Episódio 21: Secondhand Treasures (Tesouros de segunda mão)

Nesse episódio, vamos ouvir duas histórias de pessoas que deram vida nova a coisas usadas.

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Transcrição

Helena: Quando Madeline Gunderson se mudou de Seattle, sua cidade natal, pra Nova York, pra estudar cinema, ela só pôde levar com ela a bagagem que coubesse no avião.

Madeline: I moved almost 5,000 kilometers away from my home to New York City. I didn’t bring many of my possessions. I didn’t bring my bed, my desk, or my art collection. I was excited to start a new life, but I was also a little sad to move into my new apartment because it was totally empty. On my first night in my new place, I ate pizza for dinner, alone, while sitting on the floor of my bedroom.

Helena: O apartamento de Madeline continuou vazio por duas semanas, até que ela descobriu um costume específico de Nova York.

Madeline: One evening, I was looking at Instagram and I saw an account for finding free secondhand furniture. I knew it was the perfect way to fill my empty apartment.

Helena: Welcome! Esse é o episódio 13 do podcast “Histórias em Inglês com Duolingo”. Eu sou Helena Fruet. Nesse podcast, você vai poder praticar inglês no seu ritmo, ouvindo histórias reais e emocionantes. Os personagens falam um inglês simples e fácil de entender — perfeito pra quem tá aprendendo. Eu vou te acompanhar em cada episódio pra ter certeza que você tá entendendo tudo.

Hoje vamos ouvir dois relatos sobre objetos de segunda mão, ou secondhand, que ganharam vida nova ao serem reutilizados.

Era outono de 2019 e Madeline Gunderson atravessou o país pra fazer uma pós-graduação. O sonho dela era trabalhar com cinema.

Madeline: It was my first time in New York City. I was so excited to be accepted to the school of my dreams. I couldn’t wait to explore the city! I wanted to make documentary films, and to me, New York was the best place in the world to meet lots of different people with lots of interesting stories.

Helena: Madeline se mudou com duas colegas pra um pequeno apartamento no Brooklyn, um dos cinco distritos da cidade de Nova York. Foi bem rápido desfazer as malas. No lugar da cama, ela só tinha um colchão inflável, ou air mattress.

Madeline: I arrived with two suitcases full of my favorite clothing, my camera, and some photos of my friends and family. There was no bed in my new bedroom. I just had an air mattress on the floor. I thought it was normal for life to be a little difficult when you’re new to New York. And when I inflated my air mattress on my first night in my new apartment, I felt excited about my new life. But I also felt alone.

Helena: Como era estudante, Madeline não tinha muito dinheiro pra comprar móveis, então ela se preparou mentalmente pra viver num apartamento só com o necessário. Mas, um dia, enquanto navegava na internet pelo celular, ela achou uma página do Instagram chamada “Stooping NYC”.

Madeline: I came home from school late one night. I was pretty tired, and I was looking at Instagram before going to sleep. That’s when I found an account called “Stooping NYC.”

Helena: Em Nova York, um “stoop” é uma escadinha que liga a calçada à entrada das casas ou prédios. São muito comuns na cidade.

Madeline: In New York City, lots of people sit outside on their stoops. It’s a good place to read a book, listen to music, or chat with friends. It’s a unique cultural thing in New York, and it makes the city feel so full of energy and life. People also leave some pretty interesting things in front of their stoops, which are free for people to take.

Helena: A página do Instagram que Madeline encontrou publica fotos de diferentes objetos de segunda mão que os nova-iorquinos deixam nas calçadas pra doação. Geralmente são coisas deixadas do lado de fora da casa pra coleta de lixo, ou pra quem quiser pegar e levar. A expressão “to stoop”, usada como verbo, é uma gíria de Nova York pra esse ato de levar coisas de segunda mão pra casa.

Madeline: On the Instagram page, there were a lot of nice things. I saw new designer chairs, brightly painted shelves, and even original art. Anything you can imagine, it was out on the street! I couldn’t believe it. In Seattle, where I’m from, it rains all the time, so it’s pretty rare for people to leave things outside for their neighbors to take.

Helena: Muitos nova-iorquinos deixam suas coisas usadas na calçada com um bilhete escrito à mão dizendo “grátis”, “me leve pra casa” ou… “ainda funciona”, pra que os vizinhos saibam que podem levar!

Madeline: There’s a famous phrase that says “one person’s trash is another person’s treasure,” and it really is true in New York. If you don’t want something anymore, then you can probably find someone who does want it.

Helena: Assim que viu o perfil StoopingNYC no Instagram, Madeline soube que tinha encontrado a solução pro problema do apartamento vazio. Então ela traçou uma meta: mobiliar o apartamento com móveis anunciados lá.

Madeline: I turned on all of the notifications on my phone and waited. I was ready to leave the house and pick up furniture immediately. But it was actually pretty difficult, because as soon as a photo is posted on the Instagram account, a race begins. You have to move fast to get the good stuff! Once, I saw a cute table on the account. I quickly got dressed and grabbed my keys. But by the time I got to the address, someone else had already taken the table!

Helena: A cidade de Nova York é enorme – tem mais de 8 milhões de pessoas. E o perfil do Instagram publica anúncios dos cinco distritos da cidade.

Madeline: I realized that stooping was a great way for someone like me, who was new to the city, to explore. While I was searching for furniture, I discovered parts of New York that were totally new to me. I got to know a lot of the city while stooping.

Helena: Sabendo que muitos objetos anunciados eram levados em questão de minutos, Madeline precisou ser superpaciente e aprender a se locomover rapidamente pela cidade.

Madeline: After I tried four or five times to stoop something, I finally did it! I got a white kitchen table that was really close to my apartment. It looked almost new! I was lucky because the table had wheels, so I was able to roll it back home. I was so happy to have a new piece of furniture, but I was also excited because I felt like I was becoming a real New Yorker.

Helena: Depois dessa vitória, Madeline precisava encontrar cadeiras pra combinar com a nova mesa.

Madeline: After a while, I also found some chairs and some really nice lamps through the Instagram page. And I even used the lamps for one of my student films. Little by little, I was able to stoop all of the furniture that I needed to fill my apartment.

Helena: Com os novos achados, o apartamento da Madeline começou a ficar menos vazio.

Madeline: With all of the furniture that I found, my apartment started to feel like a real home. When I finally felt comfortable in my new place, I invited my film school classmates to Thanksgiving dinner. Everyone came to my apartment with some food, and we all sat down to eat on my table and chairs. I was so happy to share my new home with friends.

Helena: Agora que o apartamento de Madeline tá mobiliado, ela não precisa mais sair caçando móveis deixados na rua, mas ela continua seguindo o StoopingNYC no Instagram.

Madeline: There are so many interesting people in the city. I love seeing the things that they throw away, and imagining the story behind each object. You never know when you might find a treasure!

Helena: Foi um perfil do Instagram de objetos usados que ajudou Madeline a montar um lar em Nova York. Em Oklahoma, um estado mais a oeste, a dona de outra conta do Instagram tá tentando fazer com que mais objetos de segunda mão encontrem seu lar. Esse perfil publica fotos de coisas esquecidas dentro de livros usados. Por trás dele está Emma Smreker. Ela é professora de francês em Oklahoma City e há anos coleciona livros de sebos e feiras de antiguidades, ou flea markets.

Emma: I have always loved going to flea markets and secondhand stores. I used to go with my dad when I was a kid. I like looking at the old, used books. They’re dusty, and I always feel like I have to wash my hands after I touch them. But that’s a good thing because it makes me feel like I’m spending my time doing something special.

Helena: Foi um livro usado que fez com que Emma começasse sua jornada em busca de objetos ocultos, escondidos entre as páginas.

Emma: Because I’m a French teacher, when people find French books, they usually think of me. In 2018, someone gave me a French book for my birthday. And inside the book, there was a receipt from a café in the city of Montreal in Canada.

I thought that receipt was so cool. I started thinking about the original owner of the book. I wondered if the person was a native French speaker or if they were trying to learn French, like I once did.

Helena: Quando viu o recibo, Emma teve uma ideia: criar um perfil do Instagram pra publicar fotos das várias coisas que encontrava dentro dos livros usados.

Emma: I started taking pictures of the things that I found. I posted them to my Instagram account, which is called “In Used Books.” I started looking at the used book sections in secondhand stores. At first, I didn’t think that I would find anything interesting. But I continued doing it because I really enjoyed it.

Helena: Mas Emma se surpreendeu com a quantidade de coisas que encontrou quando começou a procurar. Ela geralmente descobria objetos interessantes, muitos deles usados como marcadores de livros, ou bookmarks.

Emma: I found notes, photographs, love letters, and even flowers. People use those things as bookmarks, and then they forget about them when they donate or sell their books. I’m always so curious about the original owners. I wonder: Was the person happy when they read the book? Did they actually finish reading the book? Why did they get rid of it?

Helena: O perfil do Instagram de Emma foi ganhando mais e mais seguidores à medida em que ela publicava fotos dos tesouros escondidos que ia descobrindo. Ela também gostava de brincar de detetive com algumas das coisas interessantes que encontrava.

Emma: If I find photographs or a letter with any information in it, I usually try to find out more online. At first I was just curious, but then I started trying to return the items to their original owners. I love mysteries, and I feel like a little detective when I’m trying to find people.

Helena: Mais de uma vez, Emma conseguiu devolver essas fotos de família antigas. E teve um achado que deixou ela muito impressionada.

Emma: In December 2018, I was at a flea market and I found a book with a letter inside it. Then I realized that it was actually a poem written to a newspaper in Ohio. The date on it was 1893 — over 100 years ago! I was so excited. I thought, “Wow, this is it! I’ve always wanted to find something like this!”

Helena: Emma começou a trabalhar pra resolver esse novo mistério usando suas habilidades de detetive. Ela queria descobrir algum descendente vivo do autor do poema pra fazer uma surpresa.

Emma: Because the poem was from 1893, I decided to look at public documents. I wanted to find obituaries associated with the name of the poet, Ed Ruffner. I looked at so many obituaries — more than I can count. I was able to find out the name of Ed’s wife and their children. I even made a family tree.

Helena: Com a árvore genealógica, ou family tree, Emma começou a tentar localizar descendentes vivos do escritor, se é que eles existiam.

Emma: After I found the names of Ed’s family members who were born in the 1960s and 1970s, I started searching for them on social media. Eventually, I found a woman named Catherine, and I thought she might be his descendent! My adrenaline was high, and my body started shaking. My husband asked me, “Are you okay? I don’t know if you’re happy or if you’re having a panic attack.” I told him that I was just excited.

Helena: Logo que Emma achou Catherine, mandou uma mensagem pra ela contando o que tinha encontrado. No começo, Emma tava um pouco nervosa, pensando que Catherine não responderia ou que acharia tudo aquilo muito bizarro, ou creepy.

Emma: When I contact somebody who is connected to an item I found in a book, I always worry that they’ll think I’m creepy. But Catherine was so sweet and so nice, and she confirmed that she was related to Ed Ruffner! She even told me that she felt bad because she didn’t have a lot of information about him. It was so incredible to find her because I did not think my search was going to work. I was afraid that I was contacting the wrong person.

Helena: Emma encontrou Catherine pelo Instagram, no perfil onde ela publicava fotos de suas obras de arte.

Emma: Catherine is a wonderful artist. She creates colorful, beautiful paintings. And she is a great-great-grandchild of the poet Ed Ruffner! Catherine also introduced me to her cousins so they could give me more information about their family history. She was really kind. In a weird way, she welcomed me into her family.

Helena: Emma tinha localizado parte da família do poeta, mas sentia que seu trabalho não tinha terminado. Ainda tinha uma coisa relacionada ao poema que ela precisava fazer.

Emma: Catherine’s family told me that Ed Ruffner wrote many poems during his life, and many of them were published in his local newspaper. Ed meant to send the poem I found to the newspaper too; but instead, it ended up in that book. And then I found the letter over a hundred years later. So, I started thinking about what I could do.

Helena: A maioria dos poemas e escritos de Ruffner foram publicados num jornal chamado “The Lancaster Eagle Gazette”. E Emma descobriu que o jornal ainda existia! Então ela decidiu escrever uma carta pro diretor do jornal contando a história daquele antigo poema.

Emma: I explained everything to the editor, and I asked if the poem could be published in the newspaper. I didn’t think that they would be interested, but they published it on the front page! It was so cool! And I still smile ear to ear when I think of it.

Helena: Em fevereiro de 2019, o poema “Adeus, primavera” ou “Spring, goodbye” foi publicado na primeira página do Lancaster Eagle Gazette, mais de 125 anos depois de ter sido escrito!

Emma: I asked the family if they wanted the poem back and they said, “No, you should keep it. You’ve earned it.” It’s a beautiful poem about spring and how sad it is when the season ends. It’s an old poem, but that idea is still true today. “Spring goodbye, it is best we part and yet I sigh.”

Helena: Depois de todos os esforços de Emma, o poema finalmente voltou aos descendentes do escritor, encontrando seu destino final. Graças ao interesse de Emma por livros usados, um mistério esquecido por muito tempo havia sido, enfim, resolvido.

Emma: I’m a huge fan of poetry, but there’s something very, very personal about this poem in particular. People tell me that it was my destiny to find it and to share it with the world. I really like that feeling. I feel like I’m doing something good.

Helena: Emma Smreker vive em Oklahoma City, no estado de Oklahoma, Estados Unidos. Ela continua dando aulas de francês e atualizando seu perfil no Instagram, @inusedbooks.

Nossa primeira protagonista, Madeline Gunderson, produziu esse episódio. Ela é jornalista, cineasta e vive na cidade de Nova York, onde continua contando histórias sobre seus vizinhos. Você também pode encontrar tesouros pra doação no perfil do Instagram que ela usou na história, @stoopingnyc.

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“Histórias em Inglês” é uma produção de Duolingo e Adonde Media. Segue a gente no Spotify ou na sua plataforma preferida.

Eu sou Helena Fruet. Thank you for listening!

Créditos

Esse episódio foi produzido por Duolingo e Adonde Media.