"Strike at UESC" |
The most obvious example of this is life at the university. Classes/professors/schedules are in constant flux and I don't know how anyone keeps track of anything; it's perilous to assume. Just like it's common for students not to show up to class, it's also very habitual for professors not to arrive either. Both of these are considered very normal behaviors and are accepted and tolerated by everyone.
The current drama at school is the possible upcoming "greve" or "strike." The government hasn't met the demands of the professors concerning contracts and salaries so the faculty is prepared to strike (this happens quite a bit here). On Monday we had a normal work day, Tuesday was a "paralização" which is kind of a mini-strike meant to send a strong message to the leaders. The mini-strike meant that all classes were cancelled and that the university was effectively closed. Since Thursday and Friday are holidays here, it's kind of assumed that nobody will go to class on Wednesday so classes were unofficially cancelled then too. If the strike actually happens, the university will close on June 4 and could remain closed for months.
The French exchange students who live above us and Loni and I are taking advantage of the time off to throw a "Festa na casa dos Estrangeiros" - a foreigners' party - tonight. Everyone is invited and we are cooking up some of our favorite native treats. Do I have any real idea of who is coming/when people will show up/when people will leave? Not at all. But I'm not going to assume anything and in the meantime am putting forth all of the patience and flexibility that I can muster.
"How I feel at UESC when I find out that we don't have class" |