Hello everybody!
I am writing from an (at this moment) extremely hot brazilian city called Santarém. I can literally feel sweat dripping from my legs AS WE SPEAK..and now its 8 o clock PM...
Santarém is a beutiful city with a lot and a lot of red sand. And animals: dogs, cats, (gamar), cows and horses on the street. The house we live in have a rabbit that is loose in the house, who ate my papers today when i was asleep, and another of Daniels aunts had a dog that took off a few days ago, and hasnt come back yet. In Sweden that would have been TRAGEDY at least for most people I know (talking bout the dog now, folks, not the rabbit), but here they just wait for it to come back. If it ever will come back.
We live in a house with Daniels aunt Rosa and her family with three children. Its great! and they really do take care of us. We never walk around in the neighbourhood or to town, it seems they go everywhere with car.. But so far we havent experienced or seen any kind of robbery or anything in the city.
The city is situated in the Amazonas forest, where the rivers Amazon and Tapajós meet. So far we have only went swimming in the Tapajós river.
Yesterday we went to a little zoo in the rainforest which was totally cooooool. We saw a lot of birds and little monkeys both wild and in cages. It was such a thrill knowing that I was actually IN THE Amazon rainforest. The very heart of this world.
My portuguese is improving. I was such a nervous wreck the first day when it seemed i didnt understand a word anyone said (hardly anyone speaks english) but to this day i feel much more secure and am actually able to do a tiny bit of talking with the locals. (There are almost only locals here by the way, i havent seen any other tourist yet)
This first week has been a week to get to know the area of Santarém, adapt to the culture, try new foods, practise the speaking and just relax. Next week we will travel to another city called Parintins where festivities will be held. The journey takes about 20 hours with boat, and we have been told to bring...(hengmatta??) to sleep in.
Daniel has been ill today, but is already better, and I got scratched in the face yesterday by a monkey. But it didnt bleed so i dont think i got rabies. thank god.
We have also visited Alter do Chão, that is a famous beach area near Santarém. We had to take a "canoa" out to the little sand-island and it was great to just relax under the trees and look at the birds, and people swimming in the river. It usually is sand all the way out, but this period the water is really high, why everybody is going there in those little canoas. In Alter do Chão I also ate my first Tapioca! We have also tried farinha, farofa, feijão, various fish dishes and the famous drink Guaraná. I have liked all of it so far, but realized that the brazilians eat a lot of..plain white bread. And flour. They put farinha on everything and everything.
Thats it for now, i dont know if this is going to be published because i got a fail message now, see you guys later! ciao
haha fan va coolt det låter, annelie! Jag e så glad att du får uppleva allt det där :)
SvaraRaderasaknar dig dock! ses om några veckor! puss <3
Härligt att allt är bra
SvaraRadera/Erik och familjen
Hej Annelie och Daniel!
SvaraRaderaJag har varit och firat Eriks 16-årsdag.
Det var hemlagad pizza - gott.
Det låter som ni har det jättespännande.
Önskar att jag vore där!!
Stor kram till dej och Daniel!
Och hoppas få höra mera snart!!
Mormor
Ämne: Murder in the Amazon
SvaraRaderaDear friends,
The Amazon forest is at risk. The Brazilian Congress has watered down strict forest protection laws and brave Brazilian activists are being murdered for speaking out. It’s time for us to take this critical battle global -- if we all call on President Dilma to veto the bill, we could save the Amazon.
The Amazon is in serious danger, the lower house of the Brazilian congress has approved a gutting of Brazil’s forest protection laws. Unless we act now, vast tracts of our planet’s lungs could be opened up to clear-cutting devastation.
The move has sparked widespread anger and protests across the country. And tension is rising -- in the last few weeks, several prominent environmental advocates have been murdered, purportedly by armed thugs hired by illegal loggers. The timing is critical, they’re trying to silence criticism just as the law is discussed in the Senate. But President Dilma can veto the changes, if we can persuade her to overcome political pressure and step onto the global stage as a leader.
79% of Brazilians support Dilma's veto of the forest law changes, but their voices are being challenged by logger lobbies. It’s now up to all of us to raise the stakes and make Amazon protection a global issue. Let’s come together now in a giant call to stop the murders and illegal logging, and save the Amazon. Sign the petition below -- it’ll be delivered to Dilma when we reach 500,000 signers:
http://www.avaaz.org/en/save_the_amazon/?vl
People love Brazil! The sun, the music, the dancing, the football, the nature -- it’s a country that inspires millions around the world. This is why Brazil is hosting the next World Cup, why Rio has the 2016 Olympics and next year’s Earth Summit, a meeting to stop the slow death of our planet.
Our love is not misplaced -- the Amazon Is vital to life on earth -- 20% of our oxygen and 60% of our freshwater comes from this magnificent rainforest. That’s why it’s so crucial that we all protect it.
But Brazil is also a rapidly developing country, battling to lift tens of millions out of poverty, and the pressure to clear-cut and mine for profit on its political leaders is intense. This is why they’re dangerously close to buckling on environmental protections. Local activists are being murdered, intimidated and silenced, it’s up to Avaaz members across the world to stand with Brazilians and urge Brazil’s politicians to be strong.
Many of us have seen in our own countries how growth often comes at the expense of our natural heritage, our waters and air get polluted, our forests die.
For Brazil, there is an alternative. Dilma’s predecessor massively reduced deforestation and cemented the country’s international reputation as an environmental leader, while also enjoying huge economic growth. Let’s come together now, and urge Dilma to follow in those footsteps -- sign the petition to save the Amazon, then forward this email to everyone:
http://www.avaaz.org/en/save_the_amazon/?vl
In the last 3 years, Brazilian Avaaz members have taken massive leaps towards the world we all want: They won landmark anti-corruption legislation, and have lobbied their government to play a leadership role at the UN, protect human rights and intervene to support democracy in the Middle East, and help protect human rights in Africa and beyond.