Why so cranky? A rant about Carnival and tourists.

This is the second image you get if you google "cranky". I had to laugh and add it.


I've been very down lately. And VERY cranky.
Is it Carnival? Is it the tourists everywhere? Is it the trash? The noise? The heat? The fact that I'm very anti social lately?

I don't know. Carnival must be helping. You see, I don't really like it. It's a punch in the stomach of my identity, but it really isnt't for me. And it's not that I'm getting old. I only remember liking Carnival when I was a very little child - 4 or 5 - because I loved throwing confetti and dressing up. Than later it was just a big bleh for me. I do appreciate the oficial Carnival Parade in Rio de Janeiro. It is quite stunning and a reflection of our culture. But... do I need to take part? can't I just watch some on TV? The street part of Carnival is so annoying. The traffic becomes even more confusing then normal, there are thousands of people on the streets, so many tourists... it's like 01:33 in the morning, I'm on the 9th floor and I can hear them downstairs on the street!!! I feel so much like an old lady. It's not really Carnival that is annoying me as much as my own annoyance annoying me, get it? LMAO! It's true! I'm annoying myself with my annoyance. Let people have fun! Why do you care?

But I do. lol And therefore cranky I am. Of course, the fact that I haven't finished my final paper yet (can you believe it?!) is also adding up. I'm here trying to write it... but I just can't do it. I have to, however. Friday is the limit and I'll be free. Yes. Free. Maybe a little too free. That's what is so scary. O_o

Also, this time of the year we get THOSE tourists. Well, it's confession time and I probably will go back to this theme many other times to clarify myself as I had to in real life when this issue was brought up. I don't like tourists. There. I said it. I don't. Naturally, I'm talking about a typical tourist. What a typical tourist actually is, is up for debate. For me there's a big difference between being a tourist and being a traveller , for starters. I don't know how to explain it here, in English and in concise form. But there is. I always felt that tourism had that touch of "the world is my personal backyard and let's enjoy it" that I don't appreciate.

If you come from a 3rd world country like me - ok, that term is just SO ridiculous, but let's stick to it for rhetoric's sake - listening to 1st world country - ok, ok, it's just rhetoric - tourists can be both a frutrating and entertaining experience. You know I speak 4 foreign languages which gives me the joy of understanding English, French, German and Japanese. Btw, I really don't get how the English speaking tourists don't notice that so many people can actually understand them! Many people don't, but so many do! I remember once having this guy talking about me in English right in front of my face! I had to laugh hysterically right back. Oh, the joys of awkwardness... Anyways, back to my rant. Where was I? Oh, yes. Language and tourists. Right. Well... sometimes I wish I had no ears, had never learned any language or had a better sense of humour. Having people criticizing my country in the most ignorant ways like this is their backyard - well, they do have a point, I have to say, still... - is really both annoying and humourous. Again, my sense of humour... I don't know. I think I left it somewhere...

Sometimes I answer back, sometimes I just look at them with those "wtf" eyes... (I have so many personal stories about this I hope to share someday) This year because of this forsaken paper I have't gone out a lot, so not much happened. Don't get me wrong. I always help tourists. I was helped many times abroad and I feel like I should do it. But when they say "Gracias" I think "Oh, God.... why?? Why nobody goes to Wikipedia before they go abroad? Help me!" Friend, if you are coming to Brazil DON'T SAY GRACIAS! Unless you are a native Spanish speaker; that is the only case where it's cool, hermano. Other than that, just forget about it. We hate it. And even if some of us don't care, some of us do *points at self*. It's like going to Latvia and saying "Spassiba" or going to Korea and say "Arigatou". Ok, these two examples are MUCH, MUCH worse (remember, DON'T DO IT!)... but still. "Thank you" in Portuguese doesn't even sound like Gracias. If you are a man you say "Obrigado", if you are a girl you say "Obrigada". There you go. It won't take any extra space in your brain and you can forget later after you drank too many caipirinhas to remember your own name.

Ok, enough ranting. Jeesh, Odna.. what an enourmously boring post!!! Stop now and go to bed, have some rest and calm down! you are driving me crazy.

Ar... those people in the dining room...

Wednesday, February 17, 2010