#BLM Art and Former Statues

#BLM Art and Former Statues

Not only have there been gorgeous murals going up around the world in support of Black Lives Matter, but they are also painting the streets themselves. Black Lives Matter in huge letters, visible from space, or at least from small aircraft.

And the statues, ALL the statues seem to be coming down, all the ones which lack compassion.  And even the ones of old men, who might be on the good side of history.  In these days, it is better to rethink everything.  Even those who fought, did they not fight hard enough?  Did they do everything and we are still stuck in this world? Would their ghosts be fighting for change, along with the protesters? 

I imagine the ghosts on the better, more equitable side of history, cheering on the living.  All the energy (both living and dead) are contributing to the new world.  And even the ghosts with regretful pasts, are changing their minds.  Even they can change their minds, even they can fix things for the better from the grave.  

All the souls in the world want mercy for the future.

Even in Portugal,there is a sense of reckoning.  The idea that "Portugal is not a racist country" has been brought up again-how can the country which started the slave trade and commissioned histories to define the hierarchy of races- Prince Henry the Navigator has lots of statues-but we must now understand who he really is.

https://www.euroweeklynews.com/2020/06/06/black-lives-matter-movement-to-hold-more-rallies-across-portugal/

https://lithub.com/ibram-x-kendi-how-racism-relies-on-arbitrary-hierarchies/

Socially Distanced Sopas Festival!

Every summer, it is traditional for there to be many celebrations of the saints.  And for every island of the Azores, there is a special feast for the community.

We were able to celebrate the feast of Saint Anthony at his church in Cambridge, MA. Saint Anthony Parish

Of course, we are all in the middle of a pandemic.  Instead of a long line in the sun and then crowded into communal tables and large bowls of soup, each car was given a to-go pan of soup. (Open your trunks, do not get out of your car)

My mother missed the arroz doce the most.  I missed the ability to mix the table wine with orange soda-a drink for old ladies and aspiring children.

We also missed the idea of getting together-although a drive thru line was a new experience!  It makes me value the memories of actual experience even more, and makes me look forward to being able to do it again in the future.

Porco de chao vs Marmota

Porco de chao vs Marmota

We had a groundhog in the yard last year for the first time.  He came out in the middle of the day, in the middle of the yard, to check everything out.  We thought it was cute the first time we spotted him. 

But then this animal began digging.  I like to think of myself as a basic gardener, but this little guy made holes bigger than anything I've ever dug with a spade or a shovel.

As my mother was trying to describe this animal/monster to her sister in Sao Miguel, she could only translate it as the Pig of the Ground. Which it is. Totally appropriate.  I looked it up and found another name for it. but I like hers better.

Rebuçados-Cough Drops

The world has stopped for coronavirus. Everyone is at home, trying to hide from the world, hoping nobody breathes on you. Watching for every little sniff, sneeze or cough.

My mother just stormed into my room, telling me that I've been coughing and asking if I need any Rebuçados.  I know its serious when she teaches me a new word. She had an operation recently, and I've been taking care of her.  But she's a Portuguese mother and prefers to mother me.

A few months ago, talking about whether she should get an operation or not, we had a lot of life or death discussions.  Everything seemed depressing and sad.  And now, we are at a similar place again. Wondering about mortality, how lightly to take this serious threat.  We haven't been around a lot of people lately-except for people in the hospital.

The waiting game is hard.  But not as hard as the coughing and the gasping for air.  I hope you have lots of cough drops, everyone.  Good luck, stay safe, stay at home and stay healthy!!!

Rabugenta: Cranky

My mother called me out on one of my behaviors, and frankly I'm surprised it's taken this long for her to name it. 

Cranky, grouchy. As in: Oscar the Rabugento.

She's been sick lately, and by rights, should have been the one to be grouchy and in a foul mood. And frankly, I haven't been any worse than usual, but sometimes the subconscious comes up with great descriptors for the world around us.

And oddly enough, it made the both of us laugh. Enough to get us both feeling good and to kick us out of any kind of cranky mood. 

So next time you are cranky, you can cheer yourself up by thinking of all the ways you can describe yourself. And how you can surprise yourself and others by how you can laugh at your new nicknames!

MIT Hackathon in Virtual Reality

This month, I'm not talking about Portuguese, but about a new technology that can bring us across borders in time and space.

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I attended the MIT Hackathon about XR, actually called a Reality Hack.  I crafted and scripted the narrative about Desegregation in Miami in 1957-specifically a story about Frank LeGree and how his family had picketers outside his house, threw rocks and eventually erected a cross on his front lawn-all in order to get him out of a neighborhood.

The video of the AR experience we created is here: https://youtu.be/C6w3e4wqwfk

Our team would love to do more with AR and explore this and other stories of America's growing pains further. Desegregation of schools, different neighborhoods in large cities i the 1950's. Life for a growing country and how that time period brought forth change that is still unresolved today. 

Connect that period with When They See Us-and #OscarsStillSoWhite and you will see how America still exists in black and white for so many people. The best part of the Hackathon was the idea that so many different people could come together to build a new reality. One in which the only judgments issued are on a lack of imagination.