Universities and schools across Brazil are now paralysed because of student protests and teachers striking. I don’t particularly want to comment on the situation here because it is so sad and complicated.
So, in order to make the best of a pretty dire situation, I have been avoiding the (increasingly more dangerous) protests and have been travelling!
I visited Iguaçu in the Southern state of Paraná. These waterfalls have been granted the title of one of the seven natural wonders of the world. Interestingly, most of the falls are on the Argentinian side (which is a more immersive experience), however as the Brazilian park receives a higher number of visitors, the natural wonder was awarded to the Brazilians. Argentina is fiercely attempting to draw more tourists in an attempt to snatch the title from Brazil…
Last week I also went to Governador Valadares (GV) where one of my friends from church lives (she went home because her classes at the UFMG had stopped too). It is one of the hottest places in Minas; when I arrived it was 35°C (which was made worse by almost freezing to death on the air conditioned train)! However, it also rained a LOT when I was there, and a spectacular thunderstorm culminated in our wifi router getting burnt by a lightning strike.
While in Brazil I have been taking advantage of the opportunities to learn different “Brazilian” things, such as how to make pão de queijo (I have now promised to teach a Brazilian friend of mine how to make it) and how to dance forró, which, although symbolic of Brazil and especially Minas Gerais, are not actually part of the skill set of most Brazilians. But, then again, I’m British and I don’t like tea.
I have also been embracing…
…The real way to eat a hotdog
So it turns out that Brits have been eating hotdogs all wrong. A roll with a sausage, ketchup and maybe a few caramelised onions? Brazilians will laugh in your face. No, a hotdog (cachorro quente) is not a quick snack, it is a feast. Here are some typical toppings and accompaniments:
- batata palha (like tiny crispy fries)
- milho (sweetcorn)
- purê de batata (mashed potato)
- uvas passas (raisins)
- molho de tomate (tomato sauce – I’m not talking about ketchup, but proper stuff with real bits of tomato in, the stuff you put on pasta)
- banana
..and…
…Brazilian fashion sense
To the extent that I arrived in London today (from 35°C to 11°C ) in a strappy top and flipflops. Holding a chicken. It was made of straw, but still. (The chicken has nothing to do with fashion trends in Brazil as far as I know; it is a Christmas present for my dad. It certainly drew a few comments as it passed through the X-ray machine. I had to correct the security guy in Lisbon who said it was the Barcelos chicken from Portugal. It is a Brazilian chicken through and through).
That’s right! I am home for Christmas! Except that I’m not really, because this weekend my family and I will be flying to China to meet my younger sister who is also doing an exchange with Liverpool University. I’ll be back in Brazil in January, before heading off to Colombia for a few weeks to visit some friends…I don’t know when my classes will be back so I may as well make use of my free time!