First Haircut, First Thoughts

Yo BMF,

First an introduction: My name is Charles Cole and I'm a senior concentrating in economics and a member of Leverett House. I'm studying abroad in Brazil for the semester and want to share a little bit about it. Also even if you don't read this the whole way through, definitely go check out the OIP (http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~oip/), to figure out how you can go abroad sometime in your college career. This applies to seniors as well - there are definitely grants for post-grad travel/research/etc. In fact, Rob Watson of '09 is in Brazil right now on a fellowship.

I'm writing on the occasion of getting my first haircut in Brazil, where I've been enjoying tropical fruit juices and struggling to speak Portuguese for the past few weeks. After weeks of being afraid of getting an irreversibly bad haircut in Brazil, I was happy to see that the clippers and everything are the same here as they are in the U.S. That was a welcome similarity after weeks of being in a world very different from where I'm from.

I'm in the city of Fortaleza. Its the 5th biggest city in Fortaleza and its about the size of Chicago or Houston. Its in Northeast region of the country which means a few things:

* The large majority of days have highs of 85 and lows of 75 degrees.
* The large majority of people here are nonwhite (but know that its hard to pin down "race" per se in Brazil)
* The large majority of people are poor

By comparison, The Southern part of the country (where Rio de Janiero and Sao Paulo are) has seasons, is majority white, and has lower percentage of poverty

Its hard to make any generalizations about Brazil (its the same size as the United States.) But here is a quick rundown of my own experience and oservations:

Food

I imagine that I have consumed more rice, beans, bananas, and fresh juice in the last few weeks than I have in some entire years of my life. Those are the staple foods here, and luckily, I like them a lot. Otherwise, it'd be a long semester.

School

My only real class is Portuguese. Outside of that, we have lectures and readings on the inequalities/social issues in Brazil. We also spend a lot of time visiting different nonprofit organizations/ social movements in the city/region.

For the last 3 weeks of the program I'm going to do independent research on solar energy development programs in the region. I hope to be in/near Salvador, Bahia, for my research project. The city is considered the center of Afro-Brazilian culture.

Culture

*I feel like everyone in Brazil can dance exceptionally well. Its a few main types of song/dance that everyone seems to know and can do all seem to do them amazingly well. The big ones here are forro and samba.

*Soccer here is like baseball, football, and basketball combined in terms of popularity. You can find people outisde playing full tournaments past midnight on basketball courts, beaches, and anything else you can put a ball on.

*Capoiera is also pretty incredible to watch. Its hard to explain, but heres some youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kMX9KKzG4-0&feature=related

Urban Life

*Riding the bus everyday is pretty intense. Since they dont have trains, the bus system is packed full of people. And you can only exit out of one end of the buses here. The end result: a lot of pushing and shoving for everybody, and for some people pickpocketing and sexual harassment.

*In general petty crime is pretty common. So far 4 of the 13 people in the program have been robbed on the street. It hasn't been anything violent, but its very common to get cell phones, cameras, and wallets taken.

America

*If Barack Obama and Michael Jackson had approval ratings in Brazil, I’m sure they would be higher than their ratings in America. Everyone seems to love them

*In general American music (in English) and movies (in portuguese) are pretty popular here. For instance, I went to a costume party as Indiana Jones and everyone got it. (Of course I’m sure familiarity with American pop culture varies across classes)

*People actually don’t realize I’m American. They know I’m not Brazilian, because I can’t speak Portuguese fluently. So they ask if I am African – everytime. One cab driver actually laughed when I said I was American and said I was the “darkest” exchange student he ever met.

*They also have certain slang from America too. For example, when two black guys greet each other its common for them to call each other “brother” – as in the English word.

What’s Next?

I’m already halfway done with my academic semester. The rest of the program will be packed with trips outside of the city of Fortaleza and me doing independent research. We’ll be going to the cities of Salvador and Recife and visiting rural areas.

I hope to follow up with some Remix worthy analysis of the social dynamics, racial complexities, and all that jazz.

In the meantime, 7.

Charles '10

Thoughts from Over the Hump

God, grant me the serenity

To accept the things I cannot change,

Courage to change the things I can,

and wisdom to know the difference


This simple proverb coupled with tonight’s BMF Meeting on the power and pervasiveness of the N-Word really got me pondering on what BMF’s role is in the grand scheme of things. A common theme throughout this young year has been exactly that: do we students have a moral obligation to go out in the world and “change it for the better”? The answer may be simple to some. But to others, it can be a bit more complex.

For one, how exactly should we go about being the agents of change we so often call ourselves? Is that manifested only in voter registration drives, mentoring programs and social justice campaigns? And how much of that energy should be channeled into our studies so that we can have a larger impact when we graduate?

While the answer is surely different for each individual (and hopefully I can hear a few in this blog), my experiences and relationships in the BMF brotherhood have taught me that ultimately we must strike a balance between aspiration and realism. We must come to grips with the fact that we won’t solve world hunger at every meeting’s conclusion. At the same time we most certainly can’t be complacent with the status quo.

Tonight's discussion provided very practical boundaries for the types of goals I believe we can achieve as an organization. We probably won’t be able to ban the word from our streets and airwaves, but we can set an example for what is and what is not acceptable in our communities.

Spencer Hardwick '11

Finding your niche

Becoming a senior in some ways brings many unforeseen emotions. Yes, we may complain about Harvard as soul-wrenching, unbearably cold, or unfriendly, but in truth, the good outweighs all that. This institution brings some of the best minds together to just talk and fellowship with one another. That we can casually discuss lectures in a dining hall or bury ourselves in our extracurricular passions both with like-minded peers is invaluable and in all reality a phenomenon confined for most to our four years in residence. This summer I had a similar discussion on a New York train with a really good friend asking what it’s like to be a senior. I replied with an overly emotional answer about how after graduation might not see each other again as people move to different states, countries, blah blah, blah… That all may be true, but since then I’ve realized there’s still a lot we can and should do. There’s still ways to positively impact this campus and this community (however one chooses to define theirs) and it doesn’t end with graduation. So, for me, the emotions that come to mind aren’t so much centered around reminiscing about my past three years, but rather being enthused about this last year, doing what I love and realizing the blessing of finding those passions.

The active pursuit of my role on this campus didn’t start until my sophomore year when I joined the David Walker Scholars Program. For those that may not know, DWS is an afterschool mentoring program started five years ago by members of the BMF to empower young men in under-resourced African-American communities by helping them realize their agency in achieving productive goals for academic and personal success. While one of those goals might be connecting them to a community that supports their personal and academic success, I was surprised that I found the same thing. Sophomore year, I tried about ten different activities. The other two that really stuck were the Kuumba Singers of Harvard College and SoulFood. Kuumba is a place to celebrate the creativity of Black culture and spirituality. For me that was important to find here—a place where who we are as a people takes center stage and we not only discuss collective missteps (which as critical Harvard students it is easy to do, just check our email lists), but also celebrate our triumphs as a people. SoulFood has been more than just a bible study. It’s about bringing restoration to us as complex individuals. Having someone to hold me accountable by knowing when to challenge me and when to support me has kept me sane and let me grow.

So, looking into senior year, I realize I’ll miss all the things that have made Harvard so wonderful for me, but find contentment in all that is happening in these groups. DWS beginning a new site, with a new eager and highly competent board that brings fresh new ideas and purpose to the organization to better carry it forward. Kuumba is celebrating our Fortieth anniversary and while learning about the history Black-/African-American students at this college is empowering, ministering through song, dance, and prose is indescribable. SoulFood is stepping into its own as a fellowship and building a network of people that can support each other in the application of scripture rather than just its reading. I also find contentment in knowing that none of the things we do here should end here. For me it will always be important to “prove myself a man by helping to make those who are weak as strong as I through serving my community to the best of my ability” as we say in our pledge. It will always be critical to remember to build each other up with the richness of our heritage in any way I can—song or otherwise. And finally, I’ll always be grounded in my faith and remember to surround myself with people that support that decision rather than undermine it.

Best advice I’ve ever received: “Intentionality. In all that we do, we must make sure that our actions match our words and our principles.”

7,
Justin Robinson ‘10