Alan Jackson is really popular in Brazil.
He doesn't quite reach the level of his brother, Michael, but he is definitely
a sensation. When I was working in the coffee fields, the other guys were
talking about how Alan Jackson was going to perform in Sao Paulo and how they
wanted to attend.
Brazil has a very strong local country
music scene. All the rural kids listen to sertanejo music. It employs liberal
use of the accordion and seems like it is always in a hoedown. The "Ai Se
Te Pego" song that became a global phenomenon is related to this genre of
music.
I consider myself very up to date on the
sertanejo scene because I spent a week with twenty twelve-year olds at the
rural high school. In addition to playing Michel Telo on repeat, they are big
fans of Gustavo Lima and Luan Santana. They made a point of passing me all the
sertanejo music they had on to my iTunes.
I was watching the Brazilian national
spelling bee when the word "Yiddish" came up.
In Portuguese, there apparently are two
acceptable ways to spell Yiddish.
The one that that student used, and was
correct, was "iideche." I explained to the person that I was watching
with that you could also start spelling the word Yiddish with a "Y."
I don't think he believed me, but I would
bet that he will never come across the word "iideche" for the rest of
his life unless he enjoys watching spelling bee reruns.
I did the P90X ab routine with some of the
kids at the rural school. They were complaining about the burning for the next
three days.
Many people have offered to buy me
flip-flops. Apparently there is a feeling in Brazil that you can't leave the
country without buying a pair of Brazilian flip flops. My host family in
Brumadinho bought me flip-flops for my birthday. Several other people have
offered to buy them for me, even though I explain that I already have a
pair. What am I going to do with another
pair of flip-flops? And I already have Chacos so I don't really need the pair I
have. I just like keeping them for their sentimental value.
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