I could not help thinking, “That would not fly in Portland...” Okay. Lame jokes aside, I really don't think that having a live animal on a vehicle of public transport would be considered appropriate in most cities in the US.I also wondered about what animal rights activists would have said about the plastic bags, and about why the chicken was so calm during the ride (it just sat there on the floor).
Sometimes Brazil can be deceptively similar to the US, and sometimes its so different that one wonders if the planet has changed. Of course, the lines are the fuzziest in relation to people. The way things look (at least here in Teresina) is a pretty big clue that its not Kansas (or any other state in the US).
I was hoping that I would already be able to share some good news with you about whether, or not we get an apartment. Appearently, though, I am in Brazil: They said to call back later. Maybe we will have something to be very thankful for on Thursday.
What are your favorite Thanksgiving traditions? I'll share mine in a day, or two.
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I guess this answers the question on how the chicken crosses the street. In Brazil it just takes a bus in a plastic bag.
ReplyDeleteYour blog entries sometimes make me feel like I live in India (please, no offense to the hindus). Those experiences are pretty possible, alhough I have not been through one so long ago that I just forget about them.
Giving it a better thought, I guess if this chicken situation had happened to me, I would probably not even notice, because this is so on the limits of what I expect to happen here, that I wouldn't care. Like one day when I was in a car with a bunch of Americans and we stopped at a light sign. All of them took their cameras and began to take pictures of the sign. It was red AND green at the same time!
Har, har! I like the comment concerning the chicken: "That would not FLY in Portland"! Too much. Pun intended?
ReplyDeleteWhen I was in Brazil, I found it refreshing to see how free Brazil is from much of the 'safety consciousness' that you find in the U.S. The playgrounds are much like the ones I had when I was a kid -- monkey bars, see-saws, merry-go-rounds, etc. Kids run around in bare feet or flip-flops. There are thousands of bicyclists riding through the city, but I don't think I saw a single person wearing a biking helmet, even when there were 2 or 3 on a bike. There's just something refreshing about that... and I like the idea that someone still has the freedom to ride public transportation with his chicken in tow. (-:
Allan:
ReplyDeleteI know that sometimes I risk offending Brazilians when I write things like this. That is not what I intend at all (and I don't think you took it that way, I just want to clarify for others).
My intention is to point out the differences between the countries, and hopefully do it in a halfway entertaining way.
Sometimes I get so immersed in the culture here that I have to step back and say, "Wait a moment, that is different–but its so normal." Those are the really strange ones for me.
Patrick:
The pun was intended, but at the same time it was coincidence. I guess I wrote it, then realized it was a pun, and left it that way.
Hi Karl,
ReplyDeleteYou evidently haven't taken a bus ride in the interior yet. Not only will you find chickens but pigs, goats and any other animal small enough to get through the door or in the baggage compartment underneath. After all that's the only way to get them to market or home from market if you don't have a car!
Al