Working in Manhattanlândia: Getting my Brazil kick between 9 and 5

I get asked the following question all the time: Becca, if you love Brazil so much, why don't you move there already?!


I know, I know. I ask myself that question, too, sometimes. But it's really not that easy. I have a number of friends who just picked up and went, without a job or a plan, and had the time of their lives... for a few months, maybe a year. I think that is awesome, and I live vicariously through them while they are abroad. But because I'm looking to move to Brazil, for a few years, if not for good, I'd like to go there with a stable job that affords a me a comfortable lifestyle I can maintain for an indefinite time.


I am fortunate, though, to have a great job, here in New York, that feeds my Brazil addiction and allows me to stay up to date on everything that's happening in the land that holds my heart. My buddy from college, Alan Perlman, also has a sweet gig as a surveyor (he travels the world and calculates the cost of living in different cities) as well as a blog where he interviews young professionals pursuing not-your-average careers. I was flattered when he wanted to feature me and my work at Sulia. Check out the interview and Alan's blog here: http://www.the9to5alternative.com/blog/real-time-tweeting-with-becca-alper

The Most Beautiful Viral Video

This music video by Brazilian group, A Banda Mais Bonita da Cidade, has gone viral in the last 48 hours, counting almost 3 million hits on You Tube. I discovered the video when Sounds and Colours, an arts and culture magazine with a focus on Latin America, tweeted an article about the group and their sensational video. Of course I couldn't help myself from clicking on the link and watching the entire 6 minute video sitting at my desk. I was so taken with the music, lyrics, and videography, that I was totally oblivious to the fact that my friend was trying to get my attention regarding a work-related task. Cover blown! Oh well. It was totally worth it. See for yourself.

And for you Portuguese speakers and students, here are the beautiful lyrics. 

Oração - A Banda Mais Bonita da Cidade

Meu amor essa é a última oração
Pra salvar seu coração
Coração não é tão simples quanto pensa
Nele cabe o que não cabe na despensa

Cabe o meu amor!
Cabem três vidas inteiras
Cabe uma penteadeira
Cabe nós dois

Cabe até o meu amor
Essa é a última oração pra salvar seu coração
Coração não é tão simples quanto pensa
Nele cabe o que não cabe na despensa

Cabe o meu amor!
Cabem três vidas inteiras
Cabe uma penteadeira
Cabe essa oração

Santiago: Another Endearing Eccentric

Two weekends ago I went to the MOMA to catch the very end of their In Focus: Cinema Tropical series. The last decade has been a period of prolific production in the history of Latin American cinema, and the series featured exemplary films and documentaries from this recent renaissance. Two of the screenings where of Brazilian productions: O ceu de Suely (Love for Sale/Suely in the Sky) and Sanitago. Of course, I had planned to see both films, but in the end, I was only able to catch one of them.


Santiago, a 2006 documentary by João Moreira Salles, is named after the director's family butler, who lived and worked for his parents for 40 years in their home in Gávea, Rio de Janeiro. Salles interviews Santiago about his childhood in Italy, his adolescence in Argentina, and his tenure working for the director's distinguished family in Brazil. From his own apartment in Leblon, Santiago enthusiastically recounts his life history in a delightful mix of Italian, Spanish, and Portuguese, all delivered with an beautiful Argentine accent and wild gesticulation. I took quite a likely to this elderly man. If he hadn't passed away already, I might just have paid him a visit on my next trip o Rio. 


Santiago embodies many of the qualities I love about Brazilian people and culture. He is an eccentric individual, proud of his experiences and eager to share his wild stories and interpretations, passionate about his interests, and dedicated to his faith and spirituality. We learn Santiago was a talented pianist and classical music lover. He was a historian, who in his spare time authored 30,000 (if I'm remembering correctly) typed pages of histories covering almost every civilization that's graced this earth. In the film, Santiago proudly proclaims that his closest friends are the historical figures who populate his papers, which neatly fill an entire bookcase in a corner of his apartment. Santiago worked hard for his employer's family and guests, but took more from his professional experiences than the job took from him. His frequent encounters with diplomats and aristocrats at the lavish dinner parties he put on for his employers added only color and meaning to his own experience, never resentment.


Here is the trailer for the documentary, followed by an 8 minute clip from the film.