Curitiba (Brazil)

Applying for another public service examination, I went to Curitiba, capital of Paraná state, where the exam was held on July 4th.

Curitiba is known worldwide for its efficient urban planning, especially regarding its public transportation system. In Brazil, it was one of the first cities to implement garbage separation for recycling, and now it recycles around two-thirds of its garbage - one of the highest ratings in the world - even though participation by the general population is not (yet) mandatory. Curitiba is also often considered one of the best cities of Brazil to live.


Since Curitiba is relatively close to Londrina (379 km away. Brazil-wise that can be considered close), a one-day trip via night bus would be enough this time. And since the exam would be in the afternoon, that left me with time enough to visit one touristic place.

The place chosen was the "Jardim Botânico" ("Botanical Garden"), one of the most famous places of Curitiba. The metallic structure of the main greenhouse is one of the city's postcards and is in front of a French-style garden. Also, as a botanical garden, it has many Brazilian plants, including some rare specimens and a "garden of sensations" where the visitor interacts with plants and natural scenes blindfolded to feel nature using the other senses.


From there I left to do the exam. After it was over, I spent some time in Shopping Estação, a former train station that was reformed into a shopping mall in 1997. Before I took the bus back there was still time to meet a friend who also went to Japan the same year I went to Kyoto (henceforth called "R."). In fact, we were approved for the MEXT scholarship together.

And that brings a nostalgic feeling. After our scholarship was confirmed, there was an orientation session at the Consulate-General of Japan in Curitiba. That was also the first time all those who passed the selection met each other (although I was the only one that didn't live in Curitiba), and after the orientation, we decided to go to a pub celebrate and talk about our expectatives.

If I'm not wrong, "R." and I were the only ones who had been to Japan before. And, I wonder if it is coincidence or the fact that we have similar majors, he is the only one of that group I've met since. Once in Nikko, then in Tokyo and now in Curitiba again.

And now, three years after going to Japan, we were telling each other stories of what happened in Japan, especially the stress when packing everything to return to Brazil. The cycle ended and now it is time to move on. He already has. I am moving towards it, too. And finding a (good) job is the big leap necessary for this.

Life goes on.

More pictures are available in my Picasa album.

Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul (Brazil)

In search for a job, I applied for a public service opening in a different state. Since I would have to go to that state for a public service examination ("concurso público"), that would be a good chance to visit a part of Brazil I've never been to.

The state is Rio Grande do Sul, and the exam was held in Porto Alegre.

That region is famous among Brazilians for a number of characteristics, among which its characteristic accent; a strong traditional culture; main influence of German and Italian immigrants; some famous personalities like Ronaldinho Gaúcho and Gisele Bündchen; and a strong sense of regionalism, to the point that some are separatists. The latter characteristic may derive from the Farroupilha Revolution, a separatistic movement triggered in that same state and which led to the longest civil war in Brazilian History.

After arriving by plane on June 26th and reaching the hotel where I would stay, I decided to leave for a little touristic stroll. And just walking around downtown may be a History class since, as reminded by a local friend, many streets there are named after important names of the Farroupilha Revolution.

The first stop was the "Mercado Público de Porto Alegre" (Public Market of Porto Alegre) or just "Mercado" as it is most often called. Built in 1869, it is considered an Important Cultural Asset and one of the references when shopping in the city. Among the products offered are regional products and natural products.


Then, after walking to "Praça Marechal Deodoro" ("Marshal Deodoro Square"), surrounded by many other important buildings like the Metropolitan Cathedral of Porto Alegre (first built in 1772 and reformed in the early XX Century with, among other structures, a 60m tall and 18m diameter dome) and the Piratini Palace (official workplace of the Governor of the State of Rio Grande do Sul), I decided to end the tour for the day. After all, there was a exam waiting.

The next day was the day of the exam, which took place during the morning. After taking the wrong bus on the way back (when the driver kindly let me ride again without having to pay the fare again) I was back downtown with more time to walk around the town.

So, after a brief stop at the hotel (it was hot on that day, but when I left early in the morning I was prepared for a cold weather as many say it is characteristic of the region) I went to "Parque da Redenção" ("Redemption Park"), also known as "Parque Farroupilha" ("Farroupilha Park"). The park is one of the most popular in town; and since it was a sunny Sunday, there were lots of people there jogging, playing, visiting a (mostly handicraft) market at a nearby street... and enjoying the nice weather. The park also has an extensive history linked to the development of Porto Alegre. Still, I don't think I understand that history enough to try explaining it here.


After the park, I walked to "Gasômetro", a former thermoelectric power plant that was turned into a cultural center from where it is possible to watch a beautiful sunset. From there it is also possible to ride a boat that goes around some small islands in the area.


That ended my tour around Porto Alegre. The only thing left to do was going back home, but not without buying some local souvenirs. Especially because my parents like a drink traditional of the region - chimarrão -, so I just had to buy something for them.

As a note, I saw very few Asian-looking people on the three days I stayed in Porto Alegre. And none during the exam. Still, just once I was stared at because of my looks: by a kid when I was on my way to the airport. No "Gaijin Stares" there.

Another curiosity of the region is that it is possible to see many people (and not only men) wearing clothes indicating if they support Grêmio or Internacional - the two strongest soccer teams in the state and fierce rivals. Indicating that you support one of these teams is certain to get the sympathy of one group... and complaints from the other.

Finally, since we are talking about soccer, while I was flying back Brazil was playing against Chile for the 2010 Fifa World Cup. As the plane reached Congonhas Airport (I had to transit from there), the pilot annouced that he had an important announcement to make: according to informations from the tower, the game was still 0-0. Ah, I have to admit I missed Brazilian irreverence when I lived in Japan...

But it isn't over yet. Just as we arrived inside the airport and saw some televisions (obviously broadcasting the soccer match) Brazil scored the first goal. Talk about perfect timing!

More pictures are available in my Picasa album.

Cuidad del Este, Paraguay

So, after explaining about the "soccer frenzy" that takes over Brazil during a World Cup, it just happens that I wasn't in Brazil when Brazil played its first match against North Korea.

... I was in Paraguay. Well, at least during part of the first half.

There is a tripoint between Argentina, Brazil in Paraguay that is most know as "Tríplice Fronteira" ("Triple Frontier"). All three countries belong to the economic bloc known as Mercosur/Mercosul (Southern Common Market), which allows people from these countries to, among other things, move between these countries without any need of passports (an ID card from their country of origin is enough). Add to that the fact that Paraguay has a strong "black market" and less taxation over its products (particularly electronics) than Brazil and you have people crossing the border from Foz do Iguaçú (Brazil) to Cuidad del Este (Paraguay) for shopping.

(That area also has some history in illicit activities, in part because of difficulties to monitor the area, including stories about Osama Bin Laden passing through that region. But that discussion is off-topic. Back to track...)

Anyway, a relative gathered friends to go shopping in Cuidad del Este. And since there were two places that should be filled in the rented van they used to go, my mother and I went with them on June 15th.

We left early morning and arrived in Foz do Iguaçú (henceforth just "Foz") around lunch time, reaching the hotel where we would spend the night. After that, we went straight to Cuidad del Este for the first day of shopping.

Brazil was going to play at 15:30 BRT, but the group was comprised of mostly women, who wouldn't mind missing the game... espacially one that Brazil was assumed to win big. They thought stores would remain open, since we would be in Paraguay (that played on the previous day and managed to draw against Italy).

Wrong.

Many Brazilians work in Cuidad del Este given the large number of Brazilians who go shopping there. And guess if those workers didn't want to watch the game...

With most stores closing 30 minutes before the game, we gave up and returned to the hotel. And from there, my mother, my relative and I decided to pay a visit to another relatives who live in Foz. We reached their house just before the second half of the match started, and then I finally could watch the game with everyone.

After the not-so-much convincing victory of 2-1, we stayed to chat (I hadn't seen then since I went to Kyoto in 2007), eat churrasco and play with the kids (one of whom I saw for the first time). About the latter part, they got an unusual liking for me after the first minutes. The most amusing part was when one girl was pulling be by my shirt to play with her, while her younger sister was pulling me by the arm to the opposite direction... while I was eating.

After all that, the next day went without any disruptions. We went shopping and then returned to Londrina at night.

But I might have gotten too used to Japan... I only managed to buy a wristwatch for myself. Ah, and no pictures this time. It would just feel awkward to take touristic pictures in Cuidad del Este around the places we usually go for shopping...

World Cup in Brazil: Little Break

Back to Brazil on time for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa I noticed that I haven't discussed about how it is to watch this competition in Brazil, where some say Soccer is a "religion".

I wouldn't put it at this level... because the existence of God is still under discussion, but soccer can be "scientifically proved".

Seriously now, yes, there are a lot of people who love soccer in Brazil; it is considered the "national sport" to the point that the Brazilian team who went to South Africa visited the President before leaving.

But what I want to talk about this time is about an interesting phenomenon that happens in Brazil during the World Cup (although I don't know if this happens in other countries with strong teams, or at least where the sport is popular, so I won't say it is unique to Brazil).

When Brazil plays, everything stops.

Truth be said, "almost everything" is more like it. Doctors, for example, are not allowed to stop, right?

Workers, whenever possible, try to manage their schedules to get a break when Brazil is playing. Students are often dismissed or simply don't go to class.

For example: a friend who is in high school will start classes earlier to finish earlier and be able to watch Portugal vs. Brazil (June 25th 11h here). When I was at university, I remember one time when the all students of a class I attended agreed to skip a class whose professor didn't agree to postpone the class - at the same time that the Brazilian team would play in a World Cup. (Fortunately, the professor accepted a deal before we did this.)

As a final note, public servants will have official breaks when Brazil plays as shown below (link to original text here).

PORTARIA Nº 491, DE 7 DE JUNHO DE 2010
O SECRETÁRIO EXECUTIVO DO MINISTÉRIO DO PLANEJAMENTO, ORÇAMENTO E
GESTÃO, no uso de suas atribuições, com vistas a possibilitar que os servidores públicos federais
acompanhem a transmissão dos jogos da Seleção Brasileira de Futebol na Copa do Mundo FIFA
2010, resolve:
Art. 1º Estabelecer, em caráter excepcional, os horários de expediente dos órgãos e entidades da
Administração Pública Federal direta, autárquica e fundacional, nos dias de jogos da Seleção
Brasileira de Futebol na Copa do Mundo FIFA 2010, de acordo com as seguintes regras:
I - nos dias em que os jogos se realizarem às 15:30 (horário de Brasília), o expediente encerrarse-
á às 14:00;
II - nos dias em que os jogos se realizarem às 11:00 (horário de Brasília), o expediente será
interrompido às 10:30 e recomeçará às 14:30.
§ 1º O disposto no caput não se aplica nos casos de serviços essenciais de natureza contínua.
§ 2º As horas não trabalhadas deverão ser objeto de compensação na forma do disposto no inciso
II do art. 44 da Lei nº 8.112, de 11 de dezembro de 1990.
Art. 2º Esta Portaria entra em vigor na data de sua publicação.

If you can't read Portuguese, it means that work will end at 14:00 on days Brazil plays at 15:30 (Brasilia time) and there will be a break from 10:30 to 14:30 when Brazil plays at 11:00. Most likely they will hork extra hours later, though.

Sao Paulo (Brazil)

I returned to Brazil in the beginning of April. To be more precise, April 1st. My parents traveled to Japan. They returned on April 4th (because they wanted to see sakura). Can you see that something is off?

Perfect occasion to fulfill a promise made to a friend and visit him. I've done this before in Florianopolis before I left to Kyoto and in Sorocaba when I returned to Brazil during my round the world trip. Time to pay them another visit - this time in Sao Paulo.

Am I the only one who noticed they are always living in a different city when I decide to visit?

So I got a ride from the airport, and since it was close to lunch, we decided that my first meal in Brazil should be in a barbeque restaurant (churrascaria) close to my friend's house with him and his spouse. After eating like there's no tomorrow, we strolled around the neighborhood. Unusually calm neighborhood for Sao Paulo... they got a really nice place.

After strolling, we thought we should exercise a bit at a park (I actually forgot its name, although I think it was the Ibirapuera). Unfortunately, we saw another "attraction" instead: Sao Paulo's famous traffic jams. After being stuck for half an hour (where we advanced not more than 2km), we decided to abort and return to their house... avoiding the main roads.

In the end, we just chilled out for the rest of the day, playing some video games like Street Fighter 4 and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (both highly recommended).

Next day, Holy Friday. Three-day weekend. Good sign for those in Sao Paulo: way less traffic and crowds around. Still, we decided not to take any chances and go by subway to Luz (where Luz Station - Estação da Luz - is a touristic spot itself) see the Museum of the Portuguese Language (Museu da Língua Portuguesa).

The museum educates without being boring. Origins of the language; influences from other (from indigenous to immigrant) languages; main differences between Brazilian Portuguese and Portugal Portuguese... Some of the interesting features are a panel where one can listen to various accents from different regions in Brazil and an alley full of grammar mistakes and other interesting "word games" that only make sense in Portuguese.

Lunch time. So we walked to Mercado Municipal (literally translated as "city market") to eat some "pasteis". Actually, the market is famous for products like cheese and ham offered at special prices (and also yummy as far as I've heard). As a last surprise, we saw a celebrity there - Sérgio Reis - probably doing his shopping for the Holy Friday and Easter. Too bad he couldn't walk ten meters without being stopped by someone asking for a picture...

The rest of the day went smoothly until night. As it was a Holy Friday, bacalhau is mandatory. Why? Well, according to Christianism it is not allowed to eat meat on a Holy Friday in respect for Christ's death. And Portuguese influence in Brazil made this dish the most popular - not to say traditional - for Holy Friday in Brazil (especially around the Southeast region).

But the day wasn't over yet. About midnight we left to a shopping mall watch a stand-up comedy show. Unfortunately I don't remember the title anymore, but it was very good. And a opportunity for me to readapt to Brazil: stages this late at night are not something that happens in Japan as fas as I know; and the kind of humor is also very different.

April 3rd. After two intensive days, the third one was slower. Between chilling out, talking and playing video game we watched El Secreto de sus Ojos (a.k.a. The Secret in Their Eyes) at the movie theater. Interesting movie with a nice story, although I thought it was a bit slow to put things in motion.

And finally on April 4th my parents arrived. We met at the airport, ate a pizza all together and then returned to Londrina.

This start of a new journey was very pleasant. Now on to the next challenge...