Que se gaste a vida de tanto viver!

The question: what is Brazil, can’t be answered but at the same time can be answered in many different ways. Nevertheless, there is no right response.

I could write about race, music, regions, economy, food, history, fútbol, etc., in attempting to answer this complex question. However, I find it more interesting to talk about my personal experiences that have allowed me to determine why Brazilians’ heart beat for the green, yellow and blue.

As the historian Sergio Buarque de Holanda stated, Brazilians are "cordial", which means that they think mostly with the heart and are more feeling-oriented when it comes to making decisions. The concept of “personalismo” is very important when analyzing Brazilian society. The historian suggests that Brazilians consider relationships and the values that come with them very powerful and important. He also states that Brazilians hold this cultural trait, where they value personal relationships over institutional relationships, status and material gain. Everywhere we went, Brazilians irradiated positive energy. Just today, when we arrived to Morretes, a simple and humble man selling chips and water greeted us to his town in the kindest way. Being senselessly happy and upbeat is an admiring characteristic Brazilians have

The song “Garota de Ipanema”, the second-most recorded song in history, is another important cultural element for Brazilians which we were able to appreciate and sing to it during our Portuguese class with Marilia. It was even sung by Frank Sinatra and Dionne Warwick, and represents the appreciation for the simple things in life. It describes an utterly unobtainable girl walking to the sea while men melted when looking at her. Brazil, and South America in general were not given much thought during the 1960’s, however that changed once people heard the exotic and relaxed melody of the song. It put Brazil’s most traditional genre, bossa nova, on the map.

Brazil is not only about beaches and the amazon. Many times in our trip the legendary architect Oscar Niemeyer was mentioned. The “Memorial da América Latina” we visited had the architect’s design influence .He was an important figure in the development of modern and futuristic architecture. Brasilia, contains several masterpieces designed by the architect, giving the city, and the country a modern voice. His concrete designed buildings are a must on a visitor’s itinerary when traveling to Brazil.

When talking about Brazil, it is important not to mention fútbol. It is not only the most popular sport, but also it is a sport where one can see Brazilian culture in miniature. Fútbol clubs represent different social identities and have their own history behind them. As an example, Corinthians are know to be the team of the poor, or the “People’s Club”. However, today it is the team with the most amount of supporters in São Paulo. When we went to see Curitiba play against Flamengo, the fans acted as if it was the World Cup’s final. Thirty-year-old men jumped and cheered like kids when the corner was being kicked, cursed and flipped off when the referee gave one of the players a yellow card. Fútbol is more than a game; it is an element that includes creativity, joy, offensiveness, “ginga”, drible and natural ability. The game acts as a connector between different races and social classes, and across different spheres of Brazilian life. No matter how much money one has, where one comes from or the skin color, they all sit next to each other in the bleachers and cheer for the same team.

Another important characteristic when talking about Brazil is how it has become a dominant country in the energy industry. It has become a leader in renewable energy and its on way its on way in becoming energy independent. We didn’t talk much about Brazil’s economy in class, however this trip still allowed me to understand up close not only Brazil’s potential in the energy sector, but only the reason why it is considered to be part of BRIC. If I was Brazilian, I would definitely be proud of my country for not depending on anyone for energy production. It is a great accomplishment Brazil has achieved, which has allowed it to become an energy-wise threat to the world.

Brazil has a remarkable creative diversity. The population is racially mixed, but are said to be colorblind when asked about their origin. Often in the US, people answer this question by naming the origin of their ancestors, rather than their own. When Brazilians are asked where are you from, they will always say proudly: “From Brazil”. The question is why. Brazilians stand proud regardless of disappointing leaders, corruption, and violence. They have left aside the unhealthy individualistic and competitive view of the world, which is crucial to achieve happiness.

Coming to Brazil has been a very enriching experience different from any other. It is a playground for anyone searching to travel. It is the perfect destination for the party traveler, the chiller, the budgeter, the group and solo traveler, the travelers trying to find themselves and many others. Similar to its Rodizio restaurants, Brazil has thousands of options to choose from depending on each person’s taste.

If one is looking to party, well there are infinite options. Nightlife in Brazil is an experience different from any other. Nightclubs are both abundant and lively. From samba to heavy hip- hop, funk to bossa nova, you can hear it played loud and often live. The chillers have no plans. Cities in Brazil are perfect to just go with the flow and see where to end up every day. The Eat, Pray, Love type travelers are always trying to find themselves, which better way to do so than sipping Caipirinhas in Copacabana or reading a book in Ibirapuera park. No matter what type of travel one wants to have, Brazil is always the perfect destination.

The only reason why traveling in Brazil may be dangerous is because one might decide to stay and never leave. No matter which traveler we think we are, we will always arrive to Brazil, the question is, then what?

Last thoughts

When describing the region of Paraná, it is very important to mention the urban planning accomplishments of the city of Curitiba. It is the capital and largest city of the Brazilian state of Paraná and has been internationally recognized for exceling in sustainable urban development. Curitiba is known worldwide for being the greenest city on earth for its eco-city initiatives, which began long before the idea of creating environmentally friendly cities. Over the years, Curitiba and its citizens have seen a continuous and highly significant elevation in their quality of life, and have chosen to live a life surrounded by green spaces and free of pollution.  All of these positive changes in Curitiba have created a change that has taken place in the culture itself. The spirit within the Curitiban culture and its civic pride has risen dramatically.

On our visit today to UNILIVRE, Universidade Livre do Meio Ambiente, we were able to see up close the efforts the city makes to become more sustainable, which have led them to be recognized a leading model for ecological urban development and planning.

UNILIVRE opened its doors on the National Earth Day in the year of 1991. It is their mission to create environmental consciousness, as well as disseminate theoretical and practical knowledge in order to build a sustainable society. In this approach, citizens, regardless of their profession or social class, have as a duty to collaborate towards achieving environmental wellness.

Every element in UNILIVRE has a meaning.  The different colored arches built in the entrance, symbolized the purification every person receives before entering the campus. The color black symbolizes pollution, green nature and yellow richness and wealth. The classroom colors also represented a nature’s element. Brown symbolizes the earth, red fire, glass air and blue water.

UNILIVRE’s campus, looked like the setting for a fairy tale. Even though the lake was artificial, the place was outstanding. Eduardo, our guide, explained how the current campus is the result of a wound created by human activity. The forests surrounding us had been exploited for several years leaving the area lifeless. However, in the year on 1987, the forest was left to grow again. This method is known as urban acupuncture, established by Jaime Lerner. It is the idea of re-energizing degraded and vulnerable spaces through design intervention. 

Eduardo, also explained that the water in the lake is stuck and does not receive oxygen, which causes it to acquire an unclean look. An oxygenator is needed, however, there aren’t enough resources to cover these expenses. This made me realize that what makes Curitiba’s and UNILIVRE’S accomplishments even more astonishing is the fact that all this was achieved through the means of a very limited budget.           

Given all of these measures of success, the question that arises is how was this accomplished? UNILIVRE and the city of Curitiba have allowed me to realize that a sustainable city can be achieved. However, such a large-scale transformation and regeneration of a city needs the collaboration of everyone to make it a reality. This success is due to the continuous development of the city’s infrastructure and culture.

A remarkable and unique experience

It was wonderful how the important people we met today, made time for us to inform us about the plans that the Secretary of Energy and Mining in Sao Paulo has for the future. As João Carlos Meirelles, the Secretary of Energy for the State of São Paulo introduced himself; he said something really interesting that caught my attention. It is important for young people like us to care and be aware of the benefits the use of renewable energy brings. I have felt many times, that young people are often ignored and not taken into account. However, this was not the case, this authentic experience started with being taken to a fancy conference room containing folders, plaques with our name and cold water. It was an honor for the members of the office to consider us and answer our questions.

I have never had experiences related to the energy sector, which is why this visit allowed me to understand the importance government bodies play in the transition to alternative energy in Brazil. The presentation grasped my attention; it showed statistics and information I don’t think it can be easily found, which is why I feel lucky I was part of it. As I have learned in my previous emerging markets courses, Brazil has already started a transition towards the development of renewable energy, which was mentioned in the presentation today. However, this shift, from non- renewable sources to alternative energy, is ensured with the use of natural gas as a raw material.

Sub secretary, Antonio Celso de Abreu Jr, summarized how wind power, sugarcane production and solar energy are the highest in the winter, and hydroelectricity is the highest in the summer. He talked about the forecasts for 2020 for biomass and hydroelectricity in the state of São Paulo, and how this renewables are expected to increase to 46% and 18% respectively. Another interesting fact explained was that the largest energy potential for São Paulo lays in the conversion of sugarcane into biomass energy. Brazil is already a leader in alternative energy holding 41.2 percent in renewables as of 2015. Brazil, and São Paulo is on the process of becoming energy independent, as well as São Paulo, which predicts to expand its renewables from 58 percent on 2015 to 70 percent by 2020. By the end of the presentation I was able to further comprehend the role of the Secretary of Energy for the State of São Paulo in encouraging the development of renewable energy in the energy matrix of the State.

This educational and unique visit is an experience I will never forget, not many people have had this opportunity, for which I feel really lucky I made the most of it. Hopefully, the members in the office found our group interesting and curious, so that other Northeastern students can also receive this remarkable experience in the future.

It is hard, but not impossible

After reading the text, I did some research on recent news articles about favelas, drug traffickers and police in Brazil. I found many news pieces that had headlines pertaining the impounding of drugs found in favelas by the police, or Elite Special Forces. One of the articles I found depicted a picture of the confiscated drugs found in da favela do Monsenhor a few weeks ago, with the emblem of the police who found it. 

I am now curious to know if these news articles are staged performances created by police illegitimacy in favelas, or if they are actual heroic and successful invasions.

There is a problem of misinformation concerning the confrontation between favela’s drug traffickers and police. This distortion that easily spreads around social media portrays BOPE as courageous and brave heroes who put themselves in danger for the well being of society. However, what citizens don’t know is that many times, news about BOPE officers confiscating drugs in favelas are arranged.

Police have two sides to them, they are portrayed to society as admirable individuals who have as a duty to protect life and property, detect and apprehend offenders, and help those in need of assistance. It is only favela’s habitants who see their other side. Brutal, corrupt and violent is what the text describes BOPE to be. This idea is supported by an article I found published by the Investigation and Analysis of Organized Crime in Brazil on May of 2016. A recent survey found favela dwellers in Rio de Janeiro are more afraid of police than illegal militias and drug traffickers. The results of the survey indicate that the liberal use of violence by police forces has eroded a lack of trust in law enforcement by favela residents in Rio de Janeiro.  Everyday life in favelas, such as El Dorado, is filled with structural and physical violence. Lethal force towards favela residents is behind high levels of police distrust among favela residents.

There is an institutional image that is set into motion during invasions, as the text explains. Where state and police legitimacy are determined according to geography. Corruption and bribery in the favelas also engenders fear among its inhabitants. This has led for police actions to be seen as illegitimate in the eyes of favela residents.

There is no protection being provided by the state creating undesirable living situations, where people live in constant fear. Hopefully favelas can enter into the eyes of the state, where the needs of its inhabitants can be recognized and acknowledged. I know it is extremely hard for the state and favelas to work towards a culture of peace, however, it is not impossible.

My Future Plans

The last time I learned information related to the different types of energy, was in high school when I was 16 years old. I never thought I would encounter the topic again because I knew I wasn’t interested in pursuing a career in the energy sector. However, throughout the course of this trip I have learned that no matter what our interests are, the use of renewable energy concerns us all.

I try to practice an earth-friendly lifestyle and mean to get involved in simple processes that contribute to environmental wellness. I avoid the use of water bottles, try to take my own cloth bags when I go grocery shopping, try to print only what is necessary, separate my trash and recycle as much as I can. However, these couple of weeks in Brazil, have made me realize that there are more impactful ways to contribute to the well being environment other than doing tiny and easy everyday techniques.

I know it is currently not possible for me to invest in technologies used in alternative energy. However, it is part of my future plan to get involved in alternative energy systems. I have been thinking of ways in which my major relates to alternative and renewable energy technologies, and there are thousands of ways in which economics can be applied to the growth and development of renewable energy.

This trip has also made me realize that one of the reasons why Brazil is in the process of becoming a developed economy and has acquired potential to powerfully compete with developed nations, is for its investment on its current energy resources. The use of alternative energy not only helps and benefits the environment, but it also has a positive relationship with economic development. I am very interested in the topic, and plan to do further research on the use of renewable energy and its technologies, to implement these ideas in places like my country, where there is a desperate need for the use of renewable energy mainly due to the fast rainforest depletion caused by oil extraction.

As said before, there are everyday techniques one can do to help the environment, however the investment in alternative energy technologies could dramatically change the well being of our planet. Which is why in the future I plan to get involved with the use of renewable energy, which is infinite. I am certain that in the future, renewable energy will become competitive, and that other sources will be fighting for market share against renewable power.

Our visits to multiple renewable energy sites as well as the Alternative Energy course allowed me to understand and comprehend the importance of energy resources and their impact on sustainability. I am looking forward to the visit of the city of Curitiba again. However, this time I will be looking at it from the perspective of sustainability and its worldwide known urban plan.