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Interview with Bruna Maria
Posted on Sunday, July 1, 2012
Introducing Bruna Maria, teacher, writer, and blogger. A Carioca born and bred. Another great interview. She talks about Portuguese Literature, Education in Brazil, and some of her favorite places. Hope you enjoy and definitely check out her blog. http://blog.brunamaria.com/
How old are you?
- I'm 25 years old.
Where did you grow up in Brazil?
- I grew up in Rio de Janeiro.
What is your profession?
- I'm a teacher. I teach Portuguese, English and Literature. Now I'm working at the coordination of an English Course.
What is your blog about?
- My blog is about Literature. All kinds of it. I also write and publish my own production there. I try to write some short essays about what I read as well.
http://blog.brunamaria.com/
What sparked your interest in Portuguese Lit.?
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| Machado de Assis |
Favorite authors?
- My favorite authors in Portuguese Literature are: Guimarães Rosa and Fernando Pessoa. But I like to read all kinds of Literature. For me, the language it's not a big deal. I mean, I believe we have Literature as an Art path - the language doesn't really matter to me. Then, I love to read Marcel Proust, Goethe, Henry Miller, Elias Canetti's essays, Sophia de Mello Breyner Andresen's and Sylvia Plath's poetry and so many others!...
Which languages do you speak?
- Only Portuguese and English.
How did you learn English?
- I studied at a regular course. And as I'm a very curious person, I always try to keep learning by reading, watching movies, TV shows and listening to music. I like to keep in touch with native speakers as well.
What is your cultural/ethnic background?
- My ethnic background is a mix of African, Portuguese and Índios.
Favorite place in Brazil? Why?
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| Ilha Grande |
What is your favorite time of year in Brazil?
- I like the Spring time. I love to feel the weather that is warm but not too hot like in the Summer. And I don't really enjoy the Winter. I like to feel the sun, to feel warm, to see the sun shining, the flowers...
How can you tell that a person is a gringo/gringa - minus language?
- By the clothes they are wearing, mostly; by the accent and by how they wish to speak Portuguese with us. And I can perceive it by how hard is the person tanned as well. Sometimes there are some tourists that get almost burned and it scares me because sunny days are definitely awesome but they can be very dangerous too if you don't walk around carrying your sunblock.
How has Brazil changed over the years?
- Brazil has been developing it's economics paths, I would say. People are able to buy more and it seems to be a good thing, for instance. However, I'm afraid that it's just a phase, and that the real problems have been discarded. Poor people stay poor, with terrible healthy conditions as well as educational opportunities. I don't see further changes in educational matters, you know. Nowadays - you may say - we have more people studying and applying to universities, but it doesn't really mean that we are developing in science and technical paths. And it doesn't really mean that everybody has the same opportunity to study and to improve. Of course we have better conditions nowadays, but I'm a bit concerned about it. I don't believe that we have a real "solving problems" culture here in Brazil. In my opinion, the government just works on pretending that everything is going as good as it can go.
Could you see yourself living anywhere else? (Outside your current city or abroad)
- Well, I have never traveled abroad, so it's kinda difficult to think about living in another country. But I must say that I have already considered living in another city - yes.
How do we know each other?
- We have a friend in common, Renata. She gave me your contact.
What is your biggest annoyance about visitors?
- The way they believe in stereotypes. Men that think that all the girls are skanks, for instance (pardon my vocabulary, but that's how I feel about it).
Favorite foreigners? (country)
- I don't have a favorite foreigner. I think I like them all, when they come here and respect us. :)
Advice to future visitors coming to Brazil?
- Try not to know the country by what people tell you before you come. Try to get used to our real routines and life. Don't get stuck at Zona Sul, in Rio (Copacabana, Ipanema, Leblon, etc), try to visit the suburbs, for instance, try to get to know who we really are.
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Loved this blog! Feel like I already know Bruna Maria already and a little more about Brazil.
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