O que a Baiana tem?

What's so special about Bahia? Where does this energy called axé come from? What is it that the bahians have that make them so attractive, so intriguing?

I think it may have something to do with this beautiful video by singer Mariene de Castro. Is it the water, the religion?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YGpodXmqpSc

Axe: Rachel

Language For Dummies

Living in another country and learning a new language at 20 years old is not easy. Even after 6 months of studying abroad and 4 months (now) working, I still feel frustrated when I can't express myself adequately in Portuguese and make stupid mistakes instigating laughter by native speakers. I know that many people experience this as well however, no one's been successfully able present the complications of living and learning a new language as well as David Sedaris. Let me just add that David is one of my favorite authors and I was ecstatic and hysterical to read his dead on interpretation of the fear and embarrassment you subject yourself to when one decides to live outside the US and learn a new language.

" My fear and discomfort crept beyond the borders of the (french language) classroom and accompanied me out onto the wide boulevards. Stopping for coffee, asking directions, depositing money in my bank account: these things were out of question, as they involved having to speak. Before beginning [french classes], there'd been no shutting me up but now I was convinced that everything I said was wrong. When the phone rang, I ignored it. If someone asked me a question, I pretended to be deaf. I knew my fear was getting to best of me when I started wondering why they don't sell cuts of meat in vending machines.
My only comfort was the knowledge that I was not alone. Huddled in the hallways and making the most of our pathetic french, my fellow students and I engaged in the sort of conversation commonly overheard in refugee camps.
"Sometime me cry alone at night."
"That be common for I, also, but be more strong, you. Much more work and someday you talk pretty. People start love you soon. Maybe tomorrow, okay."
...Over time it became impossible to believe that any of us would improve...It was mid-October when the teacher singled me out, saying "Everyday spent with you is like having a cesarean section." And it struck me that, for the first time since arriving in France, I could understand every word that someone was saying.
Understanding doesn't mean that you can suddenly speak the language. Far from it. It's a small step, nothing more, yet its rewards are intoxicating and deceptive. The teacher continued her diatribe and I settled back, bathing in the subtle beauty of each new curse and insult.
"You exhaust me with your foolishness and reward my efforts with nothing but pain, do you understand me?"
The world opened up, and it was with great joy that I responded, "I know the thing that you speak exact now. Talk me more, you, plus, please, plus.""

-Davis Sedaris Me Talk Pretty One Day

Axe: Rachel

PIcture Update

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Home Sweet Hooters

I dislike feeling at home when I am abroad. ~George Bernard Shaw

On my last night in Brasilia, my boss and I decided to go out for dinner and see the real Brasilia. Unfortunately, our only native Brazilian from Brasilia contact was busy teaching a law course at the local college. So, unsure of where to go, we asked the reception desk of our hotel where they would recommend.

"We're looking for something local, typical food from Brasilia, maybe with live music." I said in my best, brazilian sounding portuguese. "You know", I added, "where the povão go on a friday night."

I had used the word "povão"specifically to imply the local, regular ole, brasilia natives and as soon as those words left my mouth the receptionist's face lit up.

"Oh, you have to go to Peir 21." he said. "It has a great view and that's where everyone goes on friday nights."

Just to be sure, my boss looked over at the other receptionist busy typing at her computer and with a lifted eyebrow asked, "Would you also recommend Peir 21?"

"Oh yeah. It's got music and a great veiw. You're gonna love it!"

"Are you sure?"

"Com Certeza! Absolutely", she said nodding vigorously.

So, we called a taxi in our trendy bermuda shorts and strappy brazilian style sandals, my bosses daughter, dominique, sleeping in her carseat/carriage and headed to Peir 21. After 10 minutes on the highway, we could see the neon lights.

"Is that where we're going?"

"It can't be!", we whispered to each other.

But sure enough, our driver pulled up to a huge, brightly lit, partly outdoors mall, with a blazing red sign indicating that TGIF and [Something] Steakhouse were among our choices of dinner options.

"I can't believe it", I said.

"I can." answered my boss.

Trying to make the best of it, we decided to wander around the mall, looking for the small restaurant with brazilian food and the povão that our receptionist must have been referring to, but instead we found haggen daz, chocolate chip cookies for 5 reais each and in the back of the mall, overlooking the water a sign saying Coming Soon: HOOTERS!!!

"Oh god, I think I'm gonna be sick."I said.

"Hooters?! Hooters?! In the capital of Brazil?", she exclaimed.

"It doesn't even make sense", I said "since men here are all about the butt, not the breasts. And besides, no one here has even heard of buffalo wings."

"Well maybe they'll brazil-ify it and make the waitresses wear brazilian-cut, orange, underwear." She answered. To which we both laughed even though disgust and disappointment was written all over our faces.

"And the worst part is", she said as I read the rest of her thought at the same time, "that this is exactly were the povão and most brazilians want to go on a friday night."

www.hootersbrasil.com.br

Sigh.

Hooters is the trade name of two privately held American restaurant chains. There are now more than 435 Hooters restaurants in 46 U.S. states and 22 other countries, including Brazil, Canada, the United Kingdom, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru, Chile, Australia, Panama, Costa Rica, China, South Korea, Greece,Venezuela, Switzerland, and Singapore — its first overseas location to open. Hooters plans to open its first branch in Israel in the summer of 2007, and in Dubai later this year.

Axe: Rachel

Black Semba

I just wanted to share with ya'll one of my new favorite singers & sounds in Salvador right now: Margary, Black Semba. "Black Semba" is like a mix of Samba with soul, konpa, R&B, some stuff sounds like straight up Haitian music... I dunno; Its just dope!

Check out the myspace page, listen to the cd and let me know what u think!

http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=400597241


On the 26th, he's gonna be filming the music video for his song "Sabado Noite" (Saturday Night) and hopefully I'll be there, rockin my fro bigger -n- badder than ever and trying get my 15 minutes of fame in. LOL.

Axe: Rachel

Ba(rock) the White House!

My host sister, Christina Carney (Shout-out!) asked me a good question in my last posting of that Obama propaganda. She asked what Salvador's reaction was to the election.

Since well before the election, there seemed to be overwhelming support for Obama. Of course , it is note-worthy that a lot of the pro-Obama sentiment had nothing to do with Obama and more to do with Brazilians' profound hate for Bush and his war.

One of the most interesting things I saw was about a month before the election, these ads popped up all over the place, at the malls (Shopping Barra) and at bus stops of Obama and the phrase "O Poder Mudou", "The Power Has Shifted". Initially, the ads had no name or person affiliated with them but after about a week up, with people buzzing about the ads, the ad turned into the fake front page of a newspaper here called Correios whose new slogan is all about change (since they recently revamped the paper).

Since Obama's won, I've passed many people on the street talking about the election and Obama and its been mostly good. I wont lie though, I've always said that black people are their own worst critics and racists and there are plenty of people here who are definitely hating. One old -crazy- black man on the street said to me, "Who cares. Bush, Obama, same thing! We're still all gonna die from the crisis." Hater.

One thing Ive said to many people here, and they all seem to agree, is that Obama is not a miracle worker. In reality, he may not be able to change that much, however for all the black boys and girls, men and women in England, Peru, Somalia, Ghana, the US, Brazil... everywhere, who feel under appreciated, weak, unimportant, invaluable because of they are black, this is a great victory. For the media who loves to propagate stereotypes of us as gangsters, ignorant hustlers, maids, not-as-beautiful, always the sidekick, never the star, Obama's confident, articulate, intelligent, fine ass is something the media cannot deny nor ignore. He's like two scoops of (foine!) chocolate with the nuts. Gostosooooooo.

And on that note, I'm finally as proud to be American, as I am to be Haitian.

God Bless the first and only country self-liberated from slavery. The True Quilombo Country.
&

God Bless the Country where opportunities and change are not just dreams but a reality.

Deus abençoa Obama!

Axe: Rachel

Enjoy This!

Ive been trying to get some cohesive thoughts together about how happy I am about our President Elect Obama. However, until I get it together enough to write a lil sumtin sumthin, enjoy this. I read this and snorted pineapple juice out my nose!

On the Planet of Brasilia

So as you can see from the photos, I went to Brasilia last week on a business trip. My boss was invited to attend a American- Brazilian partnership conference to discuss the anti-racism proposal that Condeleeza Rice proposed and signed in Salvador back in March. I tagged along to sit in on some of the meeting and also to be a au pair (sounds better than babysitter) for my bosses 6 month old beauty, Dominique.

Brasilia, by the way, is the capital of Brazil and if you want to know more about its interesting history, Wikipedia it. Look, Ill even make it easy for you. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brasilia

If you didn't wikipedia it, (you lazy mess) Brasilia is known for 2 things: architecture and government. Since I live in beachy, Salvador, Bahia, afro epicenter of the Americas, vibrant with dance, art, and music, my excitement for seeing Brasilia, which is smack dab in the center of Brazil, was fairly low. However I did have a good weekend there. Why?

Well first, I had forgotten about how nice cable television is and I got to watch Gilmore Girls and Project Runway in my hotel room. (Amazing) Second, I met some very interesting people at this conference against racism including the director of the Schomburg Museum in NY. Third, and possibly most importantly, Brasilia looks like a city built by someone who was high onShrooms and dreaming about floating through outer space! It's friggin crazy! The pictures explain it all. In Brasilia, there are no hills just flat open space and funny shaped buildings. I think I saw Marvin the Martian chilling in the Brasilia National Museum. And Last but not least, I enjoyed being in Brasilia because there's no better way to remember how great a place is than to leave it for a little bit. And Salvador is indisputably amazing!

Scrapbooking Brasilia photos