GA Days 44-46 (January 18 - 20, 2024) - So much to see and do I am finding it hard to pack it all in as another week ends and I begin my second weekend here. The one thing that has been a blessing is cooler temperatures with a bit more breeze and and a lot of rain to quell the heat but there is no escape from the humidity. La Niña is, apparently, the reason for the rain and I think this might have been the third or fourth La Niña cycle in a row. I am not sure if the heat is part of this but you know it must be warm when the local people are finding it uncomfortable. The only cure I see is A/C and more days at the beach 😎 Oh, yes, Saturday morning started at another beach, Praia Bara, on the Atlantic Ocean side - beautiful rolling waves and surfers.
Before I get to the Saturday adventures, the end of the official work week was highlighted by a meeting with Dr. Fabricio de Souza Neves, who is rector (similar to Dean) of the Health Sciences Center of which nursing is one of the departments. In terms of structure, the center is very similar to the Rady Faculty of Health Sciences, but rather than distinct colleges there are many different departments. Fabricio is one of the most personable, warm, welcoming, and socially engaging physicians I have ever met; he is also very interested in interprofessional collaborations and practice, so we had some common ground to work with. Similar to Angela and the nursing department at UFSC, Fabricio indicated an interest in international connections and, essentially, offered whatever assistance he could. I believe we will be chatting again soon.
After a full and productive day on sexta-feira (Friday), sábado (Saturday) was a very welcome break. As usual, I did some admin work whilst sipping coffee before everyone else got up, but then it was time to head to the beach. Praia Barra is on the other side of Lagoa de Dentro and Lagoa da Conceição (these two lagoons are connected by a channel) on the raw Atlantic Ocean where there are lots of gentle rollers to entertain surfers and swimmers alike. The beach is quite expansive and stretches quite a distance, but is not as crowded as the north beaches. We walked about 3 km of the beach and then back before taking a dip in water. As the tide was coming in, the rollers were more dynamic as were the dangers of undertow currents in some places. The sun was pretty intense so, although it felt cooler with the Atlantic breeze, UV exposure was quite high - hurray for 50 SPF (knock on wood - no sunburn so far on this journey).
A highlight of this particular outing was a stop at the Projeto Tamar, an education centre and rehabilitation area for a variety of sea turtles. I have seen large sea turtles while snorkeling in the Caribbean but it was not up close as at this sanctuary. Started in 1982, this project was initiated in response the thousands of turtles that were killed in drag nets and gill nets by fishermen, but also with some the fishing hooks being used (“j” hooks). Lost nets that got detached or nets that were simply discarded also entangled turtles causing them to drown. One of the strategies in changing fishing practices has been getting fishermen to “buy in” to the conservation efforts - this has been quite successful, thus leading to a return of sea turtle populations. In comparison to the turtles in “Finding Nemo”, there was not a lot of happiness for these reptiles; it is captivity, after all, and it occurred to me that a more natural habitat resembling a more authentic lagoon might be better than a plastic-lined environment. Still, a very noble and successful cause in the quest to preserve these species.
Saturday evening was spent with other new friends - Elaine and Perry, and their friends, Marcia, Antonio, and Danilo. We went off to San Antonio that is north across the bay from Florianópolis for pre-carnival; last week we had driven through this beautiful colonial period town but did not stop, so now was a chance to visit. Similar to Praia do Sambaqui, San Antonio has quaint and colourful traditional colonial buildings along what would have been a busy waterfront. Remnants of original and very uneven cobblestone pathways traverse between rows of old (now revitalized) store fronts. The church was quite an imposing structure placed, as was traditional, facing the original town square. Because most of the original colonizers to the area were from the Azores, the buildings resembled what I had seen in Ponta Delgada during an Atlantic crossing.
Although there were a lot of tourists and vacationers in this area, this night brought in some of the revelers needing to practice for Carnaval coming in February. For a small little town there was an incredible amount of traffic, both vehicular and foot, and a very positive, energetic vibe as the pre-carnaval session began. I had already observed some of the preparations in Floripa with the assembly of shelters, fencing materials, and lighting in the main public square with a small teaser actual performance in the marketplace.
Carnaval is one of the highest holidays in many Catholic dominant countries; Mardi Gras (“Fat Tuesday”) is pretty much the same thing under a different name celebrated in other countries. It is a festive occasion leading up to Ash Wednesday and beginning of Lent - pretty much enjoying excess (partying, drinking, and eating) before giving it up for Lent. My only real experience around Lent as a nominally Protestant person was Shrove Tuesday - I merely celebrated pancakes and maple syrup. However, in Brazil, it is a huge celebration and holiday spread over about 5 days. I am not sure how my constitution (and waistline) will hold up…but I will give it the ole college try! It seemed to me that attending the pre-carnaval event would, at least, be something of a bootcamp. I had no idea of what to expect, what the protocol would be, or what to wear - so off I went on another exciting adventure and experience.
I soon found out that I did not need to worry much about what to wear - rule #1: Anything goes! Except, perhaps, Birkenstocks in the sand (note to self). There would be two groups practicing and performing; one essentially a band of various wind and percussion instruments, the other all drums and percussion. When the band played, many of the songs were traditional pieces handed down over generations so, when the music was going, the people were often singing and dancing. And then it turned into a parade as the band moved down the beach playing in front of the boardwalk restaurant seating and the crowd continued to grow. At the end of the beach the band turned up to the street in front of the church and continued its procession on roadway back through the central part of San Antonio heading to a beer garden (?) or some kind of facility with a big outdoor space with tents, awnings, and a covered deck.
Now the party really started - the music and the percussion ensemble were loud and raucous, and the crowd started to get into the spirit(s). The protocol was becoming clear to me now - Rule #2: Go with the flow and just let go any rigid inhibitions - you are among friends! As I said to Antonio, who was probably the most enthusiastic dancer at the head of the pack, this pre-carnaval is a good start but I definitely will need to practice a lot more before February 9.
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