Ask a Brazilian!

I realized the other day that I hadn't written much about the life in Brazil in general. So having that in mind, here's a quicky - www.gringoes.com (gringo = foreigner in Brazil) to learn more about Brazil.


There's a special section - Ask a Brazilian - which has Brazilians answering the questions foreigners have had about Brazil, Brazilians, cultural differences (dating for ex) etc.

Wordle

Continuing along the lines ...

... of my last posting - the midsummer's day was "mõnus" (translates something like "great", but with a special flavour to it)! A bunch of us, old friends, were road-tripping around the South of Estonia for the long weekend. Started out on Saturday afternoon at Peep's summer cottage in the middle of the forest in Valgemetsa with some BBQ and drinks, good company and talks that lasted until 4 am. (Ohh I had been waiting for years (!!!) to meet up with you, Sarah and Peep!!)
Woken up by the ring of my cell phone by Elina after a few hours sleep in the tent (or in the cottage for some), we had a quick brunch (more BBQ :)) and off we took. Our intention to (re-)discover some local events/people took us to Vastseliina for a country fair, then to Suur Munamägi (the highest point in Estonia, which indeed ain't too high afterall - mere 318 m it is).
We landed in Triin's place in Elva for the night. Wonderful!! Home cooked meal, lovely dinner in the garden catching the last rays of the setting sun, beautiful, relaxing atmosphere, and of course SAUNA! Ahh I guess no foreigner (unless Finnish or so :) can imagine the feeling of walking on the night-wet grass after a hot sauna, sipping beer and then, when a bit chilled already, head back to the sauna... mmmm...
Oh and, of course, more BBQ that night!
Then another late 'n' relaxing morning, some good moments at Triin's home and off we took for a 1 hour trip to Antsla to Uku's place to spend the actual Midsummer's Day there. The trip later ended up being a 2 hour-discover-estonia journey, but was fun, and luckily we caught all the rain while on the way. The late sun came out right when we got to Uku's.
I know I'm going to repeat myself here a bit, but :P ... the night was adorable - great people, lovely landscapes and country house atmosphere (huh I wish I had photos of the trip with me right now!!), more BBQ (Uku's parents grilled some lamb for the crowd that night!), more sauna, more fun and great memories.

ps. I think I had more meat in the last 4 days than in the last 4 months altogether!
pps. To know a bit more about Jaanipäev or the Midsummer's day, click here or search internet. For the curious, we didn't exactly follow all the Midsummer's day traditions - like jumping over the bonfire, for example.
ppps. (that's the last one) Once again I was reminded that Estonia, my home country, has got its wonders and my friends are simply 5+.

Mõnus

Istun ja mõtlen siin (see on lihtsalt vahemärkus, sest tegelikult mul on üks töö pooleli, aga siiski...).
Istun ja mõtlen siin, et mõnus on ... eelmine nädalavahetus näiteks. Kõigepealt oli laupäeval Kersti sünnipäev, traditsiooniliselt kuu aega hiljem, tema suvilas Tornimäel (oli vist Tornimäe, eks?), suur hulk ülikooliaegseid sõpru-tuttavaid koos. Tore oli. Ja pühapäeval käisime Uku ja Martiniga Balletikooli galat vaatama. Minu jaoks täiesti ukulik ettevõtmine - ja selles mõttes ideaalne.
Üritus kestis 3 tundi, kusjuures teine vaatus oli väga hea. Esitus oli väga hea. Ma olin kohe täitsa põnevil, et mis saab ja nii.
Siis võtsime Harjumäel päikest, sinna on mingid uued, vingeid, lõunamaised lamamistoolid tekkinud. Ja maha pandud klaaside all mulksus vesi. Päike siras soojalt. Varsti tuli Triinikas ja läksime Kompressorisse pannikaid sööma - seda ka ei ole juba vist 2-3 aastat teinud. Mmmmaitsev ja mõnus.
Siis BocaPotis latte ja veel nata päikest ja muhedat olemist toredate sõpradega Toompea kandis murul (ma ei mäleta, kuidas seda kohta kutsuti täpselt)....Ideaalne pühapäev oli.
Esmaspäeval oli meil Elinaga ettekanne CSR teemal... ahh jälle üks sellistest mõnusatest asjadest, oma asja ajamine. Ja Elina on lihtsalt super (siia võiks kohe pika kiidulaulu panna). Siis oli kohtumine Marisega pangas - ikka CSR teemal ja jälle hulk edasiviivat energiat. Ja palju mõtlemis- ja tegutsemisainet ka.
Õhtul oli Triinika, Helkuri ja Kairiga Elevandis koosmõtlemine kooli ja hariduse teemal. Lihtsalt ükskord tuli Triinikaga Maneezi ja Narva mnt. nurgal rääkides miljon head mõtet, millest üks oli soov natuke koos mõelda hariduse ja kõige seonduva üle. Nii saimegi kokku. Ma ei tea, kuidas seda väljendada - head ideed, hea energia, head sõbrad, hea soov edasi minna. Kui ühe sõnaga ütlema peaks, siis praegu paneks selleks mõnus. Mõnusad momendid, mis kestavad rohkem kui sekundi ja milles on iva, millest mingil hetkel võib asja saada.

ahhh...kogu selle keskel on mul väga segased tunded. Viisa tuli kuidagi nii ootamatult. Viis kuud ootasin küll, aga nüüd tuli ikkagi nagu üleöö. Valmis ja nüüd ole kohal! Oeh!! Lihtsalt kuidagi ootamatult palju vastuolulisi tundeid... kodu ja ema ja isa ja Taavi ja Kadri ja head sõbrad ja siinsed tegemised ja armsad asjad on mu maailma 5 kuu jooksul jälle muutnud ... st veel paremaks teinud, uusi perspektiive andnud, aga nüüd on raskem ka.
Brasiilia töö ja elu ja sõbrad on ka väga väga väärt ja head, ma ju tean (muidu ma sinna ei lähekski...tööalaselt eriti, paremat varianti vist ei ole üldse olemas), aga nüüd tundub ikka palju vaevalisem see äraminemine, kui oleks olnud 4 kuud tagasi või kui oli 2 aastat tagasi, kui 24. juunil 2006. esimesest korda LatAm-i poole teele asusin. Siis ajendatuna soovist maailma avastada, ennast võõral maal proovile panna, tööalaselt areneda. Nüüd oli tööalane areng peamine ja väga suur põhjus, mis kaalukausi Brasiiliasse jäämise poole kallutas. Tegelikult on selle tööteemaga ka teatud isiklike oskuste ja omaduste arendamine väga tihedalt seotud, ka siin on Brasiilial selles mõttes palju potentsiaali, aga sellest ma vast kirjutan mõni teine kord ...

My life in Brazil, vol 2 - OUT SOON!

Yeap, my Brazilian work visa was approved (after 5 months waiting, and, of course, enjoying Estonia, my dear home, family and friends meanwhile:).

That means my life in Brazil, vol 2. will be out soon :). More about it shortly!

BEIJOS!!!

"Why can't I pick a relationship that lasts?"

Am I destined to be lonely? Do I pick the wrong men? Why am I still single?

Yesterday I read on Salon.com a story, contemporary story about relationships:

"I believe that I have lost my ability to trust my judgments on relationships. However, I still believe in love, and I have not given up all hope.
Here is the situation: I am 33 and single yet again after another failed relationship..."
And there was a whole story of a number of failed relationships, for variety of reasons.

In response to the story, advice followed:
"What is your reason for seeking a man? It may sound like a dumb question but ... Is it to have children and raise a family? To avoid loneliness? To feel relaxed and confident in your world? To enjoy sex? To demonstrate your value and attractiveness to others? To keep pace with your friends?
Perhaps with your therapist you can dwell on these questions long enough to see some specific and detailed answers emerge.
This might help you in several ways. For one thing, it can help you see exactly what you are losing when a man goes away. And so it can help you think how to replace those specific things that he was providing. If he was providing sex, for instance, and you miss the sex, then you can set about trying to find more sex. If the ache you feel is loneliness, then perhaps you need the company of others. If you feel wounded or betrayed, then perhaps you can work on that woundedness, exploring it, asking, Is it anger toward him, is it shock at how I have been treated?

So rather than suggest how you might better find and maintain another relationship, my approach is more to explore the various aspects of having a man and see how having a man is connected to your larger life aspirations."

Basically, think and see who you are first, be complete and then seek a relationship.


I loved how similar idea was put in Zoe's blog, some extracts:

***
The word to look out for this century is partnership. We are changing the love of necessity for the love of desire. I like and desire company, but I do not need it - this is very different.

***
They [people] are starting to realise that they feel a fraction, but are whole.
The other, with whom you create a link, also feels a fraction. He is not the prince or the saviour of anything. He is only a companion on a journey.

***
A new form of love, or more love, has a new features and meaning.
It aims for the coming together of two wholes, and not the union of two halves.
And this is only possible for those who manage to work on their individuality.

The more an individual is capable to live alone, the more prepared s/he will be for an affectionate relationship.

***
Everyone should spend some time alone every now and again, to establish an inner dialogue and discover your personal force.

etc...
**********

Is it so? Does that explain?
It does on a broader scale (not in all cases), I guess (or what do u think?). And gives, in a way, a new (more relaxed?) perspective/meaning to the relationship status. Especially if you are 33 and single.

hmmm....
I'm 28 and single and my parents definitely think I should be rather concerned:)

Hummers out of fashion

If I look on the streets of Estonia, it seems to me that the time where a size of a car directly correlated with the owner's authority, prestige etc. have started to pass. Reasons could be many, but clearly there's no practical and real need for anyone to own a massive car like, for example, Hummer in Estonia.
I have seen fewer of these on the streets than 2 years ago. Or so it seems at least. That even though people have become wealthier. The reasons might be purely financial, its still expensive to maintain a vechicle like that.

And anyway, in the era of ours (the sustainability perspective!), can anyone really be proud of driving a powerful car that, by no means, is really justified?
I'm just curious to know, how the people that do drive these kinds of cars, think.

This thought came to me, when a shiny, majestetic (red!) Hummer passed me by in Tallinn the other day.

And then I read that General Motors itself is having some doubts about the future of the brand:
"It [GM] may also discontinue or sell off its well-known Hummer brand in a bid to develop more environmentally friendly vehicles as oil prices soar, the company said on Tuesday." by Al Jazeera News.


On 03/07/2008, a comment:
After a re-think, I don't think the mainstream has changed in Estonia. Being sustainable is not in fashion, but true, the segment of the "englightened elite", although still a niche, is still growing. I would have to explain that a bit, I'll come to that, when I come to that.

Banco Real receives 2 FT Sustainable Banking awards!

This week, The Financial Times and IFC, a member of the World Bank Group announced the winners of the 2008 FT Sustainable Banking Awards, with Banco Real of Brazil named as Sustainable Bank of the Year and also taking the overall Emerging Markets prize.

Now in their third year, the awards recognise banks and other financial institutions that have shown leadership and innovation in integrating social, environmental and corporate governance considerations into their operations.The programme has grown in popularity and this year’s winners were selected from a record 182 entries from 129 institutions across 54 countries.

***

Just really proud of Banco Real and its team (congrats to all!!!), and happy for having had a chance to work there!
The experience was beyond enlightening, encouraging, inspiring!

I remember a comment from an international consultant that worked with the sustainability team of Banco Real (ABN at that time), saying that Banco Real is of its own league, thus it's hard to even benchmark it against anyone else as its being benchmark for others!
Of course its not perfect, but the scale of changes made, the challenges taken up and the extent of trying to integrate sustainability into the core business was very encouraging to witness.

Thinking about moving a city?

Thinking about relocating to another city?
How about Masdar - Abu Dhabi's £12 billion city, first eco-designed city in the world (actually Dongtan in China was first, but looks like Masdar is taking a leap ahead).

The city's vision includes principles of a zero-carbon, zero-waste and car-free. Masdar has been designed to be powered by wind energy and solar power from photovoltaic farms. Now that building work is underway, and solar testing facilities have begun to feed the city’s grid, the developers hope that Masdar’s example can persuade other parts of the United Arab Emirates to follow suit.


Sustainable citizen by choice

I like the comment of Masdar's city development unit director Khaled Awad. He hopes that once the wider community has a better understanding of their own environmental footprint they will change the way they consume, making it “unnecessary for Masdar to have rules for behaviour that is not sustainable or even warranted”.

For example, there will be no limits on individual energy consumption and residents will be able to drive cars, as long as they are parked outside the city’s boundaries at all times.

Read the whole article in Ethical Corporation here.

BBC World Debate - is business accountable?

How Accountable is Business?
Can openness and profitability go hand in hand?

This BBC World Debate took place at the GRI Annual Conf in the beginning of May. Take a look, it's worth it.
Check it out, featuring also my boss-to-be (if I get this looong waited visa, of course) Alessandro Carlucci from Natura.