Swine Flu

This morning, almost at the crack of dawn, I was sitting in a little bar in a working class neighborhood in Sao Paulo. My bus got in from Belo Horizonte before the sun came up, and I didn't want to knock on my host and colleague's door before 8am. (That seems basic, right?) Anyway, so as I knocked back one café con leite after another, the news was on. A reporter from Mexico talked about the fact that public services will be suspended between May 1st (a major holiday for working people) and May 5th (the anniversary of the Battle of Puebla). So, while the hospitals will be open, there will be no public transportation to get there. The President of Mexico was on TV telling people that the safest place for them to be was at home. Safe, that is, in terms of avoiding swine flu.
Frankly, in my opinion, there may indeed be a threat of a nasty flu, but when I see governments impeding people's free movement, particularly on a holiday commemorating workers' rights, I can't help but think that there is some manipulation going on here. "Be afraid. Be very afraid". That is what we have been told in the US since 9/11. Generally, we should be afraid of terrorists, even when there aren't any. Now we should be afraid of the possibility of contagion, too. So, please, reduce your interaction with other people. Make yourself as isolated as possible. That is what will keep you safe. They say. Too bad you can't really fight the power single-handedly.

Ah, a momento of crisis

So, I've been in the lovely, mountain city of Belo Horizonte for about 10 days. My friend Ana Maria and her son Thomaz picked me up at the bus station and whisked me off to hear a friend's brother singing and playing guitar in a local café. For whatever reason, I basically liked the city from the start.
Belo Horizonte is in the mountains. It is the capital of the state of Minas Gerais. Ouro Preto, one of Brazil's historic cities, is about an hour and a half from here. Ouro Preto was the gold rush capital of Brazil back in the day. Walking around in both places is sort of like trying to navigate a roller coaster because there are so many hills and they are soooo steep.
Radio Favela is located here. It's a community radio station in a favela that has a fabulous view of Belo Horizonte because it clings to the side of one of the mountains. (I mentioned those climbs, right?)
Given the title of this entry, I should probably explain. Yesterday I cried. I had gotten out of bed knowing that I was planning on heading to Sao Paulo to do some interviews for some radio pieces that I am working on, and I really just didn't feel like doing it. Really, the issue was that I was leaving without having anyplace to come back to, and, frankly, after almost 3 months on the road, I've had enough of that. I want to have some friends who I can see for a while and develop relationships with. Even renewing my tourist visa for another 3 months made me feel like my time here is limited, and pushed me to do something about that.
Most likely, after I take this trip to collect interviews for my stories, I'll come back to Belo Horizonte. Hopefully, Radio Favela will let me volunteer with them, and I can get a room somewhere and start to have a somewhat more normal life.

ch-ch-ch-changes

On Saturday it'll be a month since I arrived in Rio. It's kind of amazing because in some ways I feel like I have been reconstructing my life in New York, just on the other side of the world. One of the things that made me feel this way was when I was supposed to interview an MC for a radio piece on funk music. He was a totally disorganized guy, so instead of doing the interview right away, I ended up tagging along with him to the offices of a couple of elected officials. While I haven't spent LOTS of time in the city council members' offices in New York, or in the State representatives offices, I've certainly been there, and I do know some of those folks. So it felt like in a very short time here I was in Rio making the same kinds of connections. 

So why am I leaving, you may be asking. That is a worthwhile question. The short answer is that I'm going to run off in pursuit of a story. But maybe I'll come back to Rio. Most likely. It may not be the ideal city in some ways, but I'm feeling good here. It is good, after all, to have friends, as all of you know.

I feel alright about running off on journalistic pursuits, but I realize that having this kind of social connection is really important to me, and I know that I don't want to be a gypsy my whole time here in Brazil.

So, that's one part of things. In other news, the police came last week to remove a guest from the hostel where I've been staying. I think that she had some kind of mental illness. In any case, she would talk to herself, and hovered around, staring me and other people in a menacing way. For me it's a big relief that she is no longer here. I was starting to think that I should take self-defense classes. Really.

Friday I'm wrapping up my work with Catalytic Communities. It has been a lot of fun, and I'll have to think about what I would do if I came back to Rio because, really, I have really enjoyed visiting different communities here in the city and taking photographs. Above, in fact, is a picture of me getting my hair done in little braids. The women in the photo are participating in a capacity building workshop for hair braiders. Over a 3-month period, they will learn about health issues, labor law, self-esteem, and planning, among other things. They will also discuss racism and the politics of natural Black hair, straightening, etc. After the course is over, the participants will share their knowledge with people in the community. Basically, as they work, they'll disseminate information and share their strength. Pretty awesome.

What other stuff can I tell you? Life is good.