Despite the vocal problems I'm having, I am enjoying this restful time in Brazil. It's nice to sleep in, have a leisurely breakfast and then relax with friends and make music.
On Tuesday, we move on to another song that Enéias has written. Again, he wants English lyrics. I'm starting from scratch with this song. A literal translation won't be any good - the equivalent English words have very different sounds, and the ideas need to be expressed in a different way.
The song in Portuguese is called "Amei" (pronounced "Armay" - "I Loved"), and that word creates a motif that is repeated throughout the song. Straight away, I can see that we need a different one in English. We need a sound that can be sung on a long note. We decide to substitute "I Dreamed". OK, we're onto something. I begin to ask myself - what things might you dream about if you were keen on someone? A couple of phrases come into my head and I jot them down.
By lunchtime we still haven't got very far. Enéias suggests I go and rest at the hotel while he is busy doing a few things. I lie down in my room for about twenty minutes. The song is floating around in my head. Suddenly, lyrics start to form. I sit up and grab my notebook. Quick - write down the ideas, before they evaporate!
Two hours later I return to the apartment. "We have a song!" I declare, triumphantly.
It's true - we have a song. Funny how creativity works better when your mind is relaxed and you're not rushing around like a crazy person.
Enéias' Mum has been bringing us cakes as a late afternoon snack. Her cakes are sweet and sticky - and very delicious. Each day, she brings us two different ones.
I'm slightly concerned about consuming all these calories. But I can't not try the cakes, and I guess there will be plenty of time to diet later. When I get home. After Christmas. Or New Year. Maybe.
That night, I travel to the nearby town of Corupá. I've agreed to visit an English language school there, to give the students some conversation practice. Enéias' mother drives me there. We're a bit late, but it doesn't seem to matter - they are pleased that I've arrived, and lead me into a classroom where about a dozen students are seated.
The students are aged from about eighteen to thirty. The teachers encourage them to ask me questions. They want to know a lot of different things:
"How many people live in Australia?"
"What is the climate like there?"
"Is there corruption in Australia?"
"Are things in Australia cheaper or more expensive than in Brazil?"
The teachers themselves speak excellent English, and from time to time they correct the students' expression and pronunciation. Sometimes I am able to explain a concept in Portuguese.
I would have liked to be a language teacher - if it didn't mean teaching in high schools - which it did, so therefore I am not one. But I enjoy working with language, and to witness these students grappling with my own language is fascinating. We share our opinions about what makes each language challenging.
At the end of the class, I give each student a tiny toy koala. They also present me with a gift - a basket of banana products. There are banana chips (salted, not sweet like we have in Australia), whole dried bananas and chocolate-coated bananas.
Well, I guess there will be plenty of time to diet. Later.
On Tuesday, we move on to another song that Enéias has written. Again, he wants English lyrics. I'm starting from scratch with this song. A literal translation won't be any good - the equivalent English words have very different sounds, and the ideas need to be expressed in a different way.
The song in Portuguese is called "Amei" (pronounced "Armay" - "I Loved"), and that word creates a motif that is repeated throughout the song. Straight away, I can see that we need a different one in English. We need a sound that can be sung on a long note. We decide to substitute "I Dreamed". OK, we're onto something. I begin to ask myself - what things might you dream about if you were keen on someone? A couple of phrases come into my head and I jot them down.
By lunchtime we still haven't got very far. Enéias suggests I go and rest at the hotel while he is busy doing a few things. I lie down in my room for about twenty minutes. The song is floating around in my head. Suddenly, lyrics start to form. I sit up and grab my notebook. Quick - write down the ideas, before they evaporate!
Two hours later I return to the apartment. "We have a song!" I declare, triumphantly.
It's true - we have a song. Funny how creativity works better when your mind is relaxed and you're not rushing around like a crazy person.
Enéias' Mum has been bringing us cakes as a late afternoon snack. Her cakes are sweet and sticky - and very delicious. Each day, she brings us two different ones.
I'm slightly concerned about consuming all these calories. But I can't not try the cakes, and I guess there will be plenty of time to diet later. When I get home. After Christmas. Or New Year. Maybe.
That night, I travel to the nearby town of Corupá. I've agreed to visit an English language school there, to give the students some conversation practice. Enéias' mother drives me there. We're a bit late, but it doesn't seem to matter - they are pleased that I've arrived, and lead me into a classroom where about a dozen students are seated.
The students are aged from about eighteen to thirty. The teachers encourage them to ask me questions. They want to know a lot of different things:
"How many people live in Australia?"
"What is the climate like there?"
"Is there corruption in Australia?"
"Are things in Australia cheaper or more expensive than in Brazil?"
The teachers themselves speak excellent English, and from time to time they correct the students' expression and pronunciation. Sometimes I am able to explain a concept in Portuguese.
I would have liked to be a language teacher - if it didn't mean teaching in high schools - which it did, so therefore I am not one. But I enjoy working with language, and to witness these students grappling with my own language is fascinating. We share our opinions about what makes each language challenging.
At the end of the class, I give each student a tiny toy koala. They also present me with a gift - a basket of banana products. There are banana chips (salted, not sweet like we have in Australia), whole dried bananas and chocolate-coated bananas.
Well, I guess there will be plenty of time to diet. Later.
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