GA Day 36 (January 10, 2024) - When I woke up on the first day in the city of Florianópolis it was like waking up in Hawaii. The warm humid air, the brilliant blue sky behind the neighboring hill, the stunning lush greenery, and the happy chirps and singing of the various birds reminded me of the Pacific tropical paradise. It was a stark difference from Buenos Aires and the other places I had visited since Valparaiso, Chile. And the location of Angela’s condo in the barrio of Córrego Grande (Big Creek) nestled close to the steep hills provided a very quiet and idyllic environment away from the hustle and bustle of traffic.
The city of Florianópolis, often abbreviated as Floripa (much easier to spell on an English keyboard), straddles a strait called the Canal de Santa Catarina and so sits on both part of the mainland and the Ilha de Santa Catarina. As I noted in a previous blog, the island has many mountain-like ridges almost resembling a backbone from north to south, and the area is renown for world-class beautiful beaches. Not surprising, then, that one of the main industries is tourism as is seafood production. Angela and Arthur told me that Florianópolis is one of the biggest producers of oysters; fortunately, they also have shrimp…people who know me well know my aversion to slurpy cuisine - I admit it is a purely psychological thing as are other texturally-challenging foods for me like raw fish and eggplant. Florianópolis Is also the capital for the State of Santa Catarina, so a more cosmopolitan government center with many amenities and cultural activities that I shall explore in due course.
This first day was meant to be one of transition and settling in; I had technically set aside this day as vacation but, in the world of academia, research and bureaucracy waits for no one. While it is start of summer break here the beginning of another semester had already kicked in up north, which means that emails were already rolling in and there were administrative duties to attend to. And, then the worst thing possible happened…while “struggling” to adapt to my new environment, my main work/research computer suddenly blanked out - quite literally died while I was working on it. 🫣
This kind of situation would normally send me over the edge with the pressures of deadlines and performance expectations but, surprisingly, I just rolled with it. First, it was technically a vacation day. Second, the situation was what it was - nothing I had control over (like the final approach on the plane night previous) so there was nothing I could do about the computer. Third, I still had to transition and get my bearings…so it was not like I was going to immediately find IST or Dell support (for the latter, Portuguese would be an asset…so I obviously needed time to learn that 🤭). Finally, Angela wanted to take me out to see the immediate neighborhood, thus it was all about priorities. I think the biggest part of my modified (new?) reaction to the computer calamity was exposure to different environments and philosophical perspectives over these past weeks - my transition here is much more than geographical…it is cultural and psychological. Whereas the dominant cultural values I am so used to demands accountability for almost everything, measurement of performance for almost everything, and the dreaded comparison to almost everyone else, pretty much all of South America views priorities, time, and balance so much differently. Here I am having to decide between the insanity of what people might think if I pause on the academic hamster wheel (this mind twist is common for many of us in tenure-track roles, more-so, it seems, in the culture of nursing) and what the reality of my present situation is (it’s vacation, I am transitioning, and my computer is not working). Decision made - stepping out of the hamster wheel and off to explore the Córrego Grande with Angela! Sempre há amanhã ☺️
Nearby to Angela’s condo is a community garden unlike any I had seen before. People have plots of land in a huge park area that has so many varieties of fruit trees, banana trees, and a bamboo-like shoot called palmito (“heart of palm”) - all for the picking and eating. Palmito hearts are usually brined and available in the store; they can be eaten on their own or added to a salad. The area is ideal - first, it makes use of land under the main power lands that would not otherwise be utilized and, second, being on the leeward side of the ridge it is sheltered from strong winds but benefits from the rains while having excellent drainage.
As I will post later, there are so many varieties of trees and flowers, many we recognize at home or other tropical landscapes - hibiscus, fuchsias, and roses. Also amongst the grassy areas are many very nasty bibittes that sneak out to bite your ankles and lower legs; annoying and incredibly itchy! They seem to be particularly small so it is not like you can swat them away - kind of like the “no see’ms” or sandflies at home. There are also a variety of mosquitos and, of course, I encountered my first mosquitos here to remind me of a Manitoba summer’s day. The difference being some of the species here are card-carrying vectors. Dengue and malaria and yellow fever - oh, my! These are, apparently, not that problematic here on the island but more so inland towards the rain forests and some rural areas. I did bring DEET and they use OFF here, so I am well equipped for prevention. And now a cortisone cream to soothe the nasty bites.
The neighborhood here is so walkable with the necessary amenities within a quick stroll. The SPOTMARKT mini-mall is a very new building with a lovely little food court, wine store, high end grocery story, and a few other little shops. I will try to resist both the beer counter and the wine pub. Accessible around the perimeter of the building is a kindergarten, chic barbershop, cafe bakeries, and other services.
Across the street is Imperatriz, part of a bigger supermercado chain that is very similar to Safeway or Metro. Many familiar brand names but a lot of new things to try out. And with all names in Portuguese I do not recognize lots of the products…yet. But I surely recognized TANG - a throwback to childhood when people thought it was real orange juice 🙈 I had not seen it on Canadian store shelves for about 40 years and here is proof it still exists…in more flavours!
Food and cooking here is going to be a blend of new experiences and new flavours but I am keen to try some of the local cuisine. Lots of vegetables, meats, and seafood are available at very inexpensive prices - at least inexpensive compared to what we pay at home. The strength of our currency here means a dollar can go a long way.
For supper, Angela made tilapia with a mix of sweet peppers and onions that was very tasty. I have discovered that breakfasts and suppers tend to be the lightest meals, which works well for me. Lunch is usually the bigger meal and eaten a bit later than our traditional times, as is supper. I will observe, learn the household routines, and then cook some of the meals to share some of my culinary talents and as a sort of contribution to both the household work and meal costs. This will be one fun part of my grand adventure ☺️
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