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Thursday, 06 September 2007

In the town where I was born- part II


Hi Amy, 蜜芽传媒 LE team and friends,


I don’t live in a yellow submarine. Instead, I’m in a state called Esp铆rito Santo(ES) on the Brazilian coast. If you look at any map, you will see it located among Minas Gerais, Bahia and Rio de Janeiro.

The capital of ES is Vit贸ria, a city intimately linked to Vila Velha which is the city where I have been living most part of my life. “Twin cities” is na umbrella term if you want to talk about the both cities. It’s impossible for us “Capixabas” talking about Vila Velha without mentioning Vit贸ria and vice-versa. By the way, Capixaba is the way we are addressed here.

Actually, Vit贸ria is an island and it is connected to Vila Velha by 6 bridges. The oldest is being reformed. It came from Germany to mark the initial progress of Vit贸ria. The biggest bridge is called “Third Bridge”. From the top of it, you may have a breathtaking overview of the both cities. All the glitters is not gold, though. This poetic view can literally make the spirits soar.

Third Bridge

A couple of years ago there were scandalously a high number of deaths on the Third Bridge. They were not crimes at all. I’m not sure about the laws in the UK but killing yourself isn’t an illegal action here, unless you help someone commit suicide (euthanasia?). But I think making little of life is harmful in the both cases.

Indeed Vit贸ria and Vila Velha are a relatively (or relative?) safehaven to live comparing to Rio de Janeiro and S茫o Paulo. There was a time that the quiet cities were invaded by criminals from Rio but the authorities quickly tackled the problem. Even so, the ES in itself is considered a state with a rising rate of violense because of the frequent occurences in Cariacica ( another city in ES). Hence, they are building many schools and funding social projects there. So you shouldn’t feel vulnerable here. A priori it is just that you have to be careful at times as everywhere.

Getting back to the Third Bridge, the fact is that the deaths were related to suicides. There have been nearly 2 suicides per week. The victims went to the top, stopped the car and jumped from the bridge. Almost all the cases were with men and had passion as the main cause.

It was a shame, so the press started to avoid reporting the cases or pretty much the same. Although it was worthless because Vila Velha is not that big city, then first or last we all had access to the news easily.

Just to illustrate, I remember my brother’s closest friend whose girlfriend was pregnant and he was brokendown, feeling blue (something with her family). On a beautiful sunny afternoon he met my brother at the street and said he would have a haircut. Strange and foolishly he went to the top of the bridge, jumped into the sea and died :’- ( Gee...Why on earth he had to do that?

Another guy had arguied with his girlfriend who had broken off the relationship. He told her on the cell phone He would jump. She tried to advise his family but he was very quick, childish and terriblily clever. He persuaded the taxi driver to stop on the top because he had lost his watch and while the driver was trying to help him find the supposed belonging, he had a jump on quick smart.

Then, the suicides became a kind of a joke, since a potential jumper appeared on the top still making up his mind if he would jump or not. He was delaying everybody. So, the crowd started shouting furiously making fun of him: What a hell! Just jump and let us go to the work!

All this became gradually somewhat ridiculous and out-of-fashion. And the suicides stopped happening. Therefore, I’d better turn the page.

Returning to the poetic view of the top...beyond Vit贸ria Bay, you can see several beaches, islands, ports and especially the Penha’s Convent ( Convento da Penha for the closest friends) which is the most important sightseeing here. But I’m afraid I’ll need another blog only to talk only about it.

There are parts of the native rainforest (the remaining Atlantic Jungle), beautiful mangrove-swamps, parks...you can also take a boat trip along the coast, go surfing, waterskiing, jet skiing, windsurfing, bodyboarding, whatever watersport you want or other extreme sports like hand-glinding, paraglinding or simply swimming, jogging, cycling, playing football( humm...there’s nothing better to do) or volley on the sand of the beach, or rockclimbing, fishing. Oh...I couldn’t forget the oceanic fishing of the marlim (famous for 2 records). Above all, you can really do a lot of sports here. However, if you are not a day-boy or girl, you can go dancing at the nightclubs, go to the bars (similar to pubs), shoppings, movies and few theaters. Certainly you’ll make a lot of friends and you’ll have a lot of things to do for entertainment. Well friends, for the time being, I think I must stop writing.

Gosh! It’s too late! That’s the end. I’ve done writing
Good night my friends (actually it's already morning :-o)
Hugs and kisses
Adriana

Amy, I have used the word “Ola” referring to a synchronized movement that the crowd here do (or make?) at the stadium. They stand up gradually like a wave.

Now let’s do the homework:

1- The title. Is it ok on the today’s blog?

The errors are: capixaba, brazilian, Ola, Best, chinese and almost all the words of the title. Or not? I'm looking forward to know.

Amy, when I began studying english the teachers and my father agreed in passing me forward. They thought I would be in a proper level and I havent had any problem by the time but now I see I have missed something. I have difficult in basic things like phonetics or even to see the time on the watch. And at times I have doubts in punctuation...so I try to follow the rules in portuguese which might be quite different. For example, in portuguese we use capital letters when we want to enphasize a word or stick it out as in titles (except for articles, prepositions, conjunctions and adverbs). Thank you very much for your explanation.

2- Phrases with make and do from today’s blog:

-Certainly you’ll make a lot of friends
-Then, the suicides became a kind of a joke, since a potential jumper appeared on the top still making up his mind if he would jump or not.
-So, the crowd started shouting furiously making fun of him
-But I think making little of life is harmful in the both cases.
-This poetic view can literally make the spirits soar.
-Above all, you can really do a lot of sports here
-Now I’m going to do my homework
-There’s nothing better to do
-You’ll have a lot of things to do for entertainment
-Well, that’s the end. I’ve done writing

3- Close-mouthed person: I have already seen this word writen in some place. A close-mouthed person is the one not disposed to talk.
Speak singing: I mean we use vocal intonation in a way that sounds like as we are singing while speaking.

4- Vocabulary:
-Enjoyable time
-Only do what she or he wants
-The position you are when typing
-Rubish
-To show my thoughts
-The use
-Isn't too difficult

A quick note to the readers. I've read all the comments. I loved them and I promisse I'll answer all as soon as possible. You are really nice and very gentle. Keep on writing 'cause this opportunity is unique for me to communicate with you and know about you all. Byyyyyyyyyyye

Comments

Hi Adriana I am a doctor. I worked for one year on the Czechoslovac ocean ship Labe 12 years ago. I visited many countries including Brasil - Recife, Paranagua, Sao Francisco do Soul and VITORIA! It was my lovely port. We biked there and I remember all from your town. Its similar like Carlsbad in Czech republic. I sending greeting to you and Brasil. Stef

Wao!! Adri !!! what a productive writer !!! I am wondering if it would be a good idea for me to stop reading my weekly book for a month and concentrate on your texts. I have a question concerning your writings. To write a text having the dimension of yours can take (I try to imagine it on a A4 page) probably about twenty minutes, even for a good typing person : write, revise, adapt, 鈥 but to type it is not the longest action. I mean to think about what, to find subject, to organise ideas, the way they are going to be written, etc. How long does it take it to you ? I am considering to apply one of these days to be the blogger of the day and I have calculated that I will need an average of two hours a day to fulfil my 鈥渃ontractual鈥 part. Am I in the right range of time ? Thanks for sharing these views and facts of your country with us. Antonio

Hi Adriana and welcome! I would also say we have a beautiful actress here, moreover an excellent blogger who manage to use English overwhelmingly good! I suppose, I will struggle a bit to follow everything with my poor language knowledge. But that is the way how we may learn. Thank you in advance for all your writing! I am pleased to see you have got yet another name, Helena, which is the nice name too (the same as my mother) and they sound both well together. All the best for you!

Dear Adriana. You have given us a personal and interesting look of The Town where you live. It's amazing to know more about ES and Penha鈥檚 Convent. Best regards

Hello Adri! How a place with a worderful and peaceful view can attract people to go there and then ending their lives! Oh, the human being mind is a box full of secrets. Anyway, the Esp铆rito Santo State seems to be a wonderful place to live. Our country has continental proportions, which makes sometimes difficult and expensive to visit all the places you want to know. My cousins from Belo Horizonte had told me once that in ES state there are wonderful beaches. I could see by your pictures they are totaly right... Oh, somebody is knocking the door. I must go now and answered it. Bye Adri, Ana Paula.

I like your first story but i want you to know that is not a problem to be a colony of england.Do your best and you will see.I am learning too i hope that some day you improve.

Hi again, Adriana! Your description and illustrations of the suicides on Third Bridge is so vivid! You are a talented writer! A friend of mine had told me about the alarming suicide rate on that Bridge when I was in Vila Velha. What you said about Vit贸ria being a safe city in comparison with Rio de Janeiro is not true, though. At least, your figures are not up-to-date. According to IBGE (the acronym in Portuguese stands for Brazilian Geography and Statistics Institute) Vit贸ria is one of the most dangerous cities in Brazil, second only to Recife. Rio is fifth in the list. Surprising, isn't it? According to IBGE, Vit贸ria metropolitan area has the largest murder rate in the country: 78,3 per group of 100,000 inhabitants! It's an urban war! The fact is that the media focusses more on Rio de Janeiro because our intellectual and artistic 茅lite lives there and the media itself is largely based there (like Globo TV, the largest TV group in Brazil). But urban violence is everywhere nowadays. I had a teacher at university who is from Rio de Janeiro and she was robbed for the first time in her life in a train station in Paris. One would expect Paris to be safe!

i think this blog is very good and i want to join it, can you show me how must i do? because i am international student so i want to improve my English to study in high school and university.

Thanks for all your contributions. This blog has now closed and can no longer accept new comments.

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