Evening Sky in Jurere
I realise that the last few posts have not had any photos attached. This is because I haven't really taken any for over a week now - a combination of the weather and not going out because of Brazilian Grippe.

I really don't like the blog not having photos. Pictures help to break up the text and make it all more accessible. This must be the primary school teacher in me.

So here's another photo of the evening sky over Jurere, which I can just take from our veranda. It's different every night and always a real treat!

Internet connection
Today, for the first time since we have been here, our internet connection was down for almost the entire day. Evidently the whole area was affected, but for us it meant two things.

1. We couldn't work. If it had carried on much longer we would have had to find alternative means. It's quite something to think of just how much money is lost in business if the internet goes down. I wonder if it's equivalent to the whole of Brazil grinding to a halt for the World Cup matches.

2. We felt completely cut off as it meant we could not only not work, but could not receive email, research news/items of interest etc. or use Skype. It's amazing how quickly you become dependent on these things. It reminded me that we didn't have any of them when we lived here 30 years ago, when we definitely felt much more 'cut off' than we do this time - but somehow survived very well!

Sending Cards in Brazil
Today is our 38th wedding anniversary and finding a card to mark this occasion was not easy. This is not the first time I have tried to find an appropriate card to send for an occasion.

Just after we arrived here a Brazilian friend died. This was very sad and we really wanted to send a card to the family. We eventually found something that was mildly appropriate, but it was not easy and even then we were not sure how it would be received.

According to a friend here, sending cards in this way is not a tradition. I also haven't yet managed to find a way to send flowers. I can understand this more as in the heat of the summer it would probably make it extremely difficult. Maybe sending cards is not done because of the difficulties with the post.

More interesting encounters
Well I'm out and about again and straight away things happen that you don't expect. It does seem that people here will just stop you in the street for a chat, whether they know you or not. This happens a lot to John as people are particularly interested in his wheelchair and tracker and want to know where he got it as they have a friend, relation or whatever who could use one.

However, this week John was stopped by a man who wanted to advise him to seek stem cell therapy. Although the man is now retired, he had spent his life working in this field and was clearly an expert on it. Now what are the chances of meeting a stem cell therapy expert on a beach on an island in southern Brazil! However, when we got back to our computers and researched stem cell therapy it is very evident that it will be many years before this amounts to anything.

Our second interesting encounter this week was a bit more bizarre. A car stopped beside us as we were walking down the street. When the driver wound down the window we thought he was seeking directions as this has happened quite a few times since we have been here. It took us a while to understand that he was trying to sell us a bed! I wonder what it was about us that made him decide to randomly pick us? The funny thing is that one of the few things I really don't like about our apartment is the bed -too small and so uncomfortable! He must have known!

Brazilian Grippe
It was so cold in Canela last weekend (yes - seriously) that I returned with a sore throat. I didn't really think much of this even though by Monday I had a temperature and a stinking cold. I am never ill and never had a day off work in about 15 years, so I carried on as usual with walks on the beach and lunches out, but I did refrain from going to the gym.

However, by Thursday I had to concede that the Brazilian grippe (flu) must be a more vicious strain than anything I have encountered in England as each day it had me even more in its grip, to the extent that by Thursday I was no longer going out.

Today (Sunday) I still haven't completely got rid of it, although I think it is finally succumbing to my intense dislike of it. I feel distinctly peeved that I haven't been able to be out and about in the sun as much as I would have liked and have only been able to take one photo this week!

To make up for this I have researched all the photoshop courses available in the Lancaster area and will definitely be taking a course when we get back.

Holiday season
Since we are in the middle of winter here it is not the holiday season now - that happens in the summer between December and the end of February, when most people (and definitely students) are on holiday.

However, we can definitely tell that it is holiday season in England. This last couple of weeks you would think that England had dropped off the map - all communication has gone very quiet whilst everyone is on leave. It feels very strange from this end!

Jurere in the Summer
When we leave in 4 weeks time it will be just as 'Spring' starts and we will not experience a summer here in Jurere.

We have been given 2 different perspectives on summer in Jurere this week.

A lady who works in a local shop told me that she loves the summer here - so many different people, so much going on, so much work, busy from 7.00 in the morning until 10.00 at night every day between December and March. She much prefers the summer to the winter. In the winter (i.e. now) business is too slow and there is just not enough going on.

Then we met a woman on the beach who has recently retired here (with her husband) from Sao Paulo, who told us that summer here is terrible - the beach is so full of people that you can't walk on it and there is loud music and noise from every direction until the madrugada (dawn) for the three months. This is what we thought it would be like here in the summer. I don't think we would enjoy it. In addition, I think we would probably find it too hot.

We probably are returning home at just the right time, but its a bit difficult to believe at the moment!

Time flying by
We now have only just over 4 weeks left before we return to England.

I am going to miss these sunsets and evening walks on the beach.

Gramado
I haven't any photos of Gramado and I haven't mentioned it yet, although we did visit Gramado last weekend along with Canela. Is it already a week ago! This website

(http://www.astronomy.ohio-state.edu/~bentz/gramado.html)

which has some photos which give a good idea of what Gramado like describes it as a

"A Swiss village in Brazil, known for their chocolates, hydrangeas, and annual film festival."

We ended up in Gramado on the weekend of the annual film festival. You couldn't move. It was jam packed with people, all with umbrellas and thick coats as the weather was terrible.

A friend described the film festival as the 'Cannes' of Brazil. There was definitely the red carpet and steps leading up into the film theatre with all the appropriate trappings and news coverage for Brazilian celebrities. It was possible to buy tickets to see the films - however, when I asked about disabled parking (parking was a nightmare in Gramado during this festival), and wheelchair access to the film theatre so that we could avoid all the steps (even though it would have been nice to be on a red carpet just once!) - I was told there was no wheelchair access and no disabled parking! I wonder what the situation in Cannes is like!

Despite all this Gramado is worth a visit, ideally in the warmer weather when the hortencias (hydrangeas) are all in flower. There are banks and banks of these. Another speciality of the area is fondue, either chocolate, meat or cheese.

We didn't feel too bad about missing it all this time as we have visited Gramado before in years gone past and we hadn't visited the National Parks around Canela before.

Serra Geral
We were only able to spend one day driving through the Serra Geral in Southern Brazil, but whichever way you looked the views were stunning and there was obviously so much more that we could have visited.

The thing that 'hits you' is the huge scale of it all. The area is a protected National Park, but even descending from the Serra, views of the lowland towards the coast show miles and miles of undeveloped land.

Canion do Itaimbezino
Against all the advice of our Brazilian friends, we decided not to stick to the main roads on the way back to Florianopolis from Canela, but to return through the Serra and visit the area of canyons around Cambara do Sul. This involved some difficult driving over rough red earth roads, but I'm glad we didn't miss this opportunity.

This particular canyon (and there are others) extends for 6000 metres and is 720 metres deep - in other words 'huge'. None of the photos I took do it justice. It was so deep that the shadows were very heavy and good photos were difficult to take, even though we were there in the middle of the day.

Its possible to walk all the way round, which evidently takes about 2 hours, but we didn't have the time and only the first bit of the track (to where the photo was taken from) had good access. Better than good. It was actually paved!

Cascata do Caracol
There were various ways of viewing the waterfall. You could either take a lift to the top of a tall viewing tower and see it from above with the river feeding into it - or you could take the 750 odd steps down the cliff side and view it from the bottom, which is what I did.

The trouble is that you then have 750 odd steps to come back up which according the information is the equivalent of a 47 storey building.

Despite feeling confidently fit at the time, I can still feel the effects 5 days later! It was worth it though!

The photo is proof and a reminder that I really did do it!

Parque do Caracol
This was more of a tourist attraction than the other national parks we went to, but it was well done and offered much better viewing points for the spectacular 'Cascata do Caracol' - the waterfall with a 131 metre drop over an amazing rock formation.

There are more photos in the photo gallery!

Parque do Teleferico
The main feature of this national park was the chair lift.

They took one look at John and told us in no uncertain terms that the chair lift didn't stop and you had to get on and off while it was moving. Red rag to a bull! That was it. We were definitely going on the chair lift - both of us - together.

It took 2 goes, a couple of hefty men and a crowd of spectators, but it was definitely worth it!

Oh No!

She's surely not taking more photos.

Good job the sun's shining!

National Parks around Canela
The main attraction of Canela is the surrounding countryside and ecological parks. These areas bring home the vastness and beauty of Brazil.

The first area we visited was the Parque da Ferradura, which was stunning. This is one of the least 'touristy' parks in the region. It has a number of trails on which you could walk for miles in the mountains. It also has some wonderful 'mirantes' or panorama viewing points (I can't remember the word for these in English!).

I was able to see monkeys and ring-tailed coati in the wild and the area as a whole is full of the spectacular Pinheiro-do-Parana (Parana pine or candelabra tree). These trees are about 35 metres tall, with straight trunks and horizontal branches which form a flat-top to the tree. They are very impressive.

Gauchos
Rio Grande do Sul is the land of the Gauchos, the South American 'cowboys' and even today they are very much in evidence. It was quite a sight to see a group of them cantering down the main street of Canela in the early morning, with their ponchos flying and their wide brimmed leather hats.

As an aside, good quality leather is very easy to buy in Rio Grande do Sul and there are many leather shops.

The photo shows a 'Gaucha' in traditional costume. Her black 'pants' are in fact one piece of cloth wrapped round her legs. I thought she looked so stunning that I asked her for a photo and she was happy to oblige.

Cafe Colonial
The weather was terrible on the day we arrived in Canela - thick fog, rain and very cold. So we decided that we needed a cup of coffee and 'cafe colonial' sounded as though it would be a coffee shop.

The photo shows what happened when we sat down. They just kept bringing plates of savouries, bread, jams, cakes. Enough food to sink a ship and all for two people. Needless to say it was impossible to eat even a quarter of it.

Cafe Colonial is a tradition in this German region of Brazil. It started when the original immigrants needed a big breakfast at the beginning of the day before going to work and in fact only had one meal a day. Cafe Colonial was it.

Brazilians often say that the south of Brazil is more like Europe than Brazil. The cooler weather, food and German style buildings certainly make it a very different experience to the rest of Brazil.

Canela
This is a small town up in the Serra (mountains) about 110 kilometres from Sao Leopoldo.

Because of the beauty of the surrounding countryside, it is very much a tourist attraction. There is just one main street running through it and I have never seen so many gift shops and woollen sweater shops. Canela is cold during the winter! It was very cold while we were there - especially at night. There was a frost one night. This must be a common occurrence, but our hotel was too cold for comfort. Although its quite often cold in the south of Brazil, it seems that people put up with it rather than try and install effective heating. A bit like the way people in England fail to cope when - on rare occasions - it is just too hot.

The people in Canela are very proud of their cathedral which is right at the end of the main street. It is huge and seems too big for such a small place. In addition it is extremely gothic - not really to my taste - but the inside was much nicer than the outside and it was well worth seeing.

So although I found Canela interesting, I wouldn't rush to visit the town again, but the surrounding countryside I would. It was spectacular.

Sao Leopoldo
We stayed in Sao Leopoldo in Rio Grande do Sul, for one night, while John sat on a panel examining a Masters student at the University there (UNISINOS).

Sao Leopoldo is about a half hour drive from Porto Alegre. We have been there twice before, but this time I really noticed how German the area is. The city was populated by German immigrants in the early 1800s and you still see German style houses and billboards advertising firms such as 'Fritz e Freda'! A taxi driver told us that his wife was German and that her family only spoke German at home. In fact her grandparents had never learned to speak Portuguese, despite living in Brazil nearly all their lives.

We had an evening meal out at an excellent 'churrascaria' (BBQ) that was called 'Schneiders' and where the waitresses and waiters were dressed in German costume. The photo shows the waitresses in costume. The red and blue object on the table is supposed to be turned to let the waiters (who come round with spits of meat) know whether or not you want another serving of meat. If the red side is up, then they pass you by. In fact this system didn't work and they are at your elbow with another type of meat every 2 or 3 minutes!

Driving in Southern Brazil
Well we have made it to Sao Leopoldo and back in one piece, with only a couple of life and death experiences! Having driven more than 700 miles over the past few days, I now feel qualified to write about the roads and the driving in Southern Brazil.

First, I can't imagine why I thought the BR101 would be like the M1 or the M6. Nothing more unlike a motorway could you imagine! There was one short stretch of freeway just before reaching Porto Alegre that was like a motorway, but that was all.

The rest of the 700 miles was just like I remembered - seriously scary and dangerous!

The reason for this is mainly the condition of the road, which is full of potholes and mostly single lane traffic. This doesn't stop everyone driving furiously fast and overtaking the endless lorries whenever remotely possible, usually when it is not safe to do so. We avoided travelling at night, but it must be a horrendous drive in the dark.

Having said this, there was evidence over the whole 700 mile trip of attempts to improve the quality of the journey by building extra lanes and we could see that eventually it will be much easier to drive to Porto Alegre.

We also drove 50 kilometres over a rough earth track - as we decided to explore the mountainous interior region on our return journey. Not having a car that was equipped for this type of journey (ideally you would have some sort of jeep, or at least a high vehicle), this driving required a lot of concentration to avoid scraping the underside of the car. However, it was a lot less stressful than driving on the BR 101.

I can now see why so many people fly or take the bus. However, the scenery was spectacular and the journey was well worth it!

Motorway travel
Tomorrow we will drive on the BR 101 (equivalent to M1 or M6) to Sao Leopoldo near Porto Alegre. This will be a 6 to 7 hour journey and our first drive of any great distance during our stay here in Brazil.

We're hoping we will get there and back in one piece! Our Brazilian friends tell us that the BR 101 is much improved and that the journey will be very straight forward. I am assuming that the road surface will be better than it was 30 years ago, but nothing has yet convinced me that the driving is any better.

Many drivers still seem to travel at breakneck speed, overtake on both sides and some think nothing of going through red lights. Another tricky thing is that cyclists don't think any road rules apply to them, so you often see them coming towards you, i.e. going the wrong way up the street.

The drive should be an interesting experience!

This is Riberao da Ilha, a fishing village on the west coast of the island. You can buy mussels and oysters at just about every other house along the main street.

As a fishing village with its own beach, it is unusual in Florianopolis, in that it is a protected area, and a lot of the original 18th century colonial buildings still stand.

It also has an imposing church and some popular restaurants, although at this time of year it is not over-crowded.

Another interesting thing about it is that it is about the only place on the island that still has paved roads (equivalent to cobbled streets in England). This must be because it is a protected area and also because it is impossible to drive fast on this type of road. However, there are still speed bumps on the main street (you can just see one in the photo). Speed bumps are everywhere in Florianopolis - a good thing too, given the crazy driving.

Interesting encounter
On Saturday we tried to reach the southern tip of the island, which involved a drive of an hour and a half (the last part on a very rough earth track), until we came to the end of the road. This still turned out to be a 45 minute walk away from the beach (Praia dos Naufragados) right at the tip of the island - so we never did get to the beach or the southern tip of the island.

However, in exploring the track which led to the beach, I came across this house and ended up being invited in - and what a treat that turned out to be. The house was built on the side of an old 'engenho' or corn mill. You can see from the photo that the engenho is no longer being used for grinding and now makes an extra room for the house - hence all the personal belongings everywhere. But all the original machinery is still there, made out of the most fantastic wood and the original old stone floor. All this is housed in an old colonial building on the edge of a beach, with natural Brazilian wilderness all around and little chance of over development, at least in the near future.

The owner (in the photo) told me he had lived in the house for 43 years and was a retired fisherman. He then asked me if I wanted to buy the house and mill. Thirty years ago I would definitely have been tempted!

Reflecting on blogging
I'm wondering whether 'blogging' is, or would be, an effective means for encouraging reflection on professional or personal practice; all the authors I have read seem to agree that reflection is essential for enhanced learning. Blogging certainly encourages you to think back, mark and record what you have done or thought about, but I don't suppose that this guarantees that you learn from the recording or would do anything differently in the future.

I have found this blog very useful to keep in a number of ways:

• I now have a fairly accurate, if selective, record of what we have done during our time here in Brazil, which will be interesting to look back on. This is enhanced by the possibility of adding photos to a blog.
• I have learned about how to blog, the discipline it requires and quite a lot about digital photography and editing photos (although there is still a long way to go on this).
• I am aware that this writing is open to the public and have had to check the accuracy of some of the things I have written about, by researching aspects of Brazil on the internet and through books, talking to people etc.
• I have had to think about things like personal bias, subjectivity, balanced and fair accounts etc.
• I have thought about why I select to write about certain things and not others, how I am reacting to my experience here, what I am learning and why.

I'm sure there's probably more if I think about it.

The point of reflection, as I see it, is to be able to apply learning to future practice and make appropriate changes. I'm not sure whether keeping this blog will change my personal or professional practice in any way. It's definitely a diary, but I'm not sure that it would count as a 'reflective diary'.

I will now have to think about what I would need to do to bridge the gap.

Plants in Florianopolis
I continue to find the plants here fascinating, both the natural vegetation and the garden plants. The former are so 'untamed' and 'tangled' looking.

By contrast, the latter (which I see more of because of where we live) are so scuptural. Some of their colours are also so vivid.

I have gone a bit mad in the photo gallery and here is one for starters.

Growing old(er)!
Thinking about this seems to be inevitable in a country where 30% of the population is under 18 years old. Brazil remains a young person's country, although older people are much more in evidence now than they were 30 years ago and it's impressive how fit they are. It must be the sun, good living and an abundance of excellent cheap food.

A couple of things have happened recently which have made me think about growing older. Tonight when I went to our local mini-market, the young man (in his 20s) on the till called me 'Querida' (darling) twice! I have decided that this must be because he thinks I'm geriatric! Then, the other day in the gym, the other women on the running machines (I was walking not running!) were discussing how they would feel when they reach the ages of 30 and 40. I was thinking how I might feel at the age of 70!

The funny thing is that although it is very obvious that 30 years have passed since we last lived here (I can no longer wear a 'tanga'), I don't feel any different inside. It's only in the way other people treat me that reminds me.

However, the nice thing about being older is that I no longer have to worry about whether I'm slim enough to wear that 'tanga'!

Work/life balance
I have thought about this a lot since we have been here, because it seems so much easier to achieve here. I'm sure this is a lot to do with our personal circumstances as I do know Brazilians who seem to lead a crazy life, working morning, noon and night and travelling all over the country. However, I also see lots of Brazilians taking exercise (walking, jogging along the beaches), out for meals with their family and friends, or partying.

Is work/life balance more difficult to achieve in England, or is this an erroneous perception? I have been interested by the number of friends in England who have commented that we seem to be on an extended 6 month holiday. I assume this is because I am keeping this blog and posting photos, i.e. if I have time for this I can't be working that hard!

To set the record straight, I am working - but certainly not a 70 hour week (never again I hope!) - and as well as working, I am hugely enjoying myself!

The photo shows a party in the house opposite our apartment.

Praia Mocambique
This is the largest beach on the island - 7.5 kms long and all like this!

It lies north of Barra da Lagoa beach and is quite difficult to get to as it is a protected area, so visitors are not really encouraged. You can only get to it by a couple of rough earth roads or by walking. Even so it is still popular with surfers as the waves are really good - but as you can see from the photo there is no building along this beach.

Behind the beach is the Parque Florestal do Rio Vermelho - a protected wooded area where there are a couple of camping sites. At one time, all the island's beaches would have been like this!

Barra da Lagoa
This is an interesting place, which I have mentioned before. It is situated on the east coast of the island, just at the point where the canal from Lagao da Conceicao enters the sea.

It is one of those places on the island that has been spoiled by overdevelopment without any controls. It used to be a very attractive fishing village, with wonderfully painted balheiras (whaling boats) pulled up on the beach. It is now mainly a tourist centre and although there is still plenty of evidence of fishing, the boats are no longer on the beach (maybe because of all the tourists) and are not as well kept or brightly painted as I remember them. Of course, this might just be my memory!

I'm not sure whether the local people would still regard themselves as a fishing community or not.

Prainha
I discovered this beach this week for the very first time. I have never been here before. It is a bit off the beaten track and probably not somewhere that many tourists find, as it is not on the maps or in the guide books. It is a short walk from Barra da Lagoa beach and overlooks the Atlantic Ocean.

Literally translated it means 'Little Beach, which is just what it is. It is so small and private that I hope that it isn't discovered by too many people.

I'm sure there are probably lots of places like this in Florianopolis if you know where to look, but also probably a lot less than there used to be.

Winding down
We now have only six weeks left before we return to England. This feels like a very short time when there is still such a lot to see and get to know.

Next week we will visit Rio Grande do Sul again. This will involve some work at a University in Sao Leopoldo, but also a long weekend in Canela, which is a well-known beauty spot in the south of Brazil. In the meantime, we are trying to ensure that we see as much of the island of Florianopolis as possible.

Autostitch again
Friday night and I have time to play with Autostitch again. This is my best attempt so far. 6 photos stitched of the view from a beach on the northern tip of the island - Ponta das Canas. This is very typical of the views from the beaches in Florianopolis.

These stitched photos are much better if enlarged. You need to click on the photo to enlarge it.

Religion in Brazil
Friends from England have been so good about keeping in touch and showing an interest in what we are doing here. There's nothing like being away for confirming who your friends are!

In one email I have received since we have been here, a friend asked me about religion in Brazil and I have been meaning to write something in this blog ever since. This is what I replied to her.

'The country is predominantly catholic and although there are many saints days and festivals I don't get the feeling that religion is any stronger here than anywhere else. Because Brazil is such a large country, populated originally by such a diverse group of people, just about every religion is represented here, including religions from Africa. When we lived here 30 years ago, I went to a Candomble 'service' which was fascinating.'

I can remember that Candomble service as if it was yesterday. It was such a different experience. I don't claim to understand what it was all about, although with the internet it is much easier to get information about new experiences nowadays than it was in those days. But I remember the 'African' feel to it all, the fervor and the costumes - just as you can see in the attached photo (not mine!).

Also 30 years ago, the friend who took me to the Candomble service, also took me to a catholic service in the church in Riberao da Ilha - just the type of church that you can see in Santo Antonio de Lisboa

http://www.jennymackness.co.uk/Santo%20Antonio%20Church.htm.

I remember this as being a high catholic service (lots of incense and bells), but the congregation was from the local fishermen community. In those days (and maybe in these days, although I have no evidence for this), the local 'poor' community, were very active in their local churches.

I have not attended services of any sort during our stay this time in Brazil, but just being here revives all these memories.

The best place to find an unbiased and informative view of religion in Brazil is on the wikipedia website:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religion_in_Brazil

If we had more time here, it would be interesting to explore this further.

Service in Florianopolis
From the time we arrived here in Florianopolis, I have been impressed by the level of service we have received wherever we have been - this can be in restaurants, shops, petrol stations, the gym, the chemist, offices, travel agents etc. I have wondered why this is.

To begin with I thought it must be because we are 'estrangeiros', but I don't think this is so, as if I go out with any of my Brazilian friends, they receive just the same high level of service.

I'm not sure how much commission sales people get here. Maybe this is what makes the difference.

Or maybe it's something to do with what appears to be (from my visitor's viewpoint) a less stressed, more laid back attitude towards life in general, where socialising and getting on with people seems to have a high priority.

Whatever it is, the result is good!

Chemists in Florianopolis
As a follow on from my post about medicine in Brazil, I should mention the chemists shops here.

What is interesting and different is how easy it is to get medicines over the counter that you would probably need a doctor's prescription for in England. This obviously has advantages and disadvantages and it is easy to understand why it is the case.

Medicine in Brazil
On the bottom floor of our block of flats is a doctor's surgery, which seems to be open nearly all the time and always has people in it. This has caused me to wonder what the state of medical practice is in Brazil these days.

I have always been aware that as in England, there is private and public practice here in Brazil. Years ago, public practice (i.e. equivalent to the NHS) left a lot to be desired and in those days I was well aware that many people in Brazil were not getting the medical care that they needed. According to what I have read, this has improved greatly in recent years although public health care is better in the south of Brazil than in the north of Brazil.

I haven't been to the doctor while we have been here, so don't know from first hand what the medical care is like, but when we lived here 30 years ago, I was very impressed by the private health care. In those days, if you could pay (and it wasn't excessive), then you received very good medical care from a specialist, according to the nature of your ailment. My understanding is that this has not changed and it is still possible to receive very good medical care here, if you can pay, and if you can't, much better medical care now than used to be the case.

The disparity between the medical care that the rich and the poor receive remains, but given the size of Brazil, it must be incredibly difficult to organise medical care for the whole country. When we were in Pantanal, there were airstrips on the cattle ranches which were used not only for supplies etc., but also for emergency medical care. I should imagine that Brazil is a very difficult but interesting country in which to practice medicine.

Familiarity and 'Eyes Wide Open'
We have now been here for more than 4 months. I remember from the last time we lived here that it took 4 months to begin to feel as if we were 'living here' rather than being 'on holiday' and I think it is the same this time. This has advantages and disadvantages.

The advantage is that after 4 months I have begun to feel more integrated, can find my way around more easily, have a better understanding of the culture and society etc. Life has become more 'normal'.

The disadvantage is that I sense that I am now 'looking' with a less critically reflective eye, noticing things less, taking things more for granted. This, I think, is a significant disadvantage as there is so much to learn here, as I suspect there is anywhere and everywhere.

Autostitch
Yes - the sun is now shining again and its going to be a beautiful day. I am also still trying out Autostitch - without much success. The programme seems to decide to reject some photos and I can't work out what the criteria are for this, to avoid it. However, here are my last attempts. The top photo shows the view from the back veranda (about 3 photos stitched together although I wanted 4). The bottom photo shows the view to the south side of the apartment (again 3 photos stitiched together although I wanted more). Click on the photos for a larger version.

Cold weather
We have had 2 really cold days. Yesterday at 7.00 am the temperature was 41(F)/5 (C) and that is no joke in an apartment which is just not designed for cold weather. Evidently in Rio Grande do Sul there have been heavy frosts. According to the forecast it will remain cool, though not as cold until the weekend, when we should get the warm/hot sunny weather back.

What the area really needs is rain, not cold weather. There is a drought all over the south of Brazil. If this continues into the summer then there will be problems.

Even though this is not the first time I have experienced cold weather in Brazil, they still don't seem to go together!

Women in Brazil
A Brazilian friend of ours always starts his undergraduate lectures with a short film or slide show which has nothing to do with the lecture. I suspect this is partly because arriving on time for a lecture is an anathema to many Brazilian undergraduates and also because lectures here can run in the evening or start in the early mornings (8.00 am) so you need something to get the students going.

Either way, it seems like a great way to start a lecture and I wish I had thought of it when I was lecturing. So, for example, our friend found a powerpoint of Brazilian birds singing the Brazilian national anthem in bird song, which was a 'quirky' way to start a lecture. But this week he showed a series of photos of women drivers in difficult and ludicrous situations, which created a lot of laughs.

This has caused me to reflect on the extent to which Brazil remains a patriarchal, macho society, where women are second class citizens, because I'm not sure that our friend would have got away with showing these photos in a university lecture in England.

A little research on the internet reveals that women are abysmally represented in government here, that there remains a significant wage gap between men and women (although this is decreasing), that women tend to work in service situations and that there is a high rate of domestic violence against women here. However, the research that I have read does say the situation is improving and I've no idea how it compares with the situation in Europe and other countries.