An Olympic State of Mind

Inspire a Generation. That is the motto that the 2012 Summer Olympic Games adopted. The Ancient Olympic Games began almost 2,800 years ago. Although the purpose of the games was not necessarily to bring about peace and unity, but rather to honor Zeus, every four years, when the Olympics would take place, an "Olympic Truce" would go into effect so that the athletes from the different city-states of Greece could safely travel to and from Olympia. As such, the Ancient Olympic Games effectively brought a brief period of peace once every four years. Unfortunately, the modern Olympic games do not enact an "Olympic Truce". Obviously, this isn't a very realistic goal, as the world today is very different than Ancient Greece was thousands of years ago. Nonetheless, it disgusts me to turn on the news during the Olympics and watch as Michael Phelps and Usain Bolt take a back seat to a suicide bombing in Yemen, a devastatingly bloody civil war in Syria, and a case of domestic terrorism based out of intolerance and hatred in our own backyard -- leaving seven dead in a Sikh gurdwara outside of Milwaukee -- as well as countless other unnecessary acts of malice. Within the Olympics themselves, several athletes have been ejected due to racism, and the IOC continus to cower in the Arab world's powerful shadow, yet again refusing a memorial to commemorate the Munich 11. That's not to say that there hasn't been any progress made -- these Olympics were the first to see a Saudi female compete, quite the feat in and of itself. Regardless, the sharp juxtaposition of the previously mentioned atrocities, most of which were (and are) based out of unfounded bigotry, against the backdrop of an Olympic games meant to "inspire a generation" is reminiscent of the 1972 "Happy Games". Interestingly, the Ancient Olympic Games, along with the "Olympic Truce", were brought to an end in the fourth or fifth century as part of a forceful attempt to impose Christianity as the official Greek religion.

On a lighter note, I will fill you in on my personal observations of a second consecutive Summer Olympics from abroad (I was in Panama during the 2008 Games). During the 2008 Games, while I was in Panama, the village of San Cristobal rallied around long jumper Irving Saladino, one of only five athletes representing Panama at the Games. Many saw him as the country's first realistic hope at winning a gold medal, which he did in fact achieve. (He didn't qualify for the final this year, failing to record a legal jump.) Here in Brazil, however, the majority of people seem to be relatively indifferent regarding the Olympics, even when it comes to their beloved boys in Green and Yellow. 258 competitors represent Brazil in 24 sports, yet the only real interest I have observed has come from some of the volleyball-playing women in my office at work, who follow the women's volleyball team (we had a fun time listening to the USA beat them 3-1 last week during work). There was also some buzz about 50 meter freestyle swimmer César Cielo who was a heavy favorite to win the gold, but choked his way to a bronze, and Thiago Pereira, who was in 2nd place behind Phelps in the 200 meter medley going into the last 50 meters, but ended up falling from the podium as Phelps and Lochte went 1-2. Everyone in my office noted that "his arms clearly fell off" before the last 50 meters. Another funny observation was the inability for Brazilian sports announcers on SporTV to learn how to pronounce Natalie Cook's last name (apparently her Brazilian name is Natalie "Cookie"). The last bit of comedy that followed the Olympics once again comes from Marcio's wonderful sense of humor. When comparing medal counts last week -- the USA had 30-some at that time, 10 times more than Brazil's three -- Marcio noted that Americans were simply gluttonous; Brazil was content with it's three -- one gold, one silver, and one bronze. "After all," he noted, "isn't one of each enough? We want to share with the rest of the countries!"

Nobody really knows...

Leaving the topic of the Olympics, this weekend again proved to be a successful one with the crew of Far, Far Away. Dave and I spent Thursday and Friday nights just hanging out with Tom, Ulf, and Alex, listening to music, grilling burgers and chicken, and sipping Skol and Tom's assortment of magical piña coladas. Friday night got a little bit out of hand, and Tom somehow ended up in the water, trying to stay afloat in what some might classify as a boat, and others as an anchor. Saturday became a long day of sitting by the pool drinking "Mangria", a wonderful (and dangerous) concoction created by Ulf consisting of wine, brandy, triple sec, and fresh fruit. There was some sort of pool party going on with a famous Brazilian band and some famous (and, needless to say, very attractive) Brazilian television stars, so that provided our entertainment for the day. Saturday night, Dave and I ended up going out for dinner and a night out with the crew -- a choice that neither Dave nor I regret, or will soon forget (or entirely remember). We'll just chalk it up as yet another Brazilian "learning experience". Today, Sunday, was just a lazy day watching the Olympics, soaking up some sun, and recovering from the weekend. After all, I have to be ready for my last week here. Até a próxima vez (until next time), tchau!

Stranded at Third

As I lie in my bed, slightly intoxicated after a day of piña coladas, beer, and hamburgers with the crew of Far, Far Away, and vibing to some good American folk music ("Janglin" by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros -- I strongly suggest a five minute break from your day to listen), I have a chance to sit and reflect, holistically, on my experience this summer. I am heading into week 11 of 12, and the 73 days I have spent here have provided me with much to reflect upon. I have met unique people, seen unique sites, eaten unique foods, and experienced unique experiences. I have learned basic rules to running a company as well as mistakes to avoid, I have learned a new language and about a new culture, I have learned about relationships and friendships, I have learned about trust and abusing trust and, most importantly, I have learned about myself. I realize that it is somewhat conceited to write about myself, but this is a blog, and isn't that the point? A random aside: The other day I was thinking about it, and aren't blogs, Twitter, Facebook, etc. just the socially-acceptable forms of egomania that today's society thrives on?  Yet, as I near 2,000 pageviews, it is clear that people do indeed want to read about my summer... And being over 4,000 miles away from home, that is a comforting, albeit narcissistic, thought -- coincidentally, iTunes has now moved on to "Home" by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros. So I write...

Marcio, showing off his sense of
style, wearing Naiara's shades.

I frequently question my decision to come here this summer. I had a better-paying, and more relevant, alternative internship set up back in Michigan. However, I turned that down for, what I figured would be, an experience of a lifetime. Luckily, I got what I was hoping for -- for better or worse, this experience has certainly been once-in-a-lifetime. I have met so many interesting people, some I hope to someday see again, and some I hope to quickly forget. I am grateful that one of my roommates/workmates/lifemates (we are essentially living together), David Rood (author of this wonderful blog), will be coming back to the University of Michigan next year to study law, and I hope that we will continue our friendship. My boss, Marcio Ruiz Maya, is another individual that I hope I am able to stay in contact with after my time here ends. Marcio is likely the sole reason I survived my foreign internship at INACE. His sense of humor and compassion make him very easy to get along with, and his unique and quirky personality will be missed. The majority of my Portuguese knowledge comes from his teachings (I have reciprocated by helping him in his English courses), and we have learned a lot about each others' cultures from one-another. An example of his sense of humor is as follows:

Marcio, pointing out some
piping on board our ship.

Last fall, Marcio visited Philadelphia for a conference. It was his first and, thus far, only visit to the U.S. He frequently tells me that during his time in Philadelphia, he never witnessed a "white person" working. According to his observations, "only blacks, Mexicans, and Arabs work in America", and he repeatedly reminds me of this. One day last week, he observed me listening to music while working, and told me that I was a "matador" -- or (directly translated) "slayer". He oftentimes pokes fun at company workers, telling them that they "matar tempo" -- "kill time" -- and thus are "matadors". Later that day, he asked me where I was from, as he never can remember. I reminded him that I am from Madison, Wisconsin. He looked it up on Google Images, and, not surprisingly, found many images of last year's Scott Walker protests. He told me, "I see that everyone where you are from is a 'matador', I understand now. I told you that white people don't work in America! And now, I see that it is not your fault that you are a matador." As I explained to him that the protests revolved around Gov. Scott Walker (keep in mind that, here, people cannot pronounce the hard "t" sound, and pronounce it as a "tch" -- ie. Matt = Match), he quickly pointed out, "No wonder everyone is a 'matador' in Wisconsin. Who would want to work for "Scotch" Walker, cousin of Johnnie Walker? He must always be drunk..."

While this example can likely only be fully appreciated in person and after having worked for two-plus months with Marcio, I still felt that it was a fun example of his sense of humor.

Being 4,000+ miles away from friends and family for an extended period of time, especially at an internship that I have not particularly enjoyed, has been a struggle. It has lent me much time to think about how much I miss my friends, my brother, my sister, and my parents (as well as the rest of my family in Wisconsin and in the U.S.). I have had plenty of time to think about my goals in life, about what is really important to me, about what I value most in my friends, and about what unnecessary frills I can (and should) consider trimming. For me, as a student at an out-of-state university, the summer is a cherished time of year, when I am able to reconnect with high-school and childhood friends, and spend time with my family, who I do not often get to see during the school year. While I am sad that I have not been able to use this summer to do these things, I do not regret my decision to take this internship. After all, there will be more summers, and this was a "once-in-a-lifetime" opportunity. I will still have plenty of time to spend with my family. There will be more backpacking trips and roadtrips with my friends. I will have more opportunities to go golfing with my cousin and grandma. However, I do not think that I would ever have the opportunity to spend a summer working in Brazil again.

By the way, I battled my way out of the pickle and slid safely into third. Unfortunately, the next batter popped out, and I was stranded there. Just goes to show that sometimes you can't rely on your teammates to help you out. Gain the extra muscle and hit the home run next time. Luckily for me, I will be advancing home within the next couple weeks, anyways.

Stuck in a Pickle Between Second and Third

Sorry about the gap in the blog everyone! It’s been a busy past month. But due to multiple requests, I will do my best to keep it up-to-date for the rest of the summer.

I’m not sure if it is because of the current MLB All-Star break, or because we taught our friend how to play the American baseball-like game "pickle" at the beach the other week, or if it’s simply a symptom of withdrawal from watching baseball and the American culture as a whole, but recently I have been thinking about our 12-week Brazilian stint in terms of a baseball analogy. I began my time here stumbling out of the batter’s box (obviously after blasting a fastball into the 420’ Fenway Park center field “Bermuda Triangle”), trying to learn the ins and outs of the Brazilian culture, my way around Fortaleza, and the Portuguese language. By halfway through week number four (my last blog post), I was rounding first and heading to second, thinking triple. I was all systems go, adrenaline pumping, trying new things and visiting new places. The language began to come more naturally, I was learning slang and conversational bits, and I am now actually able to carry conversations and make friends with people who, a month ago, I couldn’t speak more than a couple of sentences with. As I prepared to round second two weeks ago, I glanced at the third base coach, who was waving me around to third. I looked forward to arriving safely at third. I knew more excitement was ahead of me during the next 90 feet: beautiful beaches such as Canoa Quebrada and Jericoacoara, a Ceará futebol game at Estádio Presidente Vargas, and a 4^th of July celebration -- Brazilian style. However, all this thinking ahead made me lose focus and I tripped over second base as I was rounding. I regained balance, but now, heading into week eight, I find myself caught in a pickle halfway between second and third. I am still enjoying my summer here, but due to some events back home, as well as just being away from home for an extended period of time and the knowledge that I will only be home for a few days when I get back before departing for Ann Arbor, I have found myself a bit homesick. Furthermore, last weekend and into early last week, I had some sort of bug that gave me a fever and kept me from doing much (Quela and Megan, if you’re reading this, you knew this part was coming). Anyways, as I attempt to advance to third base, I will summarize my past four weeks for you…

Churrascaria Gheller – A churrascaria is a Brazilian rodízio style steakhouse, at which one pays a fixed price for entry, and in turn receives access to an all-you-can-eat salad bar and assortment of meats. We left stuffed and thirsty -- water at restaurants in Brazil is not free (everyone drinks bottled water because the pipes are “bad”) and the majority of the meats were heavily salted.

Viagra Day and Açaí – Not what it sounds. Praia do Futuro has become our local beach of choice, and learning to surf our activity of choice. Ben and I deemed our third such trip “Viagra Day”, as we were going to “get up” and catch a wave on our surfboards, regardless of what it took. We both proved successful, each catching multiple of the monstrous ten-or-so foot waves that crashed down on us. After tiring ourselves out at the beach, we like to recharge with Açaí -- a smoothie made of blended acai berries and banana, topped with granola and chocolate.

Hanging out at Naiara's apartment.

Naiara’s Apartment and Real Lanches – We have become regulars at a cheap, local restaurant called Real Lanches (“Real Snacks”). It’s a small restaurant that serves a variety of styles of hamburgers. While they don’t stack up to the Nitty Gritty or Blimpy Burger, they are as close to American food as we can find in Fortaleza, and we have enjoyed them on multiple occasions (including the 4^th of July, or “Liberation Day” as David called it -- he attempted to “liberate” Brazil by telling everyone that they were now American and that they were liberated and free to do as they chose, but he found a bit of resistance). Real Lanches is only a block or two from Naiara’s apartment, so we always go there and hang out and watch a movie afterward (Naiara and her sister, Virginia, both speak fluent English, so we are able to enjoy movies in English). Last time we were there, David and I made guacamole and introduced it to them.

A view down Yury's street.

Traditional forró attire.

Yury’s House and Forró Competition – Over the past month we have also visited Yury’s house a few times. It is interesting to see what a Brazilian city’s “suburban” neighborhood looks like. I enjoy the familial feel that accompanies the neighborhood, as most of the neighbors seem to know each other, and everyone hangs out in their front-porch area. This feel reminded me a little bit of San Cristobál, the neighborhood I lived in when I was in Panama four years ago. One night while we were at Yury’s house, there was a local Forró competition. It was very interesting to see the entire neighborhood come together in its center for a festival and watch the competition.

The crew at Boteco Praia.

An intro to Jäger.

Bars and Clubs – We have visited various bars and clubs over the past month. Boteco Praia (“Beach Pub”) is a nice bar/restaurant along Beira Mar. We had a fun time going there with Felipe and meeting some friends of his. Also with Felipe, we went to Fahir, a bar/club, where we heard a Red Hot Chili Peppers cover band perform. While they were far from the actual RHCP, it was nice to hear some classic American music. I went with Naiara and some of her friends to a friend’s graduation party at Barril 85 (“Keg 85”) where I introduced her to Jäger. Interestingly, Jäger is not found in most bars here. In fact, it is only found (legally) in Orbita Bar, which I spoke about in a previous post. I am not sure why it is so restricted here, but I found this interesting.

Ceará Futebol – A couple of weekends ago, we went with Felipe to Estádio Presidente Vargas to take in a professional Brazilian soccer match. Despite having a capacity one-fifth of that of the Big House, the atmosphere rivaled that of (and maybe even surpassed) any American stadium that I have ever been to. Ceará pulled off a 1-0 upset in an exciting fashion that featured a first-half goal, and a last minute penalty kick save by Ceará’s goalie, who is said to be one of Brazil’s finest.

Canoa Quebrada – Last weekend we went to a beach town a couple of hours away called Canoa Quebrada (“Broken Canoe”). We spent the day relaxing, swimming, and exploring the interesting red sandstone formations that lined the beach. It was a refreshing, and much needed, escape from the concrete of Fortaleza.

Work – Lately, I have been working on the tubulação (“piping”) for a 7,200 horsepower, 350 ton, 50 meter Fast Supply Vessel. There are 20 or so different piping systems, and I am verifying what has already been completed, and working on a report to summarize what must still be purchased and completed. It is very interesting to see how all of the systems interact, and I enjoy watching as the boat comes together (this particular boat is fairly close to completion).

 

Anyhow, that more or less summarizes my trip from first base to where I am right now. I assume that I will make it out of this pickle and on to third base soon. But until then, tchau! Don't forget, you can see all of my pictures here!

YOLO - Você Só Vive Uma Vez

Ben, David, and me cheers-ing to our
first round of caipirinha.

"YOLO" has become our de facto trip motto. After talking to some of our friends here about the phrase, we found that You Only Live Once translates to "Você Só Vive Uma Vez". Unfortunately, VSVUV doesn't roll off of the tongue the same way that YOLO does...

Last Friday marked the birthday of a friend that I work with, Naiara. After dinner we met her and a bunch of her friends at an Italian restaurant downtown. After drinking our fill of Brazilian cerveja (beer) and caipirinha (a national cocktail made with limes, cachaça -- Brazilian sugar cane rum -- and raw sugar) and eating some delicious cake made by Naiara's sister, we packed seven of us into one small car and headed off to Mucuripe Club, conveniently located next to our hotel. We were warned that Friday night was "Funk Night", and that the music wouldn't be very good. David, Ben, and myself decided to go anyways, as we all thought that we liked "Funk Music". We quickly discovered that Earth, Wind, & Fire and The Roots don't constitute funk in Brazil, unfortunately. Rather, "Funk Music" consists of a vocally incompetent MC doing his best to create some semblance of flow on a stage in front of a desperately optimistic crowd, still managing to dance to nonexistent beats. Luckily, Mucuripe is a large club and has multiple stages and rooms with different DJ's, etc. We found our way to a slightly better room called Burn, where we found some fun mixes of American hip-hop and pop with Brazilian rap. It must have been somewhat fun, as Ben and David didn't leave til about 3:30 AM, and I stuck around til about 5 AM. After walking the short five-minute walk down the block back to our hotel, I fell asleep within seconds. This was for the best, as our alarms were set for 6:30 AM -- YOLO.

After an hour and a half night's sleep, we woke up, threw on our bathing suits, grabbed a quick breakfast, and met Yury to head to Praia do Futuro (Beach of the Future) for our first time. We had a lot to look forward to -- learning to surf, R$4 (USD$2) crabs, fresh shrimp, and more. After taking a quick dip in the Atlantic (our first of many, not counting mine and Ben's Flugtag jump), we set off to rent some surfboards. For only about USD$8, we were able to rent boards for an hour and a half. This served to be more than enough time to get tossed around like ragdolls, bruised, cut up, and thoroughly exhausted by the fierce Atlantic currents, 20+ mph winds, and massive swells. Catching a wave would have to wait for another day. After this tiring experience, the only things that could reinvigorate us were cheap crabs and electrolyte-packed agua de coco (coconut water) served in chilled and freshly drilled coconuts. After fully recovering, we headed back to the hotel, making a, what should have been simple, detour to a store to pick up some cerveja and laundry detergent. While waiting at the bus stop after checking out, we learned an important lesson the easy way... A 20-something-year-old male ran behind us, grabbing at David's necklace along the way. He never stopped running at a dead sprint and, luckily, David's necklace harmlessly snapped and fell safely into his t-shirt. Obviously, we won't be wearing any jewelry out again. A frightening wake-up call, this experience luckily ended up being nothing more than just that. David's necklace will need a minor repair upon return to the USA, but there was no harm done, and nothing was lost. We could have been pissed off and refused to leave the premises of our safe hotel again, but instead we just looked at this as a learning experience. We were ok with the fact that we were pushing the boundaries, and not just living completely in our comfort zone. That is the only way to fully experience a new culture -- YOLO.

Sunburnt and still sore from our previous day's activities, Sunday became laundry day. Our hotel room was quickly transformed from a place of rest to a laundromat. Our bathtub became our washing machine, and our closet and windows and floor became our dryers. Sunday night we headed to Beira Mar, a popular tourist and local hangout at which we were bceoming somewhat of regulars. Beira Mar translates to seaside, and is basically a long strip of hotels and restaurants that are along a beach. Fortaleza doesn't have open-container laws, so it is easy to bring some beers with, or buy them there for about USD$2 each and just walk down the street and talk and have a good time. Ben typically brings his longboard, and we have a lot of fun just messing around with that. We

Out on a pier at Beira Mar, Fortaleza
lighting up the background.

usually make our way out onto a bunch of rocks jutting out a few hundred yards into the ocean, walking along a pier to get there. There are typically a bunch of young adults and teenagers just hanging out listening to music, drinking, talking, etc. On our last visit, we actually began talking to some 18-year-olds who turned out to be part of a gang in Fortaleza, and they told us about their lives. They had some very interesting experiences and opinions. Once again, pushing our comfort zones and meeting new people led to learning some very interesting cultural differences -- YOLO.

David relaxing out on sea
trials for Far, Far Away.

This past work week was also a very exciting week. We got the opportunity to go on two sea trials -- where they do open water testing on the boats -- on a passenger carrier for Petrobras and a private yacht. Sea trials, for us, serves as a nice excuse to get out on the water and just listen to some music, talk, and relax. I also began work on a new project, trying to figure out why inconsistencies exist in the amounts of materials purchased for a couple of supposedly-identical tugboats. Wednesday also marked my official rite of passage into the Brazilian culture: I scored my first futebol (soccer) goal of the summer. It was a scrappy goal, but a clutch one nonetheless, tying our game with only a minute left. Thursday was Corpus Christi -- a holiday that we have yet to really figure out the meaning of, besides the fact that everyone takes a day off of work. Ben and I woke upearly and joined Yury in an adventure to Sabiaguaba -- an interesting stretch of beach that lies next to a huge collection of sand dunes and between a lake and the Atlantic. We went with the intention of learning how to sandboard but,

Ben and I jumping off the dunes
at Sabiaguaba.

much to our dismay, the owners of the rental shop were MIA. We were able to have fun anyways, running up and down the dune and seeing how far off of it we could jump. After completely tiring out our calves and quads on the dunes, we made our way to the beach portion of Sabiaguaba. This served to be a unique experience as well, as the

Enjoying our Corpus Christi.

interaction between the lake and the ocean created an extremely strong current that you could lie in and be pulled out toward the ocean. Once you got pulled close enough to the ocean, you could swim out of the current, walk back "upstream" and hop back into the water and ride it again. After we had spent a few hours just hanging out at the beach, Ben, Yury, and I returned to the hotel. Ben, David, and I passed the rest of our holiday the only way that we found fit -- sitting by the pool, drinking some cervejas, and chatting it up and having a good time (full of noodle turbans, agua de coco sem gas, Steve Irwin impersonations, and a beer pyramid) -- YOLO.

Overall it was a great weekend and week. All we had to do was remind ourselves of one thing -- YOLO.

"Unreal..."

Unreal. If I had to describe the first full week that we spent here using only one word, that word would be "unreal". I am fairly certain that both Ben and David would concur. I cannot count the number of times that we have stopped what we are doing, looked around at our stunning surroundings, and said to each other, "Can you believe that we are here? This is unreal." To fully understand why this comes up so often, you must understand the details of our weekend. Even then, I am not an efficient nor eloquent enough writer to fully paint the picture of our experience. Our first weekend here was jam-packed with experiences, each one different from its predecessors...

From left to right, Ben, Yury,
and David.

Friday, as the workers lined up at 4:59 PM, eagerly awaiting the final "clock-out" of the week, Ben, David, and I discussed our weekend plans. After a quick dip in the pool and shower to rinse off the grime from the work-week in the shipyard, we met up with our new friend, Yury. Yury is a 23-year-old Brazilian who works at the reception desk of our hotel. He has previously worked on various cruise ships as a bellboy, and, as such, can fluently speak a plethora of languages, including English. He's our go-to guy when it comes to questions regarding just about anything: language, slang, culture, etc. Anyways, he showed us around some of the more "middle-class" areas of Fortaleza, safe areas that we wouldn't have traveled to ourselves nonetheless. We went to a Chinese/Japanese restaurant for dinner (it made Panda Express seem like a delicacy) and enjoyed our time spent just walking around. After dinner, Ben, David, and I went to Órbita, a bar/club, with Felipe, one of Flavio's cousins who I had met at their grandmother's party. We were quite surprised, and skeptical, when we learned that we would be seeing a Beatles cover band. However, the band turned out to be incredible. They got everything right, from the vocal and instrumental intricacies to the exquisite attire while playing "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band". Plus, we received a "cultural" lesson, learning the differences between a Brazilian club, and an American club. First of all, drinks are much cheaper here, and guys are not expected to buy girls drinks. Also, PDA is much more widely accepted here, which makes for some awkward situations. The bartenders were crazy, at one point jumping up on the bar with an alcohol bong yelling "Drink Mother F******s!" in Portuguese, and pouring free shots of vodka down the bong for anyone who so desired. A Russian girl who we befriended at the club jumped in on the offer. Afterwards, the bartender told her, "You drink like a girl!" She clearly took offense to this comment, as she grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and screamed in his face, "I drink like a RUSSIAN!" Anyhow, the band was good, the club was fun, and finally at 4:30 AM (I told you Brazilians party late) we made our way back to the hotel.

Counterclockwise from the top: Pork
butt, pork foot, pork ear, pork tongue.

Ox tail.

Saturday, Ben and David woke up early and played some "futebol" with some coworkers, followed by an unexpected visit to the bar. I woke up upon my not-quite-sober roommates' return, and we headed to lunch (where I tried some interesting food, none of which I really enjoyed) and then the pool. At the pool, we met two Dutch yacht owners and some crew members/captain of some other yachts, who had all been at the hotel for quite some time. They were from Germany, California, and Oregon. It was quite refreshing speaking English with them, as were the ice cold rum and fruit smoothies they blended and generously shared with us by the pool. We went out to dinner again with Yury, stopping along the way at a forro dance competition (I've tried uploading the video to no avail, but I will continue trying).

For dinner we opted for pizza. This proved a much better choice than the previous night's Chinese food. One thing I would like to point out about the food is that nothing here is genetically modified. This is most evident in the fruits -- the pineapple is more white than yellow, and seedless grapes or watermelons are unheard of. I, personally, really enjoy this aspect to the dining here.

Ben and I jumping off of the
Flugtag launch ramp.

A traditional Saturday lunch of pork
roast, complete with feijoada.

Sunday lunch aboard the Dutch yacht.

Sunday was the day that we had been hearing about for a while: Red Bull Flugtag. We were lucky enough to watch, and eat lunch, aboard the Dutch yacht-owners' 60+ foot yacht, as 30-some "planes" from all over the country "flew" off of the launch ramp. I think that Ben and I jumped farther than the majority of the planes made it. The lunch was delicious -- fresh fish and shrimp and tuna. Clearly men who spend weeks at a time aboard boats learn to cook for themselves, and it showed. Last night, our weekend was capped by a going away party for a girl that I work with. We all met a restaurant called Dom Pastel. A pastel is very similar to an empanada. They were basically big pockets of pastry dough stuffed with cheese, meats, and whatever else you'd like that were deep fried -- how could they not be delicious? Anyhow, that was the last part of our first incredible weekend here.

The last thing that I would like to address in this episode is my typical workday. Generally I arrive at work at about 7:30 AM. I say about in reference to what we have named "Brazilian Time", similar to "Michigan Time". Consistent with my findings in Panama, people tend to not really care about deadlines or meeting times. Rather, they just show up when they're ready. This is far different from American and European standards (much to the despair of the German captain I spoke of earlier, who claims to have been waiting for his yacht to be completed for two years past the anticipated deadline). However, I think that there is something very valuable to having this sort of relaxed mindset. Anyhow, I arrive at work, and look through a couple of Microsoft Project timelines. The ship that I am currently working on is Tug Boat #620. After looking through the timeline and seeing what needs to be checked on, we walk around the shipyard, checking on the various tasks that go into building a ship of such a large magnitude. We make sure that all of the parts have been ordered and are either being produced or shipped. It is a very broad job, but we basically oversee all of the processes and make sure that everything is going smoothly, and update the timeline as necessary. I do this from the time I arrive until 5 pm, with an hour break for lunch in the shipyard from noon until 1 pm.

So far, this experience has been simply unreal. As we sit in the pool nearly everyday and look through the palm trees and hammocks out at the Atlantic, we realize how lucky we are to have this opportunity.

Until next time... tchau!

PS. My entire photo library can be found here.

E Aí Macho! It's Been a Busy Week Already...

The dessert spread at the birthday party.

When I last left you, I was still awaiting my luggage, as well as my posse. Well, my luggage arrived Saturday morning, along with a little extra gift... After lunch with Flavio and his family -- it was his avó's (grandma's) birthday -- I headed up to my room to unpack some clothes and throw on my swimsuit (finally!). As I was finishing unpacking, I opened up one of my front exterior suitcase pockets where I had packed my Nalgene, and was surprised when I found a small bag of a smelly, "unknown" substance. Shocked and somewhat frightened at the possible consequences of having this bag in my international suitcase, I quickly disposed of the bag. Anyhow, I threw on my swimsuit and headed down to the pool for the first time. After downing a few cold beers with Flavio and his cousins at the pool, we headed to a nearby club for a few hours, and then on to his grandmother's 70th birthday party at her beautiful home in downtown Fortaleza. The food was incredible (as was the open bar), but I was especially impressed with the dessert spread. Anyhow, at about 2:30 am (Brazilians know how to party hard, even grandma was still up), I got a ride back to the hotel and crashed -- it had been a long and exhausting day.

The next day I woke up late to the arrival of Ben and David -- two Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering students from the U of M who would be sharing the summer with me. I gave them the rundown and showed them around the hotel grounds (Flavio took us on another tour of Fortaleza) and we hung out and prepared for our first day of work on Monday.

Aboard the bow of "Far Far Away".

"Far Far Away" from a distance.

Uncertain of what to expect as I had never set foot in a shipyard, Monday morning rolled around, and we headed over to work -- a five minute walk away. Our first day was mostly just a tour of the shipyard, as well as a Brazilian Navy ship, but it was capped by a tour of the unfinished $11.5 million yacht that INACE has been working on, "Far Far Away" (photos of everything can be found in the slideshow on the blog homepage). Today (Tuesday) was our first "real day" of work. I will be working separately from Ben and David, as they will be doing more Marine Engineering. I am working in the Production Department, overseeing the project developments. (I am extremely grateful that I learned how to use Microsoft Project this last semester, as it is very instrumental in my everyday job here.) The coolest part about this job is that I get to see how all of the different processes in the shipyard flow together, from the very first cut in a sheet of metal to the finishing touches on a ship.

Lastly, I want to give an update on our Portuguese advancements! We are all learning very quickly, and can usually understand what people are saying to us and get our points across, as well. We are even learning some slang terms (E aí macho = What's up man). Portuguese is a very fun and interesting language to learn, and I can't wait to be fully conversational (hopefully within the next couple weeks).

Anyways, Ben and I (and hopefully David, if we can convince him!) have a big soccer game after work tomorrow that I need to be well-rested for. So, until next time, tchau!

Alô do Brasil! Fortaleza, the Gini, and Thank Yous...

Well, a little more than 48 hours after leaving home in Middleton, I finally arrived at the Marina Park Hotel in Fortaleza, Brazil! Thanks to another 2-hour-delayed flight out of ORD on Wednesday night, I missed my connection Thursday morning from São Paulo to Fortaleza, and spent a few hours at the airport. Anyhow, I made it here in one piece (of course, United left my luggage in Madison, but that's SUPPOSED to arrive tonight).

Today, I got the chance to check out the hotel grounds and was driven around Fortaleza by Flavio. For those of you who don't know, Flavio is the son of the managers of INACE (the shipbuilding company I will be working with this summer) and the Marina Park Hotel. He is also a recent graduate from the University of Michigan's Naval Engineering department, and the reason I was fortunate enough to get this internship. Anyways, we drove around and I got to see where to go and not to go (it reminded me of the scene from the Lion King where Mufasa informs Simba not to go to the shadowy area). The beaches look amazing, and I can't wait to learn how to surf (Fortaleza is renowned for its surfing). For those of you that have never been to Central our South America, there are no words to describe the hot and humid climate -- for me, the feeling walking off of the plane in Fortaleza was very reminiscent of Panama. I look forward to the arrival of my luggage, complete with bathing suit and shorts (I am still wearing jeans from the plane-ride over).

Moving onto a deeper topic, I quickly realized that the wealth disparity in Brazil is even worse than that in the US. Maybe "Occupy Wall Street" should start a movement here in Brazil. Or in any of the 42 countries with a higher "Gini Index" than the United States' for that matter. After some quick research, I learned about the Gini Index, which "measures the degree of inequality in the distribution of family income in a country" according to the CIA - World Factbook website. The Gini Rankings can be found here. Basically, the higher a country's Gini Index is, the more unequal the distribution of wealth is. The US comes in 43rd with a Gini Index of 45. Brazil comes in 17th with a Gini Index of 52 (ironically, it is tied with Panama -- this is a contrast that I also noticed during my summer in Panama in 2008, between Panama City, and my home village of San Cristobal). The contrast in Fortaleza between the extremely wealthy, such as Francisco Ivens de Sa Dias Branco, worth $3.8 billion, and those roaming the streets or living in favelas (Brazilian ghettos) is much more stark than anywhere I've noticed. In the US, that includes Chicago, NYC, and -- where I have seen it the worst -- Las Vegas, and even than what I noticed in Panama (where the wealth of the city and poverty of the countryside were separated by hundreds of miles, not just a few miles as in Fortaleza).


Lastly, there are some people that I wanted to thank:
Thank you to Gabby and Ana Araujo, for your help and patience with my attempt to learn Portuguese, and for teaching me about Brazil in general. If you ever need to learn Portuguese, I highly recommend talking to either of them -- even though they will likely scare you shitless and make you fear your travel to Brazil ;)


Thank you to Eric Stulberg and Tyler Fisher (and Google Translate) for spending precious MCAT studying time and CIA mission time to practice my Portuguese (among other languages) with me. Bippity bippity bippity bippity boppity... Boo.


Thank you to Alexa Fedrigon for the well-stocked variety of Butterfingers and sudoku book, which I surely would not have made it through my hellish days of travel without. Have an awesome summer in Europe :)


Thank you to the University of Michigan College of Engineering for paying for my visa expenses, flights, and more! To U of M students, there is TONS of funding out there from our University, you just have to find the right people to talk to!


Thank you to all of my friends and family for making my week home from school before leaving an awesome week. I will miss you all this summer! Thank you for your support.


Thank you to ESPN3 for allowing me to watch the Celtics game tonight...


Anyhow, that is enough for tonight. Next time, I promise I will post some photos of the hotel, Fortaleza, and the shipyard. Tchau!

O'Hare Airport: You Shall Not Pass!!!

Due to Mother Nature's uncooperative tendencies, I arrived in ORD last night at 9:30 pm, an hour after I was supposed to arrive, and 3 minutes before I was supposed to depart to Sao Paulo. Taxiing around the tarmac to our gate, I watched longingly as the 777 that I was supposed to be on rolled away from gate C18... And that is why you should never fly United though O'Hare. Especially international. And especially especially not on the last flight of the night. After a couple of hours of sucking up to United's customer service rep (thanks to my Mom and Dad for ingraining "please's" and "thank you's" into my everyday vocabulary), I was finally granted a free night in the adjoining Hilton and meal vouchers to cover "24 hours worth of food" -- $30 in an airport and Hilton doesn't get you very far. Anyhow, I am now booked to head out at 9:33 pm tonight for Sao Paulo, and then onto Fortaleza, where I am SUPPOSED to arrive at 4 pm tomorrow afternoon.

Well now that I have spent my first paragraph complaining and probably have about 2 people left following my blog for the summer, I would like to point out that I have traveled a bit, and I realized full well that my trip to Fortaleza would likely have a few hiccups. But, that is just one of the prices you pay when you travel. The joy and experience that come with traveling are more than worth the costs...

Anyways, tchau from Chicago (and the USA) and next time from Brazil!

WARNING

I would like to preface this blog with a warning: I have never "blogged" before. However, due to numerous requests from family and friends to keep them updated throughout the summer, I finally gave into the pressure of keeping a blog. I will do my best to keep it updated with pictures and posts for the next three months. Please feel free to give me feedback, ask me questions, or just say hey (I will have internet access and will be checking my email and facebook periodically)! Here goes nothing...