21 Feb ZIMBROS – 20 FEBRUARY 2018 – THE SECRET

In Southern Brazil where we are now it’s been raining every day. It’s not a weather for the beach, restaurants are full as poor tourists have no better thing to do. It doesn’t rain all the time, but the weather changes quicker than Superman changes his outfit.

But no matter the weather, Brazil remains Brazil. I remember when I was a child there was this first telenovela aired on National Television after the Revolution, “Slave Isaura”.

I mumbled nonsense that sounded like Portuguese and ended everything in “obrigado”. I was fascinated by the pronunciation of this word, obrigado, especially pronounced by Brazilians.

It was like a little tremble when you said it from the throat: obrigado. The difference of “obrigado” from Portugal and the one in Brazil is like the difference of a “ thank you” in Britain and America.

It’s also the first language where there is a different form for men – who say “obrigado” and women – who say “obrigada”.

Little linguistic discoveries are little pearls that remain in our memory like the crumbles of Gretel.

Now we are in Brazil and we leave an “obrigado” every 2 minutes. It’s like in that movie “The Secret” when you turn 40 and you realize all your childhood you wished you walked on those beaches where people play football.

Not a big fan of this sport, though. If Brazilians found out that I lose a ball worse than my 9 year old son, they would kick me out of the country for sure.

And I play it safe, I play with my son football only when there’s the two of us. Now that we are in Pele’s territory.

Should I tell you about this?

We always have a stroll in the beach in the evening and the beach is as crowded in the evening as it is during the day so there’s always a ball coming at our feet by mistake.

I get carried away and I try to shoot the ball back. Obviously I threw it into the ocean! The players were stunned, didn’t know what to believe.

I, very poised, wave that “I got this” and turn to Aris to ask him to take the ball out of the water because I was to chilly to do it.

Aris is not is his best mood: “you kicked it, you go for it”.

After a well-deserved bath I give the people the ball back. On our way back home luck strikes again: another ball.

Lavinia looks at me and gives me a Ronaldinho smile: “I’ve got this one, babe!” 🙂

In zona de Sud a Braziliei unde ne aflam ploua in fiecare zi. Nu este o vreme de plaja, restaurantele pline, ce sa faca saracii turisti. Nu ploua non-stop, dar se schimba vremea precum isi schimba Superman hainele.

Dar indiferent cum este vremea, Brazilia ramane Brazilia. Imi amintesc de pe vremea copilariei de Sclava Isaura, prima telenovela difuzata in Romania dupa revolutie.

Fredonam aiurea inventand cuvinte in Portugheza si terminand cu un Obrigado maret. Ma fascina pronuntia cuvantului Obrigado, mai ales cand il auzeam pronuntat de catre Brazilieni. Parca te cutremura cand spui mai din gat: Obrigado.

Diferenta fonetica dintre Obrigado din Portugalia si cel din Brazilia poate fi asemanata cu diferenta intre un Thank You pronuntat de catre un American si un Englez.

Este prima limba in care am descoperit un Multumesc diferentiat. Barbatii spun Obrigado, pe cand femeile Obrigada.

Descoperirile lingvistice sunt micile perle ce ne raman presarate prin memorie precum firimiturile lui Gretel.

Acum suntem in Brazilia si zicem Obrigado la fiecare pas.

E ca in filmul The Secret, cand ajungi la 40-ji de ani si-ti dai seama ca toata copilaria ai visat sa te plimbi in fiecare seara pe plajele unde joaca lumea fotbal.

Nu ca as avea vreo treaba cu practicarea acestui sport. Daca se prind Brazilienii  ca ratez mingea mai rau ca fie-miu la 9 ani, ma expulzeaza din tara cu siguranta. Asa ca stau la cutie, nu ma joc cu fie-miu fotbal decat cand suntem singuri.

Asta cat suntem pe pamantul lui Pele.

Sa va povestesc?

Cum nu ratam in nici o zi plimbarea de seara pe plaja si cum seara e ca ziua pe plaja in Brazilia, va dati seama, mai vin mingii inspre tine.

Ma ia bunatatea pe dinainte, uit cat de talentat sunt si ma grabesc sa le degajez mingea inapoi. Evident, am trimis-o in ocean!

Aia se uitau sparti, nu stiau ce sa creada.

Eu calm, le fac cu mana sa stea linistiti, ma intorc la Aris si-l rog: “du-te tu, tati, te rog si ia mingea din apa, ca mi-e frig”.

La care Aris zice: “nu ma duc ca mi-e rusine, tu ai dat-o, tu sa te duci!”

Dupa o baie binemeritata, ce crezi?! Alta minge apare din senin! Lavinia se uita la mine si-mi zice cu zambetul lui Ronaldinho pe buze:

“Ma duc eu de data asta!”