Christmas

     Say what you want, but I love Christmas traditions. Decorations in every corner of the house, special menu and the happiness of assembling the pine tree. Yes, I love it all!
   

 As a child Christmas was at Grandma's house in southern Brazil. For me it was more than Christmas, it was magic. The tree in the corner of the room seemed the biggest and most beautiful that existed! And although we did not have that traditional supper, the night's menu was different. Delights especially made ​​for the occasion spread across the table. It was so nice to see the face of my grandpa lit by the candles on the pine tree and the love he felt for the women in his life: my grandmother, mother, aunt , and we, the four granddaughters. It was a special day: we played in the street with the other neighborhood children, a day to sleep late (or at least later than usual), the expectation about the beautifully wrapped packets awaiting us. Not even the heat of summer nights in Rio Grande do Sul took away the magic of what was, for me, the best night of the year.

A special menu even if just for one.

     My whole life I dreamed that one day I would have my whole house decorated, like in a movie, and, if possible, snow outside the window. Yes, always dreamed of those movie kind of Christmas. This year I will have the first white Christmas of my life. Very white! On the balcony of the bedroom there's more than 60cm of snow and even if no more falls over until the 24th, it won't melt, Christmas will be white, white!
     The house is not yet fully decorated like in my dreams, not for lack of wanting... but the tree is here, making me smile. On the day I left to buy a pine tree, I was going back home bringing in the cart a living small tree when snow started to fall. The first snow of this winter. A smile spread across my face. I can not even explain the satisfaction of carrying the greatest symbol of Christmas (at least for me) under the beautiful snow fall. It seemed that it made all the ​​sense in the world!
     I know it may sound silly to many, but each of us have our own dreams and their importance is personal. My dream Christmas is still a little heat inside the house, with many smiles and hugs, a table full of special treats made ​​for a special day, a house fully decorated, a big beautiful Christmas tree and a very white world  outside the windows.

Winter preparations

Coming from a tropical country, I had no idea that people prepared for winter. As you all know, I spent a year in Berlin, a city that is said to have a terrible winter for tropical standards. But there the season was less intense and definitely less white.

A few weeks ago I began to notice differences in the landscape of Montreal. People were getting ready for the snow that will inevitably come at some point. I have not seen such preparations in Berlin. Maybe because the incidence of snow is lower, but the fact is that the only difference I saw there was people changing normal tires for winter tires and fountains being covered by wooden fences. Here in Montreal is different.
I live in a good residential area with many houses and buildings with only three apartments. Maybe that's why it was easier to observe people's behavior during the change from summer to autumn, and now for the winter. One day, walking down the street, I realized that a house had a kind of a white tent coming out of the driveway. Later I learned it's called a temporary winter garage. I found it strange. On the following weekend almost all houses and buildings had these same garages. The funny things are the basement apartments, the apartment entrance is surrounded by a tent and it seems that you are entering into a scenario of movies like "Outbreak ". Plants are protected, stairs receive rubber flooring, handrails and floors of balconies are exchanged and where they didn't exist, placed.
     When the snow finally shows up, it's possible to perceives other things. In buildings, each person is responsible for snow removal on their own balcony and in the public areas the responsibility lays on the person in charge of the building (i.e. the landlord). In houses, of course, each one deals with snow as they like. In front of my bedroom window there's a beautiful house where an old couple lives. Everyday that snows a red car arrives around 9:00, and from it comes out a guy "armed" with shovel, broom and a type of wheelbarrow made ​​especially for snow. He cleans the house entrance, the path to the sidewalk, the garage, shakes the top of the temporary winter garage and cleans the exit from the garage to the street. Then he drives away.
I never saw him talking to the home owners, I think he is a person hired to do this service for those who are tired of doing it for many years.
      So far I have not seen a difference in the behavior of Montrealers simply because the season has changed, as it's visible in Berlin. Here, there is no seasonal bipolarity. I keep seeing the smiles on the streets, happy people tidying up gardens, doors and windows for Christmas, and kids jumping at each and every mound of snow that appears on their way. Neighbors greet each other, play, laugh out loud and share coffee while removing snow from the front of their homes. On the streets, pedestrians look at each other and laugh because they are only with their faces uncovered (and many times only their eyes). Strangers cross your way and say with a smile on their faces: " froid , huh?". And me? Simply loving it all.

Tschüß, Berlin!

     Exactly 368 days ago I arrived in Berlin and today I finish my days in this city that hosted me for a year .
     No. I won't miss the sad days, the difficulty to make friends, the emotional weight that has hurted in different ways and at various levels. I also will not miss the "bipolarity" that affects the population when the seasons change. Or the obligation that others impose to you to go to out on the streets simply because it's sunny .

     No. I will not miss the many tears shed and the pain that grieved my heart and tormented my thoughts for months. I will not also miss the darkness that came over me and the weight I carried on my shoulders for so long.
     But yes, I cry . I weep for what I wish it had been, what I wished I had lived, but that could not be.
     I understand the cycles of the universe and I believe that, just as in nature, in life also after winter comes spring. And my inner soil is fertile ground for its arrival. It was a long and dark winter.
    Berlin was a place where I learned a lot, especially about myself. Many strange things happened here, in every way. But also extremely good things. So... yes, will miss it.


     I will miss the silence of the city, the colored leaves covering the sidewalks during autumn, the slippery paths full of "stracciatella icecream" in winter. Yes, I will miss spring. The most exuberant, colorful and fragrant spring I have ever seen.
     I'll miss the tulips that sprout in unexpected places, dandelions covering every bit of green grass and turning everything into a yellow carpet, the thousands of wildflowers in a variety of colors and the most amazing perfumes. I'll miss the clouds of seeds being blown away, and the less fortunate seeds that instead of land to settle, cling into cotton and wool of the clothes of people passing by. The flowering balconies. The fresh wind when cutting short the way home through the many city parks and the many shades of green found in the trees, ivy and shrubs.
     I'll miss the sweet, soft and fragrant strawberries that melt in the mouth like little pieces of paradise . Raspberries and their exact measurement between sweet and tart . The dark and giant cherries. The "flat peaches" and their perfume.
   

     But what Berlin brought me that  was most important and special, was the opportunity to spend incredible days alongside more than important people in my life.


Berlin provided a historic reunion with two people who have a permanent place in my heart .






To be here, my mother overcame extremely difficult moments for her, and finally came up to the old "divided city" to rescue her German half. And tt was here that we met once again our soul brother.





I received more visits from my father than I expected.







Here a dear friend gave me the pleasure of seeing her a few times.



I had the privilege to introduce the city to the most amazing niece and goddaughter someone could have ask heaven for.








     Here I made a very good friend that, although we don't have a picture together, will always remain in my heart. And some friends with whom I had the pleasure to share funny Brazilian stories.

     So I finish one more cycle of life and from it let only the good times remain. Thanks to the nature and incredible lucky I am to have such wonderful people in my life, I'll take those memories with me, and when I think of the time spent here, these are the moments that will come to mind. For the photographs of the heart, are the ones that really count. And now it's time for a new chapter.


(Text written in August 21st, 2013.)

Montreal or How to survive without roll-on deodorant

     After living one year in Berlin and move again to an unknown place, with another culture and another language, the comparison became inevitable. I know that every city has its own history, its own context but I still felt compelled to express such comparisons.

     Although Montreal has latitude farther south ( 45 ° 30'N ) than Berlin ( 52 ° 31'N ), the average temperature is lower . Perhaps this is due to Montreal being an island in the middle of the St. Lawrence River. Furthermore, Berlin has relatively low humidity and Montreal, on the contrary, is moist, so that the "feel like" sensation is, higher during the summer, and lower during the winter than the official temperature. But climatic and geographical issues are not so important at this time. What interests me is to tell a little about my experience so far.

   

 Montreal is a very interesting city, with neighborhoods that are totally different from each other to the point of thinking that they could be different cities. Where I live, for example, the residential neighborhood is filled with houses and buildings like mine: with two floors and an underground, where each floor is an apartment (or two on the second floor).

Photo: www.utexas.edu

But the most famous neighborhood in the city, the Plateau Mont - Royal, is characterized by low buildings with access to the second floor from the outside. This is perhaps the most famous image of Montreal: the former homes of factory workers with their stairways out directly on the sidewalk.
Now, the city center is a profusion of modern buildings mingling with ancient buildings and, right there, is McGill University's campus (or as the francophones say : Meguil).

   

Photo: en.wikipedia.org

One of the things that struck me when I first arrived but unfortunately in the wrong direction, was the noise of the city. Yes , I lived nine years in Rio de Janeiro which is quite a noisy city, but last year in Berlin made ​​me forget what that meant, since there, the city is so silent that doesn't even seem like a big city. Certainly not for american standards. On arrival in Montreal noise was definitely an unexpected surprise. Not only the noise of cars on the street, but in general. Discharges and hand dryers of public restrooms, buses, streets, and subway. Oh , the subway is deafening! Incidentally, the thing is an experience in itself: beyond the deafening noise, it has tires on cars (never seen that before), turns, goes upe and down (ok, I know that all probably do it, the difference is that here you can feel it all inside the wagon), and brakes . Ah! And how it brakes!!! Sometimes the braking is so strong that even scares people. And different from Berlin, the stations do not have elevators. If there it was necessary to put legs to work, here make sure they're in good shape 'cause you'll need them! Only four stations have elevators, all in the last stations of the orange line.

     Another thing that surprised me was the price of things. After living in a city relatively inexpensive, Montreal was scary. I do not know if I expected a standard pricing scheme like in the United States, that is also inexpensive, but certainly did not expect the values ​​found here. And just to remember, the price shown in the product is not the final total, because 15 % fee is added at the time of payment in the cashier. Ah! And for those who love cheese like me, the diversity of cheeses in Germany is to fill your eyes and keep the pocket almost intact. Here, the options are more limited, and the prices much higher. Goodbye oven camembert, I'll miss you!

     As a city of the " New World", the  automobile appeal is big, and bike lanes are rare. In downtown they are everywhere, but out of there the picture changes. You don't see much cyclist and few people use their bicycles as means of daily transport like in Berlin. That was one of the things I liked most about the German lands: power go everywhere by bike and feel safe knowing that no one would go over me with a car. But of course, there the culture of cycling is stronger than down here. There are bicycle rental initiatives, as the ones from Itaú in Rio, at the exit of each subway stations but the city lacks the infrastructure to make cycling an actual instrument of transportation and not just recreation.

     Another stark difference is Sunday. That's right: Sunday! While in Berlin everything closes and you don't even have a supermarket opened, here everything opens. The Montrealers stroll through the parks, go to the movies, the botanical garden, but also enjoy the day for shopping. In this sense it's very similar to the big cities of Brazil.

     Unlike what happens in northern Europe, one doesn't see so many people thrown in the lawns of the city on sunny days. Of course, there is always someone "lizarding" somewhere, but overall, not as many as in European parks. The most popular place I saw that happen was on campus, where people took advantage of the break between classes to warm up a little in the sun while the weather still allows it.

Centre Eaton
Photo: en.wikipedia.org

     One of the large advantages of Montreal is the "underground city": a network of passages beneath the downtown buildings interconnecting malls, galleries, theaters, offices and residential buildings, etc.. To get an idea, the underground city has 32km, 7 access to metro stations, two train stations, a regional bus station, and has over 120 entrances on the outside. For a city where winters can reach almost -40 º C, nothing better than being able to go from the subway directly to your destination without putting your nose out, huh?

Connection from the Place-des-Arts to the subway
Photo: en.wikipedia.org

     In all, Montreal is cool. The people are friendly and helpful, the services may not have the Germanic efficiency, but they work well and attend the population. The city is well taken care of and green with numerous parks for sightseeing. The fact that it holds four renowned universities and several colleges makes it a vibrant city with attractions for everyone. Coffeeshops spread around every corner and some are open 24 hours. For those who like that sort of program, like I do, the city is excellent!

     Yes, I know I should not have compared Montreal and Berlin, it is like comparing apples and oranges, but it is inevitable. After being used to living a certain way, it is impossible not to make comparisons. I try to restrict the comparisons to what surprises me the most, but I'm gradually adapting to the new life and leaving them aside.

     And the roll-on deodorant? Only two brands offer one scent in that format. Yeah ... complicated.

A day at the Baltic Sea

Yesterday for the first time I went to a German beach. I've been to other beaches in Europe, but only in short visits since I always come here during winter, but I had never actually seen how things work during the summer and, I confess, I was amused.

     Upon arrival I saw some curious things. Yes, I know I'm not in a tropical country and the beaches are different. But, like said Jack the Ripper, "let's start by parts". First, the beach itself. Upon arrival I noticed that the sea has no waves. Those who understand the oceans and their levels know what a sea level 1 means: no waves, just like a lake. The sand is white and fine but with several stones in the middle. Instead of shells at the water's edge, just pebbles and lots and lots of seaweed. To reach the deepest part, one has to cross a true carpet of marine algae in all its shapes and colors. It is so shallow that one needs to walk a lot until a place where one can be submerged up to the neck. The water is clear and cold but, oddly enough, less cold than the water from Ipanema beach, and a heavy traffic of ships and tourist boats cross the horizon. There is even a specific touristic route that connects seven countries with Brick Gothic buildings through the Baltic Sea: Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia.

     In Germany people deal differently with the body. In my opinion, in a much healthier way. A body is a body and that's all, to show it doesn't mean anything, and they cope very well with the nude. Here, especially in the former eastern side, it's very common to find the "FKK" warning at the entrance of the beaches. "FKK" means "Freikörperkultur", the literal translation is: free body culture, or, as we say in Brazil, nudism. But differently from what happens in the southern hemisphere, the "FKK" beaches here are not isolated, they are beaches where everyone goes independently if they practice or not nudism. While I believe it is very healthy to deal with the body in this way, personally I can not be naked in public, and I confess it is strange to dive in and out of the water and find yourself face to face with a naked person in front of you. But the ease with which the Germans deal with it leaves us also comfortable with the situation. Unlike what occurs in the Brazilian coast, the beaches here are not a flirting site. Maybe that makes this relationship with the body even more free and happy. Children, young and old people, with or without swimwear, spread by sand.

   

 The sun, merciless on top of the 40 ° C gave no truce and the sand was filled with sunshades, fabrics forming fences around "someone's" part of sand, tents (yes, camping tents) and Strandkörben (literally "beach baskets"). Here, the options to be protected from the sun are more numerous. No, do not think that this is because they have very white skin, for they don't use sunscreen. Incidentally, I saw only a couple using sunscreen in them and their children, in general,they throw themselves in the towels and roast in the sun without any protection. I, with my photophobia and hypersensitivity of the skin to the sun, was hidden inside my "beach basket" watching the hours pass and the size of the redness of the skin of the people improve. Some were already so red I could only think: "oh, it hurts." But what most impressed me was the lack of care for young children. Several people without protection or a simple sunshade with 1 year old children already red after just a few minutes under the sun. 

The "beach baskets" are very interesting and practical inventions. At first, just looking, I thought they were uncomfortable for their hard looks but the truth is otherwise. Made of wicker, these chairs provide a real shadow that truly protects. They have pillows to sit and lean, supporters to feet and can move their coverage to make them more open or closed. If it is windy (the wind here is very fresh), they protect without smother. One can also adjust the internal structure so that one can lie down or sit. And, to sunbathe on them, just turn them towards the sun. Really very interesting.

     Another thing very curious for those who are accustomed to coconut water, Mate Leão Biscoito Globo, pies and a whole host of food products (and non-food products) being sold on the beach, is not that there are no hawkers in the sand because we know that this is characteristic of the Brazilian beaches, and mainly Rio's beaches, but the fact that it's Germany and I hardly saw anyone drinking beer. I imagined people enjoyed the beach drinking beer, although here, they do not need an excuse for that. But during the whole day, I saw just one guy drinking beer. Mostly I've seen children eating popsicles (so far, so good) and people drinking coffee. That's right: coffee on the beach! In the trailers where they rent the sunshades, fabrics, tents and "beach baskets," there's also coffee. How about a cappuccino in the sun? Or a Late Macchiato accompanied by Currywurst (sausage with curry sauce)?

     If anyone says that Germans don't go to the beach because they don't have good beaches, I can say that it's not true. The German beaches are beautiful. We just need to learn to admire the beauty of a geography different from ours, but no more or less beautiful. They are beautiful and the Germans enjoy them. In their way, the way they deal with everything that involves a trip to the beach, they know very well how to take advantage of them. It was a very interesting, entertaining, educational and above all, quiet experience.

Against a Dictatorship Masquerading as Democracy

     These recent events in Brazil make me happy. No, I do not speak of the minority of assholes that broke everything. I speak of those thousands of people who took to the streets to peacefully protest against the direction in which the country is going. These directions concern me a lot! They seem silly things, since most people do not make the connection between the attitudes and the government proposals and only look at them as isolated facts. Let's consider some, shall we?

      - Decrease the power of the press and banning journalists to be heard,

     - Revoke the right of a woman raped to make her abortion in a legal way and give the right of paternity to the rapist,

     - Remove the investigative power of the prosecution (PEC 37)

     - Allow Congress to have control over the actions of the Supreme Court (PEC 33)

     - Repealing laws that protect personal freedom (see the "gay cure")

     - Criminalize demonstrations during the Confederations Cup and the World Cup 2014 as terrorist acts,

      - Lack of real political opposition to the government,

     - Minimize the demonstrations  as if they were only about he increase of public transport fares in order to underestimate the dissatisfaction of the Brazilian people,

     - The disrespect of politicians when commenting on the protests and dissatisfaction of the people knowing that they are protected behind the shield of corruption and power (eg Alderman Pastor Henry Braga - BH, President Dilma Rousseff to say that "the voices of the street must be heard" but not doing anything other than commenting),

     - Etc ... etc ... etc ...

     All these reasons analyzed alone are already enough to make anyone angry. But if we analyze all together one can see that the path that is drawing in Brazil is a veiled dictatorship.

     If the government wants to take away the power of prosecutors, claims to have actions over the Supreme Court, the law imposing censorship of opinion, the violent reaction of the police against the demonstrators (peaceful demonstrations, by the way) , restrictions to the rights of citizens; these are nothing more than attitudes of authoritarian and dictatorial governments. So begins slowly, do not need a blow like that of 1964, just give money and other kind of populism to all the poor population to keep them satisfied "without having anything to complain about." This way earning up well, a big slice of the population. As for the middle class, to trivialize its importance for the country's economy. The government ignores the demonstrations in the streets, the written petitions (see the petition against Renan Calheiros), anything that shows the dissatisfaction of the people with what happens.

    What kind of democracy is that the people is not heard? That does not respect and even mocks its claims?

     Continue on the street, Brazil. At some point the politicians will realize that they can not survive if the people are not silent and things will start to change. Let's not a new kind of dictatorship be estabilished again. Let's allow a dictatorship masquerading as democracy to take over a country that can grow and flourish.

Let's hope that this new movement achieves political conquests as the other two.

    

Spring in Berlin

     To say that spring is a beautiful season beyond being a cliché, it's also obvious, but I never imagined that spring could be as fragrant and as colorful as here in Germany. Berlin is finally beautiful!

      Of course we have flowers, perfumes and spring in Brazil. No doubt that we do. And they are beautiful! But I never imagined anything like what I see on the streets here. The winter is barely gone and the grass just shows up green again. A light green, almost fluorescent. Then the flower buds begin to emerge. That's right, buds on the grass! The grass here is full of flowers. On it dandelions are "born" (which, contrary to what happens in Brazil, here they're not considered weeds) and other yellow, pink, white, purple flowers. The grass itself is already a spectacle so beautiful and colorful. Then come the shrubs. Fully covered with flowers and mostly leafless, they bloom in shades of yellow, purple, white, red, and so on. Then, the trees, which took a little more to have its leaves back, start to show not only tones of various green, but also flowers of various sizes and colors.

     Adding to all this are the flowers that were planted in the gardens but, being bulbs, don't need to be replanted. And, "suddenly", the city gardens appear in each corner, covered by pansies, daisies, magnolias, several beautiful little flowers that I don't know the name and, of course, the famous and beautiful tulips. These appear everywhere. In the flower beds of the avenues, under bushes, in the neighbor's yard, on the windows of the old lady who is always having tea on the porch. Pink, yellow, red, red and yellow, purple and white, orange, wine colored tulips, and all it's unusual color combinations. Rounded, pointed, dentilhadas, frayed petals of tulips, types I never thought existed.

     With the flowers come the seeds. They spread through the air on clouds. Clouds, that if it weren't for the temperature, looking from afar, you could swear it was snowing. And the seeds are found everywhere. Yesterday, for example, Sophia slept on the living room carpet, and on top of her, a seed of dandelion that unaware came through the window without knowing that here it would not have a fertile soil to grow and, once again, beautify the world.

     Yes, we have spring in Brazil, but unfortunately we do not have this profusion of flowers that bloom all together making the cities a large garden for a few weeks. But perhaps this was nature's solution to make winter more tolerable in cold countries.

Love is all you need

     There is a theory that haunts our thoughts and hearts for years (or should I say centuries?) fueled by fiction stories, that all we need is love. I have my doubts. No, I'm not talking about basic or material needs only about love.
     If these months here in Germanic lands have taught me something, besides being silent, is that love alone is not enough.
     I had the pleasure of receiving in my house these last few days, two very dear friends. Each of them is in a different time of life regarding relationships. One is dating, the other married last year. Living with them I realized that what they have with their respective partners is much more than love. One had support and help from the husband even before their dating time started, the other has a relationship of complicity with her boyfriend.
     Years ago The Beatles were already saying "all you need is love", and many others before them have also done it. While I agree with much of the utopia of "Imagine" by John Lennon, I disagree with "All You Need is Love". I am one of the most romantic people I know. I love surprise notes, flowers, gifts without special dates, surprise breakfasts and all sorts of things imaginable. I love to receive these things, but mostly, I like to do them to someone else when I'm in love. But no, I do not agree that everything you need is love.
     Love without support, without praise, without affection, without complicity, without friendship, without understanding, without comprehension, without listening to the other, simply does not support itself. For love may actually prevail, it must be accompanied by all these or it won't last. It may even exist, but can not grow and magnify as it should.
     Is there anything better than someone who fights for you? Not in the sense of fighting to win you over, but to buy your struggles and help you move on. To give you a hand and help you walk when you are not managing to do it alone.
     So please, sing the song, yes, but do more than that, when you love do it with an open heart, giving besides love, all these "small" details that make this feeling magnanimous. Without fear of losing, without fear of suffering, without fear of being honest, unafraid to be who you are, love without pride. Love with care, with friendship, with support, with praise, with understanding. Love with open arms both to the tears and to the smiles. Love with open ears to listen to the other person. Love showing that you are there for your loved one. Love, but always remember that love alone is not enough.

The Pope Oscar Ceremony

     Today, when the cardinals meet to choose a new Pope, I can not help thinking how everything looks like the preparations for the Oscar.
      The newspapers do not stop to report how many cardinals belong to the conclave, how the Sistine Chapel is organized for the meeting, how the ceremony will be, who are the "nominees" and the possible winners of the most important chair of the Catholic Church. Even the papal attire has been the focus of news on television. Now wonders are about the "mystery" of the black smoke and the white smoke.
      Like the Oscars, there are those who naively believe that the chair (or the statue?) will be given to an African or Latin American, when everyone knows that the "prize" will always go to someone from inside the house (in this case, the house is Europe). As in the academy awards, some candidates should feel fulfilled by being considered to compete with those who surely will take the title.
It seems that the world forgets all current scandals involving the institution that has been, and remains, the main character of major scandals throughout its history. Everything looks like a big party. I bet there are some brazilians thinking that a green and yellow smoke will come out of the Vatican's chimney.
      It's possible to understand what a Pope means for those who are within the Church, for those who live in convents and seminaries, but for people who are not involved in religious life, which is the true importance of the Pope in their lives? How and why does this affect their belief? I do not follow any religion, but I believe that being Catholic, Muslim, Jewish, etc., means to choose the tools that best suit you to reach God. The tools are available for centuries, with or without the Pope. The way a person relates to the Supreme Being is individual. You can follow certain rules, certain ways, but what a person enthroned in Rome can change in the lives of those who believe? What real difference does it make to the millions of Catholics around the world? The time when papal authority intervened in governments, wars and private lives so incisive and definitive is gone. Today, its influence still exists, but diminished. The Church stopped in time, it does not update itself, it doesn not want to deal with the reality of life in the twenty-first century and the issues that it brings. What does a pope today?
      While the ceremony is not over, as in Oscar, thousands of people are expecting. In this case, which statue will be given away? Best fiction screenplay or best supporting actor? Because, definitely, not best director.