Dog days of summer
Greetings
I'd like to send two personal shout-outs this week. First to my faithful reader, Lisa W. Thanks for your interest and support! Second to Travis, who helped me get a temporary solution to be able to use my laptop again. Wahoo! Thanks a million.
Some like it hot
This is my first time to be in Belo Horizonte during the end of summer because I was not here last March. It is HOT (90-95 F). Not as bad as it might get in the Amazon or in the northeast, but hot enough when most places don't have air-conditioning. I really think that the sun is stronger here. Just walking around during the peak hours can wipe you out. I went out Saturday morning to run a couple of errands, and by the time I got back home (before 11 AM), I was drenched with sweat. Saturday night, I was already falling asleep at 9 PM.
It's funny because when you see people waiting outside (e.g. for the bus), they seem to be in very strange locations/configurations until you realize that they are standing in whatever piece of shade exists. Normally I like to walk on the side of the street against traffic, but these days, I've come to value more walking on the shady side of the street.
Prayers still needed
We're still having some difficulties with the children at Liberdade. It turns out that one of the new girls has become the girlfriend of one of the boys who's been in the project for a while, and I'm not sure if that is the main thing that is causing the other girls to gang up on her outside of the project. In any case, the situation had most of the kids super-agitated on Friday, and even the kids in the morning were horrible for me. One of the male "educators" in the projects was so nonchalant as to say that we don't have to deal with what happens outside of the project, but all of these little and big conflicts so clearly contaminate everything we try to do.
Get on the bus
Being the nerd that I am, I am learning all kinds of things about the bus system here. Each bus has a turnstile, and there are a few seats in the front of the bus for passengers that don't need to pass through the turnstile. You've got two different categories of people in the front--those who need to pay and those who don't. (You've also get people that aren't supposed to be in that section sitting there; the faretaker is supposed to ask them to move when the seats are needed by people who have the right to sit there.) Pregnant or obese people and people with certain disabilities can sit in the front but need to pay. Senior citizens 65 or older, children under 5 and bus company employees don't need to pay. Some people with disabilities get a special bus pass to use and go to the back, and sometimes they even get the right to use it for a companion to accompany them. Police in uniform don't pay or pass through the turnstile; they enter and exit through the back door. Candy vendors try to get the busdrivers to let them in the back door, sell to people in the bus, and get out after a few stops. Sometimes you even see people asking for money--occasionally in exchange for a small trinket that they're selling "to make a living." These people have a well-rehearsed speech, and I'm always surprised how many people give money.
My uncompleted quest, however, is to find out the original logic behind the numbering system of the bus routes. I've heard rumors that there was originally a logic to the three or four different digits in the route numbers as well as the colors of the buses. You, too, gentle reader, will know as soon as I do.
Pajama party
Sunday morning I went to Sunday school and found out that the young people's class was going to drive out to a country house to have their class and lunch with the kids, who'd spent Saturday night there in what was called "Pajama Night" (the equivalent of a lock-in). I got a ride with somebody, and we arrived within 30 minutes. I was surprised to see that even though it was chilly and raining (a cold front moved through Saturday night) the kids were swimming. Sunday school was much more difficult to understand with children from 2 to 12 running around, but it was nice to see the kids having a good time. It was also an excellent example of what a small church with almost no resources can do to involve the children and youth.
Sick and tired
It seems like many people here show up to work when they are sick, and it prompted me to ask about the general sick policy of most employers here. It turns out that if you are sick and missing work, you have to go to the doctor and bring a note with you when you come back to work. I asked what you do when you need to go to the dentist, go for a check-up or when your kids are sick. It largely depends on your boss. Some will ask that you only make appointments during your lunch break or before/after work, and others will let you go during work hours. If your company provides a health plan, a lot of times, their doctors will be much more conservative with your excused leave. If you have some condition that an unaffiliated doctor would usually give one week leave, the company health plan's doctor is likely to give you only 2-3 days. For a society that has so much anarchy, this seems very controlling and paternalistic.
Schooldays
One morning I ran into a child in Liberdade who'd been "liberated" from school that day because something happened with his teacher. I was surprised to find out that a school would send one class of children home and not the whole school, but then it turns out that the public schools here don't have substitute teachers. If a teacher knows that s/he needs to be out, s/he can ask a friend to watch their class for them and/or prepare special activities for their class to do. When I was sharing with my Canadian friend my shock at public schools sending home kids without advance notice, she astutely pointed out that children here spend much more time out of school than in school here, so it's not that big of a deal to parents.
Twins?
Since the first day I arrived in Belo Horizonte, people have been telling me how much I resemble Chirley ("Shirley"). I've been going to Chirley's church since October, and her extended family is very involved with the various projects here. I'm including a couple of pictures below so you can judge for yourself.
with our glasses
without our glasses
I'd like to send two personal shout-outs this week. First to my faithful reader, Lisa W. Thanks for your interest and support! Second to Travis, who helped me get a temporary solution to be able to use my laptop again. Wahoo! Thanks a million.
Some like it hot
This is my first time to be in Belo Horizonte during the end of summer because I was not here last March. It is HOT (90-95 F). Not as bad as it might get in the Amazon or in the northeast, but hot enough when most places don't have air-conditioning. I really think that the sun is stronger here. Just walking around during the peak hours can wipe you out. I went out Saturday morning to run a couple of errands, and by the time I got back home (before 11 AM), I was drenched with sweat. Saturday night, I was already falling asleep at 9 PM.
It's funny because when you see people waiting outside (e.g. for the bus), they seem to be in very strange locations/configurations until you realize that they are standing in whatever piece of shade exists. Normally I like to walk on the side of the street against traffic, but these days, I've come to value more walking on the shady side of the street.
Prayers still needed
We're still having some difficulties with the children at Liberdade. It turns out that one of the new girls has become the girlfriend of one of the boys who's been in the project for a while, and I'm not sure if that is the main thing that is causing the other girls to gang up on her outside of the project. In any case, the situation had most of the kids super-agitated on Friday, and even the kids in the morning were horrible for me. One of the male "educators" in the projects was so nonchalant as to say that we don't have to deal with what happens outside of the project, but all of these little and big conflicts so clearly contaminate everything we try to do.
Get on the bus
Being the nerd that I am, I am learning all kinds of things about the bus system here. Each bus has a turnstile, and there are a few seats in the front of the bus for passengers that don't need to pass through the turnstile. You've got two different categories of people in the front--those who need to pay and those who don't. (You've also get people that aren't supposed to be in that section sitting there; the faretaker is supposed to ask them to move when the seats are needed by people who have the right to sit there.) Pregnant or obese people and people with certain disabilities can sit in the front but need to pay. Senior citizens 65 or older, children under 5 and bus company employees don't need to pay. Some people with disabilities get a special bus pass to use and go to the back, and sometimes they even get the right to use it for a companion to accompany them. Police in uniform don't pay or pass through the turnstile; they enter and exit through the back door. Candy vendors try to get the busdrivers to let them in the back door, sell to people in the bus, and get out after a few stops. Sometimes you even see people asking for money--occasionally in exchange for a small trinket that they're selling "to make a living." These people have a well-rehearsed speech, and I'm always surprised how many people give money.
My uncompleted quest, however, is to find out the original logic behind the numbering system of the bus routes. I've heard rumors that there was originally a logic to the three or four different digits in the route numbers as well as the colors of the buses. You, too, gentle reader, will know as soon as I do.
Pajama party
Sunday morning I went to Sunday school and found out that the young people's class was going to drive out to a country house to have their class and lunch with the kids, who'd spent Saturday night there in what was called "Pajama Night" (the equivalent of a lock-in). I got a ride with somebody, and we arrived within 30 minutes. I was surprised to see that even though it was chilly and raining (a cold front moved through Saturday night) the kids were swimming. Sunday school was much more difficult to understand with children from 2 to 12 running around, but it was nice to see the kids having a good time. It was also an excellent example of what a small church with almost no resources can do to involve the children and youth.
Sick and tired
It seems like many people here show up to work when they are sick, and it prompted me to ask about the general sick policy of most employers here. It turns out that if you are sick and missing work, you have to go to the doctor and bring a note with you when you come back to work. I asked what you do when you need to go to the dentist, go for a check-up or when your kids are sick. It largely depends on your boss. Some will ask that you only make appointments during your lunch break or before/after work, and others will let you go during work hours. If your company provides a health plan, a lot of times, their doctors will be much more conservative with your excused leave. If you have some condition that an unaffiliated doctor would usually give one week leave, the company health plan's doctor is likely to give you only 2-3 days. For a society that has so much anarchy, this seems very controlling and paternalistic.
Schooldays
One morning I ran into a child in Liberdade who'd been "liberated" from school that day because something happened with his teacher. I was surprised to find out that a school would send one class of children home and not the whole school, but then it turns out that the public schools here don't have substitute teachers. If a teacher knows that s/he needs to be out, s/he can ask a friend to watch their class for them and/or prepare special activities for their class to do. When I was sharing with my Canadian friend my shock at public schools sending home kids without advance notice, she astutely pointed out that children here spend much more time out of school than in school here, so it's not that big of a deal to parents.
Twins?
Since the first day I arrived in Belo Horizonte, people have been telling me how much I resemble Chirley ("Shirley"). I've been going to Chirley's church since October, and her extended family is very involved with the various projects here. I'm including a couple of pictures below so you can judge for yourself.
with our glasses
without our glasses
posted by Christine Piggee at
3:22 PM
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