Posts

Showing posts from June, 2020

Eindhoven's New Hairdresser: The Story Behind A Brazilian Expat

Image
Superficially , Eliana is a lucky expat. A Brazilian woman who was able to find work and open her own hair salon just a year after arriving. In reality, during her first year in Eindhoven, she cried a lot, applied for jobs, took English and Dutch lessons, lost her father, fought cancer, registered as a freelancer, and started a business. To me, the question is not how she did it but, what does it take to have her resilience? Who is this expat woman who fights adversity and refuses to give up? How does one settle down and is happy in a new country? What can we learn from her?   Her first years by Vacaria River, Brazil Eliana grew up in the north southeast of Brazil, a rural region with no name, close to  Vacaria Ri ver. P eople live from their crops.  During prosperous times, they plant and harvest corn, beans, rice, potatoes, and other vegetables. Unfortunately, the land suffers from drought and poor soils, so people have to figure out a different way of making a living. Some stay, so

Opera for Beginners: What do Star Wars, Jaws, and Tosca have in common?

Image
Did you know that Puccini has influenced all film music, like Star Wars and Jaws? Today you'll learn about the motifs in the music of these movies and the opera Tosca by Puccini, a political thriller that involves crime and frightening emotions. A lethal story. Keep reading to learn more! You know how when you read a book, characters are given names, right? Then as you read, you identify the character by it. Well, Puccini gave each character and situation a musical theme, a motif. This means that when a certain character is coming or a particular situation is about to develop, you'll hear "light motifs" or, in other words, music especially related to them. Therefore, by identifying the motifs, you get ready for what's coming because you got a heads up on which character is coming on stage or which situation will take place. Do you see what we mean?  And that's how it happens in movies too! Think of Star Wars. Now, focus on Darth Vader? Simplifying it to the