Day Eleven: cupcakes and culture
Today we were back at our favorite school of the three we have visited--Antonio Pinto. We did an activity that Faith suggested called Cupcake Wars. The students made and decorated cupcakes (first time cooking for some of the students). While one group was cooking, I was working with another group to create advertisements describing the cupcakes. Sarah Bever, coordinator for the TGC Program, happened to be visiting us, and she jumped in and worked with a third group to create an English skit about selling cupcakes. So hectic, so loud, but everyone was working and it was a great afternoon!
After classes we had a fantastic surprise. The local capoeira group came to do a performance for us. School was officially over but I did not see a single student run for the doors. Everyone sat in the central patio to watch these amazing performers. A bit about the capoeira, in case you haven't heard of it: the Portuguese relied upon slaves to work in the huge colony of Brazil. Between the 17th and 19th century, it is estimated that about 40% of all slaves taken from Africa were brought to Brazil. The Portuguese kept tight control on slaves, and since they did not have access to weapons, this form of resistance fighting was developed. It is classified as a martial art, but is a beautiful blend of synchronized dance (our group had accompanying music with traditional instruments) and fighting. In the past, escaped slaves settled in remote colonies and fought against armed soldiers using only capoeira. This local group practices at Antonio Pinto when school is not in session and they were nice enough to perform for us. Everyone loved the performance, especially since several of the participants attend school here. Capoeira is a real source of pride to Brazilians, since it represents their past, and is now a world-wide phenomenon.
We left and went directly to our next cool cultural event. Think of our public school holiday concerts, but with even the youngest children doing traditional dances while developing a great sense of rhythm as well as photogenic skills (there was lots of posing for pictures by people of all ages). This is the season of Festas Juninas, (June Festival), which is their Harvest Festival. Most people think of Carnaval when they think of Brazil, but I was told that for many, this is a more popular festival because it is a time to remember Brazilian history, and also, because it is more family-friendly. The school that Francisli's daughter Bia attends was having the festival, and families came to eat, watch the dancers, and spend the night together. This is just another example of the pride Brazilians have for their cultural heritage. We were invited to watch Bia's class, and it was bright, colorful, happy and loud! Beautiful!
Dinner tonight at a very cool Brazilian restaurant. We came in wearing the same clothes we had worn ten hours ago to bake cupcakes. We definitely felt under-dressed, and I can't stop noticing all of the beautiful couples we see. Brazilians love to dress up, and everywhere I look I see perfect manicures, pedicures, and hairstyles. Wow! After dinner we were ready for a well-earned rest.