Latino: Brazil Outreach

(NEW SITE)

Ola-Hello in Portuguese! Brazil is known to be a very cosmopolitan nation as they have a mixed of immigrants/nationalities represented from all around the world-mostly Portuguese (colinizers), Japanese, and many others!

The only individuals I've met from this unique nation has been people stopping thru Morris, Minnesota. The first that I could think of was several years ago, who was a visiting missionary for Wycliffe at my local church name David (I saw him again at our church's "Setting-In-Service for Pat", our current pastor).

Another individual(s) is a current student-Millie and her Mom, who has been to our local church's "International Student Supper" (most recent was this past Tuesday, Nov 18th). I plan to get more info. about this country from their perspective. They did share some at last week's "International Country Fair", which I got this particular sheet on "Facts of Brazil" that I plan to post some time later on this website.

Till then, here are some cool...

Joanei (a student of the Morris Literacy Project during the first half of 2006) is from St. Carlos (close to Chapecó) Santa Catarina, a southern state.

Reccomended Resources

LOCAL

Articles

  • "Music, people draw Morris native to Brazil Morris Sun Tribune Published Wednesday, March 14, 2007

    • "Two themes run through University of Minnesota, Morris alumna Jessica Nelson’s decision to study in Brazil: music and people.
    Nelson, a music major, lives in Sao Paulo, a multicultural metropolis which is one of the world’s largest cities. The experience has enriched her life, professionally and personally.
    Nelson is the daughter of Diane Nelson and David Nelson of Morris. Jessica Nelson (left) and her sister Jennifer above the skyline of Sao Paulo. Jessica is a 1999 Morris Area graduate and Jennifer graduated in 2000. Jessica Nelson (left) and her sister Jennifer above the skyline of Sao Paulo. Jessica is a 1999 Morris Area graduate and Jennifer graduated in 2000.
    Nelson’s introduction to Brazil came in 2001 during a cultural exchange between the UMM Band and the Conservatorio de Tatui in Tatui, a smaller city in the rural Sao Paulo state.
    At the time, conversations with her Portuguese-speaking counterparts were difficult, but the bassoonist communicated through bits of Spanish, hand gestures, drawings, and, of course, the international language of music.
    “I got to know so many people,” Nelson said, “and felt the warmth of the Brazilian people and culture.”
    At UMM, Nelson enrolled in a beginning Portuguese course, but the real communication transformation occurred when she returned for extended study in Tatui, where very few knew English.
    “The best thing that I did to improve my Portuguese was to teach English,” she said. “I had five classes of five to 10 students, ages 14 to 65. If my students didn’t understand me in English, I had to know the words in Portuguese. Now, my friends here tell me that they hardly know that I’m an American because I speak Portuguese so well.”
    As language skills developed, so too did Nelson’s musical accomplishments.
    During her three years studying at the Conservatory in Tatui, she played in several ensembles including Symphonic Wind Band. She is first bassoonist for the Symphonic Band in Cubatao. After several auditions, Nelson was selected to play with the Orquestra Experimental de Repertorio, one of the best pre-professional orchestras in Brazil.
    “The conductor is great, and the repertoire is challenging,” Nelson said. “A section ‘monitor’ acts like a teacher throughout every rehearsal. Our concerts are in Sao Paulo’s historic city theater.”
    In 2004, Nelson was chosen to participate in a music festival in Campos do Jordao.
    “Famous musicians from all over the world attended,” she said.
    Festival participation is demanding, but the rewards are great.
    “A usual day includes orchestra rehearsal in the morning, individual lessons and chamber music in the afternoon, and concerts at night,” Nelson said. “After three weeks of this rigorous schedule, everyone needs a break. But it’s an excellent opportunity to learn more about music, your instrument, and yourself.”
    Nelson’s network of musician friends also affords her interesting opportunities, such as serving as a substitute in a variety of ensembles.
    “The best subbing job I’ve had was for the Symphonic Jazz Orchestra, a professional group that plays only jazz and Brazilian music,” she said.
    Nelson loves living in Sao Paulo, although she noted that safety precautions are necessary.
    “That’s one thing I miss about Morris,” she said.
    In a city that never sleeps, Nelson and friends attend concerts, visit museums, enjoy music and dance in clubs, and frequent street fairs.
    “One of my favorite street fairs is in Liberdade, a neighborhood with the largest concentration of Japanese outside of Japan,” Nelson said. “Another favorite neighborhood is Beixiga, home to Italian immigrants where you’ll find the best Italian restaurants in the world. It’s fun to watch the samba schools’ rehearsals before carnival time.”
    In downtown Sao Paulo where Nelson works, she is surrounded by ancient buildings as old as 500 years, a historical aspect she enjoys.
    While Sao Paulo itself could provide endless exploration, Nelson also ventures beyond the city.
    “Brazil is a great place to travel,” she said. “Every state is like visiting a new country. One of the best places is Salvador, Bahia, one of the oldest cities in Brazil.”
    When Nelson's family visited, the group traveled to Rio de Janeiro and Foz do Iguacu, a natural wonder of 270 waterfalls on the Iguacu River.
    This year, before she returns to the U.S., Nelson is studying at a Sao Paulo conservatory, teaching bassoon lessons, and playing at every opportunity that presents itself. She will miss the beautiful country, the energy of a cosmopolitan city, and her friends in Brazil, but graduate school plans may still hold connections to the country she loves. She has applied at the University of Iowa where the professor of music who teaches bassoon is a musician from Tatui, the city where her Brazilian journey began."

    Did you know that there has been farm workers coming from Brazil to the Morris area to work and learn? Yes, there are currently 3 students the Morris Literacy Project is teaching English to. Our first student (Marcelo) we taught ESL to came in around January of 2005.

    Into the great wide open
    03/04/2006 (Morris Sun Tribune)

    As exciting as a group of Morris-area investors find agriculture prospects in Brazil, they currently are practicing restraint.
    Don and Solange Geiszler and Nick and Sandy Kill, of America Investment Resources, recently returned from an extended visit of farming operations in and around the Mato Grosso region of Brazil. A.I.R. also has an intern, Matt Breker, working in Brazil as the group's front man in the rich agricultural region that can support two to three crops of beans and corn per year. A.I.R. has about 15 serious investors ready to put money into a base farming operation in Brazil, Nick Kill said, and it is looking for more. The group has a March 7 informational meeting at 7:30 p.m. at New Horizon/Harvest States Elevator. But as promising as the project appears, A.I.R. isn't putting the bag before the beans. "We think there are good opportunities," Geiszler said, "but we're just going to need to be patient. And (Brazilians) need an adjustment in their attitudes about what they will sell their land for."
    The group visited several farms in the Mato Grosso state, including farms around Tangara and Sorriso. The farms around Tangara that are for sale range from 2,500 acres to 10,000 acres, and some aren't at full production because of a lack of working capital, Geiszler said.
    Other farms were at full production, and have used large rivers for irrigation. Beans were being harvested in the range of 55 bushels to 60 bushels per acre, with corn and cotton to follow. A second crop of corn ranged anywhere from emergence to knee-high. Geiszler said the farm land is so productive that 75 bushels to 80 bushels of beans per acre are possible. But the price of farm land in the area currently ranges from $800 per acre to $1,300 per acre. The A.I.R. group believes they can do better. "We strongly feel land values will soften even some more," Kill said.
    The A.I.R. group is working with Amerazil LLC, a company started in 2004 by Morris insurance and travel agent Dan Mahoney and four other American partners. Dan has been arranging tours to Brazil for both ag and non-ag people for 10 years.
    Amerazil LLC is a clearinghouse for information on how to do business in Brazil, Mahoney said. Amerazil's Brazilian division, AMERASIL LTDA, is staffed by a Brazilian attorney and an administrative assistant. They help prospective ag and other investors with permitting, deeds and other procedures, Mahoney said.
    "If we run into any hassles, you want someone on the ground to walk you through it," Geiszler said. A.I.R. also have contracted with an independent source for profit analysis of the projects. Mahoney and the A.I.R. members say the Brazilians are very welcoming of foreign investors and have no problems with them coming in to potentially invest in Brazilian agriculture.
    German, Dutch and Japanese ag investors have been operating in Brazil for years, Kill said. "Brazil is a melting pot, just like America," Kill said.
    But Brazil only recently began dabbling in producer cooperatives, farmers do not receive subsidies, there's no crop insurance programs or even the sophisticated lending practices available to U.S. farmers.
    Prices also are in flux. As of Wednesday's close, given the exchange rate, Brazilian beans were selling for $3.66 per bushel. The U.S. bean price was about $5.25 per bushel.
    Selling land is the only viable alternative for Brazilian farmers seeking cash to support other parts of their operations, Geiszler said. The usual factors, such as weather and soybean rust, can upset operations to a great degree, he said. For example, Geiszler met two brothers who for 18 years have farmed about 10,000 acres. By 2003, the brothers could operate without having to borrow money. This year, the brothers had to borrow $1.5 million just to keep farming.
    "This was a conservative operation, but that's what's happened over the last two years in Brazil," Geiszler said. "They haven't made any money and they've used up their working capital. If there's any adversity, you have to sell assets to keep farming"
    *Note: I work with Mr. Dave Nelson at the local Stevens County D.A.C.

    NATION

    Music

  • Friend by Michael W. Smith, w/ Portuguese translation from Youtube.com

  • Michael W. Smith - BRAZIL, w/message from you tube.com

    • "I Am Free" by Michael W. Smith's (Healing Rain 05' Tour) concert in Brazil

    GLOBAL

    Agriculture

  • AgBrazil
  • Brazil: The New Breakfast, from startribune

    • Books

    "Brucko", by Bruce Olson
    *We read this during a unique missions class in the Spring of 1999 prior to our Sunday church service

    Evangelism

    Melhor subir quadrado do que descer redondo

    "short movie directed by Rafael Guimarães, edited by Thiago Pinheiro and produced by Davi Lago. Made at Igreja Batista Getsêmani - Brazil as part of a workshop - Congresso Loucos por Jesus"

    Language

  • Ethnic Harvest, Portuguese Gospel Resources
  • Portuguese Online, geocities personal site
  • Learn to Speak Portuguese, from my language exchange
  • 101 Languages

    • Maps

  • Delta Translator
  • Embassy World
  • U Texas Liberty
  • World Atlas

    • Movies

    "It's All True" (1942) Film by Orson Welles-curse
    The Independent Online Edition, from UK
    Was Orson Welles cursed by a Brazilian witch doctor?, from cinematical
    Who, When, and Why-People of Brazil

  • Saving Private Ryan

    • Faça por Merecer

    "Ótimo"

    Music

  • Discosmusart, check out Axe Bahia!
  • MTV Brazil

    • -Worship
    Donna Lee-Jesus, I Trust in You(Jesus, Confio um Vós)

    "www.donnalee.ws. 2003 Unity Award winner Pop/Contemporary song of the year. A song about God's Mercy Inspired by the diary "Divine Mercy in My Soul" by Saint Faustina. From the album, "The Grace of God". The CD is available at www.heartbeatrecords.com. or Amazon.com. In Brazil www.codimuc.com.br"
    Nivea Soares - River of God - 2007

    "Worship song by Nivea Soares , recorded live in Brazil in april 2007. Let the river flow through the streets of the nation. Let be fill of the Holy Spirit . www.niveasoares.com , www.myspace.com/niveasoares . Send this worship video to your friends !! God bless you !!"

    Sports

    -Soccer/Futbol

  • Edson Arantes "Pelé" Nascimento October 23, 1940 - Present Birthplace: Tres Coracos, Brazil (latinosportslegends.com)

    • "...Pelé also holds the world record for hat tricks (92) and the number of goals scored on the international level (97). His statistics are all the more amazing when compared to today's top players who can barely score more that 30 goals in a season.
    He retired from the game in 1974, but came out of retirement the following year to play in the North American Soccer League for the New York Cosmos for just over two seasons. A reported 7-million-dollar contract for three years made him the highest paid soccer player of the North American Soccer League."

    Pele The Great

    " videosport.jumptv.com - A tribute to history's greatest soccer player of all time"

    Travel

  • Basic Facts About Brazil, from State University of New York at New Paltz
  • Lonely Planet, travel info

    • Thank you for visiting UMMAlpha! Please feel free to e-mail me (Sal) at ummalpha@yahoo.com on any comments, suggestions (e.g. any new websites),complaints, or anytype of feedback to improve this website.

    Return to UMM Alpha's Latino Homepage

    Thank you for visiting my page at Angelfire. Please come back and visit again!

    Site hosted by Angelfire.com: Build your free website today!