Over the River and Through the Woods

Day 21: Sunday, January 26^th

Today my host sisters, Deborá and Fernanda, took me to the Piracicaba River. Although we were walking along a rocky, muddy river instead of the saltwater Puget Sound, the walk reminded me of Seattle’s waterfront.

Enjoying sunshine above the Piracicaba River.

We used a new pedestrian bridge and explored the Engenho Central (Central Mill), a derelict brick sugar mill which used to be the center of Piracicaba’s industry.

The busted windows and crumbling brick gave the old mill an eerie feel.

We stopped at a small art shop in a renovated part of the mill. Deborá told me about a local artist who used to make lifesize rag dolls and leave them all along the river as public art. Since my dad just had his birthday and my mom is about to have hers, I took a photo of myself with a funky lifesize ragdoll for my mom and with an engineers’ memorial statue for my dad.

Happy birthday, parents! I love you!

As we walked along the river, we stumbled upon a new free aquarium with displays of fish from the world, South America, and the Piracicaba River.

Spotty sting ray.

This catfish reminded me of an axolotl.

And I looked exactly like a fish.

We found some interesting wildlife along the actual river, too.

A nosy beetle,

A black-crowned night heron.

A wood stork.

For lunch, we headed next door for a cousin’s birthday party. I ate good food, nodded along to the grandpa’s Portuguese stories, and started to nod off during the post-meal chatter. Deborá found me a mattress and a fan in a spare room and I took an hour-long nap. Geez, I have never slept this much in my life!

During the party, it had come to Deborá’s attention that I had never tried pasteis, the Brazilian version of the empanada. So for dinner, Deborá and her friend took me to the mall for window-shopping and pasteis. I ate a delicious fried bread pocket stuffed with ground beef. We spent a couple hours wandering around and teaching each other vocabulary. It took a while for me to explain the word “preppy,” but once I started pointing out boys in pink polos, I think the message got across.

I found my store in the mall!

All too soon, it was time to head back to Hotel Antonio to meet up with the AZP group. I promised Deborá we would meet up later in the week for a movie or dancing, but I don’t know if we will have time. The AZP group met for a reflection on the homestays, and it sounded like everyone had a great time. We were supposed to mention two activities we did, but pretty soon everyone was recounting their entire weekends. I didn’t mind – it was fun to hear how everyone’s experiences were different, and I wished I could have stayed with each family for a weekend!

This homestay experience was different from my Ecuadorian one because of the length of the stay. In Ecuador, I was just another member of the family. My host parents went to work, my host siblings went to school, and we joined up for dinners and weekend sporting events. In Brazil, I felt like I had a personal tour guide for a weekend. I was the center of attention, which was both fun and exhausting. If the AZP program’s structure is ever remodeled in the future, I think an extended homestay would be incredibly valuable. Transportation to school and personal safety would need to be priorities, but from my experience last semester, I know it could work.

Day 22: Monday, January 27^th

Today we had our second day of classes with Shirota. The discussion shifted toward natural resources. One example Shirota brought up was the fishing industry in Washington State. I was already trying to put the natural resource management equations we had learned into the context of Pacific Northwest fisheries, so it was an interesting topic. I have always been interested in a career in marine biology, but fisheries science seemed too common and boring. After today’s discussion, I am curious to look into the topic further.

For lunch, Sejal, Alexis and I joined Juliana and Nicole (a super friendly Brazilian economics student) for a sushi lunch. It was AMAZING! For R$30 (about $15 American dollars) we got an all-you-can-eat sushi lunch. We started with a huge plate of all salmon-themed roles and nigiri, followed by pot-stickers, sautéed mushrooms, and dumplings. What a deal!

Ju, Nicole and I practicing with chop sticks. 

Time is running short before the exam, especially for me because I’m also trying to finish my Hollings Scholarship application, so Sejal and I decided we would bring home leftovers from lunch for dinner. That plan obviously would not work with raw fish, so we revised our plan and headed to the grocery store after class. It was hard to navigate the grocery shopping since we don’t have any way to cook food in our hotel rooms. We ended up buying two cans of tuna, a loaf of bread, a pack of stale-bread crackers, a block of cheese, two packs of cherry tomatoes, a carton of mango juice, a miniature jar of mayonnaise, a pack of sliced deli turkey, two Tupperware containers, and two packs of pão de queijo mix to bring home to our families.

Tonight I mixed up tuna salad and ate it wish cherry tomatoes. It was delicious! When I was studying in Ecuador, I never wanted to make food from the grocery store because I loved trying the local, cheap, family restaurants for every meal. Here the situation is different because there aren’t the same type of authentic family restaurants around. We eat our meals at the same semi-expensive bars and sushi restaurants around the neighborhood, so I’m excited to try “cooking” my own food for a while.

Day 23: Tuesday, January 28^th

We began the morning with a welcome break from note-taking and economics. Shirota went over our itinerary for the “long trip,” our ten-day adventure to the southwest of São Paulo. I won’t go over the whole plan here, but the most exciting points which stood out to me were the forested island and Foz do Iguaçu, an enormous system of waterfalls at the junction between Brazil, Paraguay, and Argentina.

Then, we took time to organize our questions for the panel of our professors who would be coming in that afternoon to talk about the upcoming essay exam. It was clear that nobody had studied too much yet, because we couldn’t come up with many questions. The panel used to be scheduled for the two hours immediately before the exam. Even though moving the panel up by two days meant we were quite as prepared, I appreciate the switch because now we will have two days to focus our studying on the points which the professors emphasized.

I packed cheese and stale-bread crackers for lunch. It was simple but filling, and it gave my time to work on my Hollings application during lunch which was very nice.

The panel discussion was a little confused. Professor Mello showed up two hours early, and Professor Caron couldn’t make it at all. Overall, I found the panel very helpful. I feel better about studying now because I have a feeling for what the professors are looking for.

After class, I was feeling so good about the exam that I decided to do laundey and work out instead of study. Sejal, Gabby and I did a 45-minute Insanity workout video which was rough! Afterwards I still had energy to burn, so I ran on the treadmill to three songs. I love my new technique of silently belting out songs to myself in the mirror as I run on the treadmill. It might be a little embarrassing in a crowded gym, but that could be half the fun!

For dinner, a group of us went out to the Giant Hamburger Sandwich Place. I wanted something light, so I ordered a lanche, a lunch snack plate. It was not light! I should have guessed from the size of the restaurant’s massive hamburgers. The waiter brought a platter stacked with chopped and pickled heart-of-palm, grated carrots, shredded chicken, TONS of fresh cheese which tasted like blue cheese, a couple leaves of lettuce, and a pile of corn. I couldn’t finish half the food, but what I did eat was just the kind of meal I was looking for. You never know what you’re going to get when you order in Portuguese!

Day 24: Wednesday, January 29^th

Today we took a much-needed break from class and went on a field trip to the ESALQ forestry research station. The bus ride was interesting – I woke up as we tried to maneuver the huge charter bus under a low concrete bridge. We heard loud scraping and had to reverse out from under the bridge. I looked around at the neighborhood we were in: a rural town of colorful concrete houses with chickens pecking in the streets and clothes-lines strung between tropical trees in the yards. It was just the sort of place I pictured as “Brazilian,” and the kind of place I think it would have been really amazing to spend time in.

The forestry station tour started out a little rough, with a long PowerPoint presentation in a very hot room. The day got much better after we ate our sack-lunches, as we hiked several miles through the station’s natural vegetation and eucalyptus plantations. The guide advised us that if we were quiet, we might be able to see amazing forest animals like foxes and birds. I guess we were a little loud, because we didn’t see a single bird in the woods!

We found this poisonous spider at lunch when it hollered, "COME AT ME BRO!"

These red-ribboned eucalyptus trees are part of a study to measure bird activity in the plantation.

Me and and a big old eucalyptus.

Family photo op at the waterfall!

Erin mastered the group selfie.

Chris poses by a hard, red termite mound.

The group looks around at a towering forest of cloned trees.

Here is a recently cleared plot.

When the eucalyptus are cut, they don't need to be replanted. A new tree grows from the stump!

This evening, I finally got serious about studying for tomorrow’s essay exam. I went through each professor’s notes out-loud with Sejal for several hours. It was a surprisingly productive study session! I had to leave the last two professors’ notes for tomorrow so I could go to bed at a reasonable hour. Hopefully I’ll have time to finish studying at lunch. Can’t wait to get this exam over with!

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We Study, We Eat, We Walk Around

Day 15: Monday, January 20^th

Today was our first day of classes with Professor Fernando Peres. We began with a discussion of geography and biomes. I wish we could have spent the next three days talking about the Amazon, cerrado, pantanal and mata Atlantica ecosystems!

The discussion turned toward economics and world population. At break, John and I got into a great discussion about the Malthusian Crisis and overpopulation, and a whole bunch of people joined in. We asked each other, will we be able to curb our population voluntarily before we hit a crisis, or will we keep reproducing until a disaster like the plague, climate change, or famine takes us out?

The debate continued at the lunch buffet, and then after class as we walked to the basketball and volleyball courts. It was exhausting to play defense in the humid heat!

I showered, ate frozen yogurt with delicious coconut/condensed milk topping for dinner, and set to work on my homework. (It was our first day with homework!)

I really needed to wash clothes in the sink, but around 10:30 at night Erin, Sejal and I got hungry and headed to McDonald’s for second dinner. We snuck out of the hotel, giggling and hoping nobody saw us, but at McDonald’s we ran into AJ! I got to try that McDonald’s hamburger I’d been thinking about since our tour of the Food Town factory. It was a bit of a struggle to order – I ordered for Erin and asked for a sweet tea. The woman nodded and handed me a coke… I tried to order a grilled chicken wrap for tomorrow’s lunch and one of the items said “Mostarda,” and then “grill” in tiny letters, I ordered the Mostarda and got a crispy (not grilled) chicken wrap with mustard. It will make for a good lunch tomorrow anyway.

                                                                         

When we got back to the lobby, we got sidetracked watching John’s philosophical YouTube videos. Then we showed each other our favorite music videos and funny talking animals. I loved how easy it was to goof off and laugh! I won’t have any clean clothes tomorrow… worth it.

Day 16: Tuesday, January 21^st

People got very heated today during class over the distinction between farms as a way of life and farms as a business. I wasn’t sure what people were arguing over, as Devon said partway through the debate. I think it would be interesting to delve deeper into these discussions instead of hurrying through them. It helped a lot to have read a homework piece, because people were more engaged. I think we should replace an hour of lecture time with an hour of personal work each day.

For lunch, I ate yesterday’s Mostarda wrap, but it was not enough food. By the end of the day, I was seriously hangry – shaky and weak with an oncoming headache. From now on, I’m going out to buy lunch, even though I might miss a bit of studying time.

After class, I walked straight to dinner like a zombie. I drank a suco de maracuyá quickly for some glucose, and felt much better after a pizza dinner. We chose two flavors – pepperoni and franga (chicken) stroganoff. The stroganoff was covered in catupiry (that thick white cream cheese) and little potato chip strips. It was very heavy.

I got back in time to work on my Hollings essay and get to bed by midnight. I am missing out on a lot by not going to the pool or playing cards, because I need that little bit of free time to work.

When we got back to the hotel, Erin and Sejal both lay down to take naps. Erin didn’t wake up until the next morning! I guess we’re all a little short on sleep.

Day 17: Wednesday, January 22^nd

Today was our last class with Professor Fernando Peres. On our first day, Professor Peres has explained the five main topics for the course and taken a poll about which we were most interested in. The fifth topic, the environment (specifically environmental constraints of agricultural development and environmental problems caused by increased crop and livestock production), won by a wide margin. I was excited to focus on this popular topic, but unfortunately we ran out of time to even start on this topic. Taking a poll of interest was a good idea – but what is the point if we didn’t adjust the class accordingly?

Even though we missed out on the environment, we took some fascinating notes on something called the Lorentz Curve which shows the income disparity for a country or a certain industry. This curve is a visual, mathematical way to visualize the income gap. It was also fun to take colorful notes using Microsoft Word.

The bottom graph shows the income distribution of various industries in Brazil. The yellow line shows the best distribution (farmers) and the purple line shows the worst (public servants). 

After school, Devon and I walked to the ATM, but his card didn’t work and apparently I didn’t have mine. ATM fail! I was riding the struggle bus all day, and it was only compounded when I got back to the hotel late to find that everyone else had stopped for Subway sandwiches on the way home. Now hot, hungry, and frustrated, I elicited AJ’s sympathy and ate 6 inches of his teriyaki chicken Subway. It was the perfect meal – I still owe him for that! I need to start keeping some healthy snacks in the room.

When it got dark, Erin, Sejal, AJ and a small group headed out to a tropical bar near campus called Manga Rosa. I stayed in and worked on my Hollings application. Can’t wait for that to be over!

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Those Aren't Squirrels!

Here are two more daily journal recaps for your enjoyment. The series began here if you want to start from the beginning. Divirta-se!

Day 5: Friday, January 10^th

Second day of classes! We spent a solid six hours on Brazilian economic history. We watched two episodes of Jared Diamond’s Guns, Germs, and Steeland discussed events through the 1800s. Taking computer notes was a great improvement over writing by hand, and I started to accept our unchronological order. It was still a challenge to stay awake, especially during the movies.

Those movies are killer. Photo credit Erin Homerosky.

Lunch took place at yet another por kilo buffet. During our coffee break, I tossed my frisbee with AJ and Juliana, our wonderful Brazilian guide and life-saver. Tossing a frisbee was one of the best experiences I’ve had in Brazil so far! Gotta do that more often!

Survival Portuguese Class #2 focused on food, and that came in handy at Piracaçaí, the new restaurant we tried for dinner. The restaurant was açaí berry themed. Have you heard of that purple, antioxidant-rich berry? Chocolate covered açai, açai smoothies… Well Brazilians are even more crazy about it than Americans. Luckily there were no berries in my tuna sandwich.

Now I’m back in the hotel room, trying and failing (yet again) at sleeping early. When Shirota took us through the schedule today, I realized how little free time we are going to have for the next six weeks! Nearly every moment is scheduled, and the mornings are early. We only have twelve days of classes, which is pretty incredible when you consider twelve days out of an entire semester. On the other hand, the classes are eight hours each day with the same professor in the same classroom. It’s only our second day, but if I could give two pieces of feedback about the AZP Brazil trip, they would be these:

• Downtime. It’s impossible to pack everything about a country into a six-week trip, so I understand why we're so busy. However, I’ve realized that my brain stops processing and appreciating new experiences when it doesn’t have downtime. For me, this involves going through photos, writing down the birds I see each day, and reading books. With eight-hour classes, group meals, this daily journal, and preparation for our hour-long group presentation, I’m not getting enough sleep, and definitely not enough downtime. I haven’t had time to walk the campus or explore Piracicaba. I feel the experience would be improved if classes were two hours shorter each day but took up a couple extra days.

Chilling outside during a precious break.

• Experiential learning. Looking ahead, I see a ton of experiential learning in the itinerary. Tours of a sugarcane processing plant, T-shirt factory, McDonald’s bun factory, dairy farm, Iguaçu Falls, and much more. I also see twelve days of solid classroom time, and the two classes I have experienced so far haven’t been as inspiring as I’d hoped. I would love for the classroom and experiential learning to be more integrated. During my last semester in Ecuador, we spent three hours per day in the classroom, and the rest of the day exploring the city, snorkeling, hiking, or touring. I never tired of either classroom or experiential learning, since each one reenergized me for the other. Classroom time allowed me to build background knowledge before field trips or clarify points after. Field trips inspired me to ask questions and build a deeper understanding through books and classes. For example, a trip to a church or museum would tie in well with our current lectures about Portuguese colonialism, and I bet our tour of the dairy farm would be even better if we could spend a couple hours reflecting on it with an animal sciences professor.

The classroom where we live.

I don't like to give constructive criticism without a positive side, so here are my two favorite things about the program so far:

• The trip is in Brazil instead of a comfortable, English-speaking European country

• The trip is six weeks long, far more valuable than Mizzou’s ten-day trip.

Definitely not an English-speaking country!

Now for that early night! Well, midnight is better than 1:30am, at least. It’s a goal in progress. Boa noite!

Day 6: Saturday, January 11^th

Finally, the weekend! Oh, never mind. We have class on Saturday. Sad face.

On a positive note, MONKEYS!

As we walked through the gated entrance to campus, I noticed these strange squirrels on a tree... But they definitely weren't squirrels!

We didn’t seem to worry them at all.

There were seven little black-tufted-ear marmosets (Callithrix kuhlii) spread across two trees. (Thanks Mom for that ID!) One monkey scrambled down to the ground and nibbled on a piece of fruit. The guards leave apples and bananas out for the monkeys sometimes.