October 2013 – Page 4 – GW Blogs from Abroad

By mfretes93

One of the main goals of my study abroad experience was cultural immersion--which, to me, doesn't just mean befriending local Brazilians, or becoming familiar with colloquial Portuguese. To me, it means really getting to know the culture of Brazil and Rio de Janeiro.

But what does that entail, really? So far, it's meant trying to understand customs, like greeting by kissing on the cheek, and trying to really get into the Brazilian mindset. So far, it's meant visiting important landmarks, like the Escadaria Selarón, the world-famous colorful steps in Lapa, or Cinelândia, or the Teatro Municipal. And so far, it's meant visiting a few museums to understand the art and the history of the cidade maravilhosa.

Of course, culture encompasses so much more than landmarks, museums, and art. And what I've noticed is that, for study abroad-ers, one of the more under-appreciated forms of culture is pop culture: TV, music, and movies. Maybe it's just because, at home, I'm an entertainment and pop culture buff--not being able to catch the finale of Breaking Bad live almost made me shed a tear, or two, or twelve--but I don't think I've gotten to know Brazilian pop culture as well as I would like, or should.

Luckily for me, a great opportunity is in town for the next couple of weeks. Up until October 10, the Rio de Janeiro International Film Festival, or the Festival do Rio, is happening, which means I'll be able to kill two birds with one glitzy, Hollywood-produced stone.

Not only will I be able to catch the Latin American premieres of a few American-made films that I've been looking forward to, including Alfonso Cuarón's new space thriller starring George Clooney and Sandra Bullock, Gravity, but I'll also be able to see the world premieres of a number of Brazilian productions, ranging from crime thrillers, to heart-wrenching documentaries, to whimsical animated films. And the best part of all of this, is that a ticket to any of these films during the festival won't be more than R$15--or just under US$7. Compared to the US$15 that I'm used to paying to see movies in New York, it's a steal.

In fact, the Festival do Rio is one of the largest film festivals in Latin America, and this year, it has over 300 films screening. It also has a competitive section, Premiére Brasil, in which a series of Brazilian films compete for various awards, including Best Documentary, Best Short Film, and of course, Best Film. For Brazilian filmmakers, it's an incredible opportunity to get their work noticed, from the tiniest of short films to the grandest of blockbuster thrillers. And for the lucky few films that win an award at the festival, even bigger doors could open, including a chance to become Brazil's entry for Best Foreign Film at next year's Academy Awards. A number of actors, directors, and producers are also in town for the festival too, including Dakota Fanning and Goldie Hawn. In summation, while Festival do Rio means two weeks of seeing great films, it also means something in the film world--which in itself makes it a great opportunity for me while I'm here in Rio de Janeiro.

And of course, I've never been to a film festival before, so for the next few weeks, I'm going to be as giddy as a child visiting Disney World for the first time. At my local University, many of the professors of the Cinema department have managed to snag what seems to be a limitless amount of free tickets to various screenings over the course of the festival, and I've managed to get access to a few of these. It's going to be a great two weeks.

But to wrap things up, my advice for you all is: don't be afraid of pop culture. Considering how influential it is in America, and how obsessed with it every American seems to be, it only makes sense that pop culture can a similar--if much smaller--amount of power abroad. Check out television shows, local music artists, and yes, see if there's a film festival coming to town. After all, how can you know a foreign culture if you don't know what they're watching, what they're listening to, and of course, what they're reference in everyday speech?

For now, though, I'm off to spend the remainder of my money watching an obscene amount of movies. See you all after the festival's over.

087 — Not a bad place to spend a few hours

I took my first personally-planned visit out of the city this weekend to Glencoe, also known as the location of many of the scenes from Skyfall, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Monty Python and the Holy Grail and Braveheart, as well as the sight of the seventeenth century Glencoe Massacre of the MacDonald clan. Needless to say, it’s a very historical and scenic area. The trip was a last minute decision by my flatmate and me so we didn’t plan much beforehand beyond the bus tickets to get there. As a result, we ran into a few surprises once we got there. Since neither of us had been to the area before, or any part of the Highlands for that matter, we didn’t really know what to expect once we got there and after a four hour bus ride when we finally did arrive, what we found was not quite what we had imagined.

First off, we hadn’t expected such a pleasant drive. Unlike the US, in Britain, experiences with the bus systems are generally quite reliable and enjoyable. Word of advice, taking the bus or the train is probably one of the best ways to actually see Scotland and the rest of the UK, and it’s usually both the cheapest and easiest modes of transport. Bus drivers are generally incredibly friendly and really helpful, especially when you’re lost and not sure which line to connect to. That being said, you do have to be a bit more aggressive when catching the buses. On our way back to Edinburgh, we literally had to stand on the side of the road and flag down a bus speeding by. No, we weren’t lost, nor were we being obnoxious tourists. It just so happens that the bus stops (and apparently this is quite standard in a lot of areas) are an unmarked patch of grass on the side of the road that work by request only. Of course in order to “request” a speeding bus to stop, you have to jump up and down and wave incessantly like a crazy person for a few minutes while it drives along the bend, which is exactly what we did, much to the amusement of the park ranger who was also passing by at the time. Yet despite having to act like a nutter on the side of an almost empty country road, we were able to make it to and from without so much as a hiccup.

Anyways, despite our luck with a smooth journey out of the city, once we finally arrived in Glencoe, we realized that a bit more prior planning would have been a good idea. You see, Scotland is known for its scenery, rural greenery and quaint villages, which in my opinion, couldn’t be more perfect. There are lots of trees and streams and munros (the tallest of Scotland’s mountains, all above 3000 ft), picturesque village streets, and little B&B cafes with homemade soup and fresh bread. The downside: there are a lot of rural little villages without easy transport between them and not all that much to do once you’re there. Don’t get me wrong, Glencoe Village was absolutely beautiful and I could not have asked for a better place to visit, but within about two hours, my flatmate and I had seen the entire village, which consisted of 54 buildings including houses (yes, we counted), three times over and had lunch and coffee at the single village café. (Unfortunately, the Glencoe Folk Museum, which wasn’t much bigger than a one bedroom flat, was closed for renovations, so we lost at least an hour of touristy exploration.)Regardless, there were still six hours until our bus back to Edinburgh and the next closest village was over a three and a half hour long walk away. Luckily for us though, we had planned on spending the rest of the day hiking in the mountains, but it occurred to us that had we not been the outdoorsy types that we are, we would have been very bored for next six hours, seeing as we had no way of getting to anywhere else in the area, and had just about exhausted the sights and activities of the village. As I mentioned, we were fortunate in that this wasn’t an issue, this time at least, and were able to pass by the time climbing three of the nearby munros and exploring the glen.

So moral of this week’s adventures: if you’re traveling to Scottish countryside (which I highly recommend you do!), make sure you’ve checked up on what you’ll be doing ahead of time, and if you aren’t into the great outdoors, make sure you get a multi-trip bus pass for the day so you don’t get stuck in a tiny village staring up at the munros all day. Although, there are certainly worse fates in the world!

Month: October 2013

Pop Culture Abroad: The Festival do Rio

Tiny Villages, Big Munros