I'm taking so long to write in between posts I feel like I need to apologize to my readers - sorry Mom and Dad. For the past few years in Brazil, I've been going on mini-vacations to a city in the north of Minas Gerais to visit my boyfriend and his family. Though most people would describe the city as a small town with nothing to do, I have grown fond of it over the years. As a foreigner in Brazil, there is some charm to everything. For me, Pirapora represents not that touristic, historic city built from the bottom up by the slaves mining for gold like Ouro Preto or a beautiful beach city with dramatic landscapes like Rio de Janeiro. Pirapora represents a pretty common small town in Brazil. To have some insight into the daily life of these residents has been enriching, to say the least.
Araticum - the way to my heart.
In Pirapora, fruits come in every color of the rainbow and driving is not necessary. Walking and biking suffice. On that point, Pirapora has given a new definition of bike share for me. That is, two people on one bike. Thank God for my extra cushion in back. Friday nights are down by the river, where you don't need to make plans to meet up with anyone, rather, you just need to show up. The São Francisco river bank may host an outside mass, a zumba class...or the party bus route? I've yet to try that one. Now, did I mention the fruits? They come in all shape and sizes, and every season I visit, I look forward to discovering some new fruit I've never heard of, nor tasted, nor imagined could exist. Pequi? You either love it or hate it. I love it. Murici? A small yellow berry that looks like a mini guava. Buriti? Mama Maria makes a great sweet with it. Araticum? Only the best fruit in the world. I've never tasted a sweeter mango but for Ilan, it's nothing special, since he ate so much in his childhood, picking it up right off the streets when in season. All the better - more mango for me.
Ilan and his plants
We study identities and their construction in social sciences and we understand a person's identity by who s/he is and also by who s/he is not. That is the enriching part of being exposed to a new culture. You get the chance to look at your own culture in a different way - to see the difference and similarities, to understand how things can be done differently, and to reflect on the ways you have been doing things. Pirapora is a very different lifestyle than that of my childhood hometown. To see where Ilan grew up helps me understand a bit more about him. This is all so obvious, right? But to sustain a relationship between two people from such distinct contexts and cultures, it is essential. Needless to say, it's been a wonderful escape from my busy college town lifestyle in Viçosa. Thanks to fancy smart phones, I bring you a glimpse of Pirapora in less than a minute:
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