quarta-feira, 31 de março de 2010
Mini-essays
Choose a book you have read in the last year that most affected you and clarify its effect.
"Capitães da Areia" (Captains of the Sands), a novel written by Jorge Amado in 1937 belonging to the Modern phase of Brazilian Literature. The novel deals with "meninos de rua" (homeless children) in the streets of Bahia, Brazil. Those children belong to this group called "Capitães de Areia", the activities of the group are mostly to do with arranging ways of surviving on the streets, in most activities the children are after food. They do this mostly in the wrong way. Through these activities Jorge Amado tells us the personal story of the main characters, from how they became "meninos de rua" and how they end up. The novel is very touching in the sense that we readers know that what the children do is wrong, but we do understand that they don't have any other option so it becomes clear that many social ills created in society are brought about not by personal choice but by lack of options. We readers get attached to the "meninos de rua", Jorge Amado makes us, the society, look truly bad, makes us feel responsible for the situation to some extent. The social picture of Brazil as a country is not deep but real so it should be a must read book to get to know a bit more about us. It is a book that makes you part of the society, it shows our reality as a country even though we have changed a lot it is important to see where we were, to understand where we are and get us to where we want to be. I was amazed by how much I could learn and realize from "meninos de rua".
We all have distinct personalities and habits. Identify and describe a personal habit - of any nature - that best defines you.
Since I got my "independence" that was when I started studying away from my neighborhood, I started to get to know places by walking around the region, from one area to another. I don't really know how it started, I was 11 years old and I got so excited with the whole new world away from my area that I found that the best way to get to know places is by walking. Sometimes I also get a bus to a place that I don't know or I visit a new subway station, but that doesn't happen a lot. But I have the same intention when I am walking. To walk around places for me is a way of seeing news things, to learn more about your space, your environment, to see new faces. I had different phases with this walking. In São Paulo where I live the city is so huge and hectic that in daily life we don't have time to observe anything properly especially when you are inside public transportation. We "paulistanos"(people born in São Paulo city) even joke that we don't look above us, which is true, every time I look above 4 meters from the ground I get surprised by this whole world that we pass by and don't appreciate, don't interact with. When I am walking I can appreciate all those things, to find out different places. In Swaziland the experience was similar as well, I had good stories with it, like the time we walked around the school mountains and spoke with so many locals, we even ended up drinking Swazi beer at some local's house. I even do this when I am travelling, I did it in London I did it in Nassau, Bahamas. This one in Bahamas was quite epic, we walked for over 4 hours, stopping by different places, swimming, even seeing the Miss Universe Contest parade. I keep remarkable memories and experiences from these walks, there are so many contrasts in this world and I do like to see them, to understand them.
"Capitães da Areia" (Captains of the Sands), a novel written by Jorge Amado in 1937 belonging to the Modern phase of Brazilian Literature. The novel deals with "meninos de rua" (homeless children) in the streets of Bahia, Brazil. Those children belong to this group called "Capitães de Areia", the activities of the group are mostly to do with arranging ways of surviving on the streets, in most activities the children are after food. They do this mostly in the wrong way. Through these activities Jorge Amado tells us the personal story of the main characters, from how they became "meninos de rua" and how they end up. The novel is very touching in the sense that we readers know that what the children do is wrong, but we do understand that they don't have any other option so it becomes clear that many social ills created in society are brought about not by personal choice but by lack of options. We readers get attached to the "meninos de rua", Jorge Amado makes us, the society, look truly bad, makes us feel responsible for the situation to some extent. The social picture of Brazil as a country is not deep but real so it should be a must read book to get to know a bit more about us. It is a book that makes you part of the society, it shows our reality as a country even though we have changed a lot it is important to see where we were, to understand where we are and get us to where we want to be. I was amazed by how much I could learn and realize from "meninos de rua".
We all have distinct personalities and habits. Identify and describe a personal habit - of any nature - that best defines you.
Since I got my "independence" that was when I started studying away from my neighborhood, I started to get to know places by walking around the region, from one area to another. I don't really know how it started, I was 11 years old and I got so excited with the whole new world away from my area that I found that the best way to get to know places is by walking. Sometimes I also get a bus to a place that I don't know or I visit a new subway station, but that doesn't happen a lot. But I have the same intention when I am walking. To walk around places for me is a way of seeing news things, to learn more about your space, your environment, to see new faces. I had different phases with this walking. In São Paulo where I live the city is so huge and hectic that in daily life we don't have time to observe anything properly especially when you are inside public transportation. We "paulistanos"(people born in São Paulo city) even joke that we don't look above us, which is true, every time I look above 4 meters from the ground I get surprised by this whole world that we pass by and don't appreciate, don't interact with. When I am walking I can appreciate all those things, to find out different places. In Swaziland the experience was similar as well, I had good stories with it, like the time we walked around the school mountains and spoke with so many locals, we even ended up drinking Swazi beer at some local's house. I even do this when I am travelling, I did it in London I did it in Nassau, Bahamas. This one in Bahamas was quite epic, we walked for over 4 hours, stopping by different places, swimming, even seeing the Miss Universe Contest parade. I keep remarkable memories and experiences from these walks, there are so many contrasts in this world and I do like to see them, to understand them.
"Pensamentos vão com o vento. Pra se livrar,não lembrar de maus momentos"
Depois de muito tempo sem postar,resolvi dividir alguns textos que fazem parte da minha trajetória pela Suazilândia.Esse texto tem muitas histórias e experiências.
“At the present you need to live the question” -Rainer Maria Rilke. What does this mean to you?
To live the question is a way of thinking and an approach to the world. When I mean world I mean everything related to you, everything that is around you that is affected and shaped by different questions. I understand that to live the question is to embrace and to make a great effort to question your life. To be able to live the question the people should be willing to challenge themselves in different ways, where shocks of distinct worlds could happen, breaking of stereotypes may be necessary and contesting our own culture and background as well. “At the present” is attatched to living the question because the fight to make changes in the world is done in the present for a better future.
Living the question is not easy in the sense that we should not swallow any truth without knowing what it is made of. It's necessary to take a deep look at both sides (lucky we would be if it was always two sides but throughout life we learn that it is much more than white and black). I won't affirm that there is an absolute truth but I believe there is relative truth that is a more correct accurate undestanding of the question in that time and circumstance, but this is not a closed idea considering that it is subject to errors. Hence I do support that in order to live the question at the present we can not watch life as a spectator, instead we should be an agent of transformation. But not an imposer of concepts and ideas, rather a person that is able to challenge the questions of life with different approaches and a willingness to expose different perspectives of the situation.
I remember when I was small I used to think that you have to first build your life and only afterwards would you be able to change the world. But throughout my personal experience in community service and political activism I realized that we can make a difference now at the present with simple acts. We definitely need people of magnitude like Nelson Mandela, Rosa Parks and now probably Barack Obama, people who dedicated and sacrificed their lives in different ways for a greater cause. However, almost more important were the students that had just graduated from different universities in São Paulo, especially students of Univeristy of São Paulo, who decided to go live in “favelas”(shanty towns) in São Paulo in the 70's and 80's to bring conscious and political formation to the impoverished people to fight against the evil and opressive military dictatorship installed in Brazil in 1964. These people were unknown, they were never in the newspapers. They dedicated themselves to a cause, they gave up their personal life for the good of a majority and in1985 the system fell apart. Thanks to people like the current president of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula Silva, and to the many unknown that fought (and many died) for a greater cause by living the question, they played a role of change in the whole of Brazil.
My involvement with politics was caused by my family's influence in the first place; politics is a big thing at my house, and so I was introduced to this world since I was small. My interest in politics grew with me and that voice inside a teenager's chest, that feeling that it is necessary to change came out through politics. It was very important in my life especially in that teenager phase where the self affirmation as a human being in the world is very important. So the politics experience showed me why I do not want to watch my life as a passive person, I want to take action, I want to contribute to my society. Two things were remarkable in my decision to fight for a better world. One was when I visited the settlements of a rural social movement in São Paulo, the experience showed me the other side of the story that the big media does not take into consideration, the struggle for agrarian reform in Brazil. The second one was to visit a “vertical homeless occupation” in São Paulo center, where this group, Movement of People Without Roofs” were living in this abandoned flat. It's one knowledge to read in books of this tragic situation, but to see with your own eyes hundreds of families living in deplorable conditions, living with the fear of being evicted from their new “homes”and the threat of “shock troops” (SWAT teams) invading and displacing them. But they still prefer to live there, that place they call their home, even with all the bad conditions. For them the fears are much better than not having a shelter at all. My role compared to them was easy, I was just participating in lectures about the movement, putting pressure on the government to avoid a confrontation between the people and shock troops because they have an order of evacuation. I could leave any time, I have my home, they don't. A person told me once that when they are forced out they are back to zero. This is a moment that you remember why you fight for a more fair world, this is so touching that you feel that you have to stand up and do something about it.
To live the question does not necessarily mean that you have to deal with “external” concerns but it can also be a very personal understanding that changes throughout time. I never truly liked religion. I often tried to skip the mass and usually I would fight with my mother because she would force me to attend the service. Before 15 years old I did not really have a reason for not going to the mass so I tried to change myself and be willing towards such things. After 15 years my involvement with politics and different ideas that I was exposed to made me look for an explanation to dislike the church. I just could not follow it anymore as my mind changed so the conflicts of ideas between church and personal formation grew. I see religion as an important thing for many people. I do respect that but my personal beliefs did not allow me to follow, especially the concepts about condom use, abortion and homosexuality. I could not diverge to a common point between the church and myself. As I see the church with a strong political power I had to leave because I could not agree to some terms. Another reason that drove me away is the unwillingness of the church to deal with a new historical and social scenery, refusing to reform old concepts such as the issue of homosexuality. And finally I started wondering why my religion is better than any other religion. I could not find an answer, so it was hard to disappoint my mother but I just could not see why I should go to church, it was hard to turn my back to such an important thing as religion in Brazil but it would be harder to stay in some place where there is an imposition of the ideas rather than an actual discussion. To live the question is not just about leaving the church, or partcipating in social movements or getting involved with politics. In general living the question for me is to try to be conscious of my world and always not be willing to accept anything as “absolute” truth, I am always trying to challenge myself and everything around me. By doing that I am no longer a passive member of the society, I am trying to be that “ agent of transformation”.
“At the present you need to live the question” -Rainer Maria Rilke. What does this mean to you?
To live the question is a way of thinking and an approach to the world. When I mean world I mean everything related to you, everything that is around you that is affected and shaped by different questions. I understand that to live the question is to embrace and to make a great effort to question your life. To be able to live the question the people should be willing to challenge themselves in different ways, where shocks of distinct worlds could happen, breaking of stereotypes may be necessary and contesting our own culture and background as well. “At the present” is attatched to living the question because the fight to make changes in the world is done in the present for a better future.
Living the question is not easy in the sense that we should not swallow any truth without knowing what it is made of. It's necessary to take a deep look at both sides (lucky we would be if it was always two sides but throughout life we learn that it is much more than white and black). I won't affirm that there is an absolute truth but I believe there is relative truth that is a more correct accurate undestanding of the question in that time and circumstance, but this is not a closed idea considering that it is subject to errors. Hence I do support that in order to live the question at the present we can not watch life as a spectator, instead we should be an agent of transformation. But not an imposer of concepts and ideas, rather a person that is able to challenge the questions of life with different approaches and a willingness to expose different perspectives of the situation.
I remember when I was small I used to think that you have to first build your life and only afterwards would you be able to change the world. But throughout my personal experience in community service and political activism I realized that we can make a difference now at the present with simple acts. We definitely need people of magnitude like Nelson Mandela, Rosa Parks and now probably Barack Obama, people who dedicated and sacrificed their lives in different ways for a greater cause. However, almost more important were the students that had just graduated from different universities in São Paulo, especially students of Univeristy of São Paulo, who decided to go live in “favelas”(shanty towns) in São Paulo in the 70's and 80's to bring conscious and political formation to the impoverished people to fight against the evil and opressive military dictatorship installed in Brazil in 1964. These people were unknown, they were never in the newspapers. They dedicated themselves to a cause, they gave up their personal life for the good of a majority and in1985 the system fell apart. Thanks to people like the current president of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula Silva, and to the many unknown that fought (and many died) for a greater cause by living the question, they played a role of change in the whole of Brazil.
My involvement with politics was caused by my family's influence in the first place; politics is a big thing at my house, and so I was introduced to this world since I was small. My interest in politics grew with me and that voice inside a teenager's chest, that feeling that it is necessary to change came out through politics. It was very important in my life especially in that teenager phase where the self affirmation as a human being in the world is very important. So the politics experience showed me why I do not want to watch my life as a passive person, I want to take action, I want to contribute to my society. Two things were remarkable in my decision to fight for a better world. One was when I visited the settlements of a rural social movement in São Paulo, the experience showed me the other side of the story that the big media does not take into consideration, the struggle for agrarian reform in Brazil. The second one was to visit a “vertical homeless occupation” in São Paulo center, where this group, Movement of People Without Roofs” were living in this abandoned flat. It's one knowledge to read in books of this tragic situation, but to see with your own eyes hundreds of families living in deplorable conditions, living with the fear of being evicted from their new “homes”and the threat of “shock troops” (SWAT teams) invading and displacing them. But they still prefer to live there, that place they call their home, even with all the bad conditions. For them the fears are much better than not having a shelter at all. My role compared to them was easy, I was just participating in lectures about the movement, putting pressure on the government to avoid a confrontation between the people and shock troops because they have an order of evacuation. I could leave any time, I have my home, they don't. A person told me once that when they are forced out they are back to zero. This is a moment that you remember why you fight for a more fair world, this is so touching that you feel that you have to stand up and do something about it.
To live the question does not necessarily mean that you have to deal with “external” concerns but it can also be a very personal understanding that changes throughout time. I never truly liked religion. I often tried to skip the mass and usually I would fight with my mother because she would force me to attend the service. Before 15 years old I did not really have a reason for not going to the mass so I tried to change myself and be willing towards such things. After 15 years my involvement with politics and different ideas that I was exposed to made me look for an explanation to dislike the church. I just could not follow it anymore as my mind changed so the conflicts of ideas between church and personal formation grew. I see religion as an important thing for many people. I do respect that but my personal beliefs did not allow me to follow, especially the concepts about condom use, abortion and homosexuality. I could not diverge to a common point between the church and myself. As I see the church with a strong political power I had to leave because I could not agree to some terms. Another reason that drove me away is the unwillingness of the church to deal with a new historical and social scenery, refusing to reform old concepts such as the issue of homosexuality. And finally I started wondering why my religion is better than any other religion. I could not find an answer, so it was hard to disappoint my mother but I just could not see why I should go to church, it was hard to turn my back to such an important thing as religion in Brazil but it would be harder to stay in some place where there is an imposition of the ideas rather than an actual discussion. To live the question is not just about leaving the church, or partcipating in social movements or getting involved with politics. In general living the question for me is to try to be conscious of my world and always not be willing to accept anything as “absolute” truth, I am always trying to challenge myself and everything around me. By doing that I am no longer a passive member of the society, I am trying to be that “ agent of transformation”.
Personal Statement
Essa faz parte da application(processo para adimissão) para as faculdades dos EUA.Esse é meu ensaio que fala do papel do trabalho no voluntário nessa experiência.
2-Discuss some issue of personal, local, national, or international concern and its importance to you.
I had the opportunity to belong to the HIV/AIDS community service at school. The service was based
on visiting Swazi public schools to discuss the subject - not solely HIV/AIDS but also sex, taboos,
sexuality and relationships, with the focus on prevention of HIV. The experience was remarkable for
me; it was one of the best things I have done during my UWC experience in Swaziland.
The experience was rich in different ways: just to see how many schools are in a deplorable condition
was one of those moments when you relate something you see in textbooks with reality. As simple as it
sounds I could see Swaziland was not going anywhere if the government couldn't look after something
as basic as education for its people.
Our supervisor used to say, we were not there to bring any kind of absolute truth. Our role was to give
teenagers an opportunity to talk- something that the majority could not do with their teachers and
parents due to their rather conservative society. I couldn't understand why HIV was barely talked about,
seeing as it is such a problematic concern.
The discussions revealed the breadth of Swazi culture, including an aspect that I found very sad: I feel
Swaziland is a very sexist society where the woman is always a "second class" citizen. Teenage girls
talk much less than the boys because they feel uncomfortable expressing themselves freely. One girl
told me that she had been sexually abused. This affected me greatly and I did not have an answer. What
makes it worse is that the girls blame themselves for provoking the men to behave like that. I could not
believe the girls felt this way. This is something that really makes us responsible for the world - another
human being should not be completely happy while things like that still happen.
The discussions also proved that the HIV rate in Swaziland is catastrophic. Many teenagers were HIV
positive or knew someone close who was. HIV is an international concern but I realized that even with
a small community service group like ours, we still could make a difference. In the same way that we
are part of the problem, we also can be part of the solution. It was very satisfactory to hear feedback
from the students: things like "my father did the test", or "from now on I am using a condom". It is a
fulfilling feeling and you feel you can matter to the world. It's as if you decide in your life that you
have a role in the world, I really felt I could matter. And it doesn't matter how small our role is, what
does matter is that the goals in your life are now not only for you, they are also for a community, a
society. I felt I was part of a change, something done by my work and by my peers was a valid help in
the long fight against HIV/AIDS in Swaziland.
I remember when I was small I used to think that you have to first build your life and only afterwards
would you be able to change the world. But this community service helped to prove that it's not
necessary to wait in order to really make changes. For sure the experience changes you in many ways.
It makes you think about what kind of world you want for you and for other people. The HIV/AIDS
also made me more caring, more sensitive in the way I think, always I want to think of how my actions
will affect other people. I don´t think I am going to ever forget what I felt when the girl told me she was
raped. It's something that gets stuck in your heart, makes you wake up to life, it takes you to a change
whether you like it or not. I knew that something inside me was different. It's a feeling that you will
carry with you througout your life and it tells you why you don't want to get through your life as a
spectator, you don´t want to just watch anymore, you want to take action, you will look for that feeling
that you did something to make a change . For sure it won't always be succeseful but at night when I
rest I will open a smile because you are not passive to things around you anymore, now you are active,
you realized that you are also responsible for things around,you want to be part of the change.
2-Discuss some issue of personal, local, national, or international concern and its importance to you.
I had the opportunity to belong to the HIV/AIDS community service at school. The service was based
on visiting Swazi public schools to discuss the subject - not solely HIV/AIDS but also sex, taboos,
sexuality and relationships, with the focus on prevention of HIV. The experience was remarkable for
me; it was one of the best things I have done during my UWC experience in Swaziland.
The experience was rich in different ways: just to see how many schools are in a deplorable condition
was one of those moments when you relate something you see in textbooks with reality. As simple as it
sounds I could see Swaziland was not going anywhere if the government couldn't look after something
as basic as education for its people.
Our supervisor used to say, we were not there to bring any kind of absolute truth. Our role was to give
teenagers an opportunity to talk- something that the majority could not do with their teachers and
parents due to their rather conservative society. I couldn't understand why HIV was barely talked about,
seeing as it is such a problematic concern.
The discussions revealed the breadth of Swazi culture, including an aspect that I found very sad: I feel
Swaziland is a very sexist society where the woman is always a "second class" citizen. Teenage girls
talk much less than the boys because they feel uncomfortable expressing themselves freely. One girl
told me that she had been sexually abused. This affected me greatly and I did not have an answer. What
makes it worse is that the girls blame themselves for provoking the men to behave like that. I could not
believe the girls felt this way. This is something that really makes us responsible for the world - another
human being should not be completely happy while things like that still happen.
The discussions also proved that the HIV rate in Swaziland is catastrophic. Many teenagers were HIV
positive or knew someone close who was. HIV is an international concern but I realized that even with
a small community service group like ours, we still could make a difference. In the same way that we
are part of the problem, we also can be part of the solution. It was very satisfactory to hear feedback
from the students: things like "my father did the test", or "from now on I am using a condom". It is a
fulfilling feeling and you feel you can matter to the world. It's as if you decide in your life that you
have a role in the world, I really felt I could matter. And it doesn't matter how small our role is, what
does matter is that the goals in your life are now not only for you, they are also for a community, a
society. I felt I was part of a change, something done by my work and by my peers was a valid help in
the long fight against HIV/AIDS in Swaziland.
I remember when I was small I used to think that you have to first build your life and only afterwards
would you be able to change the world. But this community service helped to prove that it's not
necessary to wait in order to really make changes. For sure the experience changes you in many ways.
It makes you think about what kind of world you want for you and for other people. The HIV/AIDS
also made me more caring, more sensitive in the way I think, always I want to think of how my actions
will affect other people. I don´t think I am going to ever forget what I felt when the girl told me she was
raped. It's something that gets stuck in your heart, makes you wake up to life, it takes you to a change
whether you like it or not. I knew that something inside me was different. It's a feeling that you will
carry with you througout your life and it tells you why you don't want to get through your life as a
spectator, you don´t want to just watch anymore, you want to take action, you will look for that feeling
that you did something to make a change . For sure it won't always be succeseful but at night when I
rest I will open a smile because you are not passive to things around you anymore, now you are active,
you realized that you are also responsible for things around,you want to be part of the change.
Assinar:
Postagens (Atom)
