I put on the gloves
when I was 9.
They showed me the world.
Wednesday 18 June 2014
June 18th: Sorry Neymar + Yes, I am playing in the World Cup
Last Day of Class
This adventure in Brasil has come to an end. It has been an honour and a privilege to spend time in this wonderful country with it's welcoming people. I encountered the 'Brasilian way' of people trying to understand and help me. A complete stranger gave me a kiss on the cheek for trying to speak Portuguese. Another offered to take me to watch Atlético next time I am here. Yet another invited me to join him with his running club. Every day brought something new. I've loved it all.
It's been my pleasure to teach this class and the students have made it a success. So thanks to Cristina, Alex, Jessie, Seb, Mike, Shalla, Mark, Tais, and Annalise. Thanks also to Gabriela for basically organizing everything. Thanks to Duncan, Nima, and Paloma for welcoming us into Cheer For Peace and for the good work they do. Last but not least, thanks the kids in the favelas who let us play with them.
Dusculpe Neymar
This is a link to a song doing the rounds about why some Brasileiros are not supporting the seleção. It has English subtitles. It captures what I am feeling right now. I still love soccer and the games in this tournament, but want to make sure I don't lose sight of the bigger picture.
And Finally... You Might Enjoy This
I went to the pharmacy today. Pretty routine you may think, but everything is behind the counter, so you have to ask... which means using Portuguese, because few people speak English (understandable given we are not in an English speaking country).
Feeling de-mob happy and slightly more confident in my "Portuguese" than usual, I abandoned my normal opening line ("Fala Ingles?") and went with my mangled version of the language. Both ladies behind the counter engaged me in conversation, which I followed perfectly I thought. They were particularly interested and enthused by my mere presence in their store.
I walked away feeling pretty pleased with myself for carrying a conversation and on how nice Brasileiros can be. "Wow" I thought, congratulating myself wholeheartedly, "Only 3 weeks and I can actually have a conversation." I followed this up with "my sparkling personality probably shone through as well." Yep, I was pretty pleased with myself.
About 25 minutes later I reflected on why these two ladies were so engaged with me. Perhaps it was not my language skills and sparkling personality? Then it hit me. They had asked me if I was a 'jogador,' to which I replied, very confidently, that I was indeed here for the World Cup. Jogador means player. Yes, I told them I was here as a player in the World Cup.
On the one hand, I was disappointed that I completely misunderstood my 'best' conversation in Portuguese. On the other hand, I was elated they thought I looked young and fit enough to be a player. Eat it Pirlo.
This adventure in Brasil has come to an end. It has been an honour and a privilege to spend time in this wonderful country with it's welcoming people. I encountered the 'Brasilian way' of people trying to understand and help me. A complete stranger gave me a kiss on the cheek for trying to speak Portuguese. Another offered to take me to watch Atlético next time I am here. Yet another invited me to join him with his running club. Every day brought something new. I've loved it all.
It's been my pleasure to teach this class and the students have made it a success. So thanks to Cristina, Alex, Jessie, Seb, Mike, Shalla, Mark, Tais, and Annalise. Thanks also to Gabriela for basically organizing everything. Thanks to Duncan, Nima, and Paloma for welcoming us into Cheer For Peace and for the good work they do. Last but not least, thanks the kids in the favelas who let us play with them.
Dusculpe Neymar
This is a link to a song doing the rounds about why some Brasileiros are not supporting the seleção. It has English subtitles. It captures what I am feeling right now. I still love soccer and the games in this tournament, but want to make sure I don't lose sight of the bigger picture.
And Finally... You Might Enjoy This
I went to the pharmacy today. Pretty routine you may think, but everything is behind the counter, so you have to ask... which means using Portuguese, because few people speak English (understandable given we are not in an English speaking country).
Feeling de-mob happy and slightly more confident in my "Portuguese" than usual, I abandoned my normal opening line ("Fala Ingles?") and went with my mangled version of the language. Both ladies behind the counter engaged me in conversation, which I followed perfectly I thought. They were particularly interested and enthused by my mere presence in their store.
I walked away feeling pretty pleased with myself for carrying a conversation and on how nice Brasileiros can be. "Wow" I thought, congratulating myself wholeheartedly, "Only 3 weeks and I can actually have a conversation." I followed this up with "my sparkling personality probably shone through as well." Yep, I was pretty pleased with myself.
About 25 minutes later I reflected on why these two ladies were so engaged with me. Perhaps it was not my language skills and sparkling personality? Then it hit me. They had asked me if I was a 'jogador,' to which I replied, very confidently, that I was indeed here for the World Cup. Jogador means player. Yes, I told them I was here as a player in the World Cup.
On the one hand, I was disappointed that I completely misunderstood my 'best' conversation in Portuguese. On the other hand, I was elated they thought I looked young and fit enough to be a player. Eat it Pirlo.
Tuesday 17 June 2014
June 17#2: Shooting at Vila Torres
Right now, Brazil are playing Mexico. I've just spent an hour walking around taking in the atmosphere. Most of the shops were closed and people were congregating in the bars and squares to watch the game. There is a lot of excitement and noise. Firecrackers echo around the building and smell of gunpowder filled the air.
Sadly, the the smell of gunpowder was in the air at Vila Torres last night. Just 24 hours after we finished our Freedom Through Football/Cheer For Peace event in that favela there was a drive-by shooting. A van with no licence plates drove through the neighborhood and one of the passengers opened fire with a machine gun. Four people were shot. One person survived, but two died and a third remains in critical condition.
It's a reminder of the constant stress and challenges the people, and the kids, in these communities face.
June 17: Riots and Student Blogs #2
Riot in Curitiba
There was a riot in Curitiba yesterday. A small group of the violent protesters (who have, allegedly, been travelling around Brazil instigating trouble) tried to block a bus route to the game, tried to march toward the stadium, then smashed up a few buildings including my HSBC bank (although, who hasn't been tempted to smash the windows at their bank?). Despite the fact that it was a few blocks from my apartment and close to where I walked to the game, I knew nothing of it until I watched the nightly news. And even then it was the fourth or fifth item! I would describe this is a mini-riot. It would never happen in association with a sporting event in Canada. No, not on Whyte Avenue in 2006 or Vancouver in 2011. Oh...
Students' Blogs #2
In other news, the students have now written their second blogs for my course. Links below. Enjoy.
Seb's Blog on Controversies Surrounding the Tournament
Mike's Blog about Football-for-Development Schemes
Mike's Blog about Football-for-Development Schemes
Finally... Brazil play tonight. I can guarantee one thing about the game. There will be fireworks.
Monday 16 June 2014
June 16: Iran vs Nigeria
Went to my first World Cup game. First my in-depth analysis, then a few photos.
Quality of Experience: 10/10
Great atmosphere, good mix of fans, great to be there. Loved the Eu Sou Brasileiro song - goose bump giving. Click here for an example (not a video I took).
Quality of Game: 0/10
It was SHOCKING. Brazilians cheered for Nigeria for 60 minutes, at which point they started booing them. Best chant: "Segundo division" over and over. It means second division, which says it all.
Team Iran hotel pre-game:
Not quite sure how I ended up here, but I know the guy with the lime green mohawk. Apparently some of these people are with the Iranian team delegation, but I am not totally convinced I understood that correctly.
Lots of armed military police by the Iran team hotel for some reason. Their main job involved giving directions to the stadium (by saying 'la' [there] and pointing. Oh, not with their guns, pointing with their fingers).
Arena da Baixada
Very impressive btw, mostly finished, with fresh cement dust on all the seats, which I wiped off before sitting of course. Toilets near me were functioning perfectly pre-game but, rather worryingly, were out of service before half-time. Despite this, one pertinent observation I noted was that it was a very nice smelling stadium. A lovely mix of deodorant, perfume, and the sweet nectar of beer on people's breath.
Crowd
Gentleman in the first row appears somewhat less enthusiastic than some other crowd members. Note that popcorn was available. Also, look at the empty seats and note how uneven they are. Bit like the shelves I put up in our old house.
'Fan Fest' Area (or Corporate Sponsor stuff section, if you prefer)
R$8 for a bottle of water, but you get a hard plastic cup to keep (maybe the water cost R$1 and the cup R$7?) You have to pour your drinks into the cup because, apparently, a plastic bottle of R$8 water is too tempting to use as a missile. Still, it was cheaper than an Oilers game (did I mention the free cup?)
Quality of Experience: 10/10
Great atmosphere, good mix of fans, great to be there. Loved the Eu Sou Brasileiro song - goose bump giving. Click here for an example (not a video I took).
Quality of Game: 0/10
It was SHOCKING. Brazilians cheered for Nigeria for 60 minutes, at which point they started booing them. Best chant: "Segundo division" over and over. It means second division, which says it all.
Team Iran hotel pre-game:
Not quite sure how I ended up here, but I know the guy with the lime green mohawk. Apparently some of these people are with the Iranian team delegation, but I am not totally convinced I understood that correctly.
Lots of armed military police by the Iran team hotel for some reason. Their main job involved giving directions to the stadium (by saying 'la' [there] and pointing. Oh, not with their guns, pointing with their fingers).
Arena da Baixada
Very impressive btw, mostly finished, with fresh cement dust on all the seats, which I wiped off before sitting of course. Toilets near me were functioning perfectly pre-game but, rather worryingly, were out of service before half-time. Despite this, one pertinent observation I noted was that it was a very nice smelling stadium. A lovely mix of deodorant, perfume, and the sweet nectar of beer on people's breath.
Crowd
Gentleman in the first row appears somewhat less enthusiastic than some other crowd members. Note that popcorn was available. Also, look at the empty seats and note how uneven they are. Bit like the shelves I put up in our old house.
'Fan Fest' Area (or Corporate Sponsor stuff section, if you prefer)
R$8 for a bottle of water, but you get a hard plastic cup to keep (maybe the water cost R$1 and the cup R$7?) You have to pour your drinks into the cup because, apparently, a plastic bottle of R$8 water is too tempting to use as a missile. Still, it was cheaper than an Oilers game (did I mention the free cup?)
Sunday 15 June 2014
June 15: Vila Torres Favela
Today we visited the Vila Torres Favela in Curitiba. We were helping out with an event organized by a group called Cheer For Peace. It was a day of music, food, street art, and soccer in one of the poorest areas of the city.
Below is a photo I took during the event. I labelled it 'classic favela scene.'
It was a great event. We gave out the shirts and balls we brought from Canada, and every kid got something.
None of us are under the illusion that providing a really good day for these kids is going to change their lives. In fact, I am personally quite critical of the claims made by many 'sport-for-development' types of organizations. The community has problems with lack of funding, drugs, and violence that a day playing soccer is never going to solve. But a good day is probably a break from the stress of living in this community. Check out this link for a good article on some of these challenges and the potential for positive change in Brazil. It's written by Duncan Crowley, one of the guys I've met out here.
Anyway, back to my day at the favela. I have not really 'processed' the things I saw, so what follows is just a random list of observations. Make of them what you will.
Today was the only time since I have been in Brazil I felt concerned for my safety and the safety of my students. Nothing bad happened at all, but I guarantee there is no way I would walk around that neighborhood on my own, night or day.
Many of these kids have absolutely nothing. When we went to the 'nice' favela last week, a couple of kids played soccer (on their nice turf field with their British volunteer coaches) barefoot. I was told this was just a matter of choice, that these kids preferred playing barefoot. Today kids were playing barefoot on a dirty road full of litter and glass. This wasn't their choice - lots of them only had flip flops, which come flying off when you try to kick. So playing barefoot was a necessity.
A man told me that although he had no education, his daughter was studying at PUC (a private university) to be an engineer. She had received some funding through a government program. PUC is about 2 blocks from the favela, but in reality it could be a million miles away for most of these kids.
I was playing soccer with one kid when we arrived. Just kicking the ball back and forth, like I (very occasionally) do with Josie. I can't explain why - it was something to do with how we were interacting - but I just kept thinking that this boy doesn't have many male 'role models' in his life. I'm no role model of course.
I loved watching my students interact with the kids. The women seems to attract lots of little girls (and, I noticed, one gentlemen in search of romance). The men were often 'covered' in children hanging off them and, on several occasions, simply punching them (all in good fun, but I did hear one of our students say "I don't know how to make them stop"). Pretty great. I prefer to stay on the sidelines at these types of things, and it was a joy to see the students getting stuck in.
Which brings me back to the point that going to a favela for a day won't change these kids lives. But you know what? It might change some of our lives, some of the things we do, and maybe we go on to do good things we wouldn't have done otherwise.
Below is a photo I took during the event. I labelled it 'classic favela scene.'
It was a great event. We gave out the shirts and balls we brought from Canada, and every kid got something.
None of us are under the illusion that providing a really good day for these kids is going to change their lives. In fact, I am personally quite critical of the claims made by many 'sport-for-development' types of organizations. The community has problems with lack of funding, drugs, and violence that a day playing soccer is never going to solve. But a good day is probably a break from the stress of living in this community. Check out this link for a good article on some of these challenges and the potential for positive change in Brazil. It's written by Duncan Crowley, one of the guys I've met out here.
Anyway, back to my day at the favela. I have not really 'processed' the things I saw, so what follows is just a random list of observations. Make of them what you will.
Today was the only time since I have been in Brazil I felt concerned for my safety and the safety of my students. Nothing bad happened at all, but I guarantee there is no way I would walk around that neighborhood on my own, night or day.
Many of these kids have absolutely nothing. When we went to the 'nice' favela last week, a couple of kids played soccer (on their nice turf field with their British volunteer coaches) barefoot. I was told this was just a matter of choice, that these kids preferred playing barefoot. Today kids were playing barefoot on a dirty road full of litter and glass. This wasn't their choice - lots of them only had flip flops, which come flying off when you try to kick. So playing barefoot was a necessity.
A man told me that although he had no education, his daughter was studying at PUC (a private university) to be an engineer. She had received some funding through a government program. PUC is about 2 blocks from the favela, but in reality it could be a million miles away for most of these kids.
I was playing soccer with one kid when we arrived. Just kicking the ball back and forth, like I (very occasionally) do with Josie. I can't explain why - it was something to do with how we were interacting - but I just kept thinking that this boy doesn't have many male 'role models' in his life. I'm no role model of course.
I loved watching my students interact with the kids. The women seems to attract lots of little girls (and, I noticed, one gentlemen in search of romance). The men were often 'covered' in children hanging off them and, on several occasions, simply punching them (all in good fun, but I did hear one of our students say "I don't know how to make them stop"). Pretty great. I prefer to stay on the sidelines at these types of things, and it was a joy to see the students getting stuck in.
Which brings me back to the point that going to a favela for a day won't change these kids lives. But you know what? It might change some of our lives, some of the things we do, and maybe we go on to do good things we wouldn't have done otherwise.
Saturday 14 June 2014
June 13 and 14
Just a brief update here. Pretty quiet after Brazil win in opening game. I've been enjoying a couple of days off (no class).
Went up to the Arena be Baixada today. It's kinda finished, but there are lots of people working - on a Saturday. My sense is the stadium itself is OK. It's all the FIFA-mandated crap that is not finished - the 'exclusion zone' and fencing, the special entrances (they are not allowed to use the normal entrances). My favourite thing was seeing the metal detectors and baggage x-ray machines still in bubble wrap.
There is more security around the stadium than at Sao Paulo customs. My entry into Brazil was based on this conversation:
Me: HO-LA [handing over passport]
Customs Agent: [Silence]
Me: [Silence]
Customs Agent: You go how?
Me: Cupo de Mundo
Customs Agent: You know where [to] stamp [on passport]?
Me: Just put it on this page [reaching through hole in glass to open passport to random page]
Customs Agent: Obrigada. Tchau
Me: Thanks
Some important news is that I HAVE NOT MISSED A GAME YET....(although I only caught the second half of Mexico x Cameroon).
Enjoyed Spain getting hammered by Holland. Important factual tidbit: Robin van Persie's son is named Shaqueel. Yep, Shaqueel van Persie. They call him Shaq, obviously.
Looking forward to England x Italy tonight. Look for the following highlights (note, this is all written before the game):
Hope they bring on Barkley... With Jagielka, Baines, and Barkley on the field how can they lose?
Just about to settle in for Columbia x Greece. Tomorrow we have this event thing at a favela in town. It's becoming a pretty big deal and I'll have photos etc up either tomorrow night or Monday morning. For now, make do with the flyer.
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Went up to the Arena be Baixada today. It's kinda finished, but there are lots of people working - on a Saturday. My sense is the stadium itself is OK. It's all the FIFA-mandated crap that is not finished - the 'exclusion zone' and fencing, the special entrances (they are not allowed to use the normal entrances). My favourite thing was seeing the metal detectors and baggage x-ray machines still in bubble wrap.
There is more security around the stadium than at Sao Paulo customs. My entry into Brazil was based on this conversation:
Me: HO-LA [handing over passport]
Customs Agent: [Silence]
Me: [Silence]
Customs Agent: You go how?
Me: Cupo de Mundo
Customs Agent: You know where [to] stamp [on passport]?
Me: Just put it on this page [reaching through hole in glass to open passport to random page]
Customs Agent: Obrigada. Tchau
Me: Thanks
Some important news is that I HAVE NOT MISSED A GAME YET....(although I only caught the second half of Mexico x Cameroon).
Enjoyed Spain getting hammered by Holland. Important factual tidbit: Robin van Persie's son is named Shaqueel. Yep, Shaqueel van Persie. They call him Shaq, obviously.
Looking forward to England x Italy tonight. Look for the following highlights (note, this is all written before the game):
- Gerrard booming 50 yard 'passes' into the stands
- Rooney mis-controlling the ball 9 times out of 10
- Pirlo's beard
- Hart having kittens
- Pirlo's beard
- Glen Johnson looking a little confused by it all
- Lots of sweating
- At least one Everton playing netmegging someone (ideally an Italian player). My money is on Baines sometime in first half.
Hope they bring on Barkley... With Jagielka, Baines, and Barkley on the field how can they lose?
Just about to settle in for Columbia x Greece. Tomorrow we have this event thing at a favela in town. It's becoming a pretty big deal and I'll have photos etc up either tomorrow night or Monday morning. For now, make do with the flyer.
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