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8/11/2018 0 Comments Summer 2018Studying abroad in Brazil was only part of my summer.
So, what am I doing for the next month and a halfish before going back to school? A LOT. I finished the second round of editing for my novel Our Father which means I will be reaching out to Beta Readers soon. I'm also working on my other novels Being a Model, Her War, The Other Side of the Mirror, and A Grave of Dead Roses. In between writing, I am delving in photography music, and dance (follow me on Instagram to see @abbyakyiaw). This doesn't sound like much, but it takes up a lot of time. Everyday there's a list of things I need to accomplish, a certain about of words to write, etc. And of course writing for this blog! More interesting and helpful topics coming your way like public speaking, traveling again, going to therapy, and many more.
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This past month I learned some exciting things in another country. I ate new food, interacted with a new culture, and shared these experiences with nine other students in my group. Of course, nothing is without its faults. This trip had its ups and downs, but overall I enjoyed living in Brazil and learning about the Black experience there. I won't sugarcoat anything in this overview, but I also will not bash the program or the coordinators. They did their best in the context that they were in. First, I will talk about aspects of the program that I enjoyed. Second, I will talk about things that bothered me during the trip. Finally, I will discuss things that could be improved on. What I Enjoyed Environment: So the weather was very humid and warm. I'm all for some humidity, but this was a little too much. Only a few times was it actually cold. I could wear whatever I wanted, though most of the time I still wore pants. Coming from the airport and settling in our apartment in Copacabana, I realized Rio reminded me of a city inside a jungle. There were luscious green trees planted along the sidewalks, swaying above us with the buildings. I also liked how there shops lined down the streets close to where we lived. The supermarket and the metro were a short walk away. Fast food/ Tapioca: Okay, let me tell you something. The fast food in Rio was a hundred times better than here in the U.S. (my opinion). Over there, places like McDonald's, Burger King, and KFC, are a lot more pricey, but the quality of food is great. A McChicken from McDonald's in the U.S. is flat and sad looking. In Rio? It's fresh, and ready to be eaten. Now, I am someone that doesn't eat fast food often, but I allowed myself to divulge in Brazil because 1) It tasted better 2) I won't have this luxury back home so I might as well enjoy. So, Tapioca is a bit difficult to explain. It's like a folded sandwich with various things you can have inside like chicken, ham, cheese, butter, coconut, chocolate, banana, etc. The first one I got was chicken and coconut, but I didn't like it too much because it was dry. The second time I got butter and chicken. That was delicious. Little trips: We went to Sugarloaf Mountain, The botanical garden, flea markets, restaurants, an eight-story mall, walked fifteen minutes to Starbucks, and played at the park across the street! Our free time turned into fun adventures.
My group members: I don't know if any other group would have made this trip better, because the students I went with were super cool. They each had a unique personality and we got along so well. In the beginning I thought there would be cliques within our small ten person group, but we all connected with each other. We had such great moments and I felt comfortable with them, which was a surprise. Class: The most thought provoking part of the trip! We learned so much in five weeks and I will elaborate on some of the topics in the Review and Reflect part of my blog every Wednesday. Things that Bothered Me Too many people on the sidewalk!: Wow... I could barely enjoy walking down the street due to the amount of pedestrians coming towards me. The sidewalks are wide, but clearly not wide enough for the people walking and street vendors situated. Translation during class/vibes: Many of the Brazilian students did not speak English or understand it very well, including the speakers we had. Before we arrived in Brazil, we were told they had to know English to be enrolled so we came with that expectation, but that's not what happened. Sometimes students were so deep in discussion with the speakers it didn't give time for translations. That made it hard to follow along or jump in because it went from one topic to another. Sometimes someone would speak passionately for a long time in Portuguese then their translation would be super short and you could tell what they translated did not include all they said. Now with vibes. The class felt divided. We couldn't relate/connect with the Brazilian students, many of them were not as open as we thought they would be. There were a handful of welcoming students, don't get me wrong, but every class felt like an us vs. them battle. Using matches: The stove and oven in the hotel was gas-based and we had to use matches to turn them on. I was kinda scared, but then again it wasn't that big of a deal after like a week. Disorganization throughout the program: We didn't receive a syllabus until the second week of the program, they sent us the readings a night before the second class, and our discussion sections/language class didn't have a set date/time. They wanted this program to be flexible, but it didn't come off that way. It seemed like things were not organized which it hard for me to have a student mindset when the structure is unstable. A lot of information given to us were not clarified until almost the middle of the program. Things to Improve On Realistic expectations for American and Brazilian students Transportation costs to and from class and when we meet with the activists List of cool things to do/go Organized class/section schedules 7/29/2018 0 Comments Study Abroad in Brazil week 5Thursday This day we met with another activist who runs one of eight community centers for young kids in favelas (slums) or in poorer neighborhoods. They teach them about technology, sports, reading, arts and crafts and they even take them on field trips! It was great hearing about the work they do catering the young people so that they can gain skills and have fun. Friday I skipped out on going to see the Christ the Redeemer because I wasn't interested. Later that night we went to a city called Lapa which is big on nightlife. The city was alive that night! We danced for two hours and it was the first time since prom where I had fun dancing this much. Saturday We had another activist meeting at a building called the ship of knowledge where young children come to learn about how to use computers, coding, and other technology related lessons. Flavia was our dance workshop leader and her group taught us about a traditional Afro-Brazilian dance called Jongo derived from the Bantu people in Africa. She told us the history of Jongo during slavery in Brazil and how black people would practice variations of this dance. It was also a way to communicate with each other. We gathered in a circle and Flavia taught us different movements that we eventually put together. We broke out a bit of a sweat. Sunday Just like last Sunday went back to the hippie fair/market even though it was slightly sprinkling and gloomy. I was only planning on getting one more postcard, but I ended up with a few more goodies. Things I bought: Postcard with a Brazil game, a colorful bracelet, a purple coin purse dedicated to the 2016 Olympics hosted by Brazil, and a rock my friend got me. Afterwards we ate DELICIOUS nachos at a Mexican restaurant and the owner is from Socal! Monday Today's class was different. There was a documentary by Ana Flauzina, -a well-known activist in Brazil- shown in the morning around 10am. The basis of the We discussed the film, had lunch and then regular lecture with Ana about her book which discussed love, racism, blackness, and inner struggles. It was like a compilation of different stories told from various points of view. Tuesday This was a chill day. I worked on this post and my presentation for class on one of the activist sessions. I chose the one on Jongo because it was really interesting and we could show a video in class. Later that night, three of us went to a sushi restaurant and it was delicious! I've had sushi before, but this night I tried raw fish and I actually enjoyed it. Wednesday
Last day of class! During class we did our presentations, completed evaluations for the program, had a guest speaker from Finland, and finally a little party. It was a little bittersweet -more sweet than bitter I was ready to come home. Thursday A few people in my group got tattoos, so we stayed in the shop for hours. Then we had our last potluck. Friday We packed in morning until two because we had to move into another room for the night. Saturday Our flight got delayed!! Instead of leaving at 9pm it was moved to 2am. Sunday Arrived at 4pm. So glad to be back! I will post an overview of the trip next week so watch out for that. 7/22/2018 0 Comments Study Abroad in Brazil week 4Olá! July 11th to July 18th Wednesday Our group went to the Jardim do Botânico and walked around taking pictures for hours. It was a beautiful place. There were so many trees, streams, birds chirping, and a lake with fish in it. I enjoyed the scenic view. It's a place where I could sit down and read or write. Some plants were very different, but still spectacular. We climbed up stone steps with moss on them, and took many pictures of spiders! We didn't see all the botanical garden had to offer unfortunately, but maybe we'll visit again. Thursday Discussion section in the morning then class Friday We met with an activist in a city that was pretty far. Our trip consisted of the subway, a train, and a bus. Her name is Flavia and she is a spiritual leader for an Afro-Brazilian indigenous religion. The place was named House of Forgiveness. Flavia is an advocate for religious rights and women's rights. She feeds people in her community that are struggling and is running for a position in Federal Congress! Saturday My roommate and I walked to a currency exchange store because we ran out of Brazilian Real. Afterwards we shopped at a grocery store that resembled Wholefoods. I found peanut butter, almond milk, granola, wannabe pringles, and tortilla chips! I cooked coconut rice, chicken, and fries. I've never tried coconut rice before and I was nervous when cooking because I wasn't sure if I would like it or not Thankfully everything tasted delicious. Sunday This day was an adventure. Our group went to a hippie festival to buy goodies for ourselves and people back home. They had bags (fanny packs, backpacks, purses, handbags,etc), shoes, headscarves, and lots jewelry and crystals! There were many different booths. I bought a crystal necklace, a notebook, two postcards, and a shot glass. My mind was conflicted because I wanted to buy a straw woven purse (keep in mind I do not use purses) but it was a bit expensive. Monday Class at one. Our professor discussed parallels between the US and Brazil surrounding the history of black people and how anti-blackness affects people's perceptions, mass incarceration, etc. It creates the notion of nonblack vs. black instead of the black vs. white model. Tuesday This day was an adventure, we walked A LOT. On our way to the famous Escadaria Selaron we through a park and saw ducks that resembled swans. They were bigger than any ducks I've ever seen. Once we reached the stairs it was PACKED. I mean we were bumping into folks while trying to take pictures and go up the stairs. The artwork was stunning and I saw a Ghana flag. That was cool. Afterwards we walked about 20 minues to the Museum of Tomorrow, but it was too late for us to enter. Tickets sold out. Instead, we walked around and took pictures by the water as the sun was setting. Finally we got on the metro and headed to a mall in another city to eat dinner. Wednesday
Class at one again. Our speaker went over the deciding factors for what makes one issue a social problem that lawmakers will focus on compared to another issue. Also why at certain points in time a particular issue is more prevalent, loses its support then becomes a problem later. For example let's say public transportation is a really important issue right now but in 4 years it won't be, then four years after that it becomes an issue again. She gave models and diagrams on the process. I enjoyed it. 7/15/2018 0 Comments Study Abroad in Brazil week 3Oi! July 4th- July 10th Wednesday Bought food from the farmer's market Went to class Back to the hotel Thursday Language class during the afternoon Me and my roommate walked to Starbucks fifteen minutes away. We stayed there for three hours writing. I bought 2 banana breads which were soft and spongy. Later in the night our TA cooked dinner for us. Then we had karaoke which I did not participate in. Friday The last Brazil game! A couple small restaurants near the hotel had TV's to watch so two other students and I chose one to sit at. During the course of the game we ordered three platters of fries back to back! They were delicious! Moments like these are what really make up this trip, sitting with the locals and taking in the atmosphere, and enjoying the environment. Oh, and getting alarmed each time fireworks went because it was down the street from us! It felt like each boom stopped my heartbeat. Saturday Our group took ubers to Sugarloaf Mountain and went up in cable cars to both mountains. The view of Rio de Janeiro was spectacular despite some fog. From up there you could see the beaches, a small island, and the cities surrounded by luscious green trees. Standing on those two mountains was peaceful and serene. I appreciated the scenery down below as well as on the mountain walking around watching monkeys race along tree branches and feeling the breeze hit us. Sunday I started to feel more sick when we came back from Sugarloaf, so I decided to relax in the hotel all day. Monday 8am meeting Had class at 1pm Tuesday Went back to sleep, got up around 3, and went to the market to buy food for our second potluck. My roommate and I made fries, potatoes, and bacon. 7/8/2018 0 Comments Study Abroad in Brazil week 2Oi, tudo bem? I am starting this breakdown from Friday of last week up until Tuesday because it's a lot of information. This timeline was pretty fun! We only had class once on Wednesday due to Brazil playing against Mexico on Monday. Friday I was at the hotel all day writing and listening to music. As I've said before, I am working on my other stories this summer and Being a Model is one of them. If you're new click here to read about Being a Model. I wrote 994 words for BAM and that is a good number for me despite not writing fiction since December. Words just flow when I'm working on this story. Unlike my other stories, this one has more description and extrospection than introspection meaning my main character is focusing on the details of the external world more than what's going on internally. Saturday We went on a walking tour to learn about the history of Rio De Janeiro starting from the 1500's with the slave trade. We went to the parts of the city where the shore used to be (they filled in the water with land to build what is now Rio) Ships would come in with African people(six million in total), many who would die from disease and starvation. Our tour guide showed us an area that was excavated. Archaeologists found over five hundred thousand artifacts from the 1500's like pottery and glass among other items. He also sang a song explaining how the history of slavery is romanticized and retold as an event not as harsh as it was. Next, we visited a cemetery/museum for archaeological items from slaves. Lastly, we went to an area in Rio call Little Africa. This Afro-Brazilian community has a lot of rich culture where African religions and music is very strong. It's also the place where samba and Carnival was born. I took a nap/laid in bed for a couple hours. Me and my roommate plus other students talked and watched Identity Thief on Netflix. Sunday Got up in the afternoon and started writing today's post. Wrote few hundred words for Being a Model That's all I remember! Monday I stayed in bed so i didn't watch the Brazil vs. Mexico game but I kept up with the score. My study abroad group planned a potluck so we had dinner and dessert that night. We had spaghetti with ground beef, potatoes, white rice and Spanish rice, salad, garlic bread, drinks, chocolate cake and ice cream. During the dinner we discussed many different topics. We went over the first week of class and talked about racial classifications and our experiences. It was a great conversation and I discovered new perspectives and worldviews surrounding self-identification when it comes to race/ethnicity/nationality. I love these types of conversations because it allows you to step out of your perspective and understand another's experience. Without these discussions, we wouldn't be able to understand the world. Afterwards, we went to the park, took pictures of a mural and walked around for a couple hours. Then off to bed.
Tuesday Today was also fun! In the morning it was discussion section and language class in the morning with our teacher assistant (TA) and the professor for the program. We worked out a issues we were having in class due to the use of Portuguese for the majority of class time. Around three o'clock me and two other students went to a restaurant to watch the Columbia vs. England game. There was plenty screaming and disappointment throughout the match. Then out of nowhere it started raining! Thankfully we were in a shaded outdoor area and by the time it stopped, the match ended. Walked to the mall with eight floors and a movie theater on the top floor. I bought an apple pie from the McDonald's there and it was AMAZING, better than the U.S. When I got back to the hotel our translator helped me turn on the oven because it's gas not electrical so she used matches. I was scared and burned my finger a little. Then off to bed. 6/30/2018 0 Comments Study Abroad in BrazilOne week in Brazil down, four to go! These past seven days has been filled learning Portuguese, understanding the culture and politics, meeting new people, and adapting to the food. When traveling to another country you don’t know much about, try not to make too many assumptions or have many expectations. The idea you have in your mind may be tainted because you are seeing it from the perspective of your home country. I took a music class that went over Brazilian music and the culture, so I had a small understanding of it and didn’t hold much expectations when coming here. The only thing I did have grand expectations for was the food. For some reason I expected it to be a certain way, but it wasn’t. Not to say the food is terrible, no quite the opposite. I’m lactose-intolerant and a picky eater so finding something appealing to eat was difficult. If you’re the kind of person that likes everything then you wouldn’t have a problem. Sunday Arrived at 10-something in and met our TA's. Got in a taxi- that driver was wild in the streets! I was scared, but everyone else on the roads drove the same way. Arrived at the hotel which looks really cool. Met up with the group later and introduced ourselves. Went grocery shopping. Monday In our class we have twenty-nine Brazilian students (mostly grad students) and ten of us U.S. students from my school. The first day of class was very interesting. Before class we had orientation. We learned about the nonprofit organization called Criola that runs this study abroad program. We touched different definitions of black diaspora and discussed differences between Brazil and the U.S. in terms of race and racism. Afterwards, I went back to our hotel to rest and head out to Copacabana beach with another student. Tuesday We got our metro cards. Took the subway to eat lunch and watch the world cup. Okay, so lunch was delicious. I ordered rice with broccoli, French fries, and beef in steak from a restaurant called Galeto I think? The game between Nigeria and Argentina was playing on huge TV’s in multiple restaurants outside. Went to the mall that had EIGHT floors with sit-in dining restaurants and fast food shops like McDonald’s and a movie theater on the top view. Oh, there was a beautiful view of the water and the street too. Then I came home to write part of this post. Wednesday Bought fruit and habanero peppers from the farmer’s market. Registered and paid for my sim card while watching the hilarious match between South Korea and Germany in the phone store. Took a nap. Read the text for class and took notes. Thursday Went to class. We discussed masculinity and what it means for/to black men and black transmen. Almost took the wrong metro home. Bought Tapioca with coconut and chicken. Went grocery shopping. Watching a thriller with my roommate. Wrote a little for this post. *Photo by Agustín Diaz on Unsplash 6/23/2018 0 Comments what's going onIt's SUMMER VACATION!!
2 things: As I said in my update post, I am doing a study abroad program in Brazil and I leave today. This quarter has been fun, but hectic. I learned so much from my classes that can actually be applied to the real world (I know shocking). It's a long flight to Rio, an early morning for orientation the next day after we arrive, then five weeks of learning and exploration. I may not be on here as much, but I will try to share bits and pieces of my experience abroad. I finished the first round of editing for Our Father after seven months. Though, I only worked on it during winter, spring, and a little bit of summer break. The focus was on taking out scenes and sentences that didn't fit and replacing it with words that expressed what was going on. The edits were color coded for organization. Purple: Explain something that is too vague Red: Take out Green: Add description/detail Orange: Move a sentence or paragraph somewhere else Blue: Change wording I printed out my entire manuscript and went page by page cringing, laughing, and yelling at my characters. That took me about two weeks during winter break. Then, I made corrections to the typed version on my computer and a week ago. After my trip, the second round of editing will commence. *Photo by Herson Rodriguez 6/2/2018 0 Comments update!!Hello again! I've been gone for a long time due to school and other projects so here's an update post. This summer I will be going to Brazil, yes THE Brazil for five weeks. It's a study abroad program and we'll stay in Rio at a apartment style hotel. I am very excited for this opportunity and will definitely post pictures and short blogs about it during the trip. When I return, get ready for more posts about my novels including the editing stage, characters, and beta readers!
4/28/2018 0 Comments I'm going to teach you somethingDuring this month I have been designing an online class for Skillshare, an online platform that gives you access to classes on various topics such as writing better poetry, entrepreneurship, how to use a camera, etc. I participated in their Teachchallenge to create and publish my first class by April 30th. They provided participants with deadlines for a small component like creating an outline or sharing your intro video. It helped me stay on track. My class is titled How to do Research for your Novel and I give you a method to use to effectively find information. This process was nerve-racking for me. Sitting in front a camera filming videos for people to watch, finding great lighting, the process was stressful. It's a bit scary to put yourself out there especially for something you care about. Trying new things isn't easy, but the outcome is always worth it. As we acquire new skills from the many activities we partake, we should showcase and utilize them. I work at the front desk in a freshmen residence hall at my university. Through this experience I have gained interpersonal skills from interacting with people on a daily basis. Those skills are useful during networking events, grocery shopping, even parties! I can use them now. This is why I decided to create a class on doing research because I have a method -taken from my own experience during writing stories- that writers will benefit from. Once the class is published, I will share it on my social media pages so be sure to follow me @abbyakyiaw on Instagram and Abby Akyiaw on Facebook if you want to watch it. *Photo by The Climate Reality Project on Unsplash |
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