Too Young to Be a Stick in the Mud

Have you ever learned a new word and then start hearing it all day, or all week? It seems to come up in conversation, you see it in a news article, or you suddenly find that word is the exact one you need to make a point. Finally, you've found it! This word has altered your life forever as you now have a more precise way to express yourself or your opinion or the color of her dress. You will never be the same. Dramatic? Only a little. This happens to me all the time in Portuguese. For example, the word of this week is lomo, mud. I now can express how I got lomo on my shoes, how I feel about going to a lomo party, and what it means to be a stick in the lomo.

It doesn't just have to be a word, but perhaps it is a song. I watched a movie on the Brazilian 80's singer and songwriter Renato Russo called Somos Tão Jovem. I liked a particular song called "Tempo Perdido" ("Lost Time"). I didn't think much more about it after the movie ended, but I quickly found out it is a very famous song. Then I watched O Homen Do Futuro (Man of the Future) at a friend's house and the same song, "Tempo Perdido", is performed in a few scenes of the movie as well. Now my interest is growing, as I thought O Homen Do Futuro was one of the best films I have seen in awhile. Go search for it, take time to watch it, and enjoy that pleasant feeling you get after watching a great movie.  Next, I'm in a meeting with some Brazilian English teachers and my advisor, Ana. As one of the teachers is expressing the frustrations of working in a public school, Ana offers some words of encouragement and references Renato Russo's beautiful lyrics. She proceeds to break out in song, as the rest of us enjoy the poignancy of the lyrics. Then, the public school teacher joins in, followed by the other Brazilian teachers in the room. Everyone knew the lyrics and sang along for a few stanzas. I will never forget that spontaneous moment. I wish I could have recorded it and captured the moment, but my own memory will have to suffice. After that meeting I knew I had to look up this song and read the lyrics and replay, replay, replay until my heart's desire.



In "Tempo Perdido", the band Legiao Urbana repeats two lines that stick out to me: temos nosso propio tempo- we have our own time- and somos tão jovem- we are so young. Every time I learn something new I understand that I am so young and have so much more to learn. The same goes for learning another language or culture. As soon as I found out I would be going to Brazil, it seemed like I couldn't escape learning more about the country even if I tried. My sister started working with a Brazilian. I found a Brazilian açai shop in Orange. My dad started sending my articles about Brazil. Now that I am here in Brazil, I see I will never be the same person as I have a humbling learning experience everyday. Every lesson alters and transforms me bit by bit. There is so much to learn in this life, so how are you going to use your own time? I personally prefer not to be a stick in the mud.