Post #6: Geeks in a Stadium is a Party

In the middle of Brasília is a gigantic stadium that was built for the World Cup when Brazil hosted in 2016. Nowadays, it gets little use as there are not any big football teams based in Brasília and the colossal size makes it an overwhelming venue. Those of you that know Uli know that, despite his heritage, he does not follow any organized sports or have any passion for spectating (hey, I guess no one can be perfect). We recently attended a Wizards game (NBA) and a Caps semi-finals game (NHL), which were exciting to me even if I am not an ardent fan. Uli was still pretty non-plussed. So, why would he be spending four days in a gigantic football stadium this week? For a tech event, of course.

There is a huge event called Campus Party taking place right now in the stadium and the wings are filled with geeks camping out for four days, hackers and gamers set up at tables, and speakers talking about a range of topics from MOOCs to makers. There are so many young people wandering around with their computers. Even I found it exciting and a bit overwhelming. Uli, however, was completely in his element.

 For me, the cool part continued to be the setting of the stadium...

Post #5: Bean Stew Brazilian Style

The last week at work has been crazy busy with several events and visits happening all at once, so our section took a time out on Friday to celebrate together over a dish of beans and under a canopy of Brazilian music and the din of conversation...

First, the beans. There is a typical Brazilian dish of beans stewed with different types of meat that I had tried during Portuguese language study back in Washington, but the real thing was very much better. Beans slowly stewed with different parts of the pig gives it a lot of flavor. At this restaurant, you could load up on beans and rice and then choose your meat, each part labeled in separate pots so that you knew if you were getting those savory bits of tongue, ear, etc.! The dish is called feijoada and is a typical Saturday meal that you consume with family and friends slowly, and, if my sense of sluggishness after eating feijoada is in any way typical, a nap probably follows the meal at some point.

Best of all was the great company of my colleagues here and the rhythmic live music in the background. This felt like a wonderful taste of Brazil!

Post #4: Scandals in the Neighborhood

If you know anything about Brazilian politics, you probably have heard of Lula, the populist worker party president who is now in jail and who was proven guilty in multiple instances as part of an ongoing money laundering and corruption scandal called "Lavo Jato" or Operation Car Wash. Basically, bunches of high level politicians and businesses were all in cahoots to funnel government money into their own pockets through special rules for government contracts and elaborate state-sponsored construction projects and even deals with the mostly state run oil company. Epic stuff. Over $1 billion misappropriated funds, almost 100 convicted, 16 big, well-established companies, and it is still ongoing. There is even a Brazilian Netflix series based on the events called The Mechanism (and it is a pretty watchable series by the same director as Narcos).

Anyway. Last night there were pots banging in the neighborhood (common form of local protest) and horns honking - a whole lot of noise. This morning, I found out that we have a notorious neighbor who was put on house arrest last night. José Dirceu is an ex-minister and cabinet member in his 70s and he lives in the next building where the press was camped out to catch a glimpse still this morning.



Perhaps it wouldn't be the best idea to pop over with a neighborly casserole this time...

Post #3: Red Dirt

Trudging through the city park, I could see the fine, red dirt forming a fine dust on my sneakers... the very sneakers that I took the pains to wash of our red Arizona desert dust from vacation. Brasilia's dirt is a dense, red clay that peeks out of the grass and between the cracks on sidewalks. My sneakers are covered in it. The contrast with the open, blue skies is kind of beautiful. And, oddly enough, it reminds me of Wyoming too, which makes me feel like I might learn to call Brasilia home too.

Post #2: Coffee

What could be more important than finding a favorite place to retreat to for a delicious cup of coffee when you are in a new city? Granted, we were spoiled by proximity and quality of good coffee in both Jakarta and Arlington. However, on our first outing to discover how the Brazilian bean is treated, we were pleasantly greeted by a causal outdoor seating and aromatic cup of Brazilian beans roasted by the owners at Belini Cafe. The cafe has a mission to re-educate Brazilians about coffee and how it should be drunk with a hefty menu explaining techniques for gathering, roasting, and preparing coffee. For us, it was a heavenly way to spend a Sunday in our new home city, and we almost felt like local regulars already.

Post #1: The Capital of Hope

A Taiwanese friend sent me this screenshot this morning, and I thought maybe I would begin my postings about Brazil here at home in Brasilia. The first book I read about our new home was focused on Brasilia as well (The Capital of Hope) and its creation story as a man-made city, UNESCO world heritage site, and the social, political, and economic realities of birthing a capital in Brazil in the 1960s. If you are curious, it is worth a read. However, here are some of the highlights with some of my commentary:

• The city is located inland in the highlands (approximately 4,000 feet above sea level) with two distinct seasons: dry and wet. The climate is phenomenal right now with dry, sunny days in the 70s and low 80s and nighttime temperatures dipping into the 50s. We do not need to use air conditioning and leave our windows wide open night and day.
• The location was chosen to provide equal access to the entire country rather than concentrating power, wealth, and business on the coastal ports and cities of Rio and São Paulo. There was literally nothing here other than dust when President Kubitschek moved the capital from Rio in 1956. 
• The city was mostly built during President Kubitschek's term from 1956-1961 as he fulfilled a campaign promise. The city was built in 41 months and people moved here from all over Brazil to find jobs, many of these pioneers came from the impoverished northeastern states.
• There is fantastical architecture and landscaping that interrupts the wide skies by famous city planner Lúcio Costa, architect Oscar Neiemeyer, and landscaper Robert Burle Marx. The modernist style includes all kinds of funky-shaped buildings that were meant to illustrate the futuristic city's promise. 
• Brasilia is planned in the shape of an airplane with the wings serving as the axis of the city. Everything is very organized into blocks and sectors with certain areas set aside for certain kinds of services, shops, or activities. All of the embassies are located together in one sector, for example. 
• The physical area of the city is much bigger than pictures make it out to be. Getting around the city requires a car and distances from one area to another are longer than they look on a map. Roads were designed without stoplights to keep traffic flowing and there are no left turns in the city, so you are often looping around and back and through cloverleafs to get to your destination, especially if you are trying to move east-west across the airplane rather than up and down the wings.
• Brasilia was built for a population of around 500,000 but there are currently almost 3 million inhabitants here.
• As the seat of government, Brasilia is synonymous with the government. This lends to its difficult reputation within the country, much like Washington in the United States. Many Brazilians still do not consider it a real city with its own character. 

Take a look for yourself!

First 100 Days in Brazil

We've landed in Brazil and are finding our way around the planalto of Brasilia, slowly discovering our neighborhood and enjoying the incredible sunshine, blue skies, and weather of the capital city. This will be our home for the next three years, and we are in that shiny new stage of discovery, taking in each experience for the first time.

Beginnings are precious times for noticing, something that you lose after being in the same place even after a short time. In that spirit, I want to keep my antennas up and capture this new place for my own reflection and for you to also become acquainted with our life in this new home. So far, the transition has been rather smooth but there is a lot to share. I'll be rolling out tidbits here and there to share our happenings and novelties in the first 100 days in Brazil -- please feel free to comment, question, or explain, but do join me on this new journey in the largest country in South America and start making your plans for a visit to beautiful Brazil!

Here's a picture from our first night after landing from the roof of our building. Cool evening breezes, palm trees, and a horizon dotted with lights and buildings.... not a bad start at all.