursday, March 1:

Chief Engineer Alexandre Coleho Naves stands on the recently completed rail bed near where Brazilian President Rousseff recently landed her helicopter to view the project.

Today, Alexandre took me to another section of the railroad. He had heard there was an issue with… Well, when we pull up to a railroad crossing about 50 feet from the main road, Alexandre mutters in frustration. What, I ask. “The cows – the farmers are letting them into the railbed lands to eat the hydro-seeded grasses. They are to keep the cattle out, but here they are. “This is a problem,” he says. Then, as we stood looking at the tracks, he said “This is a problem.”

As we looked down the tracks, Alexandre said, “There is a problem,” pointing to where the tracks had settled – as you can see in this picture!

As you can see in the photo, the problem is that the tracks settlted and the rail bed needs to be redone. Evidently, the compacting machine didn’t fully compact things before the rails were laid. Alexandre also pointed out an area where the built up bed had eroded away with recent rain. “This is another problem,” he said. As we walked the tracks, I noticed quite a bit of murky water standing in the pit next to the tracks. Where will that water go, I asked? “Ah, that is another problem,” replied Alexandre. Alexandre wasn’t the head of this project from the beginning. Even though Brasil’s Presient Rouseff came out to see the finished railroad two weeks ago (Alexandre showed me the helicopter pad they built for her visit alongside the tracks), his company is actually in the red on this project. Basically, Alexandre has been brought in for damage control – to complete the job, tie up loose ends, and minimize company losses.

He says it will take him 60 days to do that mission. The company wants him done in 30, and so for now they are shooting for 45 (although Alexandre is sure it can’t be done in 45 days). He has asked to hire people and equipment for the project, and now awaits authorization to move forward from corporate headquarters in Belo Horizonte.

This is his job — to manage large-scale road and railroad construction projects. I have been amazed by the magnitude of his job. On this project, he had 1,500 people working for him with 5 engineers at its peak. Earth movers, compactors, concrete operations – the whole works. Now, the former company facility at the edge of town is vacant, except a couple pieces of heavy machinery and a lone guard at the front enterance. Alexandre says he’d like to release the two guards (2×12 hour shifts for 24 hour safety), but they stay on because of the few valuable things still on the grounds.

It has been a fascinating learning experience, to say the least – seeing Alexandre work and having him explain the process to me. He actually spent the past three years in Africa (in the country of Angola) doing the same thing. The money was even better, but he was gone from his family much of the time. To get home for a visit, he had to drive to Angola’s capital of Luanda, stay the night, and then fly back to Brazil the following day. And, he said, the roads in Angola are MUCH WORSE than here in Brazil!?! He got 5 days off with his family every 2 months. So, he came back to his country to be with his family more. Even with this job, though, he is gone a lot – usually for two weeks at a time. His wife also travels three days a week – thus the need for the cook and the nanny. It is a tough life, I’m sure, but Alexandre is so naturally personable and easy to get along with, I’m sure he is very good at negotiating, compromising, and ironing out the rough spots on these projects. He has a knack for this type of job – it fits his personality well!  It has been really cool to see my friend for the first time in 30 years and what he is doing now!!

Dinner. We stopped at ‘Gacaré’ for dinner – a truck stop. Dozens of truckers were in line with towels waiting to use one of the five showers in the bathroom as we went in to go to the bathroom. Then Fred, Alexandre, and I walked into the dining part. For dinner, I had a pasteu de carne – a little meat pastry. Fred had a Coke Zero, and Alexandre and I split a plastic bottle of coke, pouring portions into the little thin dixie cups that are everywhere in this country. No sooner did we start, than a little boy came up with a guitar over his shoulder. He had asked to play at the table next to us, but was sent on his way. Fred asked the boy a question, then motioned for him to sit down with us. He had a couple more questions, I assume asking either about the boy or what he liked to play. Then Fred instructed him to play. The boy strummed a few chords on the guitar, and then cleared his throat. I thought, there is no way this kid is going to sing, but sing he did. He didn’t hit all the notes perfectly, but he began to sing with a confidence and boldness that completely blew me away. As he played and sang, I thought of my nephew and of all the students back in Montana I had left behind to come here. This boy had to be about their ages. How many of the young people I knew would be willing to hang out at a truck stop and solicit to play for utter strangers. None, of course, I thought to myself. What was this kid’s story, I wondered. Was he providing for his whole family or did he even have a family? I’ll never know, but I am sure that he has more world experiences in the life of hard knocks than most of my students combined. When he finished the song, Fred clapped and congratulated him. How old are you, I heard him ask. Almost 11 the boy had said. Fred then reached for his wallet. He pulled out a hundred Reals bill. The boy’s eyes lit up as he was handed about $60 US dollars. Fred said a couple things to him. The boy nodded. His fingers were shaking as he put the bill in his front pocket. Why I had left the camera in the car for this stop… Darn! I thought it was a bathroom/quick bite break, and it was dark out. Who knew that experience was going to happen? Wow. Later in the evening, I asked Alexandre what he thought of the boy’s situation. He said that given Brazil’s social services for the poor (free basic medical care, free cooking gas, food provisions, etc…), he didn’t believe that the boy was poor or supporting his family by doing this roadside guitar playing (Mr. Elder has seen that happen in other countries). Rather, Alexandre said he probably just played the guitar for the extra money and experience in the evenings. Alexandre pointed out that the boy had on nice clothes and had gel spiking his hair. He added that a typical person might give the boy 5 Reals instead of 100, but Fred is a little unique in that way. It was a very memorable experience, for sure.

After we got back in the car for the final leg of our journey to Santa Helena, I noticed that the nighttime sky and stars are so different in the southern hemisphere. While I knew this would be true, it is tough to adjust to the ‘missing’ big dipper and north star I am used to. The important constellations are the Cruzeiro do sul (southern cross) and Tres Marias (Three Marys).

Leaving Rio: a Bus Ride and Discovering Another Huge Brazilian City (Belo Horizonte)

Twenty minutes ago, we had a change of plans. My friend Alexandre and I are now driving to Saint Helena – hours to the west of Belo Horizonte (Bellow-orizauntch). More on that at the end of this post. I am going to try to type my blog entry using a program called Evernote on my iPad as we drive. Then, I can simply paste the text and add pictures to the blog when I have the Internet. Thus begins the test… be careful, as I bounce back and forth from my story of the bus ride yesterday to things that are happening today [I’ll try to go back later and add brackets to the things that are happening right now… most of this story took place in the past].

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On Monday, Feb. 27, I took the bus up to Belo Horizonte from Rio. I was the only foreigner on the bus and, I believe, the only one who spoke English. The bus was to leave at 14:00 (2:00pm). I had paid for the ticket and was sitting in a loading area, but by 5 minutes before 2, I did not see my bus. I was waiting in front of platform 25. I had bought my ticket from a blue colored counter in the terminal. So, I knew I wanted a blue bus of the same company. There was a blue bus in #24, but it did not say Belo Horizonte on the front. Some tourists came and sat near me. I heard them speak English, so I asked where they were going. They were taking a bus to Iguazzu Falls on the border with Paraguay. I asked if the buses ever ran late – they suggested I try the next couple platforms as my ticket said platform 21 a (to) 25. I asked the first bus if it was going to Belo Horizonte – the driver said something like “segundo” … Which sounded kind of like next in Spanish. So, I went to #23. It was then I realized that even though the bus was orange, it had the same company name on the side! But, when I asked the driver, he said segundo as well. I went to a third bus on platform 22. The sign on the front was lit up – Belo Horizonte! I gave my backpack to a young man on the platform. He took my bag, stuck a numbered baggage claim ticket on it, and handed me my half as he put the bag in the under storage of the bus. In many countries, it is a good idea never to leave your bag out of sight, but on a luxury bus in Brazil, it will be fine, I thought. I got on the bus. First I had to go up some steps past where the driver sat and through a sliding glass door at the top. This was the first-class section the seats were huge with tons of room. After about 5 rows, there was another sliding clear door that separated first-class from the other passengers. As I walked through, I assume the driver was telling them about the bathroom (down some stairs in the middle of the bus) and things… He turned around, saw me and said something to the effect that, Ah, the Gringo is here (“Gringo” – slang for a foreigner, especially of British or North American descent – that is the only word I recognized that he said…)! When he said that, the bus erupted in applause for me! It was a bit awkward, but everyone was smiling and welcoming, and I was glad to be on the right bus! There were only 2 available seats, side by side, in the far back of the bus. So, they became my spot for the trip.

[Side note: As I type this, Alexandre and I are driving his car on a stretch of road that is known as being very dangerous. I had heard about the dangers of driving in this country a few times during the previous week, but now I was experiencing it for real. As I was typing this, we came to a bunch of cars all jammed up on the two-lane road. We sat there for about 20 minutes before the people in front told us there was an accident that is going to take over an hour to clear. So, in the 85ish degree heat, here we sit with the windows down… This isn’t Montana in March, that’s for sure!! — Perfect! After only 35 min., we’re rolling again… As we drove by the accident, we saw where a car had gone off the ravine and was going to be pulled back to the road by a tow truck – “what a mess,” said Alexandre. Back to the story…. Oops. Spoke too soon. Traffic stopped again maybe 1 mile from the last jam… Will see what it is this time….. Back to the story]:

The bus I rode up to Belo Horizonte in was VERY fancy. Each seat reclined as a bed almost, and had nice leg and foot rests. There was also a cooler in the back with free chilled water. It was a nice way to travel, for sure! [There goes an ambulance…somebody must’ve gotten hurt] Not long after leaving Rio, we began to climb. It was a steep narrow road that worked its way into the incredible mountains NW of Rio. It seriously reminded me of Glacier National Park’s Going-2-the-Sun highway, except for the near-jungle tropical climate on the side of the roads, down the steep hillsides, and into the valley far below. I was loving the scenery. It was good to get out of the city of Rio for a change, even though I knew Belo Horizonte would be another urban area.

There were two women and 4 kids in the row of 4 seats in front of me. They were very excited from the time I stepped on the bus. Finally, one of them piped up, ‘What is your name?’ they all giggled. I said Kelly, which served to really confuse them. They asked me a number of questions in Portuguese, which I of course did not understand. Then I wrote a note in English to the mom… “what is your name?” I wrote. She wrote her answer in cursive — tough to read because she wrote it as the bus bounced down the road — but I think it said, “My name is Poliana.” “Nice to meet you” I wrote back, and that was about it. The young boy (maybe 10-13 yrs old) tried a couple more times to communicate, but ultimately he decided it was too much work to communicate with this foreigner! The hours went by, as did the scenery…

Once we cleared the top of the mountains, it was cooler, yet still very dense with vegetation. We passed a number of smaller mountain towns.

About 6pm, we stopped at a roadside buffet – not a minute too soon, as I was starving!

I was really glad to be at the back of the bus, as I was the last to get off and could watch and follow the lead of what the other passengers were doing!

The people piled off the bus. I followed them. They went straight for the food (except a few who stopped to have a cigarette – many people smoke in Latin America). As they walked into the restaurant, everyone was given a slip of paper with the menu items on it. You took what you wanted – there were cheeseburgers, fruit and juices… I decided to try an empanada type thing that said Frango (chicken). The chicken is deep fat fried inside of a bread-like casing — not good for you, but delicious!

After I had picked out my food from the buffet and poured a glass of some type of juice, I followed the flow of people. A woman took my menu sheet, marked what I had, and gave it back. I couldn’t understand why I hadn’t paid, but nobody else was paying either. After eating, I realized why. As I walked toward the exit, there were tons of racks of junk food! I grabbed a bag of potato chips and got to the register. When the total came up, the girl at the register spun the display so I could see the numbers on it. To be honest, even if she had said the amount, I probably wouldn’t have understood, so it was helpful! I climbed back on the bus, took a water from the cooler by my seat, and settled back in for the last few hours.

My friend Alexandre (All-eh-shawn-dray) had asked me to call him when I arrived at the bus terminal in Belo Horizonte. Of course he was expecting me to come to visit about 2 weeks ago – Carnival had messed my schedule up quite a bit! So, as the bus pulled in, I got ready to call Alexandre if he wasn’t here waiting. I thought that sounded easy enough – but not so.

First of all, when we got off the bus, I had somehow managed to lose/misplace my luggage tag – the half-slip of paper that matched the tag the guy had put on the bag when I started this journey hours ago. I felt like the middle-schooler who loses their lunch on a fieldtrip. I had to wait until everyone else got their bag. Then I pointed to my bag. The man showed me everyone else’s claim tickets in his hand and asked for mine in Portuguese (I think that’s what he was doing – I couldn’t understand him). I emptied out my pockets and showed him I didn’t have my ticket. Everyone else now had their bags, and mine was the only one still there.

The man looked at me, glanced around to be sure nobody was watching, and gave me my bag. I said, “Obrigado” (thank you said by a man – you say Obrigada if female). The simplest of things is so darned hard sometimes, especially in a country where you don’t know the language!

Click here to see the photos I took on the bus ride.

Now I just needed to call Alexandre. Right there in front of me was a bank of four or five phones – perfect! I walked over and picked one up. No dial tone. Ah, maybe I need to put money in before I can hear the tone. But wait – there is nowhere to put money in! Whhaaaat?? Then I saw a card slot. Ahhah! These machines run on pre-paid phone cards. I just needed to buy a card. But how…?

The little boy and his mom that had ‘talked’ to me on the bus were just passing by. I said, “Disculpa me” (i’m sorry- excuse me)… And showed the mom the phone number I had written on a slip of paper. The boy grabbed the slip and went to a dark booth. The booth was where you had to buy a phone card. These little debit cards let you pay for phone calls at pay phones. There is not place to put coins in. And, as luck would have it, this booth was closed. No phone card for me I guess. Uggh. The little boy picked up the phone and began to call collect (9-0), but the call didn’t go through.

Just then, a man walked up and asked if I spoke English. Caught off guard, I replied, “A little bit.” good grief. A little bit – where did that come from?? The boy explained my situation in Portuguese, and just finished when his mom started calling his name from up some stairs. The man turned to me and said, “Where are you from?” in solid English. The states, I replied. Ok, I will help you. I lived in New Jersey for 16 years. The man went to his cab, got his cell out, and called Alexandre. They spoke for a moment, then I talked to Alexandre, and then the two of them spoke a moment longer. Alexandre had told me to wait for him up the stairs by the letter ‘B’ – the cab driver confirmed that thought with me when off the phone. The man welcomed me to Brasil, told me to have a great trip, and I thanked him again and went up the stairs. About 15 minutes later, a new little Fiat came rolling up to the busy terminal and flashed its lights. “Kelly, my friend!” called Alexandre as he hopped out of the car. He came over, shook my hand enthusiastically and gave me a hug. Then he turned and introduced me to his wife, Alexa. She was in a nice dress and pearls. Alexandre also looked sharp. And here i was in a t-shirt and shorts.

I had met Alexandre in the eighties. I had not seen him since. When I found I would be coming to South America just over a year ago, I did a Google search for him. All I knew was his name (Alexandre Cohelo Naves, but I wasn’t sure how to spell the middle name). I also remembered that he was an engineering student when he stayed at our house, and that he was from a city called Belo Horizonte. Google turned up nothing. I tried FaceBook and also failed there. It was like looking for a needle in a haystack. I had long ago lost his address, shortly after sending him a Monte Dolack print of Montana as a wedding gift. About a month before coming here, I found myself on the professional networking site LinkedIn. I typed in Alexandre’s name and Belo Horizonte. Two reults showed up when narrowed to engineers. I sent them both a message explaining my name was Kelly Elder and I lived in Helena, MT. Unlikely as it was, one of those two responded – “Hi Kelly!” it was indeed my long lost friend. And so now I was coming to see him after 29 years and meet his family!

Alexandre and his wife were both excited to see me. As we rode in the car, they would both try to speak to me at once. I had not seen Alexandre since he stayed at my family’s home in 1982 when he came on an exchange program. One of the things I remembered about Alexandre hadn’t changed – he likes to joke and have fun!  We drove through the city and stopped at a nice sidewalk restaurant. Moments after being seated and getting some caparhinas (traditional Brazilian drink) , the man brought a plate of about 2 dozen little chunks of meat – chicken hearts, I discovered, and they were tasty! An older gentleman with a small guitar walked by. Alexa gave him some money, and the man began to play for us. After that, came some other plates of meat.

Alexandre and Alexa told me all about their trip to Disneyworld for 10 days. They said their daughter, Pietra, had loved it! It was now about 11 pm – where is she, I asked. That is when they told me that Pietra was home with the nanny. The nanny is 25 and stays with the family during the week. They also have a cook and a maid; sounds like quite the life!

After dinner, we went to their 7th floor apartment. I fell asleep as soon as I laid on my bed. In the morning, I awoke to some stunning views from their 7th floor condominium! Alexandre has bought some land and is building a new home, but they are about a year from moving in. Until then, Alexandre, Alexa,  Pietra, and the nanny live together in a 4 bedroom / 2 bath place. Very nice, but I’m sure their new home will have a little more space!

Click here if you would like to know how Mr. Elder knows Alexandre.