Viva no Brasil!
Despite the many emails claiming such, I am not dead.
I´m sure many of you want to know all about Brasil... well, this is all you´re going to get right now: Recife (north eastern Brazil) is just like Venice Beach except that the people move slower and the cars move faster.
Tonight I discovered the company of "compatriots by association" is easily obtainable, and crosses strong cultural borders. I have been living in a bed and breakfast for the past 4 days and three nights. Tonight I moved in to an apartment full of students, to sleep on the couch for two weeks until my apartment is available (I have to wait for Denise to move back to Germany). I speak very little portuguese, and I have no chance of comprehending the many colloquial phrases enjoyed by college students. This did not stop me from actively enjoying the banter tonight much more than the banter of senora Zoya and her maid Vera at the B&B. We all know there is a rhythym to comedy (if you don´t know this, stop trying, because, you´re not funny), but tonight I understood there is also a rhythym to my generation (it´s given that mass media has something important to do with that, and I think it´s a good thing). Without understanding what was being said, I knew before laughter and looks who was the butt of the joke, I understood who controlled the pace and where they would take it. I could map out the conversation with operators, and leave the words to be filled in by any set of wise cracking, care-free collegians. Just a giant mad lib that defines the white noise in tomorrow´s minds.
This tiny bit of knowledge offers me a world of possibility and new questions. I now believe that to be effective with others, if it´s not who I know, the next step is... can I match their rhythym? Then maybe what I can actually do will become pertinent. For me, this has huge implications as a student, leader, manager (times two: talking up and down), teacher, and as an entrepenuer. Thinking on this leads me quickly to the paradox of charisma... how is it that these JFKs and Barack Obamas (I prefer not to abbreviate with BO) tapped into nearly everyone´s rhythym? They engage the majority as I was engaged tonight by three students from Portugal and one Brasilian. I use the word paradox because I now recall experiencing many different rhythyms... for comedy, for students, in the office for business, in the office for pleasure, for political debate, et al. My engeering brain also leads me to assume that you should only be able to fully tap into one rhythtm at a time. Sure, you can overlap, but never should be able capture two rhythyms completly and instantaneously. Perhaps my engineering brain needs to cross-modulate the transrectifyer and speak from nuerons only found in dark corners of the brain whispering, with a bottle of whisky in hand (editor´s note - whisky: from the Gaelic whiskybae (4 syllables), which means water of life).
I know this isn´t what people wanted from this post... but that´s too bad, cause they can suck it. I have six months to talk about brasil, and the beaches will still be here when I decide to post about it (collegiate rhythym).
Other details:
-I miss Apayo and her phat cheeks.
-I am excited about living with Drew next fall (my brother.... yes, I have a brother)
-If you don´t know why I said entrepenuer then get on the wagon - http://www.columbiacouriers.com
Vive le Blog... It´s back.
-Brady
I´m sure many of you want to know all about Brasil... well, this is all you´re going to get right now: Recife (north eastern Brazil) is just like Venice Beach except that the people move slower and the cars move faster.
Tonight I discovered the company of "compatriots by association" is easily obtainable, and crosses strong cultural borders. I have been living in a bed and breakfast for the past 4 days and three nights. Tonight I moved in to an apartment full of students, to sleep on the couch for two weeks until my apartment is available (I have to wait for Denise to move back to Germany). I speak very little portuguese, and I have no chance of comprehending the many colloquial phrases enjoyed by college students. This did not stop me from actively enjoying the banter tonight much more than the banter of senora Zoya and her maid Vera at the B&B. We all know there is a rhythym to comedy (if you don´t know this, stop trying, because, you´re not funny), but tonight I understood there is also a rhythym to my generation (it´s given that mass media has something important to do with that, and I think it´s a good thing). Without understanding what was being said, I knew before laughter and looks who was the butt of the joke, I understood who controlled the pace and where they would take it. I could map out the conversation with operators, and leave the words to be filled in by any set of wise cracking, care-free collegians. Just a giant mad lib that defines the white noise in tomorrow´s minds.
This tiny bit of knowledge offers me a world of possibility and new questions. I now believe that to be effective with others, if it´s not who I know, the next step is... can I match their rhythym? Then maybe what I can actually do will become pertinent. For me, this has huge implications as a student, leader, manager (times two: talking up and down), teacher, and as an entrepenuer. Thinking on this leads me quickly to the paradox of charisma... how is it that these JFKs and Barack Obamas (I prefer not to abbreviate with BO) tapped into nearly everyone´s rhythym? They engage the majority as I was engaged tonight by three students from Portugal and one Brasilian. I use the word paradox because I now recall experiencing many different rhythyms... for comedy, for students, in the office for business, in the office for pleasure, for political debate, et al. My engeering brain also leads me to assume that you should only be able to fully tap into one rhythtm at a time. Sure, you can overlap, but never should be able capture two rhythyms completly and instantaneously. Perhaps my engineering brain needs to cross-modulate the transrectifyer and speak from nuerons only found in dark corners of the brain whispering, with a bottle of whisky in hand (editor´s note - whisky: from the Gaelic whiskybae (4 syllables), which means water of life).
I know this isn´t what people wanted from this post... but that´s too bad, cause they can suck it. I have six months to talk about brasil, and the beaches will still be here when I decide to post about it (collegiate rhythym).
Other details:
-I miss Apayo and her phat cheeks.
-I am excited about living with Drew next fall (my brother.... yes, I have a brother)
-If you don´t know why I said entrepenuer then get on the wagon - http://www.columbiacouriers.com
Vive le Blog... It´s back.
-Brady
posted by Brady Beckham at 12:03 AM
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