In my pasta (folder) of blogs, i have a folder called “Blogues Potenciais” (Potential Blogs). Let’s just say this folder sometimes is like my list of pinned recipes on Pinterest…aka a ‘lil too ambitious. While i was looking through these potential blogs, i found one called Literatura, a New Aventura (this very titled one, dur) and there was a paragraphzinho about how literature was hard. In that version of this blog i wrote that i was writing to avoid reading for my literature classes…Well, i deleted that mess and started over. Ironically, i decided to re-write this blog while i was reading for school, but i didn’t write to avoid reading, tá? I just had to get this blogue potencial out of my head.
Might i recommend to you language majors out there, that when studying abroad, avoid taking more than one literature course ao mesmo tempo, because, bem, they’re taught in that country as if it were your native tongue so….it might be a tad difficult. But, you know, that thought didn’t occur to me when i pegueid Intro to Brazilian Lit and Contemporary Brazilian Female Writers. At first it was fine, because most of the readings in Intro to B. L. were poems, but then somehow i had to read novel upon novel. Somehow, at some point, i was drowning in words, in language, and i thought there was no escape.
This can be really overwhelming for someone who associates as the “linguistics language major”. You know, those language majors who often admit, “oh, no, i’m way more interested in linguistics, none of that literature nonsense. Really, that’s who i thought i was-especially when i was overwhelmed in readings upon readings, did i mention they were all in Português?
Luckily, pelo amor de Deus, i have stepped out of the Linguistics Only Zone and walked into the All Forms of Language Study Allowed Zone. Suddenly, I am in love with Linguistics and Literature. Tipo assim, i have no idea how it happened. I mean, think about it. On one hand, you have this physical, scientific study of language, its pronunciation, the biology of the mouth, location of the sounds, and sociological discussions, like what is the “correct” form of speech. Then, on the other hand, you have the art of language, studying the strokes of others’ pen on paper. Studying how these obras perhaps affected history and even your perception of *gasp* who you are!
I’m not for certain, but i think my theater class has actually made me more dramatic, but i digress.
Basically, what prompted me to write this blog was how much i love Macunaíma by Mário de Andrade. Disclaimer: perhaps it’s more of a love-hate relationship, definitely shifts to hate when wordrefrence.com coneveniently suggests “write a discussion forum” instead of having the actual definition, and then more to love when i notice all of Andrade’s jogos de palavras and sátira na identidade nacional brasieira. Yeah, it’s a hard read, but it just gets me thinking, how much i appreciate the people in this world who spend hours upon hours creating masterpieces, books that aren’t images themselves but words that evoke images apropriadas to us, the readers. That not only can i study a spoken language, but a written one as well.
Nú! i’m probably sounding really nerdy, and i wasn’t even talking about my excitement for linguistics.
Despite the fact that my classes this semester have been a little pesado, my love for language has grown. It’s about time i give written language a chance. And to start it off, here is my attempt to write a poem. Yeah, it’s in Portuguese because I’m in Brazil. If you want a translation, for right now my suggestion is that you learn Portuguese because this americana brasileira doesn’t have much time for translations no. On that note, i would like to say it’s inspired by Gonçalves Dias’s “Canção do exílio,” and i would also like to thank my improv voice teacher, Tadeu, for encouraging us alunos to write quadrinhos for funzies, and, lastly, for boring classes for giving me the time to explore my creative roots.
Canção da Despedida
Infelizmente chegou a hora,
da minha partida dessa terra querida
vai ser difícil ir embora,
porque não tô pronta para essa despedida…
Tchau Tchau primeiro à UFMG, minha universidade temporária,
foi um prazer fazer disciplinas difíceis
ler O Mulato, Iracema, Macunaíma, e poemas brasileiros,
pois, agora eu vou saber como o Gonçalves Dias sentia
Tchau Tchau Bandejão!
à comida do povo
pelo preço barato e refeições balanceadas,
por isso te louvo
Tchau Tchau à comida, arroz e feijão,
à seleção ampla dos legumes e frutas
às bananas gostosas e verdadeiras,
como eu sou americana, estou com ciúmes
Tchau Tchau ao café
tão barato e delicioso
ao contrário com o café americano
muito caro e bem aquoso
Tchau Tchau ao forró
aquela dança sedutiva
que antes eu não conseguia
mas agora (mais ou menos) eu danço como nativa
Tchau Tchau ao Português Brasileiro!
Especialmente à gíria mineira,
Nú! Uai? Como cê tá? E pra on cê vai?
Como vou conseguir sem falar essa língua ligeira?
Mas, principalmente, Tchau Tchau aos meus amigos!
Tão queridos, acolhedores, lembranças no meu fondo
no fondo do meu coração agora e pra sempre
Te prometo, em vez de despedir-se, nos vemos até logo!
Agora eu volto aos Estados Unidos daqui um pouco
dói-me te despedir dessa terra, da floresta, e do mar
porque eu não sei quando a gente vai se reunir
mas, ainda assim, obrigada por ser meu lar
Yup, there you have it, i’m going language louca. And note back to the beginning of this blog to remind yourself that i tend to be a tad bit ambitious, perhaps even dramatic. In other words, i might change my mind on becoming a famous poet who didn’t know it the second this blog is posted…but obviamente i won’t mudar de idea on how much i love Brasil.