Ano 2011 em meia dúzia de palavras

Balanço, sonhos, realizações, pendências e, acima de tudo, saúde e amor! Foi o que vivi. Espero que vocês tenham vivido intensamente o ano de 2011, e estejam entusiasmados com 2012!

Pretendo presentear a pessoa que mais comentou no blog (foi você Mallu;  vou entrar em contato com você em janeiro/2012, assim que chegar de férias, para acertar os detalhes).

Estou de férias de palavras... não sei como vou sobreviver, mas essa pausa é necessária de vez em quando, para reorganizar a casa. Porém sinto os altos e baixos de uma dieta radical.

Se eu não resistir, volto a aparecer.

Um abraço demorado em todos,
Silvia

06 reasons to start learning Portuguese and visit Brazil

1. The next World Cup will be held in Brazil in 2014. Two years are more than enough to speak Portuguese fluently. 

2. The Olympic Games 2016 will also be held in Brazil. If you are perfectionist, you have four years to get even more fluent.   

3. Portuguese language is easier than Russian and Mandarin (Chinese language);

4. Portuguese is similar to Spanish. If you learn one it is half way to understand the other. But Portuguese has more phonetic sounds than Spanish, which means that if you learn Portuguese, it is much easier to understand Spanish than the other way around.

5. Although Brazil is not yet a racial paradise, we are getting there; this is one of our goals. So, it's quite sure that you will feel more welcome in Brazil than in anywhere in the world. Please, visit and let us know.

6. Brazilians are curious, funny and open-minded. It may sound like a myth, but it isn't. If you met a Brazilian that has not one of those profiles, you met an exception. 

Por que cultivar paixões é fundamental?

Porque ao invés de discutir fatos, ou mágoas, compartilhamos sabores.

Porque nossa alma pode brindar ainda que não tenha com quem.

Porque nos tornamos mais interessantes, quiçá mais jovens.

Porque nos mantemos conectados com algo invisível que muitos são capazes de observar e sentir entusiasmo.

Porque se cria um espaço em relação ao parceiro, ao trabalho, e à família; e todos podem sentir nossa saudade.

Porque se tudo der errado, podemos nos entregar completamente a algo nosso e, por algumas horas, estaremos salvos.

Porque nunca houve um momento tão propício para cultivar paixões, como no século XXI. Não precisa mais esperar se aposentar.

É do estilo discreto? Tem vergonha? Quem não puder ser ridículo, não pode ser livre.

Liberte-se, apaixone-se, cultive e espalhe.


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Farewell letter

A year and a half ago my boyfriend and I landed in Australia. I had never thought of visiting or living in this country.

But here I was.

On the way from the airport to our new house, it was kind of cold, but when finally we got around our neighborhood we felt warm and smelt flowers. We dropped our stuff there, my boyfriend went straight to work, and I went to get acquainted with the city.

When I left our flat, it started raining. I was the only surprised person around, staring at the sky and looking for an explanation.

“That is Melbourne’s weather. Do you reckon?” A local joked while passing by.

Reckon?! I murmured. A new town and language had been presented to me.

On that day I walked, walked, and had coffee.

The Melbournian cafés are great places to get information for free. You buy a coffee and get а newspaper, ask questions and get answers.

“Where can I get internet and a computer?”

“Go to Victoria State Library (VSL).”

There I got connected to everything: movies, theater, courses, books and smart-gentle people. All librarians and workers from VSL deserve my gratitude.  

I felt at home.

But more surprises were on my way.

The more I walked, the more I found restaurants from all over the world to eat at, tango venue to dance, I met people from all places on earth and learnt more than I could ever imagine.

There are plenty of simple things aussies can do that most of world population cannot.

You can’t imagine how luxurious it is to drink tap water.

You go to the street and protest. You can occupy. You may face some resistance; it’s part of the job.  

Australia is a free country.

Here you can change how things work. Not long ago, you had a non-multicultural policy, and because you were free to protest, you made this country one of the most diverse in the world.

If you doubt about your freedom, ask you Asian friends what their countries are like; and they will tell you there are issues that they cannot even mention. 

I know there are things to improve. There are policies that need daring decisions: NBN, climate changes, and so forth. If you allow me, I have a hint on the NBN issue: listen to your telecommunication minister; he is brave and is doing something that companies promised but didn’t deliver.

And there are those issues that will teach us to love the unknown: refugees and aborigines, for example. I believe soon we are going to see all human beings as a culture resource and we will welcome everyone.

You have plenty of work.

But no dramas, as you taught me.

One more word about an issue which is also in vogue: gay marriage.

“Ms. Gillard, woman of wisdom, power and passion, please, put Australia in the avant-guard move. I guess that on the very next day after your approval, people will wave flags saying “yes, I do.”  

By the way, aussie women are very outstanding. Do you remember Anna Bligh’s speech on the day following the flood? You guys should appreciate your girls more.    

For all these reasons, 2010/11 was the year, in which I recaptured a childlike innocence of eye.

Everything was there for me to discover and enjoy.

And I did.

So, my aussie friends, I would like to say one more thing to you.

Don’t take Australia for granted.

And if you ask me why I don’t live here for the rest of my life, I have an answer.

Because there are two things I cannot change: my mother tongue and my homeland. Brazil is my homeland, and it will always be.

But Australia is my castle, the castle.

Please, take care of it.

Cheers,

Your Brazili-aussie friend Silvia.

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