Brazil

June and July Festivals

2006-07-03T16:54:00.000-07:00

Aligator Lake

2006-07-03T16:43:00.000-07:00

Lagoa do Peri is a smaller logon on the south part of the island. Rumor has it that there is a large alligator swimming around and eating children. Someone told me they saw it almost eat a dog that was drinking water from the lagon. It came out of the murky water with its giant jaws and made a snap, but the dog jumped back. So the alligator returned to its home in Lagoa do Peri.

The Day Brazil Lost

2006-07-03T16:33:00.000-07:00

I took the bus to Campeche with my classmates on Saturday. We had lunch and watched the Brazil vs France game at this little bar. During half time we went on the beach and took a few pictures.

It was very dissappointing when Brazil lost. I could not believe it. The streets were silent. I was so sad for Brazil because the World Cup is so important for them. In America no one cares about the World Cup.

UFSC CAO

2006-06-29T14:58:00.000-07:00

This is UFSC's famous dog. Everyone loves her. You can find her where ever there are crowds of people. She loves to be pet and is super friendly.

The Band

2006-06-29T08:52:00.000-07:00

I have been here for about a month and everyday I feel like the island gets smaller and smaller. When ever I meet someone, even if it is just for a few minutes, more than not I run into them again somewhere. During my first week here I went to a bar with some friends and we struck up a conversation with some people who were sitting at the table next to us. We drank and laughed and said goodbye.

Every Wednesday UFSC has a band play on campus during the afternoon. I heard the band from far away so I decided to get a closer look at who was in the band. Sure it enough it was the same people that I had met a the bar a few weeks ago. They sounded really good too. I walked by a few times and I think the lead singer recognized me because she smiled at me.

Joaquina Beach

2006-06-28T18:54:00.000-07:00

Here are some more pictures from the same beach as the pervious post

The trail that we took was so exhausting, but it was worth it to see the beach. Especially now since it is the winter. All the beaches are completely deserted which makes the experience more peacefully and natural.

Beautiful Beaches

2006-06-28T18:49:00.000-07:00

Today was I went down to Lagoa and hiked to a beautiful beach. We had to pass through a trail that lead to some sand dunes and then to the beach.

I love the way the salty foam from the waves stick to the sand and then blow away like cotton balls in the wind.

The ocean breeze carves itself into the sand dunes like little ripples of waves.

Bus Ride to Praia de Forte

2006-06-26T15:39:00.000-07:00

Sunday was my first time to use the public transportation system in Florianopolis. My roommates and I hoped onto a random bus that stopped outside our hotel.

The bus took us to the main station, from there were asked around and got on a bus that would take us to Jurare. We stopped at another terminal and hoped on another bus and then a guy sitting next to us told us to stop at Praia de Forte, because they had good place to eat.

We ate at a nice seafood restaurant with chairs right out on the sand.

Instead of waiting for the bus to pick us up so we decide to hitchhike back. Two young boys picked us up and took us to Beirmar Shopping Center. They were 19 and 17 years old.

We ate ice cream and then took the bus back to UFSC. We were dropped off at the two-story shopping mall by the college. We were too lazy to walk back to we took a taxi the rest of the way home.

The bus was an interesting experience. I wish I had used the bus system a lot earlier, because I have wasted so much cash on taxis.

Today Michelle and I took the bus to Lagoa and had dinner at Santonia. I think I am getting the hang of the bus system. My next goal is to buy a week bus pass.

Boat Ride to Barra De Lagoa

2006-06-26T15:03:00.000-07:00

Christina and I had lunch in Lagoa on Saturday. As we finished our seafood three over heard us talking in English and started to talk to us. We asked them if they knew where to rent a boat and one of the ladies told us she owned a boat and invited fort a ride. Christina and I excitedly accepted the offer.

The ladies' took us to a bar where their friends and husbands were crowded around a TV watching the Argentina vs. Mexico game. We were introduced to everything as if we were family.

The name of the boat is Felicita, which means happiness in Italian.

She took us down the canal in Barra de Lagoa, where she had a weekend home right on the water. Her house was extremely nice including a pool, gym, soccer field, trampoline, and two chocolate Labradors. The picture above is their back yard where they dock their boat.

The lady owned a nursery where she buys flowers from Sao Paulo and sells them in downtown Florianopolis. Her husband owns his own wood factory and exports wood to France. Her and her friends have been living in Florianopolis their whole lives.

Fun Nights at Mecenas

2006-06-24T09:19:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday night the whole crew went out to Mecenas club. The same band that played at Latitudes a few weeks before played at Mecenas. It was a lot of fun, we danced like idiots! Unfortunately I was a little under the weather the next day in class.

Drunk Driving

2006-06-24T09:06:00.000-07:00

Last night there was a party on campus thrown by the architecture students to raise money. Herds of people enjoyed beer, wine, soy dogs and music. Around 2 or 3 o'clock seven drunk people piled into a two door hatch back. The driver obviously drunk instead of putting the car in reverse stepped on the gas and went straight over the curd plowing down some pedestrians that were standing near by. He crashed into a tree a few yards away. The ambulance carried a few victims away on stretchers along with the driver who was attacked and beat up by the surrounding crowd of people for stepping behind the wheel while intoxicated.

Post Election Debate over University Reformation

2006-06-23T13:07:00.000-07:00

Brazil’s new university legislation raises controversy during the campus election at Federal University of Santa Catarina.

The Brazilian Constitution guarantees a minimum of 27 percent of the budget must go towards education. The new legislation changed the process of how public universities receive money.

Before the reform, public universities were given money for specific needs. Congress now pays the bills for specific needs instead of giving the university a set amount of money.

The government now has more control of where money is being spent within the universities.

The staff workers at Federal University of Santa Catarina went on strike last year because they wanted raises in their salaries and for unfair hiring practices.

For two months the students could not use the library and had no places to eat on campus.

To counter these conditions the students invaded the university administration building and locked the people in for four hours to end the strike.

Mixed opinions concerning the invasion and the new university legislation split the students into two political parties that ran for the Central Directory.

The strikes caused an extra-shortened semester during summer break to make up for the lost school days.

“I have been at this school four years but have had only two summer breaks, because of all the strikes,” said Luiz Villa, an engineering student.

Villa voted for the Student Movement {red} party because he believed that the university legislation needed more changes.

Congress can now deny paying certain bills. The red party believes that the new legislation will cause un-balanced spending in different departments of the university.

The yellow party is in favor of the new changes in the university legislation. They believe that Congress can efficiently manage the university budget.

“There are a lot of political questions to be raised, but we must applause the changes that we think are good and criticize the bad parts [in the university legislation]” said Gustavo Chraim, the president of the Central Directory of the Students.

Both parties agree contradiction in the new legislation remains. For example, the national capital can own up to 30 percent of the university. The students do not want to allow any ownership.

“The law is not a way for congress to get money, it gives us the ability to spend money where we think is best,” Chraim said.

“Philosophy majors are just hippies with their head up in the sky, they won’t make the same contributions to society as the engineers,” said Diogo Figueiredo, a law student who voted for the yellow party. He believes that it is fair to give more money to different departments.

At first glance most of the parties campaigning promised the same things such as, expanding the campus dorms which hold 153 rooms when their are over 30,000 students attending UFSC; enlarging the overcrowded University Restaurant; and providing free health care from University Hospital for the students.

“I didn’t vote because [the parties] are both the same” said senior, Daniel Pereira. Lack of student involvement makes change more difficult.

“The red was more radical,” said Elani Almeida, a journalism student. The red party was last year’s Student Central Directory, but this year they wanted to make more changes within the new University legislation.

MUDE, the Democratic Movement (yellow) won with 2,835 votes. The Student Movement (red) came in second place with 2,310 votes. The other two parties received less than 300 votes combined.

What is your opinion about current Education Legislation?

To learn more about Brazil Universtiy Reformation go to: http://portal.mec.gov.br/

What is your opinion about current Education Legislation?

Related article: New DCE will prioritize quarrels on the University Reformation

More articles: DCE Archives

For more information about UFSC visit http://www.ufsc.br

Education Legislation is the United States: Department of Education

Fire at Quinta La Bica De Agua Hotel

2006-06-21T11:35:00.000-07:00

"There's a fire upstairs! Call the front desk" Raul Reis shouted down the hall around midnight. Me and my roommates ran out of the room scared shitless, without even calling the front desk. Michelle did not know what the number was to the front desk so I yelled nine! Then Reis took the phone and informed reception about the flames burning in the hall way upstairs. The hotel worker ran up the stairs and extinguish the small burning pile from a fallen light bulb that sparked a fire. The picture at the left is the ceiling where the light bulb fell from. The hallway upstairs was filled with smoke but from my room you could not even smell any smoke.
There were no fire detectors in the building.

Seconds after Grant and Vince bravely ran up the stairs holding fire extinguishers ready to save the day, "I don't even know how to use this thing" said Grant about the fire extinguisher. The journalism students all gathered in the hall laughing about the whole situation. The lady staying in the room next to mine was frantically screaming Fugo! Fugo! And speaking Portuguese and probably wondering why everyone in the hall was not responding to her. We calmed her down and we then all went back to our rooms.

We lied in our beds too sacred to turn off the lights or turn on the air conditioner, because we did not want to start another fire. Soon enough we hit the light switch and tried to fall asleep.

The Newbies

2006-06-20T12:13:00.000-07:00

When I got back to Florianopolis from Rio things had changed. The first class had all left except for Grant and the new class had arrived. Since all the newbies were a little lost I had to show them around. It made me remember how I first felt when I arrived in Floripa two and a half weeks ago. I feel like my Portuguses has gotten a lot better, because the newbies do not know a word of portuguese. I can successfully go out to eat and communicate with the servers. O que deseja beber? Um cerveja. Pode nos trazer a conta, por' favor?

I am looking forward to doing the assignments for the class. Being here for two weeks gives me an advantage over the newbies. I think that next year everyone who comes on the trip should take 312 so they are prepared for 440. The class would run a lot smoother and it would help the students produce better quality content. 312 gave me the ability to adapt myself to the culture and make friends that I can use as sources.

Rio vs. Floripa

2006-06-20T12:00:00.000-07:00

I got back from Rio yesterday, it was interesting. For two days we stayed in a really nice area in Rio. It looked like the OC, the restaurants, the people, and the houses. They had a Statue of Liberty at this shopping called the New York Center. It was disappointing because I did travel all the way to Brazil to see wal-mart, Mc Donalds, Outback, and TGI Fridays. I saw the big Christ statue that was amazing and we went a botanical garden that was very beautiful.

I didn't like Rio as much as Florianopolis. I am glad to be back in Floripa, the people here are a lot friendlier and they don't try to rip you off. The cab rides in Rio were so expensive. I spent way to much money! Florianopolis is more laid back because it is a college town. Rio is a huge city with many favelas. I hope i spelt that right. It was sad to see all the poverty and living conditions of some of the families.