The Noah syndrome

Can you stop the rain?
I am beginning to feel like Noah with major amounts of rain falling here nearly every day, for most or all of the day. It's very difficult to dress comfortably because what is comfortable when it is cold and rainy is definitely uncomfortable if the sun actually comes out. I've asked a few people when I can expect a change in the weather, and apparently, nearly constant rain is normal for December, and then in January and February, there are occasionally longer periods of sun. By March/April, it's supposed to be pretty nice.

I'm sure that having a cold intensifies my dread of the rain. The strange thing here is that every time it rains, traffic is absolutely horrible. Several years back, the river going through the city used to overflow its banks with each heavy rain, but that's been corrected. I asked some colleagues why the rain still causes traffic problems, and one answer was that many more people drive cars into the city on rainy days (rather than taking the bus). They do have an above ground transit train called the Metrô, but it currently has one line with about 20 stops (2 smaller lines are in the planning stages).

What day IS it?
One of the difficult things for me is not only keeping track of the date, but especially of the day of the week because the names of the weekdays all refer to market or "fair" days. "Monday" in Portuguese is "segunda-feira" or "second fair," up to "Friday," which is "sexta-feira." This means instead of usually thinking about Monday-Friday in terms of 1-5, I have to remember that here it is 2-6.

'Tis the season
Here, as in most Christian cultures, we are thick in the middle of the Christmas season, and the engagements and holiday obligations are keeping folks quite busy. Just as in the U.S., someone mentioned to me that they could not find a parking spot at the mall last weekend and that all of the shopping areas are incredibly crowded now. Both of the community centers where I'm working will have their children's Christmas cantata performances this week, and there will be a joint one in the Central Methodist Church downtown. Offices around the city are beginning to shut down for the holidays (those that can often take one month of vacation).

Making the cut
A major happening this month is the administration of the university entrance exam, or "vestibular." Each university administers its own vestibular, which tests the prospective students on a range of general subjects plus their specific area of interest (what they would like to major in). The more competitive universities administer the vestibular in two stages--first the general knowledge and then, at a later date, the specific subject area--and other universities test for both the general and specific knowledge with a single exam.

The public universities offer free tuition for students that pass the vestibular and are admitted to a course of study. Students must pass the vestibular to attend private universities but must pay tuition. The largest and best public university in Belo Horizonte is UFMG (Federal University of Minas Gerais). With a current enrollment of approximately 30,000 students (2/3 of which are undergraduate), UFMG offered 4,674 openings during its recent vestibular for which 67,861 people were competing. The largest and best private university in Belo Horizonte is PUC Minas (Pontifical Catholic University of Minas Gerais). I can't easily find their total enrollment, but nearly 20,000 individuals were competing for 6,335 places, in PUC's recent vestibular.

These statistics combined with harsh economic realities make it quite difficult for the average Brazilian student to enter, let alone attend college. Most public and private primary/secondary schools meet for only 4 hours each day, so it's hard to imagine learning all of those subjects well enough to be in the top 5-10% of vestibular, especially if some or all of your primary/secondary teachers are not college-educated. Assuming that you can hurdle that obstacle, then the next question is does your education guarantee that can you find a job. I'm not so sure.

Mental adjustments
Although everybody here seems to be one big, friendly, helpful family, I am going through a period of loneliness in the midst of many. Much to my delight, my apartment-mate is back after an extended trip abroad. There has been a constant stream of people since then visiting and hearing about her trip, as well as some group activities, but I still am feeling aimless and isolated.

I guess part of it is the same thing that happens anytime you move--you have to make new friends, and making genuine friends takes time. Already, I know quite a number of people, but I don't have any real "friends." Another part is that communication is extremely important to me, and, although I have been complimented on my grasp of Portuguese, I am still not able to express myself or understand nearly what I would like to. Finally, I really miss the environment and emotional support of my home church family. The people here at the churches I've visited are very nice, but none of the services or congregations thus far have resonated with me, and this makes attending church feel like an obligation. I know that my condition is aggravated by having a cold and experiencing the unending rain, but at least I know from experience that these feelings are temporary and will pass.