Promoting..

This morning was spent doing promotion work for the school ,it was a lot of fun but i found out that alot of people didnt read Harry Potter hehehe!! It was a good laugh though and now it remains to be seen how many people will come to CCAA to know the school and attend some free classes they set up for people to watch etc.


Im browsing the internet for some pics and stuff of Formosa but not really turning up much with Yahoo, i switched to google and got a better response as it searches for Brasilian stuff first. There is an interesting website about the city of Formosa though that you can see HERE which has alot of information. Not too many pics though and maybe its a little out of date but still not bad. One thing you notice alot is that there are loads of catholic churches here, but the catholic religion always infects poor countries like a desease to get as much money as possible from poor people who wanna pay for their hopes and dreams. Luckily i never have to attend any functions of catholicism as part of my teaching post and i would easily find a way to get out of any that did see to appear hehehe! A few semi rich people have tried to impress me but generally they fail miserably as they just make themselves seem to be desperate to know me or tell people that they know me. I guess theere arent too many foreign people here in the city, in fact i havent found anyone else except me until now. Its a little quiet with not alot of things to do, you guys can read onthe social stuff on the website above. Compared to Planaltina its really calm and peaceful and to walk around in the squares at nice without having some asshole trying to rob you is great. I must try to get some decent pics of the place or find a site with alot of pics of Formosa so i can put the link here. An interesting quote about the so called "Rich" people for you guys from the site:

The rich in Formosa are the largest cattle ranch owners, the successful businessmen, the doctors who have been in the profession for many years, and some of the lawyers. Many of these men--cases of women having their own wealth are very rare--become politicians and become even more wealthier as corruption is a foregone conclusion.

Now about the poor, religion and politicians:

The vast poor make up the largest class, anywhere from seventy to eighty percent depending on the definition of poverty. These are the people who have almost no schooling and in many cases have migrated to Formosa in search of cheap housing in order to work in Brasilia. Their houses have no walls and there are no maids or cleaning ladies to help the mother who almost always works, unless she has too many children to take care of. There are no public childcare services. The men work in Brasilia in construction or as watchmen in buildings while the women clean house for the rich or work in shops as assistants. Some sweep the streets, others sell hot dogs in small stalls, and some cut hair in beauty salons. Education is public and very bad. Medical care is public and worse. Their only solace is religion and many of the poor attend Pentecostal churches such as Four Square Gospel, Assembly of God, and assorted Afro-Brazilian cults such as Umbanda or Macumba

One sect which has become very popular is Vale do Amanhecer, a strange mixture of Christian, Afro-Brazilian, French Kardecist-Spiritualist, Ancient Egyptian, and even UFO beliefs. While there is a small temple in Formosa, the main center is in Planaltina, 50 kilometers away in the direction of Brasilia.
Politics is usually on a personal basis, such as what Tião Carrero can do for me, a job, an operation for my mother, a lot to build my house etc. The Partido dos Trabalhadores, the leftwing Workers Party surprisingly has few supporters among the poor. They always tend to vote for the same corrupt politicians representing the rich families that want to preserve the status quo.

The sports of the poor are football, but often without shoes or a decent ball, and an improvised kite for the children. Recreation is television, with programs like Sílvio Santos taking up eight hours of a Sunday afternoon. Many of these people buy carnets offered by salesmen from the program with the hope that they might win a prize. Few do!

The site has lots more information, its well worth checking out but my personal experience of the city generally give me alot nicer impression of the place. To live here is nice, peaceful and alot calmer and there isnt the constant look of fear on everyones faces in Formosa as there is on the faces of people living in Planaltina. I understand now why most people i spoke to there told me this city is great, yeah great because you get to live alot longer and dont have the stress of thinking all the time "Am i going to get shot or killed today?"