anyone lived in a pretty how town

the cats

Questionnaire

Can you answer these questions with music titles? I did, using Dylan's songs [who else??!] and I loved the results. The songs answered the questions perfectly for me........

1. Are you male or female?: Just Like a Woman
2. Describe yourself: I Am a Lonesome Hobo
3. How do some people feel about you?: Tangled Up in Blue
4. How do you feel about yourself?: Don't Think Twice, It's All Right
5. Describe your boyfriend: Mr. Tambourine Man
6. Where would you rather be?: Stuck Inside of Mobile with the Memphis Blues Again
7. Describe what you want to be: A Satisfied Mind
8. Describe how you live: Like a Rolling Stone
9. Describe how you love: Love Minus Zero/No Limit
10. Share a few words of wisdom: It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry

is he????

Although Brazil is a country shaped by immigrants, with its cultural and ethnic diversities, Brazilians are not exempted of being stereotyped. And these stereotypes are very clear: we are supposed to be happy and festive people, always dancing to some drums, being sensual and relaxed about our bodies, which should be beautiful and tanned. We Brazilians are also supposed to be dark skinned with long hair for women and mustache for men. And if you don’t dance, don’t play soccer and have not a flamboyant and naïve personality, something must be wrong with you and you might even not be Brazilian at all! [“are you sure you are Brazilian?” I was asked once, after saying that I despised the horribly famous Carnival].

Because of these misguided and confused visions of Brazilians, my husband and I have had plenty of awkward moments answering a lot of silly questions related to HIS nationality. Why? Because even though he is Brazilian, he doesn’t look “Brazilian”! [According to the experts, of course!]

I have compiled a list of questions he and I are constantly hearing and trying to answer without being sarcastic or impolite. Keep in mind that these are REAL questions, made by real people - Americans, Canadians, foreigners and many Brazilians, which sort of confirms that we, Brazilians, also buy this stereotype crap about ourselves.

Questions my husband is always hearing:

- Do you speak Portuguese?
- Were you born in Brazil, I mean, are you a native Brazilian?
- Are you Brazilian???!!!! [Expression of surprise on the face]
- Did you meet your wife [* Pocahontas] in Brazil?

Questions I am always hearing about my husband:

- Does he speak Portuguese?
- Is your husband American?
- Can I speak Portuguese with him?
- Are you SURE this is your husband??? I thought he was darker and had a mustache [* “you forgot to mention the sombrero”, was my answer to this one… I couldn’t help myself….]
- Did you meet your husband here, in the United States?
- Does your husband understand Portuguese?
- Did he live in Brazil?
- Is your husband Brazilian???!!! You mean, a native? He was born in Brazil??!! [A very surprised look on the face]

My America

We did not come to the United States fleeing our country and its problems. Neither did we come here looking for adventure or seeking to make money and get rich. We came here to build a life together, and anything we do here could be done in Brazil or in any other place. We came here to live.

I have very little to complain about my life. I like it here, I even like the “American way of life”. Still, I had many stereotypes about Americans and their country before coming to live here. I was taken by surprise on my first week in Davis, California, when I was greeted friendly by a stranger while walking on the streets. That astonished me and helped me get rid of some of the misconceptions I had about Americans.

I believe in this country. I believe it is a land of opportunities, a unique place where everything is possible. I feel the privilege of been born to a wealthy mother-country, where I was the offspring of immigrant grandparents, and to have been adopted by a exceptional stepmother-country, where I became an immigrant myself.

My America is not the same as the America of Bush, of wars, of racism, imperialism, lies and oppression. My America is the America this guy talks about. He speaks about my experience of America and about what I expect and believe.

singin' in the rain

There is a maxim in Portuguese that goes “Quem canta seus males espanta”, which means something like if you sing, your troubles will go away. In my case, as a musical deaf someone who never could sing or play any instrument, my relief comes from writing. These past couples of days have been rather gloomy and strange, after a vivacious and active week in the company of my two nieces and my sister-in-law. After they left, I felt sad and empty as hardly ever happens. I’ve learned how to preserve myself from these emotional fallings down. However, this time it hit me hard and left me on the land of dry irritation, exposed sadness and lakes of tears. How do I manage to come back to normal? I write like a maniac and I drown all my feelings in water. I swim for hours and I take as many showers as I need to be able to wash all these awful feelings away. And in the pool and shower I write. Not as I normally do, using only one finger to type fast on my computer keyboard, but instead, using blocked transcripts in black and write without characters to form stories in my mind. After getting out of the pool or shower is time to run and write everything down on paper or on the computer screen. It helps me at lot, and if this isn’t therapeutic what else can be?