Meeting with Valmir

Just before Spring Break was my first time meeting with Valmir, from Sao Paulo, Brazil. after much anticipation.  Valmir Martins is his first and second name although his full birth name is much longer than that.  While many Brazilians have long full names, people are known mainly by a nickname which I found kind of ironic.  Valmir said that many Brazilians use the surnames from both parents rather than just the father in most American families.  Valmir is a Baptist priest and plans to go to seminary here in Fort Worth after he leaves the English program.  Valmir told me that all of his friends and family call him simply Valmir or "mi" for short.  He said that he doesn't normally go by "mi" here in the US, because it is commonly mistaken with the English word me.  --lost in translation, this could present a possibly confusing conversation:  "Hi, my name is Mi" "Me?" "No not you, Mi"--  Valmir described Brazilian culture as laid back, informal, not having a lot of stress, and very conversational.  It is common to make conversation with complete strangers.  Valmir showed how hospitable Brazilian culture is by saying that friends are welcome in people's homes any time.  He mentioned that friends of his from the US already have plans to stay with Valmir during the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Summer Olympics.  I told Valmir the topic of our class and he seemed pleasantly surprised.  I asked if he could help me understand a little bit about Brazilian types of humor.  He said that Brazilians were very happy people and that they have a high sense of humor.  He said that a lot of humor is through social interaction and conversation, and depending on the situation, people do not take things too seriously.  Additionally, there are kinds of humor on television that are similar to the US.  A hit show is "A Grande Familia," which Valmir said is similar to the American show, "Modern Family."  It is one of the most watched shows in Brazil and humorously describes a typical middle-class family in Rio de Janeiro.  Another popular TV show in Brazil is the "Jo Show," a late-night talk show hosted by an author, comedian, and musician Jo Soares.  The two shows both seemed similar to American forms of television comedy.  Overall, the meeting went by quickly and Valmir shared many interesting aspects of Brazilian culture.  He was open to answering all kinds of questions.  We left the library together where his wife and two kids were waiting.  His two sons were running around using the campus as a type of jungle-gym which reminded of how I was as a child.  I had the pleasure of meeting his family and we parted ways.