Synthesis and Calm Drivers

*Sorry about the delay in this post, my wireless card decided to die (and disappear from my device list) and after much fretting about what to do, it has decided to resurrect itself. I do not know how much life my zombie wireless card has, but I'll make the most of it while it's here!*

I was walking home from a good day at UFES and feeling a little bad that I didn't get a picture with my students. I brought the camera, but was so distraught at the beginning of class, I forgot to take a picture. I was distraught because it's Brazil and I'm American. I got to class 15 minutes early and thought, "great! I can get into the lab and see about setting up the software we're working with since we finally have the registration code for it!" But the lady who runs the lab asked us to step out "really quickly" so she could clean.

Thirty minutes later I went in to ask her when I could start my class, since my students had all been waiting outside for 15 minutes. She made me wait 5 more for the floor to dry.

This just wouldn't happen in the US! But no one seemed to care. Time is fluid, like most things. People down here, in general, just don't get upset about things, and I think this can be both good and bad.

As I was walking home, I passed by this familiar scene- nearly a dozen new drivers waiting for their turn on the hill. They are always lining this steep hill, driving slowly and erratically, roaring their manual engines to prevent them from stalling. I was thinking how funny driving is- it's so crazy I wonder how it works sometimes! And sure there's accidents, but it doesn't seem as bad as I would expect it to be. And what's more, I have never seen road rage- not even when my friends were driving. Everyone is relaxed and accepts what the other crazy fools on the road are doing. (It's not just driving- it's the lines in the grocery stores, too!)

This attitude is great for lowering blood pressure and living life a little more happily, I think. But it also leads to a culture that is probably TOO tolerant of violence, corruption, environmental degredation, and social inequities. I really feel like Brazil is going places in the coming years, but I do worry about the overall sustainability of it all. But it's not just an issue for Brazil- it's now a GLOBAL issue. I take comfort in knowing that each culture has its own perspectives and positive contributions to make. We might come up with a solution to our generation's problems afterall. (And what problems will follow?)