Hit the ground running

Today was our first day of work at the IFCE. We hadn’t seen Sarah since she dropped off at the hotel last Thursday but we had kept her updated on our apartment situation. While in Canada, I had already set up a meeting to see an apartment in the Miereles bairro (neighbourhood). The apartment is huge and about a 10min walk from the beach. While Amber liked it, something about it didn’t sit right with me. Perhaps it was the fact that the apartment is located on the 4^th floor and there are no elevators. Then the real estate agent said something along the lines of:

"The neighbourhood isn't dangerous but I recommend that you don't walk around the area at night. They might pull out a knife and take your things, but they won’t really stab you. Other than that, it's a safe area"

The irony of this statement made me laugh, but in all seriousness, NO THANKS to that apartment.

On a few occasions, Amber and I had been warned to be careful when walking. During our Sunday morning walk, there was an area we were about to walk through when the local police stopped us. He mentioned the words “bolsa” and “perigo/perigoso” (purse and danger/dangerous), then continued to make the gun symbol with his hand...o_O...we stayed on the main tourist route.

Such situations make me realize how safe Canada can be, specifically Ottawa since it is where I grew up. This is not to imply that there is no crime in Canada and that people don’t get robbed. But in the last 5 days, people have continuously warned us to be careful when walking around because people are watching. We are not oblivious, we know people are always watching, the men of this city do not even try to hide the fact that they are watching us. From the constant catcall/whistling sounds to the occasional sentences they mumble when we walk by. As one man put it, who shall remain nameless, “they are simply appreciating your beauty.” So at this point we are getting used to ignoring the sounds and stares. 


Amber and I walk everywhere we go and we do indeed stand out. Both of us are relatively tall in comparison to most women here. Amber with her long fiery red hair and strong European features (keep in mind she is half Iroquois). Then there is me with my distinct African features. However, I've been told I look like I could be from the Brazilian state of Bahia, where most of the people there have strong African features. The people of Fortaleza are mainly a mixed people of European, Aboriginal, and African descent. During the car ride from the airport, Sarah had said because everyone is mixed with something, race is not an issue. Then what gives us away? Perhaps its the way we walk or the clothes we wear that makes us look like foreigners. Or maybe its the lost bewildered look we give when people talk to us in Portuguese. Foreigners are known to be easy targets for thievery here, as in any country, so we need to work on blending in. Jos, the Director of International Development at Niagara College, had jokingly suggested that Amber dye her hair darker to blend in more. Although she rejected that idea, she may one day wake up to find her hair darkened. :)

But enough about that, this morning we went to the Mulheres Mil office on the IFCE campus. We taxied our first day because we didn’t want to be late trying to figure out the bus system. However, the driver dropped us off at the wrong campus so we were about 10mins late (never a good impression for any job). Luckily, they were very understanding of our situation. Sarah thoroughly explained the Mulheres Mil program to us. The program in Fortaleza provides women living in the bairro Pirambu (Pirambu neighbourhood) the opportunity to study at the IFCE college. In order to graduate, these women have to complete 480 hours of classes. The classes they must attend include some of following subjects: Portuguese, mathematics, computers, Spanish, English, entrepreneurship, environmental science, and sexual health. At the end, the women are required to complete 80hrs of co-op in a hotel. The Mulheres Mil program is now expanding to become a nationally implemented program.


However, Amber and I have come at the end of the semester and the July holidays are about to begin. Thankfully, for the next three weeks we will be taking Portuguese classes with four French students. I'm really excited for these classes because I desperately need a Portuguese foundation to expand upon. At this point, I've been using my knowledge of mainly Spanish and sometimes French to communicate with Brazilians. The day after we landed, Amber and I quickly purchased English-Portuguese dictionaries that we use everyday. Simple tasks, such as ordering food at restaurants, have become arduous. But slowly, we are picking up words and phrases that are useful. 


The rest of this week will be filled with work and apartment hunting, wish us luck...