Adventures of a Gringa

Welcome to Adventures of a Gringa! I'm a 24 year-old New Yorker who recently returned home after living in Brazil for about two years. To find out more about me and how I wound up in Brazil, see here. To find out how to contact me, see here. I like to make Top Ten lists; you find them under the Pages column on the right. And feel free to sign the guestbook! You can also find me on Facebook, Orkut, and Twitter.  Please make sure to read about my cause. 

Between the lines: International Politics

This week, I will feature several analysis of current affairs in Brazil, trying to really get to the heart of the matter that the mainstream international media isn't necessarily reporting.

First and foremost, Iranian President Mahmud Ahmadinejad is meeting with President Lula in Brasilia today, after delaying a trip several months ago. His visit has been met with protests across Brazil, including major ones in Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, as well as criticism from the international community. After all, Ahmadinejad came out the victor of a fraudulent election wrought with bloody protests, is a proud anti-Semite and Holocaust denier, and a virulent homophobe--not to mention his regime hardly respects human rights or democracy.

Jornal Nacional interviewed Ahmadinejad in Iran last week, and the reporter (who could really use some English lessons) asked about certain issues, including the Holocaust and homosexuality, but mostly softballed the rest of the questions. Despite a few loony answers (including one declaring that capitalism is evil but he'd just love to trade with Brazil, which is definitely not changing its capitalist system anytime soon), Ahmadinejad come off looking like an affable guy. He certainly made a conserted bunda-kissing effort towards Brazilians, complimenting their soccer players and sucking up to the viewing public.

It seems that Lula has decided that given Brazil's relatively new position as a world leader and his fame as a diplomat and one of the world's "most well-liked" politicians, he should take on one of the most difficult international challenges that exist: the Middle East crisis. The president of Israel recently visited to discuss commercial ties (and also to preempt the Iranian president's visit, though he claims he doesn't oppose the visit), and the Palestinian leader was also recently in Brazil. What came out of both visits was Lula taking the side of Palestine, criticizing new Israeli settlements in Palestinian territory and calling for the US to let the UN take over as the mediator of the conflict. This is in line with his politics and his belief that he is the leader of the so-called Third World, since throughout his administration he has made a point to speak on behalf of developing countries and to defend their interests.

But agreeing to meet with Ahmadinejad in Brazil to discuss commercial and nuclear agreements is an incredible gamble and a seemingly naive move. The Iranian leader, who has not been cooperative with the UN on nuclear issues, wants to work with Brazil on nuclear development, which is an obvious red flag for other world leaders who have relationships with Brazil. Ahmadinejad has made clear who his enemies are (the US, Israel, and anyone who is firmly allied with either one), and by taking an us versus them stance, becoming Brazil's ally will ultimately not be favorable to Brazil. Becoming friends with a pariah doesn't necessarily make you a diplomat; it makes you sympathetic to someone no one else is sympathetic to, and it legitimizes the person as a leader. [I'd like to imagine what would have happened if leaders had treated Bush like Ahmadinejad in 2000, since they share several qualities in that they came to power through election fraud and love bombing stuff. I wonder how things could have been different if the world refused to recognize his legitimacy.]

Two experts explained their views on the visit in two articles featured on Brazzil.com:

Ricardo Caldas, from the University of Brasilia's Political Science department:

"The Iranian president is turning into an international pariah. Iran is going in the same direction of North Korea: they are countries that either carry out genocide or are totalitarian or disregard human rights, persecute the opposition and rig the elections. Brazil doesn't have any reason to get closer to a country with these characteristics." 

Representative Eliot Engel, a New York Democrat Congressman:

"This is a gross mistake for a respected president of a respected country. To elevate Ahmadinejad, when he represses his own people, denies the Holocaust, says he'll wipe Israel off the map - it shows Brazil isn't ready to be taken seriously as a world player."

The Americas Society's Eric Farnsworth also weighed in:

Lula's defense is that his goal is to discuss peace and to prove Brazil's ability as a diplomat, able to meet with and negotiate with everyone. But he also made a vague mention of discussing "those who seek to profit" from war in the Middle East, which would seem like the US. This finger-pointing does not fit into another speculation, that Lula is hoping to expand his diplomatic ties to parlay a permanent seat in the UN Security Council. Nevertheless, Lula has been cautious with other "friendships" with rogue rulers like Chavez and the Castros, and an invitation to Brasilia for someone like Ahmadinejad is a big deal and from a political perspective, potentially disastrous.

The bottom line is that befriending a ruler no one is willing to even acknowledge is a very big gamble. Brazil has just managed to take its place in the international spotlight as a country with political and economic clout, and this particular event seems to be a power move more so than an intelligent diplomatic play. Lula is thumbing his nose at the US and other Western powers, trying to say that he is capable of something they are not (supposed diplomacy) but really picked the wrong person to try this move with. Brazil may be a world power now, but with power comes responsibility.

UPDATE: Excellent NYT article from today with a lot of the same information here, albeit a bit more optimistic. Another article on Brazil's defense here.

Retrospect

I really hate retrospect, because the older I get, the more I experience, and I feel mostly regret more so than wisdom.

In a little less than a month, I'll be 25. I am so horrified by this fact that I'm trying not to think about it, but it's creeping up quickly. As a result of not thinking about it, I've been thinking a lot about retrospect (I have a good two hours of commuting some days when I'm usually too frazzled to read). There are so many things that irritate me, in retrospect.

When I studied abroad in Argentina, I was not a happy camper for a good portion of the time. I'd just finished a semester in the DR, which had been the best time of my life, and the culture shock in Buenos Aires was like going to a different planet. I'd expected things to be the same, which they were of course not, and along with a few other American friends in the same situation, I moped. To boot, I didn't get along with my host family, which made me more frustrated. But what I didn't realize was that I was still having the time of my life, living like a queen (literally, given the prices at the time), going out all the time, taking some of the most interesting classes I've had, and exploring one of the most wonderful cities in the world. (In retrospect, I miss it a lot more than Rio, even though portenos drove me nuts. Go figure.) Friends sometimes tease me about how much I hated it there, but I really shouldn't have. I was having so much fun, and I can't understand why I was so stupid not to see that.

When I got to thinking about that, about how my time in Buenos Aires was the beginning of the end of life as I knew it, it made me realize how much of the last few years have been similar. I loved college, but there were times, especially the last year, when I stressed myself out so unnecessarily (exams. to think EXAMS had me stressed) and didn't take advantage of being in the best bubble I would probably ever find myself in. In Rio, when I was actually struggling with real adult issues, there were still so many times I could have relaxed. Inevitably, every single thing I had myself worked up over eventually worked itself out. Even the past summer, when I was laying around feeling sorry for myself for being unemployed, I could have taken advantage of the free time to do a million things.

Retrospect is cruel. Sometimes, as much as the concept can drive me crazy, I think Cariocas have the right idea about taking it easy and going with the flow. In retrospect, it's a really good idea.

Reader's Suggestions

I've had quite a few people send me stuff over the past few weeks (thanks, everyone!) and since this week is very busy, posting may be light, so I wanted to get in another post before things get really hectic.

News links

• Amazon road trip
• Racial legacy that haunts Brazil
• David Goldman's custody battle over son in Brazil pushed back
• Sarney's metamorphosis

Bank test

Skin deep

I was procrastinating writing a long post I've had on the back burner for awhile when I came across this story and knew I had to share it with my Brazilian readers.

In the United States, a large number of professional baseball players are from Latin America, especially the Caribbean. They usually come from very poor backgrounds, and many of them are black or mixed race. Sammy Sosa, one of the best players in baseball, is Dominican, and comes from a part of the DR with a large population of African descendants.

Sammy, despite his success, is no stranger to controversy: he was accused of (and found to be) using steroids, and was often made fun of for his poor English. I felt bad for him in both circumstances, considering how many baseball players use performance-enhancing drugs, and considering how difficult it is to master a second language as an adult.

But his most recent controversy is really upsetting.

Last week, Sammy made several public appearances in which his skin appeared visibly lighter, as well as using colored contacts. He was accused of using Michael Jackson-like techniques to change his skin color, and of being a racist rejecting his African heritage. He denied suffering from vitiligo, and claims that he chose to lighten his skin for aesthetic reasons using a special cream.

The magical cream, he says, is to help repair his skin from decades of sun damage while playing baseball. He also refused to say the brand or name of the cream, claiming the company had offered him an endorsement deal still in the works.

Behold:

Before I lived in Latin America, I had no idea about the depth of racism or how it affects people's daily lives, which is especially true in the Dominican Republic. It was there where I learned how people are classified by the exact shade of their skin (there are literally dozens if not hundreds of names), where people make excuses for being dark (claiming they are outside a lot in the summer, or that they play sports), where no one dares call anyone negro (black) unless they're Haitian. Being called black is the ultimate insult.

So this entire story was just horrifying to me, because I can imagine the repercussions in the DR and in the rest of Latin America, even in the US. The idea that a rich black man can lighten his skin because he feels it makes him "look better" has really heart-breaking implications. Given Brazil's obsession with cosmetic surgery and procedures, large black population and historic racism that persists but that few dare acknowledge, this product could potentially become a hot item in the Brazilian market.

Sammy agreed to speak to Univision about the change, claiming he wasn't a racist and chuckling through most of the interview. When asked if he's proud to be black, he says he has been since he was born, but "I want to look my best." O sea, being black is not looking his best. The interviewer, also black, who was trying to be a hard-hitting reporter for most of the interview, half-jokingly asked Sammy to give him the cream to try. *facepalm*

Video 1

Video 2

(These videos automatically start when the page opens when they're embedded, so as not to freak you out I put links instead)

Some will say that Sammy can do whatever he wants with his money. But this entire affair--especially if he starts marketing this supposed cream--is unbelievably irresponsible for a Latin American who is well aware of racial and economic realities in his country. To encourage other wealthy black Latin Americans to follow suit is to me, preposterous; but to market this type of product to those who can scarcely afford essentials isn't just irresponsible, it's cruel.

And Sammy--para que sepas, estás muy, pero muy feo.

Saudades

A verdade é que não estou com muitas saudades do Brasil, pelo menos no sentido que não estou com vontade de voltar agora, de estar lá agora. Mas estou com muita saudade das lembranças que tenho do meu tempo lá. Sempre quando penso em uma experiência boa que tive, ou até momentos de importância nenhuma, tipo de estar lendo na cama ou sair para comprar suco, fico com saudades desse momento. Tem sentido sentir saudades de uma recordação?

Todo o mundo sempre me pergunta, "Mas você não esta sentindo falta do Rio? Do Brasil?" Ficam decepcionados quando eu respondo que não. A única vez que fiquei emocionada foi em setembro, quando o Eliseu me mandou um vídeo desses, propaganda para as Olimpíadas com essas imagens maravilhosas das montanhas e o mar, que de repente começei a chorar.

Quando fui embora do Rio, queria muito voltar para casa. Apesar do que as coisas aqui são difíceis, mesmo assim fico muito feliz de estar aqui. Estou contente de estar com meus amigos e a minha família e de ter conseguido um trabalho muito bom, pelo menos por enquanto. Estou muito feliz de ver o Eliseu finalmente ganhando um salário digno, muito mais do que qualquer trabalho que teve no Brasil. Estou aliviada que ele está tao bem aqui. Estou sentindo bem de sentir segura de andar na rua e voltar para casa em paz.

Vou voltar para o Rio, é lógico, provavelmente o ano que vem. Sempre irei voltar, especialmente para visitar a família do meu marido. Mas não sei se um dia vou voltar para morar. Não sei se tenho a habilidade de fazer isso tudo de novo. Ao mesmo tempo, me sinto muito carioca. Eu amo uma cidade onde não quero morar. Para mim, isso parece bem carioca mesmo. 

Fear

The funny thing about Brazilians is that they are incredibly suspicious of anything involving the U.S. government in their country, or foreigners who dare set foot in the Amazon, but they will kiss the ground of any major celebrity that goes to Brazil. Most of the time, they're there on vacation or to promote themselves, but not always.

That's why Madonna in Brazil is absolutely terrifying to me.

First off, I should point out that though Madonna is still undeniably a big celebrity in the US, it's gotten to the point where a lot of us are mostly just scared of her. We have also grown used to her diva whims, from deciding she's a Jew with her Kabbalah "conversion" to strong-arming Malawi into an essentially illegal adoption of her second African child. It's not that she doesn't do anything useful; she started a non-profit in 2006 called Raising Malawi to aid orphans there. But in Oprah-esque fashion, instead of building 1000 schools and 1000 hospitals, she decided to build a single school for $15 million (incidentally, local villagers are blocking its construction). This is why celebrities should not be in charge of development. 

Anyway, along came Jesus Luz, the strapping 23 year-old Brazilian model, and Madonna forgot about Africa for awhile. Now, she's in Rio with him, where her agenda is extremely odd and frankly, is just highly suspicious to me. According to some, she's supposed to meet Jesus's parents for the first time, since he is serious about their relationship and wants to get married, which would be Madonna's third marriage. The other thing is that she was supposed to meet with AfroReggae, one of Rio's most successful non-profits, to discuss working with them on projects and to visit several favelas where they work. Mysteriously, she cancelled the meeting and the excursions, though she did meet with a group of kids from a different non-profit--but they had to meet her at her hotel (Fasano, claro). Methinks all those upper class Brazilians she's hanging out with scared her away from the favelas.

Despite cancelling the AfroReggae plans, she had plenty of time to hit several upscale restaurants around the city, including Sushi Leblon and Yume. She also hung out with her buddy, zillionaire Eike Batista; he lent her his private jet for her trip and let her work out at his house. She's due to go to a big dinner he's hosting tonight along with Rio's mayor and governor, who are quite nearly drooling about the meeting. She's allegedly in Sao Paulo this afternoon to visit a Kabbalah center and to meet with a rabbi, and later she is expected to meet with Lula's Chief of Staff and presidential candidate, Dilma Rousseff, as well as the first lady. Maybe I'm just skeptical, but I find it incredibly inappropriate for a celebrity of her caliber to meet with so many politicians, especially on the eve of an election year and what is on a supposedly leisurely visit. It's just fishy.

Additional note: the military police have been escorting Madonna everywhere, and even got into a tiff with paparazzi when she first arrived in Rio. Does anyone else think it's inappropriate for the government to provide free security to Madonna when it doesn't even provide it to far too many Cariocas?

While it's true Brazil is very popular right now (I cannot wait to pick up this week's Economist), Madonna is in a way just like almost every other gringa I met in Rio, the majority of whom were there because of a significant other. I loved Brazil from the second I got there for the first time, but if it hadn't been for Eli, it's very possible I would have wound up moving somewhere else in Latin America. I have to give Jesus credit, who seems like a vapid model but could likely be the one encouraging all of these different plans.

The point is, I suppose, is to beware of the wolf in sheep's clothing with terrifyingly muscular arms. Just ask Malawi.

Blackout

Originally, I was going to write about the mini skirt debacle, the attack on Caetano, or why Madonna in Brazil terrifies me, but all that will have to wait until tomorrow.

Last night, a massive blackout hit south and central Brazil, including the states of Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo, Minas Gerais, Mato Grosso do Sul, DF, Goias, and Espirito Santo. Later reports included other states as well, including Santa Catarina, Rio Grande do Sul, Parana, Mato Grosso, Pernambuco, and Bahia. Rio, however, was the worst hit.

Something, though it's not clear what, happened to the Itaipu hydroelectric dam, one of the largest in the world, that provides electricity for a large portion of Brazil as well as Paraguay (there was a power outage in Paraguay, too). Coincidentally, the blackout occurred days after a 60 Minutes report about two power outages in Brazil in 2005 and 2007 believed to have been caused by hackers.

People joked around on Twitter, saying it was a marketing ploy for the movie 2012, or that Madonna was to blame. But the truth was that it was really scary, with the two largest cities in the country plunged into darkness, especially during the beginning of the summer with high temperatures. Early reports claimed that there was a total outage at Itaipu, and that it was caused by some sort of "accident" or "disruption." Another report claimed it was related to bad weather. A source at BBC claims a short circuit in Sao Paulo (?) caused the blackout.

In the meantime, reports from Rio claimed thugs were taking advantage of the darkness to mug people left in the streets. The governor allegedly sent both the police and SWAT teams (BOPE) into the city to ensure order (que pena he doesn't do that on a regular basis when there is electricity), and several BOPE teams were sent to man two of the major highways. In Sao Paulo, city officials suspended the usual traffic arrangements of rotating license plates, and urged people not to go out in the morning. Supposedly, people stranded in Sao Paulo crowded bus stops, and those who couldn't get onto the buses hitched rides on the backs of trucks. The Globo website was down during and after the blackout.

Interestingly, Itaipu started a Twitter account last night after the blackout and started following people who had mentioned it. They released an official statement declaring that the cause of the blackout did not originate at the plant itself, and that it was probably due to an accident that affected the plant's energy transmissions. They were quick to point out that in the 25 years of its existence, Itaipu had never had all 20 generators completely shut down. This, somehow, was not particularly reassuring.

While some will be quick to accuse Brazil of having vulnerable technology, this is something that could have happened anywhere. What's terrifying is how a single power plant could affect so many people, and how dangerous a prolonged blackout could be. This incident should be a warning to every country about just how vitally important power grid security is.

But if one positive thing came from the blackout, it is most definitely this.