Back in the South: Curitiba, Paraná

"Curitiba is not particularly sophisticated or sexy, but its residents enjoy a quality of life unparalleled in other parts of the country.... It is not a beautiful city," states Lonely Planet.

They're not far from the mark; it doesn't shine or spread out in grand vistas any more than do the Brazilian cities I've visited. A part of me had hoped for a shiny, clean American-style city, but those expectations were probably unrealistic. The streets are calm and the bus stations are funky, but it's like any other major Brazilian city on a Sunday. Everything is closed. Metal grating over storefronts is not terribly attractive.

I've returned to the richer, more industrialized part of Brazil. The Center-West, which includes Mato Grosso and Mato Grosso do Sul, does have some large landholdings and agrobusiness families. I mean to say that there are rich people and developed areas in the Center-West. This state is also agricultural and is the breadbasket of Brazil; roughly 25% of the grains produced in Brazil are grown in Paraná. Here in the South, defined as Paraná, Santa Catarina, and Rio Grande do Sul, however, there's a larger middle class and more development. There is also a more diverse range of immigrant communities - I'm meeting people with Polish and other Eastern European last names this week. I don't stand out as much when I walk down the street.

(At the city council building in Cuiabá, instead of the usual "Você é de onde?" ("You're from where?") question, I got the question "Você é gringo de onde?" ("You're a gringo from where?"). I laughed, and asked, "Is it that obvious?" Yes, yes it is. In addition, often people will say "You speak Portuguese so well!" to be polite and friendly. This is obviously bullshit; I don't. However, at the Infrastructure Secretariat in Mato Grosso, a kind assistant was introducing me over the phone to a colleague and said in answer to a question, "Yes, well... he speaks Portuguese with an American accent." Her honesty made me laugh out loud.)

I'm overwhelmingly eager for this week to go quickly, and not only because I have a bargain hotel room with a ceiling fan instead of air conditioning. Bethany's coming to visit on Saturday. I'll admit that I'm distracted by her imminent arrival. I joked that, if I get either frustrated or overly enthusiastic in an interview, I'll ask my interviewees, "Look, could you please just ramble on about how the role of the state has changed since re-democratization for the next two hours? That will make my girlfriend arrive that much sooner."

I do plan to at least look into joining a gym. I spent my last week in Cuiabá going to a gym at night, and found it very satisfying. It made the evening pass more quickly. It certainly was better than a) writing up interview notes, which is inexplicably dull, or b) sitting in my room, reading off my computer and wondering how much time I had left in Mato Grosso. Also, I got a few pointers on lifting techniques from the staff, and the gym had a free cold water dispenser. All for five reais a visit.

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The overnight bus ride down from Rio was tranquil and pleasant. The first few miles brought back a memory from 2005 of how winding and mountainous the overland western approach to Rio de Janeiro is. We stopped at two rest areas, in Resende, RJ and in Registro, SP. In my groggy state at 3 AM, I figured out our progress by noting that the anti-smoking emblem on the glass window was in the distinctive shape of the state of São Paulo. I did manage to sleep, and arrived in an awake, if not completely completely rested, state.

Curitiba is slightly hilly, and in some ways resembles Porto Alegre. (I might use my "this city reminds me of San Francisco" line again, if warranted.) It's been raining since 5 PM, very heavily at times, which also reminds me of Rio Grande do Sul. The pedestrian walk in town is nice, and the tree-filled plazas are pleasant. I'll hold off on a final judgment until after the city comes alive tomorrow. I have a 2:30 PM interview, and the weather is sufficiently cool and pleasant such that I think I'll walk the two kilometers to the office. There are two potential problems with this idea: it will rain at least some of the time tomorrow, and the city is only shaped like a grid for five-square block sections. Multiple streets end, curve, or hit each other at odd angles. I'll have to draw a map on a slip of paper to avoid getting lost.



POSTSCRIPT: I am not making up names. Brazil and its twenty-seven states are officially divided into five regions: the South, the Southeast (including Rio de Janeiro), the Center-West, the North, and the Northeast. These administrative divisions don't denote any political power; they're used as short-hand in government documents to categorize and refer to regions with roughly similar economies, geography, and levels of development.

SECOND POSTSCRIPT: Today is November 15th, which is Republic Proclamation Day here and the namesake for major streets. Emperor Pedro II was deposed in a military coup, and the Brazilian Republic was proclaimed, on November 15, 1889. To my relief, tomorrow is not a holiday.