Carnaval 2k9 Megamix

Three years ago when I first traveled through Bahia a friend and I dreamed of one day remaking our own Salvador version of Snoop Dogg and Pharrell's "Beautiful" video. Those cinematic ambitions never truly came to fruition, but this year I tried to make a multimedia homage to the sights, sounds and people that made Carnaval 2009 an unforgettable experience. Obrigado Salvador.



And make sure to click HQ to watch the video in high quality!

I am Calabar

I still have some Carnaval recap material to post, but I also wanted to remind people that Brazil is more than just music and parties. Two new friends of mine, Rodrigo and Igor, have been doing some amazing work in their community, the neighborhood of Calabar. They both work and study full time, but also lead the local residents association and youth group, and helped build and now run a public library for the residents of their community. They coordinate activities for children in the neighborhood and are true catalysts of social change. They are also very generous hosts and my friend Davidinho and I took a tour of their community as well as a look at the work they are doing at the independently organized community school and library. And on this day everyone was celebrating Igor's birthday and having a despedida, a going away party, for a Canadian English teacher that had been volunteering in the community. Also, to learn more about Calabar, its history, and the work being done in the community, definitely check out Rodrigo's blog, "Calabar Sou Eu" (I am Calabar).

The video is in Portuguese, but I'm planning on embedding some English subtitles ASAP. I also plan on expanding this post.

Goals, Blogs and Cups

My most popular video so far has undoubtedly been my tribute to Esporte Club Bahia. Thanks for all the Bahia fans that have visited the site. Your dedication to Bahia is incredible and you are the reason why the team will undoubtedly be back in the Brazilian 1st division sooner rather than later. Check out the blog: http://www.baheaminhaporra.com, a site dedicated to the club that was nice enough to feature this gringos homage to his beloved Tricolor. Fan dedication like this is what helps sell-out game after game at the Fonte Nova, and now Pituacu, and is why Salvador deserves to be one of the host cities when the World Cup returns to Brazil in 2014.

Speaking of the World Cup, the lottery for tickets to the 2010 tournament in South Africa is officially open. You can register to enter the lottery until the end of the month - I know I will. There is no way that I am missing South Africa 2010 (or Brazil 2014!)

In non-Brazilian soccer news, a buddy of mine, Mike Fucito is in the land of tango, steak, and mid-1990 economic meltdown, Brazil's archenemy on the soccer pitch, Argentina. He is traveling with Seattle Sounders Football Club, a new expansion team in Major League Soccer, America's professoinal league. He is currently training with the team on their South American pre-season tour trying to win a spot for himself on the team. He was a teammate of mine in college but was recently picked up by Seattle in the MLS draft. And it looks as though he is doing very well for himself. He scored the game winning goal in the Sounder's most recent scrimmage in Argentina. And here is a pretty funny post-game interview with Mike that was on the Sounders website. Enjoy!



More Carnaval recaps are coming soon, along with new video. And guest bloggers!!!

Jorge Amado

Whenever I read travel literature about Salvador, I realize how different my perception of the city is than most people that visit. My understanding of the capital of Bahia is intensely wrapped around my Brazilian family - and this is something that has become more clear to me this time around.

Today I saw an older post in the New York Times about Salvador's most famous literary figure - Jorge Amado. A new travel buddy of mine was reading one of his novels and it made me realize how little of his work I had looked into. He is famous for his colorful depictions of life in Salvador, of its people - from all walks of life. His novels would certainly make for incredible travelmates while spending time in the city. But to date, I think I have only read parts, and seen the movie adaptation, of his most famous work, Dona Flor and her Two Husbands. Because I spend most of my time with my Brazilian family here, I think I often forget/neglect to experience the famous "staples" that come to mind for everyone else when they come to the city.

But everyone should definitely check out this Times article on Amado. Also, the article has a pretty solid accompanying photo slideshow.

To get some other perspectives on Salvador, I have invited some guest bloggers to share their perspectives on the city. Be on the lookout for it!

A Sign of the "Times"

So I'm just sitting around in my living room right now watching day time television on Globo. The city's Carnaval glow has certainly worn off, and about half of everyone I know here is a under the weather from last week's festivities.

I'm going over a few ideas for my next video and browsing the internet...and guess what I come across. In the New York Times today, the featured travel story is "36 Hours in Salvador, Brazil." Well, Mr. Seth Kugel, your 1.5 days better have been well spent, because tomorrow I will be writing a scathing critique or offering a glowing review of your article. Boa sorte, sir. But really, I'm just curious to see where he ended up going in Salvador.

Hosing Down the Streets

Carnaval officially ended for me the way it began. After returning home a few hours before daybreak, I was up again at ten in the morning to celebrate the last event of the weeklong festival. The sun was scorching, but two American friends and I made our way to the Barra Carnaval circuit, Avenida Oceanica, where much of the past week’s party had taken place. The entire city was calm, mellowed by a mass hangover - fatigue induced by six straight days of pre-lenten celebration. Finally we began to hear the booming bass of the final performance and positioned ourselves behind the trio-electrico of Timbalada, the same band we saw perform on Carnaval’s opening day.

This performance was open. There were no cords and entrance fees. The frenetic dancing that typically followed the trio was replaced by what could be characterized as a festive procession. Hundreds of people making the most of the last bit of the week’s revelry, but also saying farewell to a week’s worth of memories and welcoming the slow end of summer in the southern hemisphere.

As the procession continued, we slowly started to lag farther behind the trio carrying the band. My half-hearted samba shuffle slowed to a slight skip in my step. Then I assented to just nodding my head with the music as I walked along with the hundreds of other Bahians, Brazilians, and foreigners in the streets.

The sun continued to sear down on the pavement and I wrapped my shirt around my head and neck to protect the slight sunburns I had from previous days on the beach. Instead of the typical light Brazilian beer, I opted to buy a pop and bottled water from the vendor on the street. On the side of the road, the camarotes, the temporary structures lining the streets that had housed private parties with prime views of the Carnaval circuits, were literally being dismantled. A few of the camarotes were still partly filled with small groups of onlookers, but most were now only inhabited by construction workers, unscrewing nuts and bolts, jump-starting the city’s transformation back to normality.

The sun was starting to become unbearable when a slight mist began to rain down. It rained almost everyday over the past week, sometimes drenching everyone and everything, but today the drizzle remained light and refreshing. Some members of the procession raised their arms to the sky, thanking God or the spirits of Carnaval, for the rain or Carnaval – perhaps both. The trio continued to outpace my continually slowing steps, and the music, like Carnaval, faded away. After the trio finally finished, an army of city employees with rakes and brooms flooded the streets and began to sweep away the garbage in the streets. Municipal cars and trucks followed with tanks of soap and high-powered water hoses. The streets were cleansed and in a matter of minutes the remnants of Carnaval had been washed away. The music was over. The crowds dispersed.

Gringos on the Beach

Carnaval starts tomorrow!!! But everyone is on pins and needles - it looks as though there may be a little less sun then usual. But the party will continue - rain or shine. A few days ago I spent a couple of hours with a good friend of mine on the beach at Porto da Barra. He has been here in Salvador for a few months now, and I wanted to get his perspective on the terra de magia e alegria.

My life, my love, my pride...Bahia

Traveling to Brazil without experiencing the beautiful game is unforgivable. Here in Bahia, like the rest of the country, everyone has their favorite team. In the Northeast of Brazil, the most popular team is Esporte Clube Bahia. Almost everyone in Salvador is either a die hard Bahia fan, or they support the crosstown rival, Vitoria.

Bahia fans are proud of their club’s history. Founded in 1931, the team won their first national championship in 1959 by beating Pele’s Santos and were also crowned Brazilian champions in 1988.

Unfortunately the team has come under some hard times and a few years ago was relegated down to Brazil’s third division for the first time in the club's history. But even in the third division, the team still averaged attendance of over 40,000 people per match.

In 2007 during the third division championship match, a section of Bahia’s stadium, the Fonte Nova collapsed. Bahia won the title and were promoted to the 2nd division but 40 people were injured and seven fans died in the accident. The state government announced that the stadium would be partly demolished and a new multiuse arena will be constructed in its place. Bahia now plays it’s games at the Estadio Pituacu.

Yesterday Davidinho and I went with my brother, father and uncle to Bahia's state tournament match against Feirense, a small town team from the interior.

I tried my best to do my best monotone PBS narration impression in the video. Make sure to watch it in high quality - without that it is super blurry.



Bahia started off slowly, and Feirense scored the first goal. However, Bahia began to control the game and equalized. After that, things only got worse for Feirense. After all was said and done, Bahia were victorious, winning handily, 4 to 1. After a few cervezas, everyone felt compelled to let the world know their true love for their club, the famous Bahia!

Video #3

I really should've taken some VES (Visual and Environmental Studies) back during my undergrad years. Planning, filming, editing and publishing videos online, all while trying to make sure my camcorder doesn't get snatched up by an opportunistic thief, is not all that easy. iMovie on my Mac is pretty intuitive, but actually planning the subjects I shoot, creating some form of story arc, and making videos that might be vaguely interesting to other people is a daunting task.

Today I was talking with the new study abroad student that's staying at my Brazilian family's house. Her perspective is much like mine, and my fellow American colleagues, when we were studying in Bahia. She noticed right away the racial issues that exist here and how they mirror, but also differ significantly, from issues of race and racism in the States. She also mentioned the different forms of privilege, racial and socio-economic, that one has to come to terms with when traveling to a place like the Northeast of Brazil. Poverty, under- and unemployment, and the very obvious levels of social stratification here are much more stark than in the United States.

In my home, for example, people are constantly coming in and out of our house - mostly family and friends, but also hired help. And even though my family would probably only be classified as middle class, two maids work full time at the house. They are in many ways treated like family (when I first stayed here, it actually took me a couple weeks to figure out who was a maid versus who was just family helping out around the house) but they are still paid employees. And our household definitely seems like the foundation of a rather large extended family. Cousins periodically stay in the home for weeks at a time and are always over for lunch, or before and after work and/or classes. Much of my original reason for bringing my camera in the first place was to try and make a mini-documentary about my Brazilian family, chronicling the weeks surrounding Carnaval. And admittedly, part of this project was really just a way to help me actually get my head around my crazy network of Brazilian family and friends.

But to start, I'll be looking at my brother, Junior, who is the singer in an axe band. Axe is the local form of popular music that is huge during Carnaval in Bahia. As my buddy Davidinho described, it is a "fast, drumbeat heavy, synth laden, Brazilian pop music." He'll be traveling away from Salvador during Carnaval to perform in other Carnaval festivals in Bahia, but he has been doing shows in Salvador for the past few weeks. I took a few quick shots of an informal rehearsal last night.


Banda Nu Groove - Rehearsal from David Williams on Vimeo.

I tried directly uploading this video to blogger because the quality on youtube.com has not been great. I might try vimeo.com as well. If you know of any other good video sites please let me know. And if you have any suggestions for how I should go about making the family documentary, or any other ideas for videos, please let me know.

And to all the wonderful people that have commented: I will try and keep garbage bins out of most of my videos. I will also avoid will.i.am and/or the Black Eyed Peas as much as possible. If I ever get back to a cold weather climate, I will most definitely invest in a smoking jacket. And, although the subjects of most of my films will not be me, I promise to make at least a few cameos - but even if you don't see me, I promise I'm having a great time.

They Don't Really Care About Us

All is right in the world. My luggage was delivered to my house yesterday. And I took a bus with my fellow gringo Davidinho out to Patamares (a neighborhood that's a decent distance down the coast) where we played a pick-up game with some of his area friends. My touch was a little rusty, and I had to get used to their slippery field turf, but we both held our own. Afterwards we hung out Brazilian style - plastic tables and chairs, bottles of Skol and Brahma, and me trying to follow along with a flurry of slang-laden Portuguese. We were hanging out with mostly older guys and the conversation jumped from Obama and politics to the newest big money Brazilian players going abroad and eventually (and inevitably) to inappropriate yet hilarious banter about women.

This afternoon I spent the late morning and early afternoon sitting out on the beach with Davidinho and my brother, Junior. Again - plastic chairs and Skol along with a nice umbrella to shade us from the ridiculous Bahian sun, and a great view of the ocean.

My first night in Salvador I went out to the Pelourinho, the historic center of the city. There are performances there almost every night and it is a goldmine for anyone interested in amateur urban anthropology or just people watching in general. Tourists mix with Brazilians, rich and poor intermingle, vendors sell "authentically" African goods to Japanese visitors with dreadlocks and young American and European women entertain their newly obtained Olodum (a popular drum corp in Salvador) boyfriends. Hopefully I'll have a chance to go into more depth regarding the Pelourinho. However, here is a music video from Michael Jackson that he shot in the neighborhood about a decade ago. It's pretty good, provides a nice visual image of the Pelourinho and the band playing throughout the video is Olodum. I was thinking about recreating the video to test out my movie making skills, but I think that after spending a couple hours on the beach today my previously sun-starved east coast skin is now a tad too dark to do a MJ impression justice.

Robinho

Starting to get settled in - hopefully the airport will get my luggage back to me sometime today. Thank goodness my Brazilian family here is so accommodating, because I literally have no clothes other than those I wore on the plane.

But despite the minor baggage setback, Brazil is already starting to feel like home. The house is always abuzz - at least 20 people were in and out during the course of the day. I spent most of the time with my brother Junior (he's the driver in The Arrival video) and catching up with old friends and family.

I also watched Brazil's national soccer team play a friendly match against Italy yesterday on TV. Brazil came out on top and really displayed some flashes of brilliance. One play reminded me of some of the aspects of Brazilian culture that I am quickly becoming reacquainted with. It's a stunning display of sly awareness and anticipation, cunning and lighthearted deception - all underscored by a fierce joy and love for life.

Watch the clip and I think you might get a brief tutorial in Brazilian culture. Or maybe I'm just trying to find an excuse to post Robinho's awesome goal from yesterday's match and get non soccer aficionados to watch.



Also, for all of you fans of the beautiful game and/or patriotic Americans, the United States is playing their first match in the last round of World Cup Qualifying. And the game is against Mexico! This is huge! Viva la red, white, and blue. Anyone know of bars in Salvador that might be showing the game???

Salvador!

I am finally in Salvador! Unfortunately my luggage might be in Recife. But a lost bag cannot get me down. The sun is shining and the weather is warm, and now that I'm back in a cidade de alegria, it feels like I never left. A new video is uploading as I write this, so expect a follow-up post shortly!

First Stop - BRAZIL!

After over a year of experiencing the ups and downs of life in corporate America, I have decided that it is time for a change. We cannot take any time in this life for granted, and for that reason I have decided to go on a little adventure. I have named this blog Project Broken Compass because I really have no idea where I am going. But I have a video camera, a little bit of money, a lot of time, and an extreme sense of restlessness. The global economy may be in an irreversible death spiral, but when again will I have the freedom and opportunity to travel the world. I am sending in my letter of resignation, packing up my things, and heading south: first stop – Carnaval in Salvador da Bahia, BRAZIL! What better way to start my trip than take part in the biggest party on the planet – and visit old friends and family from years prior. And along the way I am planning on documenting everything I see and here - really exploring the issues facing the world right now from a global angle, getting in touch with new cultures and perspectives, and hopefully sharing these experiences with you through video and prose. And, as corny as it may sound, I would love to create some lively dialogue through this blog. Hopefully I can use this outlet to keep in touch with good friends and make new ones along the way. And I would love to hear your opinions on anything I write (good or bad) and get your perspectives on any issues I might raise. And also, if you have any travel suggestions, please let me know! After Brazil I have no idea where I will end up next.