Answers for
Audioconference 1
(July 23)
1. Ben Caldwell, St Joseph's School
What toys are the children in Manaus playing with?
Children’s toys in Manaus are similar to toys
that New Zealand children play with. They have toy cars
and dolls, and even small hand-held computer games.
Manaus is a city with port that accepts ships from all
over the world – so they get most of the same things
that we do. Soccer balls extremely popular because soccer
(called "futebol") is the national sport. New
Zealand is the best at rugby, and Brazil is the best at
soccer.
2. Hayden Taft, Kokatahi School
As well as being excited, what are your fears as
you begin your Amazon Adventure?
I have few specific fears. What I am most afraid of is
the "unknown". That means that I am worried
about things happening that I haven’t expected or
planned for. For example, I might have an accident like
breaking my leg, or I might lose my backpack and all my
gear.
3. David Rees, Spreydon School
Can you describe in words the smell and feel of the
air as you stepped off the plane?
It felt like stepping into a clothes dryer. Sometimes
when you stop the dryer mid-way through drying a load of
clothes, then stick your hand inside the drier, you can
feel a lot of hot and very moist air. This is what living
in the tropics is like. The moisture in the air is called
humidity.
4. Tim Keen, Raglan School
How long has there been a city on the site of
Manaus?
It is difficult to say for sure. The site was
originally inhabited by the Manau Indians (which is how
Manaus got its name). They may have been in this region
for several thousand years. But the city got its start in
1669 when the Portuguese built a small fortress called
Sπo Jose da Barra. That makes the city 328 years old.
5. Tania-Marie, Kokopu School
Is there any evidence of deforestation and if so
are the locals trying to protect the environment in
anyway?
Most of the deforestation is taking place in the
Brazilian state of Parß, which is closer to the Atlantic
coast and includes the cities of SantarΘm and BelΘm.
Deforestation around Manaus is harder to see, but I
clearly saw it when I travelled into an ecological
reserve on Sunday. We travelled down a river where one
side was protected rainforest, and the other side was
land used by local settlers. The area inhabited by the
settlers had many trees, but they were scraggly and
weren’t as healthy as in the rainforest. Because of
the poor soil, the land will be used for several years
until it can no longer produce crops, and will then be
abandoned.
Almost all the original rainforest around Manaus has
been was chopped or burned down for farms. The jungle is
now reclaiming land on abandoned farms, but it will take
many decades for it to recover properly. The bigger the
area that people chop down, the more difficult it is for
the forest to recover.
6. Nicole Nooyen, St Joseph's School
What pets do children in Manaus have at home?
Most children in Manaus have the same pets as children
in New Zealand. Dogs and cats. Dogs are the most common
– particularly small dogs because they are much
easier to keep for the families who live in apartments.
But a few people have more exotic pets, especially if
they live further away from the city. Some people keep
small green parrots from the rainforest or macaws (big
parrots). I also travelled to some small villages where
people had pet boa constrictor snakes.
7. Jessica Hanning, Kokatahi School
Have you seen any schools since your arrival? What
was your first impression?
I have seen a couple of schools. Both were very
different. The first was a high school in Porto Alegre (a
city in the South of Brazil). It looked like one of the
bad schools that you see some in some American movies
– the buildings were very run down and there was
graffiti spray-painted on the walls. The students
didn’t have to wear school uniforms like New Zealand
high schools. But, despite these first impressions the
school seemed to run the same way as NZ schools.
The other school I saw was at a small caboclo village
near Aria·. It was a primary school. Even though there
was a small schoolhouse in the village, students where
being taught outside in the shade where it was cooler.
There were about 25 students ranging from about 4 to 11
years, all being taught in the same class. The older
students were helping the younger ones (especially their
little brothers and sisters). We saw them at activity
time when they were drawing pictures and being taught to
sing action songs.
8. Sarah Berry, Spreydon School
How are the local people dressed?
The locals dress in the same way as you and I. But,
because it is hot here, they dress the same as we do in
summer. They are mainly wearing colourful shorts,
sandals, and t-shirts.
9. Sophie McNab, Raglan School
What is the size of Manaus compared to a city like
Hamilton, New Zealand?
Manaus has more people than Hamilton. There are over a
million people living in the city here, while there are
105,000 people in Hamilton (according to the NZ
Encyclopaedia CD-ROM that I have with me).
But, because many of the people here live in small
houses or apartments, which don’t take up a lot of
space, the city probably takes up a physical land area
similar to Hamilton (though I suspect its a little
bigger).
10. Michelle, Kokopu School
Is there any pollution? If so, what is it?
I haven’t seen much pollution – but I
haven’t had much chance to see it from where
I’m staying. So the following is just an educated
guess. There are a lot of factories here in Manaus. I
suspect that the water treatment for factory waste and
sewerage isn’t very good, so it is very likely that
human waste and chemicals are ending up in the river.
But, because there is a huge volume of water going
through the river, the pollution is pretty diluted.
Many people travelling here on boats through their
empty plastic bottles and bags into the river. Some
people feel that once the waste is poured or thrown away
into the river that’s the end of their problem
– but it isn’t. The waste causes all sorts of
problems for wildlife and the environment.
These problems don’t only happen in Brazil. Some
people in New Zealand leave rubbish behind on the beach
when they visit, or throw rubbish into the water from
boats. Some New Zealand cities dispose of their sewerage
by piping it out into the ocean, and Greenpeace has
recently highlighted pollution problems in our paper
processing industry.
11. Christopher Steffert, St Joseph's School
Do the people in Manaus drive imported cars from
Japan like we do?
There aren’t many Japanese cars in Brazil. Most
of the cars are Volkswagens, including the old Volkswagen
beetle which is known here as a Fusca. Other popular cars
are Fords and Chevrolet (similar to Holdens in New
Zealand). These cars are popular because they are locally
built and readily available. I have only seen a handful
of Japanese cars.
Cars in Brazil are very expensive for people to buy,
because more than half of the price is tax. The cost of a
new Volkswagen Golf (one of the most common cars) is
about $NZ 42,000. But the price of a new house is only
about $NZ 30,000.
12. Adam Fairmaid, Kokatahi School
What food will you eat in Manaus? What did you eat
yesterday?
Food in Manaus isn’t too different from New
Zealand. But it is a little more basic. Vegetables are
difficult to find because it is too hot for the most
common ones to grow. But there is a much wider selection
of fruit. Meat such as chicken and beef is common.
- For breakfast yesterday, I had fruit, bread, cold
water, and herbal tea;
- For lunch I had bread and a little salad;
- I didn’t feel like eating very much last
night, but I had a hamburger, a grape-flavoured
Fanta softdrink and batata fritas (which where
like warmed up potato chips). Afterwards I had a
Suco de Guarana, which is a drink made using a
local fruit called Guarana.
13. Anneke Clarke, Spreydon School
Can you describe the range of dwellings from the
poorest type house to the wealthiest?
The poorest houses that I’ve seen are in the
favela which runs along a small rivers here in the centre
of Manaus. Favelas are a type of Shantytown. They are
roughly-made wooden houses with corrugated iron roofs.
They only have one room, and are raised on poles, high up
of the ground so that they don’t get flooded when
the rivers rise. There are many houses crowded together
in the favela, and they don’t have proper toilets or
running water. Waste goes straight into the river below.
There are also mansions here, which are big houses
with high fences, security alarms, gardens, and a garage
big enough to fit five or more cars. Inside, these houses
are sumptuously furnished and decorated. The finest
houses are the palaces built by the rubber barons at the
beginning of this century – but most of these are
now used as public buildings for government
administration and museums.
14. Daunika Puklowski, Raglan School
Do all children have to attend school and what is
the leaving age?
The government aims to provide primary education for
all villages, towns, and cities. But some Indian villages
in remote areas don’t have schools (one which I
visited near Manaus didn’t have a school), and it is
the responsibility of the local community to teach their
children.
I don’t think high school education is compulsory
because it is difficult for the government to guarantee
everyone access to a high school. Students living in
villages around the city must move to the city if they
want to attend high school – and not all of them can
do this. So some children might finish school as early as
12 or 13. Children in the city generally stay in school
until 15 or 16 – and many also go to study at
University.
15. Anthony, Kokopu School
What ethnic mix are the local population and are
there financial differences between each group?
There is a real blend of people here. Most people have
mixed blood of two or more races – Native Indian,
European, and African. All three peoples mixed when
Amaz⌠nia first being settled. As a result, you see
people with a range of colours – white, brown,
black, and shades in between. There doesn’t seem to
be any racism because almost everyone has mixed blood.
The greatest financial difference is a result of
people’s education. If a person has a good education
then they can get a good job, and can therefore better
afford things for themselves and their family. Without
education, it is more difficult to get well-paying jobs.
Education is determined primarily by location –
people living in remote areas only have limited access to
schools. Because Indians live in more remote areas they
are more likely to be in this category.
16. Trent Te Wharau, St Joseph's School
What fresh fruit are you able to buy off the
street?
There is lots to choose from because Amaz⌠nia has
many exotic fruits. My favourite is guarana which is used
for drinks. It tastes a little nutty, and has three times
as much caffeine as coffee (which means that you feel
wide awake afterwards). It also is reputed to have
medicinal properties and to be an aphrodisiac.
Other fruits include bananas, maracuja (similar to
passionfruit), aτai, cupuaτu, acerola, oranges,
mangoes, brazil nuts, cashews, and many other things.
Fruit such as apples and strawberries don’t grow
well here because it is too hot – they need to be
imported from elsewhere in Brazil and are very expensive.
I have seen kiwifruit, but they are grown in the south of
Brazil and Chile.
17. Joe Singer, Kokatahi School
What do the people of Manaus do for recreation?
Brazilians love to dance! They like to go to
nightclubs or have parties. Brazil is famous for many
dances, like the Samba which is danced at the Carnival in
Rio de Janeiro. But in Amaz⌠nia they dance the
Boi-Bumbß – which originated around the town of
Parintins. It is a mixture of Indian, caboclos, and
African legends, and there is a huge festival in
Parintins each June, with exotic costumes, fireworks, and
lots of dancing and music. Brazilians are competitive
about dancing, and try to out-do each other.
The other great love here is soccer. Brazilians adore
soccer – every small village has a soccer pitch,
most people play (or have played), and everyone supports
a favourite team. When a game is on radio or television,
and goal is scored, the announcer yells
"Goooooooaaaaaaal!!" – stretching the word
out for at least a full minute.
18. Rodney Yee, Spreydon School
Could you describe a busy street scene. What do you
see that would be new to us? What do you see that we
would recognise?
Looking out my window . . . I can see a street below,
with lots of buses and cars passing by. And lots of
people gathered at the bus-stops waiting for buses. The
weather is hot and sunny, so most people are wearing
colourful shorts and t-shirts. The people range in
colours from white to black – but most of them have
brown skin. There are many people on the streets –
but they are all walking slowly because it is hot. There
are lots of little street stalls selling food and goods.
Someone is even cooking a barbecue at one of them. The
buildings are mostly cement or plaster, with cracked and
fading paint. There are many signs on the shops –
but all of them are in Portuguese.
19. Mathew Connor, Raglan School
What types of jobs are there for local people in
Manaus? Is there much unemployment?
Manaus is a modern city, so it has jobs similar to any
other city. There are lots of office workers,
secretaries, policemen, shop assistants, and computer
programmers. Manaus is also a tourist centre, so there
are lots of hotel workers and tour operators.
Manaus also has many factories because the government
has encouraged companies to build here, by lowering their
taxes. As a result, there are many factory workers here
– producing electronics, watches, radios, film,
chemicals, and medicines. Boat building and oil refining
and other big industries. There are many jobs, so
unemployment here is very low. Living standards are good
compared to some other places in Brazil. Occasionally I
see a person begging in the street, but not many.
20. Joshua, Kokopu School
What type of Indians are the Indigenous people and
do they have any special customs or myths?
The local Indians now living around Manaus are the
SaterΘ-MauΘ. Most of them have adapted and live lives
similar to the local settlers, though they still have
their Indian traditions. One tradition still practised in
some villages involves boys when they are approaching
manhood. There is a ceremony where the boys have to put
their hand into a bag which contains hundreds of
Tocandira ants. These ants have bites which are extremely
painful, and hurt for several days. The purpose of this
ceremony is to prove the boys’ courage and
resistance to pain. Boys aren’t recognised as men
unless they pass this test without flinching from the
painful bites.
 
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