From Brigadeiros to Baklava: Welcome Mr. Moreira!
Teaching abroad for the first time, coming all the way from Brazil, is the new member of the math department, Igor Moreira. Moreira comes from the land of carnivals, color, and heat. We will get into details about his hometown later on, but first, what brought him to Turkey? He stated that he thought it was time to leave Brazil and that Turkey had always been on his travel list. So one day, when he was looking at a website for international schools, he stumbled upon RC. He says that he fell in love with the campus and was fascinated by all the nature, and obviously, the point where two continents meet: The Bosphorus.
So what are some things he likes so far about Turkey? He said he loves how "welcoming and warm" people are here. He even said that he has a memory of him and his wife trying to speak Turkish, and the vendors there laughing with them and trying to teach them. He says that he really loved Ortaköy and Eminönü but that there's still so much that he hasn't explored. Now time for the most controversial question: Did he like ayran? Well, he didn't hate it; he said, "I wouldn't reach for it, but it was refreshing". His favorite dishes so far are lahmacun and pide. He also says that the food culture here is very different from back home. In Brazil, they always have steak or pork, but in Tırkey, people use lamb meat a lot, which is considered a high-privileged food in Brazil. Additionally, vegetables are incorporated into almost every meal in Turkey, but in Brazil, they are only served as side salads. He also said that his favorite Turkish desserts are baklava and lokum, but back home, he loves brigadeiros, which are little balls of fudge made from condensed milk and cocoa.
Now time for fun facts! Moreira was actually going to study civil engineering when he discovered his passion for math. He said that in college, he realized how useful math could be in real life and how it could be applied to our daily lives, so he wanted to show young people that and make them see math from a different perspective. Also, he was an English teacher before he became a math teacher and used to teach English to Brazilian students at an international school back in Rio. While doing this, he discovered that he enjoyed teaching maths way more than teaching English, and he further pursued teaching maths.
He has a little Shih-Tzu named Lila, who lives with him on campus. He loves playing video games and hiking, but he doesn't consider himself athletic. His favorite TV show is Friends, and he stated, "If Ross is my main character, Chandler is my side character." He says that he is stable, focused on work, and likes plans like Ross, but has a Joker, Chandler side to him as well!
His favorite dish back home is Prato Feito, which consists of beans, rice, steak, and French fries. On the topic of his hometown, he says that carnivals are "like a religion" in Brazil and that they have major February carnivals where the whole country starts bursting with spirit and color. He also says that even though it never snows and there isn't really cold weather in Brazil, Christmas is a huge thing! What's interesting is that Christmas isn't a part of Brazilian people's religion, so it is just treated as a festive holiday; presents are given, and big gatherings occur.
On the topic of weather, he says that he has had a hard time adjusting to the Turkish weather. He said that they were freezing when the weather was 19 degrees! When asked about it, he said that where he lives in Brazil, Rio de Janeiro, they only have one week of winter, where the absolute minimum temperature is 14 degrees, and it only goes up from there. He says that a few months ago, the temperature went up to 46 degrees! Crazy, isn't it? When asked to sum up the weather, Moreira says that Rio has two types of weather: hot and very hot. So I guess as beautiful as RC is under snow, it may be a challenge for him to adapt to the weather!
Moreira concluded the interview by saying he is very excited for this new chapter at RC and is looking forward to a great year with RC students! Welcome to RC, Mr. Moreira!
