My Life in Brazil

By Maria Cavalcante-Fleming

Maria Cavalcante-Fleming, born and raised in the city of So Paulo, Brazil, is a certified and licensed special education teacher for the department of education in Honolulu, Hawaii. She came to the United States of America in 1981. She comes from a large family of eleven brothers and five sisters, all living in Brazil. Her two childrenborn in Portland, Oregon, and raised in Kailua, Hawaiiare David Alfredo Fleming, thirty years old, and Amanda Marie Fleming, twenty-eight years old, who both reside in Oregon. Maria earned her bachelors degree in education in So Paulo, Brazil, and her masters degree in special education in Honolulu, Hawaii. She has been teaching elementary school students in Hawaii for over twenty-six years. Before coming to America, she taught Portuguese and English in So Paulo, Brazil, for four years. Her hobbies include reading romantic novels, watching musicals and classical movies, and travelling. She visited several places: New York City, where she lived for two years; Washington, DC; Philadelphia; Boston; Chicago; Seattle; Portland, where she lived for four years; Niagara Falls; London; Paris; Vancouver; and Ottawa. Her favorite hobby is painting in acrylic on canvas boards. She has painted over fifteen pieces of artwork, which include seascape, landscape, portraits, animals, and still life. Some of her paintings, she created to illustrate this book. She enjoys writing books about her life, which she began in the fall of 2013. On her first book, My Life in Brazil, she tells her story about growing up in Brazil with her sixteen siblings. On her second book, My Life in USA - Part 1, she tells how she came to America on her own and survived countless obstacles as an immigrant who, at first, could barely speak a full sentence in English. She is currently working on her third book, My Life in USA Part 2, on which she tells her story as a divorced mother struggling to survive on her own and how she has come thus far.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Sep 10, 2015
• ISBN: 9781504922463

Maria Cavalcante-Fleming

Maria Cavalcante-Fleming, born and raised in the city of São Paulo, Brazil, is a certified and licensed special education teacher for the department of education in Honolulu, Hawaii. She came to the United States of America in 1981. She comes from a large family of eleven brothers and five sisters, all living in Brazil. Her two children—born in Portland, Oregon, and raised in Kailua, Hawaii—are David Alfredo Fleming, thirty years old, and Amanda Marie Fleming, twenty-eight years old, who both reside in Oregon. Maria earned her bachelor’s degree in education in São Paulo, Brazil, and her master’s degree in special education in Honolulu, Hawaii. She has been teaching elementary school students in Hawaii for over twenty-six years. Before coming to America, she taught Portuguese and English in São Paulo, Brazil, for four years. Her hobbies include reading romantic novels, watching musicals and classical movies, and travelling. She visited several places: New York City, where she lived for two years; Washington, DC; Philadelphia; Boston; Chicago; Seattle; Portland, where she lived for four years; Niagara Falls; London; Paris; Vancouver; and Ottawa. Her favorite hobby is painting in acrylic on canvas boards. She has painted over fifteen pieces of artwork, which include seascape, landscape, portraits, animals, and still life. Some of her paintings, she created to illustrate this book. She enjoys writing books about her life, which she began in the fall of 2013. On her first book, My Life in Brazil, she tells her story about growing up in Brazil with her sixteen siblings. On her second book, My Life in USA - Part 1, she tells how she came to America on her own and survived countless obstacles as an immigrant who, at first, could barely speak a full sentence in English. She is currently working on her third book, My Life in USA – Part 2, on which she tells her story as a divorced mother struggling to survive on her own and how she has come thus far.

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© 2015 Maria Cavalcante-Fleming. All rights reserved.

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Published by AuthorHouse 11/13/2015

ISBN: 978-1-5049-0900-6 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5049-2246-3 (e)

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CONTENTS

Preface

Prologue

Chapter 1   About the Country of Brazil

Chapter 2   My Life in Iguaraci, Pernambuco, Brazil

Chapter 3   The Beginning

Chapter 4   My Life in Pesqueira, Pernambuco, Brazil

Chapter 5   My Life in São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil

Chapter 6   My Life in Arcoverde, Pernambuco, Brazil

Chapter 7   My Life in São Paulo, São Paulo

Chapter 8   Graduation Day

Chapter 9   University Graduation

Chapter 10   Trip to Olinda, Pernambuco

Chapter 11   Trip to Rio de Janeiro Capital

Epilogue

Autobiography

Acknowledgment

Memory

Maria Cavalcante-Fleming

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Life is a Rollercoaster

So, prepare your hearts to ride with me into the story of

My Life in Brazil

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In Memory of

My loving parents who dedicated most

Of their lives in Brazil to raise

Their seventeen children

And

My dear brother-in-law who passed away recently

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I

dedicate this book to my much-loved brothers

And sisters for their

Love, moral and spiritual support

That inspired me to write this

Memorable Manuscript

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For my adorable children

David Alfredo Fleming and

Amanda Marie Fleming

The most beautiful gifts God has given me

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PREFACE

Several years ago, I came up with the idea of writing a book about my life in Brazil where I was born and raised. Thus, over the years, I jotted down ideas such as vacation trips out of state and abroad and memorable moments of great magnitude to me while I was growing up in São Paulo, Brazil. The many authors of novels I had to read for English Literature class while attending undergraduate school in São Paulo City, which volumes were in English, inspired me to write my own manuscript.

This book describes real life stories that happened to me or around me while I was growing up. The main characters in this book are also real life persons who are my closest and extended family members from both sides of my father’s and my mother’s relatives as well as my oldest siblings’ children also living in several states of Brazil.

In this book you will learn not only about a large family’s survival over the years, but also how they went from poverty-stricken to middle class, from misery to happiness in the old days. You will also have a preview and glance at some of the Brazilian places, traditions, costumes and foods.

I learned a lot as a writer from the time I began to the time I finished writing my book, which I started in October 2013 and ended almost two years later. As I wrote each page of this book, my feelings were like a roller coaster that goes up and down as I recalled and described the real life situations, which my siblings and I went through when growing up in Brazil. Many tears rolled down from my eyes when I narrated my long gone beloved relatives, in particular, my parents who I loved and admired the most. When the delightful moments emerged before our eyes, making the roller coaster go up, we cheered and laughed with joy making up for the cheerless and tearful moments as the roller coaster went down.

When I began drafting every thought that came upon my mind I realized that my reflections were too long, I just went on and on which I believed that is how the other authors usually compose. Halfway through the book, I went back, revised each paragraph, sentence, proofread it, and then, when satisfied I carried onto the final chapter and by doing so I became a better writer.

Because I wanted my book to be an authentic creation, I chose to illustrate several parts of it; however, in the old days we did not have money to buy a camera to take pictures, which was a luxury for not only us, but also for many people in our financial situation. And so, last summer I traveled to Brazil to get a better glimpse of places that were unclear in my mind and to photograph whereabouts I had not visited for over forty-five years.

I would like to express my greatest appreciation to all my family members who gave me their permission to be part of this wonderful memory, which is My Life in Brazil.

PROLOGUE

This is the story of my life in Brazil that will take us down to memory lane as far as I can remember from 1954 to 1980. Although both my parents were born in the town of Macacos, currently named Iguaraci, a city in the state of Pernambuco, I was born in São Paulo City in Brazil. I have sixteen siblings from my parents’ Alfredo and DoCarmo only marriage, eleven brothers and five sisters who all reside in the city of São Paulo, Brazil. Most of us were born in Pernambuco and four of us were born in the state of São Paulo. Before I was born, my parents lived in Iguaraci where my two oldest brothers were born, Umberto Lopes Cavalcanti in April 1947 died in 2005, and Gilberto Lopes Cavalcanti in October, both of them were born at home in Iguaraci, Pernambuco. So, after their birth, my parents moved to the district of São Paulo, Casa Verde. I was born at a hospital maternity in São Paulo City in November and my third brother Hildeberto, whose life on earth was very short, was born in l950 and died in 1951. After his death, my parents moved back to Iguaraci and in January, my fourth brother (late) Hildeberto Hildo who was born at home was named after our baby brother that passed away as an infant. For the next seven years, my parents lived in Iguaraci, sub-district of Afogados da Ingazeira in Pernambuco where five of my siblings were born. Albérico was born in January, Angela in March 1954, Alvaro in July, Péricles in November and Carlos born almost a year later, November. My brother Valfredo, who was born at a hospital maternity in September, after my parents had moved back to São Paulo City, was the only exception. In 1960, for some reason unfamiliar to me, my parents decided to move back to Pernambuco where we lived until 1967. Breaking the line of kids being born at home, when we were living in the city of Arcoverde, Pernambuco, five of my siblings were born in a hospital maternity. Among them are Sonia born in November, Rogério in February, Simone in September, Sandra in February and Rômulo born in May.

In the fall of 1967, my parents moved back to São Paulo, which is the capital of the state of São Paulo. In November 1968, after a short break in having new babies, some at home and some at a hospital maternity, God blessed my mother with the birth of my baby brother Roberto Robson. For our surprise after two years and no babies, in October 1971 there was another godsend at home, my baby sister Patricia was born at a hospital maternity as well. When my parents came up with the idea of moving back to Pernambuco, my older siblings and I had a secret meeting to discuss how to stop them. We decided we had enough moving back and forth, from one state in the north to another in the south. Thus, we agreed on telling our parents that if they wanted to move back again, they would have to take with them only the younger children, the older kids would not follow them along. As a result, we won and my parents remained living in the city of São Paulo, with all their children for the rest of their lives until my father passed away in December 2009 and my mother in June 2012.

Chapter ONE

About the Country of Brazil

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I will start my story with the Brazilian flag above, the country’s symbol implemented in November 1889 with twenty-one stars, and then, changed in May 1992 to add in five new states of Brazil. It consists of green rectangle, yellow rhombus, blue circle with twenty-seven five pointed stars and a white band with the nation’s motto Ôrdem E Progresso. The green color symbolizes the innumerous abundant fields and vast forests spread throughout the country, for instance, the Amazon Forest. The yellow color symbolizes the rich gold mines located in various parts of the country especially in the state of Minas Gerais. The blue color symbolizes the clear blue skies and the deep blue sea, which seem to meet at the horizon and the white stands for peace among all people. The twenty-seven five pointed stars represent each state of Brazil and the star standing solo on the other side of the motto band is the symbol for the capital of Brazil. The motto Ôrdem E Progresso is the Alma Matter of Brazil meaning Order and Progress that is highly recommended in the country. The adoption of the first Brazilian flag occurred in November 1889, the current flag’s adoption took place in May 1992; and each time the union creates a new state, the administration attaches a new star to the Brazilian flag.

The word Brazil comes from the innumerous trees of the land that grew along the Brazilian coast called pau-brasil, the Brazil wood that produces a red dye, which was the first Brazilian product commercially exploited from Brazil by the European traders. The original name of Brazil was Terra de Santa Cruz, which means Land of the Holy Cross. While the Portuguese sailor Pedro Alvares Cabral was sailing from Portugal to India, he accidentally discovered the Brazilian land in 1500 on which lived the native Indians from the tribe Tupi-Guarani. Currently, Brazil consists of twenty-two states, one federal district and four territories Roraima, Amapa, Acre and Rondonia, which country is divided by five regions north, northeast, south, southeast and center west.

Agreeing to statistics, Brazil is the largest South American country and the fifth largest in the world with an area of 8,514,877 Km² and an estimated population of 190,732,694 inhabitants. Based on history, in the nineteenth century Brazil gave access to immigration without exception of any race. At first, it consisted of white (Portuguese and Italian), brown (Moreno) and black (Negro), Asian and Amerindian. Afterwards, five million people from sixty different countries migrated to Brazil from1808 to 1972 which included Portuguese, Italian, Spaniard, German, Japanese and Middle Eastern origin immigrants. In spite of this change, Portuguese remained the main language spoken in the country, which by the way, is the only Portuguese speaking country in South America. Thanks to Padre Manoel da Nóbrega and José de Anchieta, who arrived in Brazil during its colonization in the fifteen hundreds, Roman Catholic became the main religion in the country. (Research based on www.wikipedia.org)

Once discovered by Portugal in 1500, Brazil wished for its independence for several years until 1822 when the Portuguese born Dom Pedro I, The Soldier King, declared its independence against Portugal. In 1889, Brazil became a republic and in the wake of the Revolution of 1930, Getúlio Vargas ruled Brazil for 15 years. His succeeding presidents were Jucelino Kubitscheck, Janio Quadros, João Goulart, and Ernesto Geisel, who ended the military discipline. After that, came João Figueiredo, José Sarney, Fernando Collar, Itamar Franco who adopted the democracy; and then, Luis Inácio Lula da