Rio de Janeiro cidade maravilhosa

E' difficile descrivere tutto ciò che mi ha donato questa bellissima esperienza...a distanza di giorni ormai dal rientro è ancora vivo il ricordo di ogni singolo giorno vissuto a Rio. Sono tornata con un piccolo bagaglio di gioie, conoscenze, amicizie ed entusiasmo. Sono tornata proprio con quella voglia di un ritorno, con quella sete di scoperta nei confronti di un paese così grande e così ricco di contraddizioni. E' nata una passione e un nuovo e profondo stimolo che spero di riuscire a sfruttare nel mio futuro.

Se potessi / Ricominciare o no questo viaggio / Ricomincerei

In ogni viaggio che ho fatto ho lasciato un pezzo di cuore.

Il pezzo di cuore più grande però l’ho regalato all’ERASMUS. Chi mi conosce sa quanto importante e formativo sia stato per me quel periodo. E se mentre sei in Erasmus non hai nessuna necessità di inquadrarlo e dargli significato, il “dopo” ti obbliga invece a metterti in una categoria ed a dare una interpretazione coerente di una vita che in realtà è vissuta naturalmente al di là dei principi della coerenza stessa, perché in Erasmus sono normali le emozioni ed i sentimenti vissuti fino all’acme. Ecco allora che dovendo scegliere una categoria e cercando di spiegare questa dimensione, molti mettono al centro “l’Erasmus che mi ha cambiato la vita”. Io metto al centro del mio racconto “l’Erasmus che mi ha cambiata”.

La parte più difficile dell’Erasmus, continuo a ripetermi, è stato l’addio. È stato lasciare quella disinvolta condizione di esistenza ridotta all’osso e priva di sovrastrutture per tornare all’organizzazione e alla macchinosità della vita sociale di sempre. Il tutto contornato dalla genuina necessità di sentire gli amici, il branco, quella che era la tua famiglia; ed inventandoti un modo per mantenere i contatti nonostante la lontananza, i cambiamenti, i ritorni… Con la paura di essere rimasti incollati ad un’idea di amicizia che funzionava in Erasmus ma che nella vita vera vacilla (come poi molti, al rientro, suggeriranno).

Ed ecco che inaspettatamente mi scopro anche oggi, di ritorno dal Brasile, a rivivere questo “micro-trauma”. Per qualcosa di molto più breve e molto meno estremo eccomi a provare la stessa nostalgia, lo stesso senso di mancanza, ma soprattutto lo stesso entusiasmo che ho provato al ritorno dall’esperienza più incredibile e più formativa dei miei quasi-23 anni. Mi scopro oggi a provare la voglia di rivedere posti che ormai avevo fatto miei, rifare quelle piccole cose che per noi erano diventate naturali e quotidiane, il bisogno di sentire chi ha condiviso con me momenti intensissimi, e per due settimane è stato il mio sostegno, l’affetto, il divertimento, il sottofondo di ogni momento, la pulsazione costante del “mio Brasile”.

E ci sono mille altre cose da dire sul “mio Brasile”, racconti, disavventure, sorprese. Cose che mi hanno impressionata, che mi hanno ispirata. Cose che mi porterò dietro e che mi porterò dentro. Ma le cose più importanti e più luminose sono state per me ancora una volta la condivisione di tutto, quella livella che appiattiva tutte le differenze, la voglia di far festa, di imparare, di riempire ogni giornata ed ogni momento.

…E soprattutto la potenzialità di questa esperienza di buttare giù barriere ed ipocrisie. Certo questo non è sempre automatico: la responsabilità della riflessione è sempre individuale. Ma guardando indietro e ripensando a questa nostra vita brasiliana mi verrà in mente come anche questo viaggio mi abbia cambiata, e quel piccolo pezzo di cuore che ho lasciato a Niteroi.

Livia

Se potessi


ricominciare o no questo viaggio


ricomincerei.

N. Hikmet - “Se un Viaggio”

Yesterday morning we woke up very early because we had an important appointment: Petrobras company! It was a realllllly long lesson about its history composed by different presentations...now we can say that we know everything about Petrobras!
The afternoon was really amazing!!!!!! We went to the so-called Cidade do Samba in Rio, where every samba schools prepare its carro for the most popular carnival in the world. They start working in April in order to have everything ready for this special week and all the samba schools race one against the other in the "sambodromo" to win the rich prize. For this reason the winner have to create the most spectacular and particular carro!
From the Cidade do Samba it's possible to see in the background a big favela...This fact seems a paradox: the extreme sparkle of Carnival on one side and the poverty of the favela on the other...
At night to celebrate the birthday of Gessica we went to the crowded Sao Francisco Bay to eat and drink something and after a quick walk under the moon shadow in the beach, we had even organized a nice surprice in the terrace of the hotel: chocolate cake for everybody!!!

Unfortunately, the dream is quite over and in a few hours we will not see anymore the Cristo Redentore at the horizon.....
Tristeza, alegria...Alegria, tristeza...
...SAUDADE...

Gessica&Vaal Sasci!

The day has finally come: no more time, no more excuses. It's time to expose our presentations!
In front of the whole class and at the presence of Prof. Corno, Prof. Cerini and Professor P. Pfeil we showed the works on special Brazilian topics that we were asked to prepare.
All the presentations were very well-prepared and gave us the chance to know better this amazing country.

At 12 o'clock, after a brief buffet at UFF we took the van, direction SUBSEA.
There we attended a very interesting presentation on the company and oil market as well. We didn't get the chance to see vassels and the main products of the company, but this did not prevent the visit to be very clarifying!

At 4 pm we finally got some free time and we all decided to go to the beach (as usual!). There the most braves, despite humongous waves, faced the POWER of the sea and jumped into the water.
Some of us succeeded in defying Triton ...some others not really. But we all left the beach safe and sound.

For dinner we divided into two groups. Some went to Porcao, and some others went back to the hotel and had dinner in a restaurant nearby.

In conclusion, we all enjoyed another amazig day in Brazil and enriched our culture.
Though it's time to go to bed because tomorrow will be our last day of work and a giant of Brazilian economy is waiting for us: PETROBRAS requires our full attention!

THE P-DAY

The day has finally come: no more time, no more excuses. It's time to expose our presentations!
In front of the whole class and at the presence of Prof. Corno, Prof. Cerini and Professor P. Pfeil we showed the works on special Brazilian topics that we were asked to prepare.
All the presentations were very well-prepared and gave us the chance to know better this amazing country.

At 12 o'clock, after a brief buffet at UFF we took the van, direction SUBSEA.
There we attended a very interesting presentation on the company and oil market as well. We didn't get the chance to see vassels and the main products of the company, but this did not prevent the visit to be very clarifying!

At 4 pm we finally got some free time and we all decided to go to the beach (as usual!). There the most braves, despite humongous waves, faced the POWER of the sea and jumped into the water.
Some of us succeeded in defying Triton ...some others not really. But we all left the beach safe and sound.

For dinner we divided into two groups. Some went to Porcao, and some others went back to the hotel and had dinner in a restaurant nearby.

In conclusion, we all enjoyed another amazig day in Brazil and enriched our culture.
Though it's time to go to bed because tomorrow will be our last day of work and a giant of Brazilian economy is waiting for us: PETROBRAS requires our full attention!

The D-day

today is THE day. So many changes has been done, there is someone living the group, there is some others joining us. Early in the morning we got off of the bed in a rush, because we were late…as usual.
Nice coffee had got our eyes and minds well open ready for another exiting Brazilian day! At the classroom the judge Fernanda Duarte was waiting us for a little while, and we were afraid to be judged for our microscopic delay! But nothing rough has happened, on the contrary she was so sweet and informal to teaching us how the training program for federal judge is. Fernanda Duarte has captured our attention by showing all the challenges a wanna-be judge has to withstand, we have learnt that exams will never finish, and sure would make you upset. In fact to be a judge here in Brazil you must pass an exam that proof you got merit to be a judge. But during the lesson here it comes a present, or better still, two presents: here it goes Prof. Fabio Corno and Prof. Diana Cerini!! Later on landing at the international airport of Rio de Janeiro, they attended half a lesson; what a good professors!!!
After a sweet good-bye to Roberto Caimi that left the Winter School, the group has been split into two different brunches; one of them goes to Supreme Court, and the other one stayed here in Niteroi for another interesting lesson upon sustainable eco-tourism in Brazil. Fernando, our tutor that organized the program of the Winter School in Brazil took a lecture on it, focusing on an amazing program that started up an eco-sustainable culture of tourism in AIURUOCA, a zone in Minas Gerais encompassed in the “Área de Proteção Ambiental (APA) da Mantiqueira”.
Also for the people who went to the federal tribunal of Rio de Janeiro this was an amazing afternoon!! Judge Fernanda and other two judges guided us into a impressive tour of the whole court!we even saw a real trial involving man accused of drugs traffic! It was really an experience, expecially for those of us who's not from the law faculty.
After the visit, we met Carlito, our great driver, waiting for us in the van: we had to came back to the hotel to ultimate our homeworks =) and -most important- to fix our plans for the weekend!!!
See you tomorrow guys!!
Marco and Valeria

A day in the industrial part of the City

This morning we woke up earlier than the others days because our ferry-boat live for Rio de Janeiro downtown at 8.40 a.m.
After crossing the bay we decided to reach Sebrae by foot to have the chance of living the crowded streets of Rio.
Arrived to Sebrae they welcomed us very well.



Sebrae is a national brazilian company without any lucrative pourpose, that supports micro (up to 9 workers) and small(up to 19 employers) enterprises operating in the industrial and economic sectors.
Micro and small enterprises rappresent the 98.5% of brazilian market.
At the end of the conference they gave us many books about brazilian economy.
After that we had lunch in a very chic restaurant. Our afternoon is began with three km by foot, then we arrived to INPI (National Institute of Industrial Property),which
is a sort Ministry of Development,Industry and commerce. It grants and registers Patents, Industrial design, Software. They have a really severe security and a strict dress-code, especially for men, so we had just a little problems because our guys dressed with Bermuda shorts...!!!
The security blocked them at the entry of the building...



We need a lot of psychological work, but finally the guys could follow the lesson.



At 4.30 p.m. we finished our cultural day and some of us went to S. Teresa and the rest of the group came back to Niteroi with the ferry boat with only one target...: Shopping!!!
Our evening came to the end at the restaurant where we had a really large meal!!!
Roberto faced a surprise: our little gift for him!!!
He was a key figure for us, always present and helpfull in solving our problems: BIG THANK YOU ROBERTO, from all of us and have a nice trip back home!!!
That was our tuesday...
Good Night and Good Luck...
See you!

Adriano and Ivana