Brazlian speaking English

This is the coach of the South Africa national football team...

Stereotypes

Yesterday São Paulo hosted the world's biggest gay pride event. 3.5 million people danced, cheered and smiled their way along Avenida Paulista and Rua da Consolação, a sea of rainbows, glitter, bare chests and beer.

I had previously attended 1 large (Amsterdam) and 2 small (Birmingham & Bangkok) events, but it was difficult for me to imagine anything on this scale. The noise, the colours, the energy - it was really like nothing i've experienced before.

All the 'usual types' were out in force - drag queens with Marge Simpson wigs, bald guys in army boots & leather thongs, teenagers in white vests and skinny jeans - but for me the most noticeable and refreshing thing was seeing the diversity of people participating: all races, all ages, all sizes; rich & poor; gay, straight and everything in between; singles & couples; parents with children

I've been here long enough to know that São Paulo is NOT Brazil (in the same way that London is not the UK and Bangkok is not Thailand) but even so it's really encouraging to see that such a deeply religious (read Catholic) and conservative country as Brazil is able to achieve such an event, and with relatively little violence.

I got quite frustrated today to see that the coverage of the event in the lunchtime news was 90% made up of interviews with drag queens and people in comic-star costumes. I understand that such 'maverick' characters have played - and still do play - an extremely important role in winning many of the rights and possibilities that gay people enjoy today. But i also think it's sad that such narrow representation perpetuates - in the eyes of many viewers - the myth that 'gay' is synonymous with cross-dressing and glitter, that being gay is incompatible with a mainstream lifestyle. This could be clearly heard in the sniggers of the other (straight, male) customers in the boteco. Such a shame an event that had so much potential to break stereotypes and challenge prejudices has been shown to reinforce them.

So well done, São Paulo, for showing the world the diversity connected with the gay movement. Now teach the media how to represent it more accurately

Patience is a virtue...

I have a bank account! The whole process took less than 10 months...

Other news:

• I spent 3 great days in Buenos Aires with Gavert and Majken
• I have my flight booked back to Europe, arriving Brussels 3rd August
• I'm going to Malaysia :)
• Tomorrow is Valentine's Day in Brazil :)
• I'm in YouTube!
  

It's official!

This week i learnt that my work permit application has been approved by the Employment Ministry of Brazil! So I'm allowed to stay here working for up to 2 years after the end of my internship.

Which means you all have until July 2011 to plan your trips here ;)
Até logo

Still healthy (mais ou menos...)

Ultrasound results were all-clear.

So i only have gastritis, oesophagitis and duodenitis.

Annoying but not life-threatening.

Re-learning how to eat...

Alemão em Floripa!

Monday & Tuesday were holidays in Brazil - which means i got to spend a long weekend in beautiful Florianópolis (usually known as 'Floripa'). I had heard so much about this beautiful and tranquil place, it being the home of my current flatmate and the place that my 1st flatmate here spent 2 years working.

It certainly didn't disappoint! Amazing scenery, including ocean, beaches, mountains and lakes. Sunny skies, but bearable heat. Relaxed, fun atmosphere. Open roads with the windows down. And much cheaper than SP!

This region of Brazil (the South-East, close to Uruguay and Argentina) welcomed a lot of German immigrants in the 20th Century. So this littleblondguy was referred to as 'Alemão' during most of the trip ('German' in Portuguese).

After an 11-hr overnight bus journey, and a hefty 'feijoada' for lunch, i wasn't in much of a mood to party on saturday. How lucky that i changed my mind! 4 hours of dancing to pop classics from the 80's, 90's and 00's. Madonna, Britney, Justin, Shakira, Cindi Lauper (ask your parents if you're under 21...) were out in force. And i was 19 again, on a Tuesday night in Ocean or Friday in NG1 (i realize the general reader has no notion of either of those places, but please allow me a touch of reminiscence...). But the high-point of the evening was surely an all-screaming, all-dancing performance by Brazil's very own 'Spice Gays'.

Renan (our co-host) has a 4-year old golden retriever who very conveniently gave birth to 7 beautiful puppies just a few weeks ago. There really are no words sufficient to describe to absolute adorable-ness of these fluffy, bouncing balls of golden fur. Diego commented i was just relieved not to be the only tiny blond in the room. I suggested that was harsh...

Renan and his boyfriend, Fabio, just opened a pizzeria. Very inspiring to hear how it came about and how quickly they've turned an idea into a successful reality. And very tasty too!

Thank you, Renan and Fabio, for being such generous hosts (and cooks, and drivers, and entertainers!). And thank you, Di, for making my dream to visit Floripa become a beautiful reality.

Pics to come soon, i promise. Now i need to leave and eat dinner, as it's already 8.30 and i have an abdominal ultra-sound scan tomorrow morning at 7.45 (life just keeps getting better...)

Boa noite / Gute Nacht ;)

Getting a bank account in Brazil

It's like growing up - you learn something new & wonderful at every step, but it can be a little frustrating sometimes...

1. (August): arrive in Brazil
2. (September): photocopy visa application form, invitation letters and EVERY PAGE of passport. Pay a lot of money to photocopy person
3. (September): Take bus for 1hr. Register with Federal Police. Pay more money. Receive provisional 'RNE' (Foreigner registration). Get told that real RNE card will arrive by post in 6 months. Travel 1hr back again
4. (September): decide to wait until having fixed place to live for requesting CPF (Taxpayer number)
5. (January): return to Federal Police to change address (travelling 1hr each way). Make more copies, pay more money
6. (January): go to Post Office to request CPF. Discover that it's faster by going to Bank
7. (January): go to bank and request CPF. Pay more money, and receive piece of paper that needs to be taken to Government Finance building
8. (January): Go to Government Finance building (nowhere near Federal Police, bank, home or office). Get confirmation that CPF will be sent by post within 2 weeks
9. (March): Go to bank to open account. Take passport, CPF, proof of address, visa invitation letters, bank statement from UK. Discover that it's 'almost enough' - you just need to go one more time to Federal Police, to request certificate names of your PARENTS (?!)
10. (Today): Wake up at 6.30 to avoid traffic. Return to Federal Police to request certificate.
11. Discover at Desk A that RNE does not have number printed on it
12. (Today): Go to Desk B to find out RNE number. Receive confirmation of number from Desk B, with OLD ADDRESS on it. Get told to return to Desk A to query address
13. (Today): return to Desk A. Receive assurance that Desk A has correct address, even if Desk B (in the same room) has the wrong one
14. (Today): ask person at Desk A when real RNE card will arrive, since 7 months have passed. Receive assurance that it will arrive 'soon', but Desk B can give more information
15. (Today): ask person at Desk A how I will know the card has arrived, if Desk B is responsible and has the wrong address. Get told that the only way to know is to return in person to Federal Police to see if it's there or not. If it's not, go home & try again
16. (Today): ask at Desk B how I will know the card has arrived. Desk B does not know. Get re-directed to Desk C
17. (Today): explain story since step 11 to person at Desk C. Discover that it's possible to check ONLINE if RNE card has arrived, but that 6 months is the minimum and it might not arrive before i need to leave the country to collect my new visa in AUGUST
18. (Today): ask person at Desk C what will happen if card does not arrive before August. Discover that in this case i will need to re-register after re-entering Brazil, I will then need a different kind of card, and the old card process will then be stopped
19. Go to office, discovering another bus that takes only half the time of the previous one
20. Reflect on how a government agency responsible for security and crime prevention can be so chaotic
21. Remember where you are, smile, and decide to post entire story on blog :)

From this point on the process is purely theoretical...

22. Return to Federal Police in 2 weeks to collect certificate
23. Return to bank to open account
24. ?????
25. ???
...

Quote of the day

Seen in a car window in São Paulo morning rush-hour:

"Faça sexo seguro:
Transe em um carro forte"

Translation coming soon :)