refletion of the week...CAGED ANIMALS

Look at the pictures above and answer me: Are they happy animals? well, I went to WINNIPEG zoo last Sunday and I really don't know why, but I was struck by the caged animals... It had been a long time since I visited o zoo ( 15 years ago???)...I actually got very sad for them. Looking at the leopard, the bears, lions and some many other animals caged in a place like a "box" of 20 meters square was quite depressing!!! Then I remember Bill saying to me in the car; " I really don't know why they keep this horrible places...nobody keeps zoos anymore!!!"
but then I visualized the zoo with so many kids and their families strolling around and having fun...I myself had the company of the TAVARES family and their two girls Juliana and Bia WERE EXTREMELY HAPPY ...their eyes were shining at every animal they saw!!!
So then I thought ...well, it is a horrible and depressing place FOR SOME PEOPLE at the same time it is a magical and beautiful place FOR OTHER PEOPLE...

And this reflection led me to think about us HUMAN BEINGS as caged animals...I know it sounds a cliche, but I was thinking about the metaphor of the human beings as caged animals and societies as zoos! and THEN I obviously thought of myself as a caged animal living in my very small studio apartment here in Winnipeg (well, sometimes spend 10 hours here reading and studying)...and guess what? I felt relieved I was not a "wild animal" strolling on the steets of Montreal ( my thesis wouldn't be written there!)

So the big is: is it better to live like a CONSCIOUS caged animal or an UNCOUNCIOUS wild animal living with no purpose?
And the big answer is: there is no BETTER or BEST...there is just living your choices!

well, GUYS HAVE A NICE WORLD CUP!! and remember that if you go into the streets...be careful with the wild animals / if you watch the matches at home: be careful with the caged ones!!!



AND ...TAVERES FAMILY...WELCOME TO WINNIPEG!!!


Daniel Ferraz

Pedido!!!

Hello everyone!!!

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY !!!

I ve been studying a loooor ( really) yesterday I studied from 8 am to 8 pm almost non-stop... I m getting crazy!!! This is why I haven't posted ok?

Bem um pedido importante. na verdade preciso saber quantas pessoas estao acompanhando o blog de vez em quando. CAN YOU GUYS SEND ME AN EMAIL? Voces podem me mandar um email dizendo eu entro no blog? thanks a million!!! email: danielferraz77@gmail.comah of course YOU CAN SEND ME NEWS ABOUT BRAZIL AND ABOUT THE WORLD CUP ...PLEEEEEEEASE...over here nobody cares about soccer!!!

kisses and thanks
Daniel

mais um pouquinho de Montreal !!!
ah THERE IS A VIDEO ABOUT A BRAZILIAN SAMBA PARTY WE WENT!!!


My friend marcela and I trying to dance sammba ha ha ha


hi dear all...back to Winnipeg and to real life...
at the BIODOME...a huge place with animals and plants...




downtown...


my friends Jose from Mexico and Marcela from RJ


Mont Royal Park...beautiful...

xoxoxox
daniel

More Montreal

hi there people

I m not writing much today...just let you appreciate the beautiful pictures of Montreal and of my friends...






more of WONDERFUL city of Montreal...

La ville de Montreal!!!

Salut toout le monde!! Bienvenue a Montreal!!! oui oui fon fon ha ha ha...Je suis a Montreal et ici tour le monde parle francais...Yeah it's true everybody speaks French around here...

So here I am in Montreal, this LOVELY AND PASSIONATE city ...it s the second largest city in Canada...and I have to tell you a secret: I'm love with the city...it's a huge city of almost 4 million inhabitants, but a fluid, organized and beautiful city. he secret is: I AM NOT GOING BACK to Brazil, I will live in Montreal for a while he he he of course I am joking... but anyways it s a lovely city!!!

here goes some pics..

I ll try to post more during the week, but life has been so busy and full of adventures he he he

please I know you are having problems to post comments and answers..so PLEASE send you comments to my email..thank you! danielferraz77@gmail.com

downtown area - dancing waters

this is La Rue de Saitn Catherine in the summer parts of the street are closed for vehicles and people can stroll around, eat, see the shows, date, etc


these are the typical building in Montreal , you see them all over the city...so here you see many apartments in one building...I m here in one of them . Im staying at my Brazilian friend s house Adolpho...


more houses


and of course THE MAPLE LEAF, the symbol of Canada!

So of course I also came here to participate in a Congress. It's one of the biggest congresses of Human Sciences and Humanities. Very interesting, lots of excellent presentations!!! in English, French, Portuguese, and other languages!!!

and of course, here we speak English and then out of the blue we switch to French...it s so funny!!!
I finally went dancing, drank a little bit he he he, had LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOTS of fun he he he!!!

many hugs and kisses

daniel

Celebrating!

that's me celebrating 1 month of Winnipeg!!!
dancing in the apartment ( I guess I'm a little crazy kkkkkk)

1 month of Canada!

1 month of Winnipeg !!!
sooo fast!!

just to let you know that now I think time is FLYING!!! I am great, happy, making friends, cooking, washing up, cleaning up, working out, swimming ( 2,500 kilometers a day!!!), studying a lot, etc, etc

...but I miss you all, not THAAAAT much ( ha ha ha) but I miss my family, my DEAREST students and friends!!!

no funny stories this week...just that classes have started and some interesting aspects, from MY PERSPECTIVE of course: Canadians are serious when they study...and if it's a graduate course ( post -graduation for us) they are EVEN MORE serious...there is this very friendly Mexican girl in my group and she is always trying to be friendly in class ...hummmm NO NO NO not a good idea, they are serious, they read the texts, they debate the texts etc etc... cultural shocks, interesting to learn...I started to think how WE LATIN Americans shock them with our way of being... WE KISS, WE HUG, THEY DON T, they arrive and sit down and start studying and when time is over, they stand up and GO!!! not EVEN BYE BYE!!! well, I study interpretation and different perspectives so it s very interesting to see both sides ( when I am a student in Brazil and a student here). Is there a BETTER way? Of course NOT !!! this is the magic of OPENING YOUR MIND in order to understand/respect the other


and to finish, some HINTS on MOVIES:

1. Cooking with Stella ( it s an independent Canadian production, you can try a download at mininova.org)

2. Dancer in the dark (dancando no escuro) a VERY different movie, alternative, cult, from the director Lars Von Trier...try to watch until the end, great picture!


and for my students, to practice listening:

www.ted.com ( very very interesting) you choose a TOPIC of interest, a video and ther you go!!!

many many hugs and kisses

Daniel

The University of Manitoba

Hi there eveyone!!!

So, my classes have finally started ( very hard course: 4 books to read, many many articles to read, and about 10 papers to write!- Oh Boy!!!)

It has been very cold ( well for us Brazilians it is very cold)... like today was 7 degrees, but last night was -2 degrees... it s funny because that s a nice weather for Canadians...they say: It s nice outside! ( and I think: wow I'm freezing!!!)

and the good news is: I am very adapted and very happy!!!

So I ll just post some pictures of the University of Manitoba ( it s a big and beatiful Campus);

So, see you next time: Daniel Ferraz!







this is the buiding where I study ( The Centre for Globalizing and Cultural Studies)