De volta ao batente

23 july 2013

Saí de Teresina no sábado, dia 20, no vôo de 12h:40 para Fortaleza, de lá fui para o Rio de Janeiro, de onde saí para Londres em torno de meia noite.

Eu já estava me arrumando para sair, quando a titia me ligou, e me falou coisas lindas. Ela disse que estava me ligando para me dar um abraço muito grande porque [sábado] era o dia do amigo e eu sou uma amiga muito especial para ela; uma pessoa que ela admira, ama, e em quem acredita e confia. Pense como esse telefonema aqueceu meu coração judiado. Aí a Manuela, minha irmã de coração, foi me levar no aeroporto com a mamãe. Essa despedida foi difícil, mas segui.

Desembarquei em Fortaleza para passar ali quase quatro horas, quando vem ao meu encontro a surpresa mais maravilhosa: meu primo Júnior foi encontrar comigo no aeroporto. Me sinto abençoada por ter tantas pessoas especiais ao meu redor. Almoçamos e conversamos um bocado. Ele ficou comigo até minha entrada na segurança. Um abraço apertado, ele se foi e eu segui, mais feliz.

No Rio de Janeiro foi legal a espera porque fiquei conversando com um pessoal que veio no mesmo vôo que eu. Eu gosto às vezes de conversar com quem não conheço, pra escutar estórias novas. É olhar para a pessoa e perguntar ‘pra onde você vai?’. Parece que a pessoa tá só esperando essa pergunta para contar um monte de si.

 

E embarcamos na viagem longuíssima de quase 12 horas até Londres. Entrei no avião e falei para um comissário de bordo que tinha viajado com ele para o Brasil 10 dias atrás. Ele olhou pra mim e disse ‘a senhora tava sentada ali do outro lado’. Pronto, imagine aí o bom trato. A viagem foi tranquila, mas dessa vez não consegui ler nada e nem sequer procurar um filme para assistir. Dormi um pouco e o que mais fiz foi acompanhar a viagem pelo mapa para saber onde eu estava. Nada mais.

Descemos em Londres alguns minutos antes do previsto, que era pra 3h20 da tarde. Viemos do aeroporto direto para casa. Como o dia estava lindo e ensolarado Mike tinha planejado um churrasco para a gente no quintal de casa. Tomei um super banho para espantar o cansaco, vesti uma roupa fresquinha e curtimos um churrasco gostoso. Tinha mini burgers, linguiça, salmão, espeto de frango com chorizo espanhol e pimentão, e três tipos diferentes de salada: de batata, de repolho com queijo e cenoura e mais um molhinho [coleslaw], e caesar salad. Estava tudo ótimo, e deliciosamente leve. Ah, a gente come churrasco aqui com pão [comi só um].

Foi maravilhoso ficar sentada ao ar livre depois de praticamente 24 horas dentro de aeroportos e aviões. Entramos quase 8h00 da noite, ainda com luz do dia. Acho que comi um bocadim além da conta; mas sendo churrasco já viu, né. Foi nosso terceiro churrasco nesse verão de dias longos e bonitos. Ficar em casa nesse programa refrescante e à vontade me fez recuperar as energias.

Fui dormir quase meia noite mas consegui ir para a universidade ontem, segunda-feira, de manhã cedo e trabalhar até quase 5h30 da tarde. Fiz um serviço importante no capítulo 7. Meu Deus do Céu, como tem coisa pra fazer ainda. Quisera eu ser mais rápida e mais concentrada. Gosto da minha alma artesanal e desacelerada, mas tem hora em que correr pode ajudar.

Na universidade ganhei um monte de abraços demorados e calorosos de muitos amigos. Chorei litros. Comigo não tem jeito: mencionou a dor, a torneirinha abre.

Às 6h00 da tarde fomos fazer uma caminhada feliz no Riverside Park, um park lindo que tem aqui, às margens do rio Itchen. Mais tarde cumade Eliane passou para pegar uns presentes que a família mandou para ela do Brasil. Soltamos boas gargalhadas.

Querido leitor, a cumade Eliane é de Teresina e hoje mora aqui em Southampton, casada com um inglês. Vou escrever sobre ela em breve. Se voce gostaria de fazer uma pergunta a ela comente aqui que eu transmito sua pergunta a ela e a resposta vem no post sobre.

workshop sobre ‘exploratory practice’

20 july 2012

Na sexta-feira dia 6 de julho sai de casa cedinho e fui pra estação de trem encontrar meu amigo Tee, da Tailândia. Nossas pesquisas de PhD tem vários pontos em comum e temos a mesma orientadora. Viajamos juntos para um workshop na University of Leicester, em Leicester, ‘east midlands, onde fazia dois meses que, segundo os motoristas dos taxis que tomamos, chovia direto. Outro dia li num jornal que esse tem sido o verão mais molhado da história.

Foi um workshop sobre ‘exploratory practice’, com a presença do Dick Allwright, autor da proposta de investigação na sala de aula. Dick Allwright é professor aposentado da Universidade de Leeds. Levei livro dele e da Judith Hanks pra eles autograpfarem, tirei fotos com eles, conversei com a Judith sobre nossa pesquisa de PhD. Ela está, como eu, escrevendo a tese dela agora. Tambem tive uma conversa ótima com o Dick sobre a experiência dele no Brasil e sobre Paulo Freire. Foi proveitoso ouvir as idéias diretamente do autor e o relato de algumas pesquisas desenvolvidas usando ‘exploratory practice’ como principal referencial teórico. 

 

Ficamos hospedados no hotel Holiday Inn Express. Depois do workshop Tee e eu fomos jantar num restaurant tipo buffet com comida do mundo inteiro. Aff. Visitamos um pouco mais da cidade. Voltamos pra Southampton no domingo. Oh viagem cansativa. Foram mais quatro horas de viagem, com troca de trem em Birmingham, onde esperamos 50 minutos pelo trem para Southampton. Trem é igual a ônibus, cheio de gente entrando e saindo em toda estação. O movimento é grande, mas a paisagem é tão linda. Aproveitei para ler alguns artigos.

Gostei do fim de semana viajando, descansando e pensando. Foi boa essa oportunidade de reflexão depois de uma semana tão movimentada.

multicultural

15 june 2012

 

nota: esse post eh o primeiro do blog 'multicultural', que vai ao ar no portalaz, de Teresina, piaui, Brasil. 

Querido leitor,

Brazil: sou natural de Campo Maior, servidora do Tribunal de Justiça, professora do CEUT, e estou atualmente na Inglaterra, fazendo um doutorado em Linguística Aplicada, na University of Southampton www.soton.ac.uk .  

                                       

Minha experiência no exterior

Estados Unidos: morei e estudei inglês na Flórida, nos anos de 1997 e 1998, com visto de turista, num momento bem diferente de hoje. Fui com o objetivo de conhecer mais sobre a cultura e sobre a língua inglesa, que, àquele tempo, ja ensinava no Brasil. Estudei inglês na escola pública Tomlinson Adult Learning Center http://www.tomlinson.pinellas.k12.fl.us/  Tinha carro, carteira de motorista e trabalhei como babá, auxiliar de garçom num restaurante japonês, e fiz faxinas num hotel.

Depois, em 2000, fui para o Tennessee, onde fiz mestrado em Inglês na ETSU [East Tennessee State University] www.etsu.edu , que era uma universidade relavitamente pequena, com mais ou menos 12.000 alunos à época. Éramos em torno de 200 estudantes internacionais; durante meu tempo lá nunca fomos mais que cinco brasileiros. No meu departamento [Inglês] eu era a única estrangeira no programa, a ‘estranha no ninho’, naquele ambiente quase monocultural, apesar de ser de literaturas de língua inglesa e ter alunos de várias partes dos Estados Unidos e das muitas culturas e mundos que a literatura nos presenteia. Escrevi minha tese de mestrado sobre literatura afro-americana, analisando o livro “Their eyes were watching God”, da escritora Zora Neale Hurston.

Reino Unido: aqui no Reino Unido, onde estou desde setembro 2008, e na Europa que tenho visitado, a palavra que sintetiza a vida é multicultural. A multicultura está presente em todos os ambientes que frequento na universidade, onde faço minha pesquisa de PhD e onde trabalho, e tambem nas interações sociais, e na vida diária, nos shopping centers, na fila do cinema. A riqueza étnica e cultural é muito interessante. E aqui estou eu, mais acostumada a frutas azedas [tambem] e a comidas bem apimentadas, asiáticas, mediterrâneas, e do mundo todo. E adoro ‘fish and chips’ [peixe empanado e frito com batata frita], o prato inglês mais emblemático da cultura local.

Eu e o blog: meu objetivo com o blog Multicultural é falar sobre minha experiência no encontro com outras culturas, em vários ambientes: de trabalho, de estudo, de relações sociais, originadas desse contato na universidade, aqui e nas lembranças que me ocorrem das experiências anteriores.

Entao, devo escrever uma vez por semana, às sextas-feiras, sobre: 
- a vida e a experiência de uma estrangeira fazendo uma pós graduação no exterior, vivendo / interagindo e escrevendo em inglês na maior parte do tempo; 
- viagens, de férias ou para participar de conferências, todos eventos multiculturais em sua essência.
- universidade, feriados, curiosidades, acesso à universidade: provas de proficiência de língua [IELTS, TOEFL], detalhes do processo de acesso a cursos de pós nas universidades americanas e britânicas. Nesse aspecto meu foco principal deve ser o Reino Unido.

- a pressão do doutorado e casos específicos do que vivemos aqui, eu e meus colegas, nessa batalha gigante no processo da pesquisa. 

Os posts das sextas-feiras deverão ser sempre escritos em português; podendo, no entanto, trazer um texto em inglês e algumas dicas de leitura, por exemplo. Havendo folga no meu trabalho de pesquisa planejo tambem escrever eventualmente na terça-feira. Quando acontecerem, esses posts tem mais liberdade para serem em português ou em inglês.

Caro leitor, o que tenho em mente é um blog simples e com assuntos de fácil identificação para qualquer pessoa passando por situação similar, pensando em planejar uma empreitada

como essa, ou que simplesmente tenha interesse nos assuntos.

Abraços,

Kalina

on the road: highcliffe beach

19 june 2011



mike and i went for a great and relaxing walk by highcliffe beach , part of the Christchurch borough, today. the day was windy and a bit chilly, but worth all the while. i needed the fresh air to clear my lungs and to relax. in addition to the beauty of the place there is the beauty of the country roads, which i like so much. on our way back we stopped by the walhampton arms for a sunday roast. that was another fair treat.

music: stacey kent in basingstoke

about yesterday, 18 june 2011

yesterday we went to stacey kent's wonderful jazz concert at the anvil in basingstoke. we also listened to her great music both ways on the road. what a day and what a night! the day was bright and beautiful when we drove there. the night was ours when we drove back to southampton. it was my third time seeing her show here and the first time with mike, who said he was happy to go to a concert of my choice, to listen to my music.

this show was a transition between her french cd / tour and the new one which should be released soon. she left the concert straight to the studio with her band. she told me she will come round next year with the new cd. i need to mark that one in my diary.

a few days before i sent her a message saying we would go to the show and said where we'd be seated. she spotted me and greeted me from the stage. i was thrilled. she has been to brazil a couple of times for concerts since i last saw her. mike was much impressed to see her treating by my first name. he said 'you two are friends on a first name basis'. during the break she autographed her cds that i have and love. and we had our photo taken.

'. . . quer guardar o mundo em mim' (Caetano Veloso)

she loves our music. stacey said beautiful things about brazil and its people and its music. she sang joao gilberto, jobim, and caetano. she introduced the song 'coracao vagabundo' by saying she fell in love with the lyrics of the song and explained to the audience how it represents the brazilian people who have so much hope and warmth and joy in their hearts. she translated the first lines into english but then sang it in portuguese:

'meu coracao nao se cansa
de ter esperanca
de um dia ser tudo o que quer
. . . ' caetano veloso

i loved the concert, once again. music inebriates my soul.

on the road: winchester

5 june 2011

- we love winchester, don't we?

that was my answer to mike's invite for a walk in winchester. it was about 4 o'clock in the afternoon and the day had been gray and cold and rainy, perfect to stay indoors. but mike insisted we needed some fresh air and a walk. there we went. we walked through the city, then down by the river, and into the water meadows. oh, my! it was healing. once in a while a few drops of a shy rain but it didn't bother us at all.

after the walk we had dinner at 'fishers pond', a posh pub in colden common, hampshire. it is on way from winchester to southampton. there were many people (families) there eating dinner. by they way, i've heard many times the english use the word 'tea' to say 'dinner', and i find it a cute trace of their english identity. the food at the fishers pond is good, but not different from anything i can have right here at my lovely cowherds (also a posh pub), but the view from the lake is worth the trip. i wanted to eat something succulent; so i ordered chicken and ham pie, and mike had meat. we once again had a wonderful time in winchester.

below you see photos from our walk and the last one is the view from the pub. got this information about the lake:
"Fisher's Pond itself is an artificial lake held back by an earth dam at one end and adjacent to Marwell Zoo. The pond was constructed to allow the then Bishop of Winchester to have fish supplied to his table, especially in winter. The pub is a former cafe." from mike catell's flickr.


just as we left the river and going towards the water meadows

the water meadows

the water meadows

 

view from inside the fishers pond pub



conference in london

4 june 2011

today i went to london with rahmah, a course peer, to attend the '4th bloomsbury student conference in applied linguistics' at the birkbeck university of london.

we left southampton quite early, in the 7.30am train. we got the tube to the conference, got off at goodge station and walked to birkbeck college, where we arrived there on time for everything: coffee, keynote speaker, and all the other presentations, including mine, which was a poster presentation titled 'esl teaching in brazil's municipal schools: contextualized writing?'.

we attend four presentations plus the poster session, which took place at the same room and time of the lunch they served us. very handy. the conference was interesting and i liked very much two of the presentations we attend. people seemed interested in my research and came to ask me questions about it. it felt nice. after i attend many talks i get easily distracted and unfocused. it is terrible, but i can't help it.

we left the conference before it ended because we had plans to go wildly shopping on oxford street. it was a hot day, i mean, fine for me, but very hot for rahmah. i was carrying all the time my immense a1 poster folded in the tube with me, and that is not something you would dream of doing often.

we walked for a while browsing around, window shopping. . . and my conclusion is that i, kalina, will not go again shopping on oxford street. what is the point? the very same - the very same - standard shops they have we do have here: m&s, gap, bhs, next, just to name same. ah, the perfume shop as well. for me it doesn't make any sense to go shopping when in that crowded and busy street when i can do the same here, far more comfortably.

after walking up to bond street we decided we'd had enough and were ready to head back home. we got the tube at bond street station and had a perfect timing to get the 3.35pm train back to southampton. it was a smooth and tranquil journey, just the way there in the morning had been. there only a few people in the train and i could be quiet for a while, appreciating the landscape.

before we got back in the train i was feeling exhausted. i wanted to stop and be quiet, not say a single word. these days it has happened to me that i get very tired of speaking english for many days in a row, many hours in a day, and that it has been enough.

we got to the station here in about 1.15hr. i took the usual u1a bus home and am now resting a little bit. i will later on meet with mike and johnny at the giddy bridge, a very noisy pub on london road. he is now at a music festival to which he invited me, but no, thanks. i can barely stand up. i need a rest from the world for at least two hours. then, i will be ready to go out again, renovated. i'll walk to the giddy bridge to meet up with them.

wrong time wrong person wrong place

29 may 2011

wrong time: this weekend (27 - 29 may)
wrong person: i
wrong place: in london for the weekend.

the day before yesterday (friday) i got the coach to spend the weekend in london. i booked the return ticket to 3.30 this afternoon. trouble is i was not at peace there as i kept thinking all the time of my duties left behind here. i couldn't stop thinking of the many things i should be doing here instead of enjoying a weekend away.

after many hours of turmoil i decided to change the time my ticket and got the 10.00 o'clock coach this morning. what a relief, and a lesson learned: it is time to concentrate on my research. i decided to put a hold on the other insanities that were occupying my mind, i.e. travelling. it was a beautiful day today and the trip back was good. i took the time to appreciate the road and the cars and to think.

i got off the coach at the uni interchange and - again - embarked on the wrong bus. i got into u2b instead of waiting for a moment for either u2c or u1c. u2b is only good for me when i go to uni, not from uni. and again i visited the neighborhoods. it didn't bother happy me at all.

new year's curry in winchester

about last night 7 may 2011



photo 1: the starter; photo 2: maudie, marie, and jc; photo 3: the cuties

mike and I met with steven at the train station and traveled together to winchester for our 2010 – 2011 new year’s curry at the nepalese and indian restaurant gurkha chef.

we were ten for the night: from the uk: mike (welsh), and the english ones: johnny, jc, marie, steven, the team leader maudie, and warren; and the foreigners murielle and celine (both French), and myself with my verde amarelo branco azul anil heart. In other words, we were ten people, with four nationalities, and from three different languages.

winchester greeted us with rain, but we carried on walking to fulfil our protocol, which is pub – restaurant – pub. Then, we head home. I want to make a point that now I understand better the itinerary that really gives everyone opportunities to interact with various of us.

the pub was the hyde tavern, a cozy but not so comfortable one. I had diet coke and a small glass of their- not-so-special house wine. at the pub I had a chat with murielle. she is french, from a small island near mauritius island. she is a chemist, lives near here, but will move soon to germany, relocated to work there. we talked about this and also about phd life and about brazil. she asked me how my research is going. i smiled and she smiled back, sharing the inherent sticks and stones we come across throughout the process. a friend of murielle’s came by her place and took away her tv when she was doing her phd so that murielle would have one less distraction and could concentrate properly on the duties. later on the friend threatened to take away her phone if she kept spending hours talking to people. we had a good laugh.

then we went to gurkha chef, the nepalese and indian restaurant. i had pork palak (barbequed pork with pork cooked in spinach, tomatoes and onions) with mushroom rice for dinner. i also tried mike’s food, as usual. it was all very good. at the restaurant i the chat was about travelling, mostly with steven, mike, and murielle.

after food food food and chat chat chat we left the restaurant. murielle and celine went home, the others went to another pub. mike and i walked back to the train station to get the 12.07 train to southampton, because it comes by the train station near his place. on our way back both to the station in winchester and in southampton we walk in the rain again. we waited for a while at the train station sitting in a bench and talking: precious moments. this was a much expected rain that did many things: it washed away my makeup and my blow dried hair, as well as some pollen from the trees. i think the long and quiet rain also cleansed both southampton and winchester and gave them a lighter, greener, and more beautiful view. it was so lovely to walk in the rain.

we finally got into the train and back home sometime around 1am today. What a night.

on the road: hamble

29 apr 2011

Hamble is a small village located 6.2 miles southeast of Southampton. its official name is Hamble-le-Rice. there was aircraft centre in hamble during ww ii for planes.

we walked around the village, by the water front at river hamble, had an ice cream, and were headed to the hamble common. there were many people at the pubs and at the Common celebrating the royal wedding. after that we walked in the other direction, towards the port hamble marina, where we found many beautiful and expensive yachts.

river hamble is home to sailing yachts, and all types of recreational boating and motorboats. They have a school of yachting there. i was much impressed by the boat taxi and the ferry to warsash, another small village just to the other side of the river. if the boat takes you from one river bank to the other it is a ferry. so far i had only the idea of a ferry as in the large ferry boats which go to the isle of wight or the one i took once from salvador to itaparica, in bahia, brazil.

the small and beautiful village is very close to southampton. it is a nice place to spend a couple of hours walking around. in the summer the village attracts many tourists to enjoy the water.

switzerland - uk, flying back home

about mon 11 apr 2011

public transportation in switzerland (or in the cities i have been to and used them) is punctual, modernised, and the service is excellent; but too expensive. the way it is planned makes it very easy for a novice in town to use the service, because it is very well sign posted. they have trams!!! i love the trams, especially the very old ones, like the ones i saw in vienna.

well well but time arrived for me to fly back home to the uk and there we were again on the road. fran took me back to the airport of geneva and stayed until the very last minute she could before i had to go to my departure gate, which was B34. the airport in geneva is small and it all went smooth and easy, despite the long queue for security control. they have a passport control there, too. went through all these and got to my gate, ready to fly, very happy for the unforgetable trip. i flew swiss, and was pleased with this excellent airline.

i had bought a ticket to travel back from heathrow to southampton with national express at 6.30pm, as i knew my flight was scheduled to arrive in london at 4.05, and the time we spend there until we get our luggage is unpredictable. i was so lucky everything went again so smooth i got to the airport central bus station in time to get the 4.30 coach to southampton. i went to the coach platform and handed my ticket to the driver: 'your ticket is for the 6.30 bus. i can't take you.' he said
'why not? oh please take my in your bus'.
'no, i can't. you'll have to wait for your coach.'
i insisted: 'really? you can take me in your coach now.' i knew the bus was nearly empty. the driver asked to wait aside for 10 minutes and then he would see if he could help me. i said 'yes, i'll wait here and you please don't forget me.'
less than three minutes later he turned to me and said 'come on, love.'
you can imagine my grateful smile to the man. i was in southampton about 6.45. yes!!!

switzerland: nyon

about sunday 10 apr 2011

after montreux didier, fran and i visited Nyon. nyon is a beautiful city 25 kilometers from geneva. its population is of about 19,000, and it is located between lausanne and geneva. it is very close to cheserex, where fran and didier live. fran goes to work in geneva monday to friday through nyon, where she gets the train.

beautiful and cultural city, again, with much history to it. because the days have been sunny there are lots of people everywhere. no one wants to stay indoors when there is the light of the sun. i like it very much. we walked around and had a drink at a bar, of course, outdoors. they have a jazz festival in nyon every year. fran told me you have to be very clever to get tickets to the concerts because they are sold out shortly after they are made available.

the signs.

switzerland: montreux & cooking

about sunday 10 april 2011

l'amour au bord du leman
one more thing about montreux i would like to share here: the countless couples who spend hours by the lake, some in silence, some chatting, some cuddling, some eating, some dreaming, all in love.

le plat du jour
we went back home and to eat le plat du jour. it was a very sophisticated grilled lamb with mushroom sauce and risoto and vegetables on the side, all prepared by my dear fran. the woman knows the tricks! red wine to help taste the banquet and to spice up our chat.

fondant au chocolat was the dessert. God save my soul for i have been in sin. amem!

switzerland: montreux

about sunday 10 apr 2011
it took me long to decide on the few photos from the trip to montreux to post here. the whole trip, the amazing cities we passed by on our way to montreux and the city itself are incredibly charming and beautiful. oh, so beautiful! yes, nature was generous to switzerland. i will now post the photos here so that they translate a bit what i experienced on the 10th of april with my friend fran and her husband didier:
- a taste of the place where the famous music festival has happened for decades - beautiful people - a gorgeous sunny day - breathtaking mountains - a long and relaxing walking by lac leman - and some refreshing ice cream to wrap up. what a trip!!!

this is the Nestle head office. we passed by it on the way to Montreux.



the Grand Hotel du Lac is very charming. it is close to Lac Leman in Montreux.




view from the car. getting to the lake front we can already appreciate the swiss alps.



people everywhere enjoying the sunny day. one of the cafes by the lake front.

fancy a boat ride?

 

these flats face the lake. i sent out the papers to rent one for the summer.

 

Fran is an old and very good friend of mine. we probably met around 1992, when i started working at yazigi as an english teacher. she taught french there. she had already lived in switzerland as a young girl with her aunt raimunda. she has now been living in switzerland for a good number of years, but every time she went back to brazil and i was there we got together. we have followed up on the events of our lives all this time. she has three kids: martina, who lives in geneva and studies law, and igor and gabriela, who are now living in brazil. i had a great time catching up with my friend and travelling around with her and her adorable husband, didier. martina is doing great and  speaks an impecable french. fran and didier live in cheserex - in a lovely and large apartment - with didier's two boys from his previous marriage.