Taking a shot at etymology!

In the portuguese language, the verb "decorar" has two meanings: "to decorate" and "to learn by heart." When I first became aware of that fact, strolling across the gardens of the Rodin museum in Paris in the company of my good Brazilian friend - and, for the most part, Portuguese teacher - Flavia, I was quite shocked! How could a verb possibly admit two definitions, which apparently are not related whatsoever? After thinking about it a lot, here's an explanation - maybe a rather poetic than strictly scientific one, i admit... - I would like to submit for your consideration.

When one moves into a new flat or an empty room, bringing in the indispensable, functional pieces of furniture and utensils is of course of prime necessity, as far as settling in is concerned. But in order to really feel "at home," one needs to spend some time decorating the place.

Now, what is "learning by heart?" Well, it's definitely a deeper process than simply "memorizing" (there exists a word for that in Portuguese: "memorizar") since the latter doesn't necessarily involve understanding or feeling the piece of information to be memorized, it simply involves being able to repeat it.

So "to decorate" and to "learn by heart" is in essence the same thing: making a place, an object, a piece of art or an idea one's own, bringing it closer to one's soul and finally being able to dwell in it.

Postcard from São Paulo

Sunday, 1st of November 2009

The last piece the "escola" played was the "samba de enredo" for the upcoming 2010 carnival. During the performance, after having heard the catchy melody a bunch of times already, I seriously considered leaving the place where the rehearsal was happening. It looked like a large, empty storage facility with a corrugated metal roof. The walls were nonetheless decorated with about a dozen big paper butterflies proudly boasting the colours of the school, a giant print of the lyrics on which one could cast a glance to follow the song, and in somewhat majestic capital letters at the back of the room above the entrance, the name of the institution: "PEROLA NEGRA." So I was about to make my way towards these letters and that very entrance (which obviously also served as the exit) when I thought to myself: "Why don't you just wait until the end of the song?" At the time, I had no idea the practice of the same number would go on for another hour or more! But the groove suddenly kicked in and picked up fiercely, which struck me and made me stay until the very end of the rehearsal, in some kind of a mild and serene trance, tapping my feet and singing the chorus happily every time it came along:

"O céu clareou, a Vila chegou
Pérola Negra me abraçou
Ah, sou brasileiro com orgulho e muito amor
Abro a gaveta pra mostrar o meu valor."

Although the sound of the "harmonia" (the band up on an elevated platform, including guitars, cavaquinhos, bass, a lead vocalist and his backing crew) was all mushy, amplified through terrible sounding, greatly distorting speakers, I was stunned how much I was able to appreciate the incredible energy coming from the "bateria," pounding the drums with determination, the singers, blasting out the words with unbelievable endurance, and all the people dancing!
From this experience, I will certainly retain a very valuable and down to earth approach to rehearsal: playing a song over and over until the groove really hits... But most importantly, an incredible sense of community, somewhere between that of a football club and a music school, which seemed to encompass all ages and social classes, was tangible and comforting. Definitely my best sunday afternoon in São Paulo so far!