The drag, the nose, and the economy

Not my photo ; )

As taken from my notebook... that which I can read, of course, as it was scrawled on the bus...

It's a beautiful day today. Clear blue skies; the only thing marring them being the ever-present grey city haze. The warm winterish sun is delightful, a playful breeze being the only reminder that it isn't high summer... that and the fact that most Brazilians around me are wrapped up like Eskimos. The temperature is a 'chilly' 20°C.

As the bus stop-started along Avenida Paulista, I was engaging in one of my favourite pastimes, people watching. It is a great area for strange sights, especially around Masp and today was no exception. Skipping along, blowing some sort of horn sounding like a sick duck, was a drag 'thing'. I didn't say 'queen' because he was making absolutely no attempt to look female other than in dress. His long, plastic Barbie hair lay glistening in a pinkish-blonde mass over his shoulders. His thin, hairy legs were encased in white stockings, topped by a chunky body in the proverbial 'little black dress', sporting enormous stuffed boobs. When he wasn't blowing his horn or shaking hands with onlookers, including two beaming hobos, he was doing a strange fluttering thing with his top lip. My imagination has failed... I can't describe it. It was really weird to watch.

The film crew, though, seemed more interested in the little guy and the tall guy. The tall guy was an ordinary Brazilian-looking chap, dressed in a black suit. It was the little guy who stole the show though. Picture a cross between a toucan and a vulture, his very large, sharp nose curving out from between tiny black eyes in his pale face. It was definitely the focal point of his face, almost, but not quite, obscuring  his toothy grin and deep, long dimples. A queer-looking fellow, to be sure. Oh, I called him the little guy, right? He was no taller than an average 7 year old boy! And skinny to boot. To add to the contrast with the tall guy, he was dressed in a white dinner jacket.

Aroun the outside of the Masp are some short concrete pillars to prevent cars entering. On a signal, the little guy and the tall guy wove in and out of the pillars, the little guy in the lead pretending to steer and doing the whole 3yr old "Vroom! Vroom" thing. Who knows what TV show this was for. I'm now not sure if I'm glad or disappointed that I don't have a TV. I think I'll stick with 'glad'.

My student was telling me today about how his CFO pays an exorbitant amount for a nanny for his kids, as the nanny needs to be able to speak English (the CFO is German). He laughingly asked why I don't do it. Why not? We then embarked on a lively discussion on the pros and cons of being a nanny. He decided that he couldn't do it. It all started with a discussion on being without an income, as apparently British Airways has asked their staff to work for 1 month without a salary. My student said he'd rather recycle cans, but that I was perfect for the job of nanny, as I could offer English lessons to the family at the same time. He wasn't keen on losing his teacher though. It was an interesting discussion though, as we spoke about what people do in different countries and cultures when forced by the economy to be without work or means to earn a living, as so many are doing now.

I'm off to bed now. I have a really early class tomorrow and my Monday Monsters have an extra class tomorrow afternoon. That should be fun  ; )

 

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