The epopoeia of a pre-flight

As I've mentioned before, my scholarship program will pay my ticket only from the nearest international airport from where I live to Japan (and, hopefully, take me from there to the international house where I'll live, since the last airport is not in the city I'll live).

It just happens that the nearest international airport from Londrina is in Curitiba (Afonso Pena) , which is 426 km away. As a sidenote, public transportation in Brazil doesn't work so well like in Japan (don't have parameters to compare it to anywhere else). So, bullet trains to go to Curitiba, for example, are out of question.

A car trip is also out of question. People have lives of their own, and I can't oblige anyone here to drive me there (plus, there'll be the return trip). A bus would take too long (about 6 hours, what is part of the reason to avoid cars too), and I also will have more luggage than an average bus user (which may draw unwanted attention).

So, the obvious choice is by airplane. But then I'd have to buy an extra ticket by myself. To avoid names, "X" will be the company responsible for the domestic flights in Brazil, and "Y" the company responsible for the international flight and domestic flight in Japan.

"X" and "Y" have some kind of agreement, it seems. Passengers flying by "Y" may also but tickets by "X" to fly from Sao Paulo (that's the airport "Y"'s flights land in Brazil) to some other place in Brazil. And you can buy them together through "Y".

Problem 1: Without the international ticket, "X" can't let me board following international luggage limits.

Or should I say, if I but a ticket from "X" separatedly, that happens. Anyway, I'd have to pay for the extra weight then. That's not a good option, so I want to "Y"'s agency to take my ticket and see what I can do.

Problem 2: They couldn't change the route to depart from Londrina instead of Curitiba. That should be done the moment the ticket was bought.

Ok, some flashback: I asked the consulate why the ticket would be from Curitiba instead of Londrina, and the answer was that "from the nearest international airport" stuff, and that's where the problem started. But, I was asked to ask "Y" if they could change that with the tickets on hand. Asking "Y", the answer was "problem 2"...

Anyway, our sponsors won't change the departure place. But I could go straight to Sao Paulo (buying it myself) to avoid a departure fare in Curitiba. But there was another fare coming...

Problem 3: The ticket wasn't completely paid. There was some departure fare of something of the sort (XT, XPTA or whatever... don't understand airfares details).

The solution for that problem is simple: pay. The biggest amount is being paid anyway. But I thought that was the fare only from Curitiba to Sao Paulo (and it scared me... the amount is considerable... about 55,00 USD). It isn't. Fare for Curitiba only is much lower (about 8,00 USD). That big fare is for the international trip, I guess, and it had to be paid anyway. That misunderstanding took a long time to be explained (because they were both "departure fares", and I was told I wouldn't have to pay a "departure fare" if I didn't use the ticket from Curitiba).

Misunderstandings solved, "Y" said they couldn't change the ticket, but I could go to "X" agency and ask for luggage limit like those for international flights. At least now I have the ticket for the international flight, and I could try to link it to the extra domestic flight (or go straight form Londrina to Sao Paulo), applying the higher luggage limit. But in "X"'s agency...

Problem 4: "X" can't link directly domestic flights to international flights, at least in my case. That can only be done by "Y" agencies (because my ticket was bought like a closed packet or something of the sort).

... Infinite loop?! Heh...

So, the only option left is begging mercy to "X"'s manager at the airport and see if the fare for the extra weight can at least be lowered.

An extra problem is that if the flight Londrina-Curitiba gets late, "X" won't take responsability (not without a trial at least) if I lose the Curitiba-Sao Paulo (or worse, Brazil-Japan) flight, because Londrina-Curitiba ticket is not linked to any other flight...

Rant post? Probably... but that's more with the lack of communication here. The rules of the game change out of the blue (previous students departed from the closest airport... international or not), and then starts a ping pong game, where every company tells the other company can do something about it... and in the end no one can (only the sponsors of the scholarship... and the problem started exactly there).

Ok, I shouldn't complain since most of the fares are being paid for me, and the scholarship will be nice... But an early warning would be much appreciated. What if, someday, someone can't afford the extra expenses?

Bush must do far more to win over Latin Americans

Wednesday, March 21, 2007

Bush must do far more to win over Latin Americans
By SEBASTIAN EDWARDS

LOS ANGELES -- After ignoring Latin America for years, President George W. Bush is desperately trying to improve hemispheric relations. But his just-completed trip to Latin America came too late. Years of neglect could not possibly be erased by a trip long in photo opportunities and short in substance.

Before flying to Brazil, Bush said his administration doesn't get enough credit for its Latin American policy. But, in 2007, the United States will provide economic assistance to Latin American and the Caribbean worth $ 1.8 billion, which is $ 200 million less than in 2006. Moreover, almost half of the total goes out in the form of military aid, while $ 716 million will go to one country, Colombia.

In an effort to increase its low popularity in Latin America, the Bush administration recently announced an additional $ 75 million for education, and $ 385 million to help finance mortgages for the poor. Also, the U.S. Navy hospital ship USNS Comfort will make port calls in a number of Latin countries.

But these aid figures are absurdly low from a historical perspective. During the 1960s -- the years of President John F. Kennedy's Alliance for Progress -- annual aid to the region exceeded $ 10 billion in today's dollars.

The first sign that the Bush administration didn't take Latin America seriously came on Jan. 1, 2002, when Luiz Inacio "Lula" Da Silva was sworn in as Brazil's president. The occasion was solemn and charged with symbolism. After all, Lula was the first union leader elected to the presidency of a Latin American country.

Numerous heads of state and dignitaries from around the world attended the ceremony. But Bush was not among them; nor was any other prominent member of the U.S. Cabinet. The U.S. delegation, instead, was headed by Robert Zoellick, the U.S. trade representative, who, though a member of the Cabinet, lacked the political stature for which the occasion called.

With his traditional sense of humor, Lula dismissed the slight. Other Latin American heads of state, however, were not so casual; in fact, they were deeply offended. According to them, this was a reminder that, with only a few exceptions -- Cuba and possibly Mexico -- Latin America was not a political priority for the U.S.

During the years that followed, the U.S. administration's attitude toward Hispanic illegal immigrants alienated an increasing number of Latin American voters. As a result, in country after country they have elected presidents that are critical of the U.S. and its policies.

Six years after Lula's inauguration, and despite Bush's trip, Latin American politicians continue to believe that their region is being neglected. It is true, they say, that the Bush administration launched the Free Trade Area of the Americas, but hemispheric free trade looks as distant today as ever. Moreover, the handful of free-trade agreements signed with individual countries, or groups of countries, are lopsided and overwhelmingly favor U.S. interests.

In order to regain Latin America's support the Bush administration will need much more than a short trip. Passing a comprehensive immigration bill that normalizes the legal status of millions of Latin American workers in the U.S. may help. Reducing U.S. agricultural protectionism significantly would be an equally positive measure in drawing the poison out of diplomatic relations.

Sebastian Edwards, former chief economist for Latin America at the World Bank, is an economics professor at UCLA. Copyright Project Syndicate 2007
(www.project-syndicate.org)

What else can I say? Perhaps what I've read on another magazine: "Bush wants much from Latin America, but is not willing to give much in return". Some say that if China arises as the new greater power instead of the US, things will be worse, which may be true, but the current situation isn't very inspiring, too... Back to the survival of the fittest then. And the cycle of life continues...

The child in me, the child in you

As a continuation of the "netsurfing-after-extracting-a-wisdom-tooth" series, this one deserved a separate post with the entire article.

Saturday, Jan. 20, 2007
WHEN EAST MARRIES WEST
The child in me, the child in you

By THOMAS DILLON

Mirrors don't lie, but they can mislead. Mine, for example, will sometimes offer unkind reflections upon my age. Especially in the morning.

Yet, those red orbs, veined temples and that desolate scalp do not represent the feelings within. And within I remain a much younger man, one -- I imagine at least -- with a colt's lively prance and a little boy's oversize eyes for the world and its wonders.

This "young at heart" outlook I attribute to one thing: my years of residency in Japan. For something about Japan that has roped in Father Time and kept me believing I am not that much older than when I first arrived here, now nearly three decades past. Japan has been a magic elixir of youth and the reason -- to me -- is obvious.

Here, I am too often treated like a child.

Most foreigners are. And when you are treated like a child, it is natural to feel like one.

This unique brand of kids stuff can rub many people wrong and the theories behind it all grow on trees. Go ahead. Reach out and pick one.

It's a language thing. Japanese figure a foreigner will never handle the national tongue -- except perhaps at the level of a youngster. They thus raise their voice and reign in their vocabulary accordingly. "I'm not a kid anymore. Don't talk to me that way!" is a refrain I long heard from my two sons while they were growing up. In Japan, I've been able to sing that same tune myself on too many occasions.

Japan welcomes guests and will lavish them with all the graces of the orient. Every visitor has his/her story of special treatment and spectacular kindness, tales that speak fabulously of Japanese hospitality.

They also speak of an indulgence that many foreign residents find hard to shake. They remain a "visitor" no matter how long they stay and it's easy to feel like a kid when it seems society is holding your hand.

Certainly, longtime residents are not hailed with the same fanfare as rookies, but each fresh encounter always starts off on square one -- between guest and host.

Japan also has an over-worn inferiority complex with Westerners. Whether related to the war, the Japanese bane with English or whatever, this hangup has pinned on Westerners a somewhat privileged status among foreign arrivals. And "privileged" can equal out as a synonym for "spoiled" in the case of the foreigner/child.

The typical Japanese stereotype of foreigners -- and again particularly Westerners -- sees them as emotional, fun-loving, loud and restless. In the end, not so different from a child at that.

All these apples shine with various luster from person to person, but there is no doubt that some foreign residents add a lot of polish to their perceived role as Helpless Henrys. After all, life is simpler for a kid. And who wants to grow up?

"I do, that's who."

The speaker is Foreign Resident X, Mr. X for short. Mr. X has lived in Japan since the days when the economic bubble was but mere fizzle in the mind of some distant economist.

He's carved his life here and considers Japan his home. He speaks Japanese. He reads Japanese. He writes Japanese.

"But," he says, "I don't look Japanese."

That's the problem. While he has fully blossomed as a Japanese resident, most people still see him as a brand new bud.

"I'm not knocking kindness. I am touched by people's consideration. It's also nice to be pampered. But often I can't get beyond that. Those who know me will treat me appropriately, yet to others I am forever the helpless child. Wherever I go, I am time-locked in that stage, frozen as the bumbling babe in the woods, and the routine has grown thin."

Unfortunately, he doesn't have a lot of options. He can:

Fight the system. Which is sort of like fighting an ocean tide. Success is problematic and the waves just keep on coming.

Live to be 150. For Japanese culture is indeed changing, not unlike a mountain eroding away. The influx of foreigners and the outflow of travelers is slowly reshaping national attitudes. A day will come when a foreign face will provoke a reaction little different than that of the domestic version. All you have to do is live to see it.

Go home. Rip up the roots of all these years and replant somewhere else, a place no doubt with peculiar quirks all to its own.

Or just put up with it.

Mr. X is wise enough to know that the last option is his only true choice.

"That doesn't mean I have to like it."

Of course he could also exploit it, as many surely do. The "Gaijin License" I had one acquaintance call it -- the trump card face that entitles its bearer to extra favors.

Or -- and why not? -- emphasize the health advantage.

"I swear," I tell him. "It's keeping me young."

For more than a babe in a wood, I feel like an adventurer in an enchanted forest. Each turn among the knotted trees can lead to a fairy-tale event or person -- something or someone I might remember forever.

True, the foliage is not as dense as when I first came, nor does the adventure hold the same thrills. I know the ground now and I have my own survival tricks. Yet there is still a gap -- sometimes small, sometimes mighty -- between what I know and what I do not, and I often rely on the guidance of the inhabitants for a safe passage home.

They might take me by the hand or they might just point the way, resulting in a journey that might be smooth or might be rough. But the encounters keep me sharp, observant, and, I wager, still young between the ears.

Of course, not all days are good, as my truth-speaking mirror is so keen to point out.

But in the end age has something closely in common with all mirrors.

That being: What you see is only on the surface. The truth runs much deeper than that.

Well, it's true. Sometimes annoying, but it could be much worse without it.

My case is a bit different, though. Since I look Japanese, the obvious thing is to expect that I speak Japanese and be like one of them. Of course things change when my "Brazilian soul" and my bad Japanese delate me as "gaijin"...

Pre-readaptation

As part of my preparations to go to Japan, my dentist recommended me that I should extract my wisdom teeth (well... the ones I have left. I've extracted the upper ones before going for the first time). They're not aching or disturbing in any way, but he said that their position could generate caries, since it was hard to brush that area.

Ok, I'll concede him that... Besides, stories about odontological treatment in Japan are legendary, so I prefer to do whatever must be done with my teeth in Brazil.

So, today the last one was extracted. Like the other wisdom tooth (extracted last week), no problem at all. No need to cut any bone or anything that turns that kind of operation so feared. In times like those I think I'm really lucky... my sister also extracted one of hers almost the same day, and her recovery took longer than mine.

Even so, I sould rest at least for today. So, what will I do with that time? Pack things? Yeah, I should do that, but not today. Let's check the net for some "Japanese stuff" since I'm about to return anyway...

Eek! It's White Day, so what to say to your gal? (Mark Schreiber to the Japan Times)
(...)
Spa! proceeded to introduce numerous awkward examples of declarations of affection, including a couple of real whoppers.

"Once a freeter (a job-hopping part-time worker) said to me, 'Omae wo shiawase ni dekiru no wa, ore shika nai (Only I can make you happy),' " a 29-year-old housewife recalls. "He wasn't very persuasive."
(...)

Mellowing out, one husband threw his arms around his wife and crooned, "Uchi no inu ni sokkuri (You're a dead ringer for our dog)." Oh, woof.

"Nante suteki na heimen-gao da (That flat face of yours is so nice)," came another back-handed compliment.

One wife, struggling against buildup of cellulite, was aghast when her husband jokingly addressed her as "Seruko (Cellulite girl)."

"My husband's bashful, so if I ask him if he loves me, or if he's happy, he'll only respond 'Ma-ma (Well, I can't complain),' " a 37-year-old woman told the magazine. "These days, that's his favorite way of praising things."

"You're a dead ringer for our dog"!? "That flat face of yours is so nice"!? "Seruko"!? Oh, man...

Gold Poop (Alice Gordenker to the Japan Times)
(...) The product you saw is called Kin no Unko (The Golden Poo), a name that plays on the fact that the Japanese word for poop (unko) starts with the same "oon" sound as a completely unrelated word that means "luck." Japanese enjoy this kind of pun -- traditional storytelling is full of them -- which may help explain why more than 2.5 million of the lucky little loads have sold in the last seven years.

I didn't know that... But the association is still somewhat strange...

Now, talking to Mario and Xant, two that went to Japan last year (and have returned already), they told me about a magician called Cyril, and showed some videos...

WTF!?!? Is the guy human!? Check this for example... and wait for the second part of the magic.

One Portuguese to Rule Them All...

I've read on a magazine that it seems some advancements in the Orthographic Accord of the Portuguese Language (Acordo Ortográfico da Língua Portuguesa) are being made. As São Tomé e Princípe also ratified the modified protocol (which Brazil and Cabo Verde have already ratified), it may be implemented and modifications may start.

Although Portuguese is the sixth most spoken national language (after Chinese, Hindi, Spanish, English and Bengali), it's the only western language spoken by more than 100 million people with more than one official orthography (taking the entire world, there are also Hindi and Urdu, but those languages use different characters for writing). There is one adopted by Brazil, and another adopted by mostly all the others. It happened because of an orthographic reform done by Portugal after it turned into a Republic (about 1910).

So, the idea is to unify Portuguese orthography again, even if phonetics and pronunciation stay different (like it is in Spanish).

And that accord is being discussed and reviewed since 1990... the year it was conceived.

Some reasons why that unification is interesting: having to "translate" things (books, dictionaries, etc) from "Portugal Portuguese" to "Brazilian Portuguese" has an enormous economic cost. It also delays releases in Portuguese and turns down the interest in the language. The unification may also increase cooperation among Portuguese-speaking countries.

So, for that unification, both "official orthographies" had to make concessions. Brazilian Portuguese seemes to be the less modified (because of the greater number of perople who use it, I believe). Some changes in Brazilian Portuguese will be:

• Letters 'k', 'w' and 'y' will be incorporated to the official alphabet.

No big surprises here. It was taking too long already. It's not uncommon to see those letters in names, slangs and other words that aren't on dictionaries.

• The circumflex accent will not be used anymore at the first 'o' of words like "voo" (flight) , "enjoo" (nausea) and at verbal forms like "creem" (-they- believe), "leem" (-they- read).

Is it internet influence?

• Trema ('ü' is the only one that exists in Portuguese) will not be used anymore.
  

Good bye! It was about time...

• Some differentiation accents will be used, such as "amamos" (-we- love) and "amámos" (-we- loved).
  

Interesting... the only problem will be getting used to it.

Anyway, I think it'll take a while more to be implemented, but some sources I've read said that it could be set in two years (optimistically). And it's interesting the thought that returning to Brazil after finishing M.Sc. in Japan I may find myself writing some words the wrong way...

Sources:
"Palavra a Palavra". Eliane Lobato, IstoE 21 de março de 2007 nº 1951 Ano 30
Acordo Ortográfico de 1990 - Wikipedia
Cabo Verde ratificou o Acordo Ortográfico da Língua Portuguesa - Ministério da Educação
O Acordo Ortográfico da Língua Portuguesa - Diário de Lisboa

Noodles

Some interesting cartoons I've been reading since I was in Japan. It's "Noodles" from Gwen Muranaka, published weekly on Japan Times. That and "Zero Gravity" (Roger Dahl) are funny to read, but if you haven't been in Japan already, you may miss some punchlines.

Some samples below. Click here if you want to read the rest.

Results and problems coming from that...

Again, it's been a while since my last post. This time I'll have to say that it wasn't due to the lack of things to write about, but rather to the lack of time and/or inspiration to do so.

First, remember when I said that I'd only pass the Japanese Proficiency Test with divine intervention? Well, guess what? The gods aren't with me after all...

Yup, I've failed, but by how much? Let's see:

文字・語彙 (Writing-Vocabulary) : 60/100
聴解 (Listening) : 63/100
読解・文法 (Reading-Grammar) : 83/200

Humm... not bad for someone that almost hadn't studied and returned from Japan almost one year before. The score for the two former parts were about 60%, which I believe would be enough to pass, but reading and grammar part really screwed me... Should I start reading more in Japanese?

Even so, I believe that I have good chances for next year, after staying in Japan again. So, doing that test wasn't a complete waste. It showed that my "natural Japanese" (without studying) outside Japan is almost enough for level 2. (Although I really have to admit that it's not that good and I deserved failing...)

Talking about "staying in Japan again", the date of departure was released. I'm leaving Brazil on April 2nd, arriving in Japan on April 4th. I also met the other students who'll go from Paraná (State)... and after knowing them and reminding of the other students from the same scholarship I met while I was in Japan, I think I'm noticing a pattern. It's a little too soon to write about this, though (especially because I may be wrong).

Ah, and as always, Houston, we've a problem. The plane ticket will be paid only from Curitiba to Japan (going through Sao Paulo, of course). Meaning: I'll have to manage a way to go from Londrina to Curitiba... Anyway, the larger part of the expenses is being paid anyway, so I can't complain.

Looking for a plane ticket, there's another problem: rules for domestic flights will be applied to that extra flight. Biggest problem there is luggage weight. Only up to 26 kg!?!? That's soooo insane... There's NO way I'll be able to carry just that. Then, I'll have to pay for the extra weight... and that's gonna hurt. Damn...

And I'll skip details like letter of attorney and such...

Let's end with something good. A meeting of former, current and to-be exchange students. Nice for a good chat and information exchange. Since I don't remember all the names (yeah, I'm bad for that), I'll omit them all, but there were one former student that went to Okinawa, one going to Okinawa, three Japanese from Okinawa, three that went to Himeji, one going to Himeji and one that lives in Tokyo (during vacation). Thanks to all for the good time! Too bad no one remembered to take a picture...