Today I met with Marcelo Rubez, my conversation partner, for the first time. We just sat in Barnes and Noble and talked about random things for an hour. He's from Brazil and this is his first semester at TCU. He spoke great English! There were very few words I couldn't understand or that he didn't know. I was very impressed. We talked about different physical activities we like to do. I mentioned I played soccer for ten years, which got him pretty excited since soccer is a big sport in Brazil. It's their equivalent of football. His big sport is calf roping! I never expected that. He also likes to cycle around the hills near his home in Brazil too.
We found that we both love nature. He's from a small town and his father owns a cow farm. He spent a lot of his childhood outdoors. He described the hills and waterfalls near his home. I am very jealous of his upbringing. I would love to live in a small country town. Next time we meet he his going to bring pictures.
We discussed the differences in alcohol laws between Brazil and the U.S. The minimum drinking age in Brazil is 18 and they seem to have just as much trouble with drunk driving as we do. He was surprised when I told him that there are some establishments, like gas stations, where you can buy alcohol but are not allowed to consume it on the premises.
Overall, meeting him for the first time was a lot of fun and somewhat enlightening. I'm looking forward to our next get-together. We're going to Walmart! :P
Monday, January 31, 2011
Thursday, January 27, 2011
"In a Station of the Metro" by Ezra Pound
"In a Station of the Metro" by Ezra Pound is the first poem we have read that speaks to me. Normally reading poetry is very mentally taxing for me because I am not the best at interpreting the author's meaning and purpose unless it's rather superficial and the author made no attempt to hide it. However, with this poem, I was drawn to its simplicity and juxtaposition.
When you hear the word "metro" some images that first come to mind may include crowds, dirt, trains, noise, and overall a sort of tenseness that accompanies any busy or active site. It can be a very stressful experience, one you want to be done with as soon as possible. Yet, Pound's poem gives the metro a whole different feeling. The word "apparition" evokes a sort of mystical scene. For me, the metro became significantly quieter, more mysterious. He focuses on the faces as opposed to the environment, which eliminates some of the dirtiness I associate with metros. Then Pound immediately brings in nature, which completely eliminated the hustle and bustle of the metro and instead painted a picture of peace and quiet. The poem invites the reader to imagine something natural in an urban setting.
One of the main reasons this poem spoke to me is because of the image I saw when I read "Petals on a wet, black bough." I pictured a vibrant purple flower on a tree branch dark from the rain, water clinging to the petals. I am a sucker for natural beauty and I love the rain. In my opinion, the best time for self-reflection and deep thinking is right after the rain. The world is quiet and listening. The imagery gave me calm after the chaos of a metro. The poet saw beauty in a scene often depicted as hectic and ugly. The peace it gave me was wonderful and I was surprised by it. I guess what I learned from the poem is that there can be beauty in everything if you view it through the right lens.
When you hear the word "metro" some images that first come to mind may include crowds, dirt, trains, noise, and overall a sort of tenseness that accompanies any busy or active site. It can be a very stressful experience, one you want to be done with as soon as possible. Yet, Pound's poem gives the metro a whole different feeling. The word "apparition" evokes a sort of mystical scene. For me, the metro became significantly quieter, more mysterious. He focuses on the faces as opposed to the environment, which eliminates some of the dirtiness I associate with metros. Then Pound immediately brings in nature, which completely eliminated the hustle and bustle of the metro and instead painted a picture of peace and quiet. The poem invites the reader to imagine something natural in an urban setting.
One of the main reasons this poem spoke to me is because of the image I saw when I read "Petals on a wet, black bough." I pictured a vibrant purple flower on a tree branch dark from the rain, water clinging to the petals. I am a sucker for natural beauty and I love the rain. In my opinion, the best time for self-reflection and deep thinking is right after the rain. The world is quiet and listening. The imagery gave me calm after the chaos of a metro. The poet saw beauty in a scene often depicted as hectic and ugly. The peace it gave me was wonderful and I was surprised by it. I guess what I learned from the poem is that there can be beauty in everything if you view it through the right lens.
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