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.