Warm greetings on this Good Friday (Sexta Santa)!
My final semester is well underway and I'm especially enjoying two classes, Public-Private Partnerships and Negotiation, which present material that is very relevant to my career interests. Joyce is in her second trimester of pregnancy. Aside from twisting her ankle yesterday on the treacherous sidewalks of São Paulo, she is doing great and all exams have shown good results to this point. Thank the Lord!
The following are a few fun updates and reflections from the past month. Read at your leisure!
Good Friday
The boys and I had lunch with the family of one of our church's associate pastors today. I always have stimulating conversations with the pastor. As we drove through the neighborhood, he commented that Brazilians had traditionally honored Good Friday (even Holy Week) by closing shops, going to church, spending time with family, eating fish, etc. Even non-religious or nominally Catholic families would honor the holiday for fear that something bad might befall them if they didn't. Today was relatively quiet in São Paulo, kind of like a Sunday when many shops close early and others don't open at all, but it was far from desolate - a sign that the values of the metropolis have changed. The conversation brought to light the prevalence of superstitions and traditions that often drown out many holidays. We celebrate today, and call it good, because nearly 2,000 years ago Jesus of Nazareth chose to offer his sinless life on the cross so that we might experience abundant life and redemption with God here on earth and in heaven. As He died, the skies blackened, the earth quaked, and the veil in the temple at Jerusalem tore from top to bottom exposing the Most Holy Place and signifying that there was no human leader or institution that could come between God and His children. Praise God!
Lemann Road Show 2013
The fellowship I received from the Lemann Foundation based here in Brazil made it possible for me to pursue grad school at two incredible schools such as Columbia and FGV. What I didn't know before was just how committed the foundation is to the personal and professional development of its fellows. Last week, the foundation took me and about 14 other graduating fellows on a whirlwind tour visiting some of the most influential Brazilian leaders in various fields to provide opportunities for us to learn, be inspired, and further develop our network of friends and professional contacts. Some of the highlights were the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, the President of the Central Bank, the Brazil Director of the World Bank, the Brazil President of Facebook, the National Minister of Education, the President of Grupo Abril, and a prominent political reform advocate. We spent four packed days in meetings with these leaders peppering them with questions, hearing their insights on leadership, and discussing the challenges facing Brazil today. Sharing this experience with such brilliant colleagues was truly phenomenal. The biggest highlight of the week for me was when the Chief Justice invited us to meet him in his office (for the second time that day) and he spent more than an hour talking with us while his aides repeatedly tried to get him to leave for another engagement. His final words: "Always stay true to the values you received growing up. Don't get swept away by the values of institutions and corporations. Be critical, participate, and speak the truth."
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| Inside Brazil Supreme Court |
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| Outside Brazil Supreme Court with Congress in background |
How to "Watch" a Soccer Game in São Paulo without a TV
Sunday afternoon is soccer time in Brazil, much like football time in the US. This is how one might experience it without actually watching the game:
4:00pm brief fireworks in the neighborhood = game begins
4:10pm mild cursing heard in the neighborhood = disagreeable foul call against home team
4:25pm barrage of fireworks and wild cheering = goal, home team
4:39pm wild cursing = yellow card against home team
4:45pm brief fireworks = halftime
5:15pm brief fireworks = 2nd half begins
5:23pm wild cursing and dog yelping (presumably from an errant shoe, foot, or beer can) = goal, visiting team
5:35pm cheering and laughter = yellow card/injury, visiting team
5:37pm multiple fireworks and wild cheering = goal, home team
6:00pm fireworks = game over
Final score = home 2, visitors 1
Yes, but doesn't São Paulo have multiple home teams? How do you know which team was playing? 1) One of the SPFC fans to the west is especially fanatical and likes to cheer/curse as loud as he can directly out the window. 2) If the noise is more dispersed throughout the neighborhood, Corinthians was playing because they have a larger fan base. 3) If it was a quiet afternoon with some occasional cursing, it was Palmeiras who hasn't had much to cheer about in a while.
Stress
Check out this interesting article about stress and its effects on your quality and longevity of life:
"Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." - Phil. 4:6
With much love from Brazil,
Aaron
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