Memories

Maria Rita



Marisa Monte

Since returning from Brazil I feel as though I have tried to somehow listen to, read, or talk about something related to my trip everyday or the country. It has really changed my life. I guess in some ways I am afraid of forgetting everything especially the things that I really enjoyed. I feel like I am already pretty forgetful. I also have started looking into ways to go back mostly because I just started doing what I wanted to..when I was preparing to leave. I found a few opportunities..a residency in Salvador Bahia. Very different from Rio which is what I am wanting to do this next time. I really want to visit Sao Paulo, Mina Gerais, and Porte Algre..all of which would take some time to explore. I want to actually travel through the country not just Rio. I also looked into teaching English there..in Rio for a few months. I have seen several programs that you can get trained for but am not really sure if this is the time for me to do that or if I am really cut out to..plus I feel as though my thoughts are constantly changing about my plans for the upcoming year..sometimes they change daily. I definitely am a little spastic. I guess it is the artist in me. Too many thoughts at once...

I started listening non-stop to Brazilian music. The library here actually has some decent stuff so I am looking forward to exploring the many branches around the Columbus area. Until I can fully explore I have a hearty collection thanks to my friend Luciana. She supplied me with plenty of songs but it has come to the point where my sister gets annoyed anytime I play anything because she has heard it so much the last two weeks. These two songs above are probably the ones I play the most. Both talented ladies. The first song by Maria Rita..I am actually attempting to learn how to sing the song. I figure this will be a good way to practice my pronunciation and singing. I probably attempt to sing it about once a day...lyrics and all. I just started reading a book about the history of Bossa Nova as well and am looking forward to reading this other book I got called Futebol: The Brazilian Way of Life thanks to some online searching.

In addition...I have been reading this great blog by a girl who writes about getting married to someone from Brazil and the adjustment of living as a Gringa in Rio. She really does a good job of sharing her experience and I have found it easy to relate to some of her posts she has recently written. The Link if you care to check it out. A really good resource for me and very inspirational. So lots and lots of reading..

I've also decided that I am going to make a book from my trip that is I guess a kind of published version of my journal to document all the things I collected while I was there and to reflect on everything. I guess in someways it might be similar to what I did for my last project involving the warehouse in Baltimore..same idea of documentation. I will post the pages on this blog to share with everyone. Either way I am kind of excited about it. Should be a fun project and keep me busy on my computer with layouts and designs. I just have some many thoughts running through my head though so I really need to start organizing everything. Plenty of time..