So bad, it’s almost good !

I have previously written about the circus that comes to Canto Verde (The circus is here, Cirque du Soleil it is not). I have to admit that having seen it last year I didn’t go back this year, actually I would rather visit the dentist and found numerous excuses for not going, however I thought I would share some of the highlights as reported to me by Neu.

A few days after the circus arrived and had settled themselves in a large dip in the sand, a storm blew up and the wind tore a huge piece of the tent away, the Big Top became…..well, a big ring.

The wind now added to the fun by whipping up the sand and chucking it in through the gaping hole in the roof, giving everything a generous coating. The sand had to be regularly swept off the sound system where it lay in a thick layer, it caused the CD player to temporarily give up after a few days, so for one show there was no more music (which could be considered a benefit by those living near by), just a regular tick, tick, tick from the machine as the compere tried and failed again and again to get it to work.

The acts often appeared as if performed with the accompanying special effect of a smoke machine as fine sand rained down on one and all and the audience had to repeatedly shake it out of their clothing and hair, even the popcorn had an extra something to it.

Some of the performers from last year have moved on (the dangerous and incredibly inept fire breather is possibly in hospital), there are no new performers but a few new acts.

There was the balancing act; a woman stood on  a small board balanced on top of 4 PET bottles on a table, unfortunately she fell off when she tried to place a chair on top of the board, the compère said the fall was caused by the wind. There were two jugglers who tried without much success to do what jugglers do, but it seems the wind was responsible for the balls rather too regularly falling to the floor.

One of their performers from last year, who goes by the name of Flit Fly was announced, to the great delight of the crowd (even though I didn’t go to the circus I could follow the performances from my house, owing to the loud-speaker system which the sand didn’t quite put an end to). Flit Fly is a tall, malnourished looking man of about 65, he has the saddest face even when he’s smiling and moves with the lightening speed of a snail. On this night he was to perform one of his most celebrated acts, that of walking on broken glass.

Flit Fly came through the space where the back curtain should have been,  the wind was playing with it, much to the annoyance of the performers who were trying unsuccessfully to hide behind it, Flit Fly walked as a condemned man into the main arena and shrugged at the crowd, arms straight down, palms showing. The crowd greeted him with shrieks of laughter, whoops and hollering,  little emotion shows on his face, just bemused resignation.

Flit Fly knelt on the floor by a piece of sacking and picked up a glass bottle, striking it once causing the glass to break, he spread the pieces infinitely slowly, picking out suspect shards and arranging the remaining to his satisfaction, then equally slowly he unfolded himself, gradually standing, then turned and ambled out of the ring. The audience restlessly waited and he returned a few moments later with another bottle, he gave the second bottle a tap, the bottle remained intact, he tapped again and then again but the bottle refused to shatter, the audience laughed uncertainly but then grew agitated as he slouched out again, to return with yet another bottle. Flit Fly gave the new bottle a tap, nothing, by now the crowd were getting fed up, there were shouts and cries until eventually Flit Fly gave up with the bottle, walked half heartedly over the few broken shards already on the sacking, then picked the whole lot up and traipsed off to no applause what so ever.

Another act of dubious ability followed (so dubious Neu couldn’t remember what it was) then the compère called out that Flit Fly would do a fire-breathing performance! The act was abandoned owing to the crowds openly hostile reaction to the announcement.

One evening a large number of people who live in the further reaches of the village arrived on mass, their dogs, sensing an event came along too. Not being used to crowds and the general seating plan, they spotted the large space in the centre and made them selves comfortable in the ring.

When the show began, a clown (who is a minor celebrity, with the emphasis on minor) called Casarola entered the ring and found himself surrounded by dogs curled up in the sand, he told the crowd he was terrified of dogs but no one made any attempt to remove them, seeing it as all part of the fun.

Casarola nervously did his show, moving as little as possible, it seemed the crowd enjoyed their addition to his performance, perhaps more than his original material, possibly because the act is the same as last years and probably the same as several previous years.

Neu finds my lack of enthusiasm for the circus baffling, he says that as little outside entertainment comes to the village we should make the most of it, perhaps he’s right but I for one was not sorry when the fire crackers that announced the end of the final show went off.

A fishing trip, at long last.

On Saturday I got the opportunity to go sea fishing for the first time in a long time, the film maker Charlotte Eichhorn* asked me if I would be willing to go out on a jangada and film the men fishing, so this was the main reason for the trip.

Preparing for sea

My husband Neu was signed off sick by his doctor early in 2011, his kidney failure having reached the point where he is no longer physically capable of working as a fisherman, but as a doctor in the social security office stopped Neu’s sickness benefit in December, insinuating Neu was making a fraudulent claim, we have to make money where we can until the appeal.

As this would be a shorter than normal fishing trip, Neu agreed to take me, we wouldn’t make a fortune, Charlottes limited budget had to be divided between those of us on the boat and the boat owner (Neu no longer owns a boat big enough, so he borrowed his cousin’s) but of course we might get lucky and actually catch some fish. It all helps and to be honest, Neu is desperate to get back to sea, he suffers if he goes but I think he suffers more when he cant, so any excuse is good enough for him.

The alarm bleeped us awake at 4.30, the worst part for me of any fishing trip is the shockingly early start but, once I’ve dragged myself out of bed the excitement takes over. We set off for the beach and met Menes, who was coming with us, on the way.

As I munched on an apple for breakfast, Menes and Neu discussed the weather (very windy and not coming from the right direction for us) and what supplies they needed to buy, as Charlotte wanted me to film how the men prepare and cook their food while at sea. I left them waiting for the small store to open and went down to the beach to meet Charlotte who would be filming us setting off.

Charlotte was wandering along the beach in the early morning light, looking worried and then relieved when she saw me. Brazilian’s attitude to time and appointments is often very laid back, Charlotte is Swiss, couldn’t be more opposite. Charlotte was punctual, we were late so she was wondering if we were going to show at all.

We sat on a jangada watching some of the other boats putting to sea, Charlotte explaining some more about the shots she was looking for and I, some of the limitations of filming on the jangada, namely that on a rough day like today the boat will go up and down like a bucking bronco, I cant move around much to film, both while we are sailing and while fishing because the boats not that big at 5 meters and I have to be be careful of not getting in the way and then of course, we couldn’t guarantee catching a fish.

Chat, chat, chat and a small boat going out to sea, having a bit of difficulty getting through the breakers, it was clear that I wouldn’t be able to film anything of us going out, spray or full on waves hitting the boat would kill the video camera if they soaked it, best to leave it safely tucked inside the boat until we hopefully reached calmer water.

The breakers charged down on the solitary fisherman, the small boat only a few meters into the water was being thrown back towards the beach like a bobbing cork, then a sneaky wave turned the jangada sideways while another slammed into it, the man fought to save his boat but the waves had the upper hand and the boat capsized. Needless to say, neither Charlotte nor I caught it on camera.

Men went to help the fisherman right his boat and retrieve his fishing gear. Dragging his mast and sodden sail out of the sea, the damage was clear, the top of the mast had struck the sea bed and snapped, there would be no more fishing for him today and a repair job he can ill afford.

Neu and Menes arrived, they exchanged a few words with the dripping fishermen who was laughing at his own plight, it always amazes me how the fishermen can and do laugh in the face of adversity, the man was more embarrassed at having capsized than worried over the damage done.

A small group of fishermen were waiting at the jangada we were to be sailing on, in part keen to see Charlotte and her filming gear, in part the mad Englishwoman, who for some reason likes to go to sea when she could be at home cleaning the house, some of them don’t understand it but I know where I would rather be.

A large jangada is a heavy beast on dry land and requires the force of many men to manoeuvre. Neu’s brother Kito Velho, with whom I have been fishing many times, was amongst the group of men who would help us put to sea. Another fisherman (who doesn’t know me) commented to Kito that I would be in for a surprise going to sea, would have to sit (as most people unused to balancing on the deck have to do) and would probably be sick. Kito shook his head and I was chuffed to hear him declare proudly that “She knows how to sail the jangada, she knows how to fish, she knows, she knows. And she goes standing up!”

While the men are getting the boat ready for sea I feel a bit useless, you rarely hear someone giving orders, they all just know what needs to be done and get on with it. I’m always nervous of doing the wrong thing and showing myself up so I stand around waiting for Neu to give me something to do. Today, I think almost to prove a point to the fishermen who think I cant do things, he told me to pull the centre board into place. This is a very heavy wooden plank, a couple of meters long that goes down into the water through the centre of the boat to stabilise it, thanks Neu.

At 6 am, a little later than expected we pushed the boat into the shallow water, Neu tells me to get on board and they push the boat further out, until they are up to their chests in water, then a mad scramble to get on deck before the boat takes off, it’s easy to get left behind at this point, which is why Neu makes me get on earlier. Diomedio (the 4th person on the boat today) goes forward and even while the boat is slamming up and down on the breaking waves, holds on to the rope with only one hand (I’m tightly holding onto it with two) and uses the aguador (a can attached to a long stick) to scoop water from the sea and throw onto the sail soaking it and improving it’s ability to catch the wind, speeding our passage.

Going through the surf

Diomedio, by leaning out he helps balance the boat

The sea was very rough going out, we had the occasional towering wave looming up, causing shouts to hold on tight, it’s quite something to be on a small boat facing a wall of water, but Neu managed to steer clear avoiding the worst of them crashing down on us and within 5 minutes we’d passed the worst of it. The jangada sailed like a dream, a beautiful boat, so despite the wind being against us we reached the fishing ground an hour and a half later, land was just visible as a thin strip on the horizon.

Taking down the sail

On long fishing trips the men sleep in the cramped space inside the boat

Menes tying hooks

The anchor was thrown in, the mast taken down, the fishing gear taken out and Diomedio realised he’d forgotten the bait!  The men use a line with nothing but hooks, giving it sharp tugs through the water until some small fish goes for it, but it can take a long time before a bait fish is caught in this way. Fortunately for us, another of Neu’s relatives was fishing for argulhas close by, as they pulled in their net they came close enough to us to throw some fish over. (In the photographs you can see how they fish with the net. The argulhas (Ballyhoo halfbeak, Hemiramphus brasiliensis) swim in large shoals, a man goes out on a small raft dragging one end of a net behind him, he rows in a large circle around the shoal until he comes back to the boat, the two ends of the net are then drawn back in, the captured fish are stored within the boat and the guy with the raft goes out again. This is repeated over and over until either they catch no more or the boat is full, bearing in mind the necessity of getting back to the beach while the catch is still fresh).

Pulling the net, fishing for agulhas

Pulling the net back in, fishing for agulhas.

As soon as they had bait the men began catching fish, nothing really big, good for lunch or  as bait for something bigger (unfortunately it was too complicated trying to film and fish so I had to concentrate on the filming).  With one of these bigger bait fish, Diomedio hooked an raia, (Southern Stingray, Dasyatis americana) these average about a meter across and weigh roughly 30kg but can grow up to 2 meters with the record weight of 111kg (Marcelo Szpilman. Peixes Marinhos Do Brasil. 2000) which frankly is a monster. These are very dangerous fish to catch, they have a serrated poisonous barb on their tales with which they defend themselves, whipping their tales with ferocious speed in all directions, being caught even slightly by the barb from a small ray is enough to cause extreme pain requiring a trip to the hospital, an adult ray can kill a man.

Diomedio and Neu took it in turns to try and bring in the ray, the 80lb breaking strain line was thin for catching such a fish (for rays they usually use 100lb line), the risk of snapping the line was high and it cut into their hands as the ray fought to free itself. Diomedio said he thought the ray had got to the bottom, it is almost impossible to pull them off if they do this and sure enough, a moment later the line snapped. Diomedio tied a new hook to the line, re baited and threw it over the side, it had barely gone in the water when Neu hooked another ray. This time it didn’t get to the bottom and after about 5 minutes of playing the line the large ray appeared alongside the boat. Diomedio readied the gaff while Neu guided the ray to the part of the boat where it could most safely be brought on deck. The ray was not going to give in without a struggle and it caused the water to foam and spray as it tried in vain to free itself, Diomedio was able to get the gaff into the front of the ray, it was hauled on deck and despatched, it’s tale was removed to prevent anyone being caught by the barb. Diomedio opened up the ray to see if his hook was inside it (it wasn’t meaning it was not the same ray) and then secured it to the front of the boat. The men reckoned it weighed about 25 kilos and would yield about 15 kilos of saleable meat.

Bringing the ray in on 80lb line

Southern Stingray. Roughly 25k caught on 80lb hand line, no rod.

The ray's tail and poisonous barb

A close up of the tip of the cleaned 20cm barb.

At R$2.00 per kilo Neu wouldn’t see any money from it, in different circumstances the men would have stayed longer to catch more. Any fish caught are divided in such away that the boat owner gets half and the rest are divided equally between the crew. Veio (the boat owner) later kindly chose to only take an equal share, meaning the men had a quarter each (I didn’t count) so ray for dinner all round.

Having caught the ray and knowing we had filmed a great catch for Charlotte, the men set about cooking the smaller fish for lunch. Menes squeezed down into the boat, into the shallow space where the men sleep on trips of 4 to 5 days at sea. An old battered metal bucket nailed to a thick block of wood at the base and half filled with wet sand was brought out, the charcoal and coconut husk to set fire to it, cups, 1 large shallow bowl, spoons, farinha (a meal made from manioc) and the fruit we had brought with us. Menes cleaned and washed the fish in sea water before putting them into the pan with fresh water (also brought along), nothing else was added, they held off the usual ton of salt as Neu is on a salt free diet. Neu teased out the inner of the coconut husk, held a lighted match to it and then lifted the hole thing up to catch the wind, in seconds it was blazing, the coconut husk was shoved into the coals and they were soon glowing red hot. The pan was set on to boil.

Cooking at sea

Fresh fish stew

A short time later a couple of handfuls of farinha was put into a bowl, the boiling fish stock was added until the farinha swelled to resemble lumpy wallpaper paste. The farinha mix was dolloped out onto the lid of the hatch for me and Neu, our fish plonked alongside. Diomedio added two large dessertspoons of salt to the pan before mixing the liquid with farinha for himself and Menes. It’s not my idea of fine cuisine but believe me it tasted fantastic.

After lunch, the coals were tossed in the sea, the pan and bowls etc washed up and the boat washed down. The remains of the fish and farinha floated away to be devoured by a mass of agulhas come to feast, the sea boiled while their silver bodies glittered in the sun.

It was just after 10 when they pulled the anchor up, mast and sail were set and we flew home, safely landing on the beach about an hour later.

Heading home

Looking a bit tired

Charlotte was delighted with the filming I did, for copywrite reasons I can only show selected still images here, but she will give me the link to the trailer she makes for her film, hopefully I can put that up in the near future. Meanwhile Neu said he thinks we should go and do it again, maybe next time I’ll get to film then catching a cumurupim (tarpon, Megalops atlanticus), its a dream of mine to film and really would be worth watching.

*Charlotte Eichhorn

www.charlotte-eichhorn.ch

Winning with Valente

Yesterday Neu took first place with his boat Valente in the regatta held in Parajuru, a community down the coast from Prainha.
Fifteen boats took part and Neu was unfortunate enough to draw 14th place in the line up, giving him an enormous handicap and seriously limiting his chances of a position in the top 5. Before the start the boats are held by the 3 man crew and one assistant in the shallow water until the starting fire crackers go off, then the crews push for all their worth to get their boats into deeper water, crew on board, rudder attached and get under sail as fast as is possible. Being placed so far down the beach, a good start was vital to Neu and thankfully the guys got what they needed, passing many other boats still getting out of the shallow waters.

At the start

Valente 2nd from left

As the boats head out to sea I rely on our friend Menis, who’s eyes are better then mine, to tell me which boat is placed where. Before too long Menis said it looked like Neu had managed to get into 2nd place, but there was a huge gap between him and the leading boat which is newly built and should be faster, riding higher in the water as it’s polystyrene filling is lighter, where as Valente’s is heavy being pretty much water logged having been in use for 6 years now.

2nd place but with a big gap to make up

At the 2nd marker buoy Neu’s crew managed a excellently fast turning of the mast and sail and closed the gap further but there was still a long way to go and anything could happen.

Closing the gap, Valente on the left

Back out to sea again they went, going so far that even Menis could no longer tell who was where. We had to wait for the boats to turn round the final buoy and come back into view, how thrilled we were to see Neu clearly well in front, his supporters many of whom had been saying all week that he would win were ecstatic.

Working hard

Coming home

First

Happy crew and supporters

As they came back to the yells of the crowd, I was torn between wanting to get as many photos as I could and getting to Neu. Menis later told me that the first thing Neu asked when he stepped off the boat was where I was, he didn’t have long to wait, I got just enough photos before getting the best of hugs and kisses from a very happy Neu.

Give me a hug!

The winning crew, from left to right. Menis, Lano, Neu & Preto

I know the Dr would not approve of Neu’s racing, on our last visit to the Dr’s he said that Neu’s blood tests showed a rise in uric acid levels, this is not good and undoubtably caused by the increase in physical activity that Neu had done, racing in the previous regatta (where he came 2nd) and preparing for this regatta but I also know that winning this regatta has given Neu a very much needed boost. He’s had a rotten time of things since finding out about his kidney failure a few years back. Neu finds being off work sick intolerable and can be a dreadful patient but for the first time in a very long time he is a very happy man, tired but very happy and that’s got to be good medicine.

Receiving the trophy

1st place Neu, Lano & Preto

2nd place Bebe (Menis’ brother) Edi (Neu’s brother in law) & Mede

3rd place Kito Velho (Neu’s brother) plus 2.

Wild life in unlikely places.

Many years ago I amazed my boyfriend, brother and several other blokes when I rebuilt my boyfriend’s Triumph Bonneville gear box after the guy who said he would do it failed to turn up and my boyfriend had flung several spanners in frustration and gone off to the pub. I had been told the gear box was extremely difficult to get right, so was delighted when on the first test it worked like a dream. All the guys were gobsmacked, but I’ve never been afraid of taking things apart, I can always put it back together (hopefully).
Living here requires creativity and a willingness to experiment and as we live far from the town and don’t have a car, being resourceful extends to DIY repairs.
I have had to deal with some very odd things in the the time we have been here, some pleasant, others not and some just down right odd. Like the time the egg seller came by the house, riding on his small horse. I was in the garden holding our 1 year old son in my arms, the egg seller passed me a bucket of eggs and then asked if I would like the chicken that was hanging limply by its feet off the side of the saddle. As the chicken was still fully feathered and I had yet to learn to pluck a chicken, I said no but the egg man was not so easily dissuaded from his possible sale. He took the string off the saddle and passed the limp chicken over the fence, telling me to feel the weight of the bird. Not wanting to offend the man I transferred the bucket of eggs to the other hand (still holding the baby) and took the dead chicken, which suddenly burst into life, flapping, squawking and screeching for all it was worth, frightening the life out of me, making the dog go into a frenzy of barking while the baby calmly decided to investigate the eggs. Thankfully the guy accepted his chicken back and peace was restored before too many eggs were lost.
Anyway, back to the repair story.
The other morning I switched on the microwave and it responded by making a frightening noise, certainly not normal. As the gas oven doesn’t work since the dog knocked the cooker over (she is a big dog) and I couldn’t fix it, I need the microwave more (even though I don’t like using it, being an old fashioned girl and not wholly convinced that microwaves are a good thing) so, time to take the back off.
As I moved the cooker to unplug it, I noticed a stream of tiny little ants, these little buggers are so small that if one runs over your skin, you can feel it but it can take a few moments to actually see it. They get into everything and will make their nests in the most unlikely of places, now here they were in the microwave.
So the microwave was unplugged, the back was off and there all over a part that said “WARNING! High Capacity. Discharge before servicing” were hundreds of little ants, happily making a nest within the part. There was also a powdery substance which could have been incinerated ants, all over the coils of copper wire that were on the side of the part. I gave a burst of ant killer spray in the general direction and out poured another mass of them carrying eggs.
They were still coming out a few minutes later. I decided that the best way to deal with them would be the vacuum cleaner but even with the nozzle on, it was too big to really get into the area. I got a drinking straw and taped that to the nozzle, perfect. It took some time but I managed to clean the ants nest out.
Obviously you shouldn’t really test electrical things without the covers on but on the other hand I had to test it, so I made sure I could reach the plug without touching the microwave in any way, plugged it in and switched it on. Success, no abnormal noises!.
Once I had replaced the back cover (and yes I unplugged it first) I thought I should clean out the vacuum cleaner bag as I don’t want to find an ants nest in there. I took the bag out only to find that a mouse must have been in there and had chewed a hole in the bag in a bid to find a way out, I assume it got back out the way it had got in. As I had bought this vacuum cleaner specifically because the bag is cloth and re usable, I don’t know if they sell replacements. Where’s the gaffer tape?

Thoughts on education.

A friend of mine recently sent me a link to a wonderful lecture given by Ken Robinson http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/ken_robinson_changing_education_paradigms.html
and I then found more talks by him on the TED site (www.ted.com) which earlier this year hosted a series of talks by people with an innovative views on education. I would urge anyone with an interest in education, anyone with children, anyone who feels school let them down or is letting their children down, to check out this series of talks.
In the talk Ken Robinson gave in 2006 he spoke about the reforms going on in the public school systems all over the world, Brazil is one of the countries that is trying to reform its public school system and in my mind, failing a huge number of children in the process.

http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/ken_robinson_says_schools_kill_creativity.html

I recently spoke to my dentist on the topic of education in Brazil (he was not working on my teeth at the time), he said he has given up hope of Brazil resolving its problems because the people holding the power do not want to give it up and don’t want to share it with anyone else. Although there is plenty of money in the country, the public school system will never be given what it needs in order to really educate the people because it is easier to control a large population of poor people if they remain ignorant, if they stay un-educated, as educated peoples know their rights and are more likely to demand them.
This is a tactic of population control that has been used the world over since time immemorial and certainly he has a point about the power holders, schools and their lack of funds, but I hope that positive change will come, though it cant come fast enough for the the head teacher at the school here, who agrees whole heartedly with the dentist.
When I first visited the village school I was horrified to see that the infant class rooms were basically bare, there was nothing for the children to play with bar a few broken toys. How can it be right to call children into school at 3 years of age and then expect them to sit in a bare room with nothing to do, no stimulation, no creativity. This is the reality for the children here, it leads to an emphasis on learning by rote, not through play and yet Prainha has one of the better schools, there are many other schools with far less, hard as that may be to believe.
A lack of resources is not the only problems the school, teachers and children face, there is a lack of understanding of how children learn, something the teachers themselves point out as a lack in their training. After a particularly successful fundraising event in London, I returned to Prainha with 5 holdalls of educational toys for the school, one of the teachers said “ This is all lovely and good but how will we ever get the children to learn anything now, all they will want to do is play” For me that was a shocking thing to hear and I am very pleased to say that the particular teacher has now realised that children learn so much from play.
I did voluntary work with a Downs syndrome child here, he is a sweet boy but his parents, for their own reasons, refused to send him to school until legally obliged to do so, by which time he was at least 8 years old. He had no language and non of the teachers had the faintest idea of how to involve him in the class room or what to do with him. I worked with him in my home for a few months but my home is quite a distance from his and he often didn’t arrive. When my son started at school I tried to continue working with the boy in the school but the lack of resources and his poor attendance made it difficult to make any progress and I reluctantly called it a day. The boy now rarely attends school, still doesn’t speak or communicate in any way, shows no understanding of the world around him and is to all intents and purposes in a world of his own, his future looks very bleak indeed. It breaks my heart to see him, for although I know that he would always remain severely handicapped, had he received the appropriate help at an early age, his future would have been very much brighter.

It is the system in Brazil that children take an end of year exam, if they fail they are held back to repeat the year. There are some children who undoubtably benefit from this system but if the child has failed to progress because of a learning difficulty and this difficulty is not addressed, then the child will never progress, the problem can become entrenched, with the child suffering from a feeling of failure and lack of self esteem that is dreadfully damaging. Instead of helping, the system of repeating years can be a huge hindrance. I am now working with a young boy of 13, he is in my son’s class (my son is 7) and clearly has global learning difficulties and lacks self esteem as you would expect, how would you feel in his situation? He has been told by every one in his family that he is a Donkey and good for nothing, hardly likely to make him feel like trying. He is in a class of 7 – 8 year olds and is occasionally disruptive, but wouldn’t you be? I know I would.
My own son has learning difficulties, he could be mildly dyslexic, but mostly he is just not interested in the daily classroom activities and I don’t blame him, his text books are as boring as hell, having absolutely nothing to do with his life. He loves dance, he loves art, he loves using his imagination, creating things or scenes. He wants to be in the circus (he saw Cirque do Soleil in London and was gripped by the show from beginning to end) or to be an artist. If I let it, the system here would squash out and stifle any spark of individualism or creativity that he might have Thankfully he is able to explore the world that interests him at home, our house is full of books and art materials, he is a lucky one, the majority of children here live in homes with NO books (they are a ridiculous price here), no art materials and there is precious little of either in school.

While I was working with special needs children in a North London Primary School, the SENCO (Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator) asked me how it was that I was able “To get inside the heads of the children” I worked with, she said that I seemed to instinctively understand their difficulties. I was flattered, if I am able to do that, then I can only assume it is because I also struggled at school, I always felt like I was being hammered into a shape that I didn’t fit. The only class I felt comfortable in was Art, I was stopped from doing Drama and Music because my academic level was not high enough, I was told I had to choose from one of the 3 subjects, I had to concentrate on getting better marks in English and Maths, but WHY? I can and do read all the time, I can calculate my bills, my mortgage deal, my monthly expenditures, my tax account. I’m not stupid but I was made to feel I was.
One of the arguments Ken Robinson brings up is that thousands of children are forced into academic study when it really isn’t for them, we are waisting the artistic talent of these children because our idea of school doesn’t value the arts enough, yet we value artists. Look at the millions paid to musicians and film stars, footballers and models. Of course there are many talented people who don’t make a fortune, some do many don’t but if they are making a living and enriching their lives and the lives of others then we should be pulling out all the stops to help them along the way. We tell children Go to school, get an education and you will get a job, but for many of them that isn’t the reality, they go to school but there is no job at the end of it, we are setting them up to fail and along the way they have been made to believe that they are at fault, that they are stupid, that what interests them has no value.

We have to look at how we are educating our children, the world over. The old systems do not function in these times and we are failing our children by sticking to them. Ken Robinson ends one of his lectures like this “………the gift of the human imagination. We have to be careful now that we use this gift wisely……………… And the only way we’ll do it is by seeing our creative capacities for the richness they are, and seeing our children for the hope that they are. And our task is to educate their whole being, so they can face this future. By the way — we may not see this future, but they will. And our job is to help them make something of it.
I wholeheartedly agree.

Hor-moans

On our last visit to Neu’s Doctor we were told that Neu’s haemoglobin levels are too low and he needs hormone replacement therapy, to be injected three times a week. The hormone erythropoietin is responsible for production or red blood cells/corpuscles, also known as erythrocytes and is produced by the kidneys. As Neu’s function is now so low, he is not producing sufficient quantities, putting him at risk of him developing severe anaemia. The main function of red cells is to carry oxygen from the lungs to the body tissues, where they exchange the oxygen for the waste product carbon dioxide, Neu will have to continue with the injections until after he’s had a transplant.
The doctor told me (briefly) how to inject Neu with the hormone, then gave us a special prescription for us to take to the secretary of health for the municipal area in which we live.
The doctor clearly has more confidence in my ability to give an injection than I do. It’s not that I think it’s particularly difficult, nor am I squeamish about such things, but as a young child of eleven I was subjected to a course of medical treatment which consisted in part, of large and incredibly painful injections 4 times a day for 6 weeks. I was later told by a vet that when treating animals with the same medication, it is standard practice to sedate them, perhaps I should have bitten a few nurses, maybe then they would have applied they same consideration to me. Anyway the point is, that I am very aware of how painful injections can be, the nurses who did a good job of inserting the needle and emptying the syringe went along way to improving an unpleasant process and I don’t want to hurt Neu.
I decided to take a look on the internet for some advice and almost wished I hadn’t. There is a mass of advice out there but it’s often contradictory and comments left in reference to some video’s on YouTube are alarming to say the least. I ended up more confused than I had been when I started. In the end I asked my friend who is diabetic and has been giving herself daily insulin injections since childhood, she gave me some simple and straightforward advice which I hope will mean that Neu doesn’t feel a thing.

Getting Neu’s medicine was a whole different story. First we had to take the special prescription to the secretary for health in Beberibe. So on a Monday morning we arrived in reception, where we were told we had to go to the building next door and ask for Jacqueline. When we found her, she said we had to go back to where we had just come from and ask for a health card for Neu, then provide her with photo copies of a recent electricity bill (as proof of address) and Neu’s Identity card. Back next door we were ushered into a air conditioned room with the temperature of the arctic, from where thankfully minutes later we were able to leave with what looked like a photocopy of a card with Neu’s name on (we didn’t get a card just the paper). We asked if we could photocopy the other documents we needed but were told no, the nearest place was a ten minute walk away.
At the photocopy shop I realised that the electricity bill I had with me, was the one the dog had ripped up as it was posted through the door, I wasn’t sure Jacqueline would except a photocopy of several shredded bits of paper so we used my Father in law’s bill and hoped it would do (we don’t actually have road names or house numbers where we live, just the village name).
We went back to Jacqueline who accepted all the paperwork and told us to come back in a month. What!
Jacqueline explained that the order has to go to Aracati (a slightly larger town in the opposite direction) then from there back passed Beberibe to Fortaleza. From Fortaleza the medicine will be sent to Aracati and then back to Beberibe so it takes at least a month. Perhaps it goes by donkey!
Just before we got the bus back home we met a young man from the village who said he had been into the health centre and Jacqueline had asked him if he knew Neu, when he said he did, she asked him to pass on the message that another patient no longer needed their supply of the hormone and therefore Neu could have it, to collect it on Thursday.
On Thursday we took the mini van back to Beberibe, we were lucky enough to be able to arrange to catch the later van and so only had to leave the house at 6.45 in the morning rather than at 5 which is when the more regular mini van goes. When we arrived at Jacqueline’s door she was no where to be seen, we sat and waited. Eventually someone came by and said Jacqueline was having her breakfast but wouldn’t be long, we could wait in her room. He ushered us in to Jacqueline’s office which also turned out to be the store room for the drugs and medical supplies for the Health centre. There we were on our own surrounded by boxes and boxes of pills, antibiotics, pain relievers, bottles of liquids and who knows what, had we been so inclined we could have had a field day, there didn’t seem to be any cameras and no one else about.
Some time later in came a smiling Jacqueline to tell us that she was very sorry but the people in Aracati had forgotten to put the medicine in the order, she would go and check if there would be another car today, while she was gone would we please not fiddle with the telephone (considering what we were surrounded with this was a little odd I thought). When she came back again she said there wouldn’t be another car coming today or tomorrow, Monday was a holiday so we should go back on Tuesday.
On the Tuesday I wasn’t well so Neu’s sister went for us as she was going into town anyway, the medicine still wasn’t there.
On Thursday I tried to find the number for the health centre, I rang the operator who said the best she could do was to give me the number for the public telephone box outside the health centre (once again, odd!). I went to the school to use the Internet and found a list of three or four different numbers for the health centre. The head of the school, allowed me to try ringing from the school office. I didn’t receive an answer from any of the numbers, she then looked up another number and rang it, that too was unanswered, she then rang another number, was given yet another number which on the first attempt was engaged, but two minutes later went unanswered. We gave up.
On Friday I tried the last of the numbers I had been given the day before, I got through and was given another number, this time I got through to Jacqueline. Yes the medicine was there. Neu rang a friend who lives and works in Beberibe but usually visits his family in the village at the weekend, yes he would happily collect the medicine, no it was no problem, he would buy a small cool box to store it in with some ice and would deliver it to Neu on Sunday. Later that Friday evening he arrived, he said he was worried that Neu had already had to wait so long for the medicine, he thought it best to deliver it immediately and so had made the journey straight after work, a round trip of the best part of two hours. Unfortunately his incredibly kind and generous act (he wouldn’t accept any money, not for petrol, the box or the cool block he had bought, let alone for his time) was all for nothing as there were no needles or syringes in the box. He was as frustrated as we were, he said Jacqueline had handed him the box telling him it was all in there, had he known it was only the medicine he would have asked for the syringes and if non were available (as they are often not from the health centres) he would have bought some from the chemist. Such a kind man but ah well.
Neu has now had the first of his injections, his mother gave him a needle and syringe from her supply (she gives herself daily insulin injections but she doesn’t want to inject Neu and nor does he want her to). When I’d given him the injection he said it didn’t hurt too much.

Fishermen’s angry reaction to new rules

Last Sunday there was a meeting of the fishermen in the village, it was in part to explain the new rules covering the fishing of lobster and more specifically the payment (known as the Seguro disemprego) that the lobster fishermen receive for not fishing during the closed season.
In the past the wording of the rules governing the right to this payment stated (in brief) that the men would be fishing for lobster during the season and not earning an income from any other work, and that they would not fish for lobster during the closed season.
The men have traditionally fished for other species of fish during the closed season and when lobster catches were low, this has provided them with a very necessary additional income.
This year the wording was changed, it now states (again in brief) that the men will not gain an income from any other work and in addition (and this is the bit that has so angered the men) they are not permitted to fish for any other species of fish at any time in the year.
The catch rates for lobster in the village have improved this year over last, but not for all. There are still a lot of men for whom the season will not have come close to providing them with an income equivalent to the minimum wage for the six months of the season. These men rely on catching fish, often simply to put food on the table. For them, the idea that they must remain at home, unable to work in any capacity during the six months of the closed season, is ridiculous and forces them into poverty.
There is a further ruling that no one fishes on a Sunday. Several men in the village have already been put on 15 day suspensions for breaking a rule they had previously been unaware of as being anything other than a rumour. I wasn’t at the meeting but Neu said the fishermen were furious and the situation became very heated. The man whose job description covers being responsible for reporting the men who don’t follow the rules, is a resident in the village, many of the men were very angry with him but he is in an impossible situation, if he doesn’t follow the orders given to him, he could lose his job.
There are many arguments around subsidy payments. Many people believe that subsidy payments simply do not work, certainly there are men who claim to be lobster fishermen simply to gain the unemployment payment, it could be argued that if the payment wasn’t in place there would be fewer fishermen and therefore less pressure on lobster stocks. Another argument is the financial drain on the state, is it just for the rest of society to be burdened with paying someone not to do something? (Especially if they then earning a living from doing something else).
I think subsidy payments, their introduction, rules and withdrawals need to be thought through with the utmost care, unfortunately it seems to me that many of the people who put these things in place, do so from the comfort of their air-conditioned offices a million miles away from the reality of the people whose lives they will affect. Living here, I am in no doubt that there are many families here who simply couldn’t survive on the income gained from lobster fishing and the unemployment payment alone. If they are forced to buy the fish to feed their families they will be living well below the poverty line, the effects this will have on health and welfare will in the future be a far heavier burden on the community and the state.
It has been said to me on more than one occasion that the men should wake up and realise that there is no future in fishing, perhaps they should but I would like to know what else they would do?