THE THIRD WEEK

Once again, I’ve fallen behind in my writing & it appears that I have a lot of catching up to do! I would apologize, but I think everyone understands that when you are living somewhere as wonderful as Brasil, a computer isn’t really the most appealing way to spend free time.

In a few days, I will have been away from home for longer than I ever have before (which, of course, was last summer in Utah). I was right about the feeling. When I first arrived, I felt like I’d been here forever when it had only been 3 days. Now, I can’t believe it’s already been three weeks, & I’ve already seen people come & go, & an infusion of new volunteers (& consequently, new roommates) into the home. I like it though – I love meeting new people, especially the type of people who would choose to come on this trip, to make a journey that is more about helping others than having fun. With 19 new people, the house is really rocking with all the new energy & I love it. I never have been able to sit still for very long without a book or a journal anyways. CCS should seriously consider adopting the ASP slogan “it’s not about you.”

Right now, all of Salvador is preparing for the St. John’s festival tomorrow. Apparently, it’s bigger than Christmas here! This weekend, the streets of Pelourinho were insane, much bigger than the Tuesday night drumming, so I can’t even imagine what tomorrow night will hold. They’ve spent weeks setting up stages for live musica & dancing & everyone is off work because it’s a national holiday & all the school are closed for a least a week, if not two weeks. Of course, that unfortunately means that I can’t volunteer with my kids this week. I felt really sad leaving on Friday because I’m going to miss them so much & it’s only going to be a week. I can’t even begin to imagine what leaving will feel like. It was so cute on Friday because the kids had a party to celebrate St. John’s & they had food & got all dressed up & everything! We brought all the kids into the halls & had music & dancing. I swear, they looked like they were having so much fun. It was such a joy to see the older kids interacting with my youngsters, because I thought they might just ignore them completely, but instead, they took them under their wing so to speak. They were all holding hands & leading them & teaching them to dance & comforting them when they cried. Seeing that kind of compassion from 4 & 5 year olds was an eye-opening experience. The best part about the whole festa was just the happiness that filled the air between all the teachers & the children. After watching the party & feeling the sadness of being torn from these children who I have only known for 3 weeks, I know without a doubt that I am serving at the right placement. At first, I wondered if I would take the given option to switch schools after 3 weeks, but I will be doing no such thing. I can’t imagine being needed anywhere else as much as I am needed at Frutos. Plus, the continuity of seeing the same volunteer for a long period of time should be good for the children. I just hope it doesn’t kill me too much to leave.

I have today & tomorrow off from work for the St. John’s festival, but I kind of wish I was still there. It’s not a Monday morning at 8 AM without their smiling faces. Sometimes, I feel like I’m dragging to get there, but by the end of the workday, I’m always so happy. It’s kind of like running in that way. Even if it’s the hardest run ever & your body just isn’t working & you’re tired & all your muscles hurt, at the end of the run, you’re still glad you went. For Wednesday-Friday of this week, the 3 other Frutos volunteers & I are going to work on landscaping and building gardens at the school. Frutos has a lot of space, but they don’t make the best use of it, & we think that the gardens would add beauty & also teach the children a sense of responsibility & pride when they begin to plant & weed & watch the flowers grow.

In other news, I’m wasting lots of time at the beach & loving the sunscreen & Luna bars that my parents sent! (obrigado, mãe e pai) My Portuguese is still pretty terrible but I’m trying. I don’t know if my vocabulary is really improving, but my pronunciation is definitely getting better. One of the volunteers’ birthdays is this weekend, so I think we’re all going on a trip to this beautiful place with hiking & waterfalls, which is right up my alley. I can’t WAIT!

Last night, as I was writing in my journal, I was sitting outside & looking at the moon & thinking. There is one thing that I absolutely love about the moon. No matter where you are, it’s the same moon. The same faceless ball of light reigning supremely over all the people you love. All the people you need. No matter where you are or what you’re doing, at least there’s always that connection. It’s pure, it’s natural, & it’s unbreakable. One of Mother Nature’s greatest gifts. & here in Brasil, it’s nice to know that it’s the same moon I saw from my home in Greensboro, my home-away-from-home in Chapel Hill, in Utah last summer, & it’s even the same moon that’s over China. I like knowing that some things never change, even when I feel like I’m growing so much.

MORRO DE SAO PAULO

To start where I left off a week ago…

The island (called Morro de Sao Paulo) was absolutely, insanely beautiful, like a picture out of a storybook. This must be the place photographers go to capture those perfect shots of sunset beaches & slanted palm trees swaying slightly in the light, salty breeze. We arrived on Friday night via “big fast boat” – according to the portugues translation – but in my opinion, the boat was not exactly what I would describe as “big”. The ride was about 2 & a half hours of crashing through the ups & downs of ocean waves, but most of us took Dramamine before the ride & thus crashed into a somber sleep for the journey. We found a quaint little hostel with hammocks on every porch & a swimming pool, which was quite a feat for only 25 reais per night (about $15). Pizza was our “gourmet” dinner before hitting the night life, which consisted of disco euro-trash type dancing & clubs & watching Capoeira on the beach. It rained on & off the next day but we still got some amazing hours in the sun, however, food was a bit of a problem because I couldn’t understand anything on the menus & therefore didn’t know if any of the entrees were vegetarian or not. One of the girls was getting over a terrible reaction to the water, & we both ended up too sick to move out of bed on Saturday night which definitely sucked, but I haven’t been sick since & I’m counting my blessing because lots of people have dealt with the worst of the worst in that regard. Although I must say, I did venture outside on Saturday night to gawk at the stunning starry sky, second only in my life to the stars I saw in Utah last summer. Sunday morning, we poorly chose to take the morning boat home & despite the Dramamine, I still helped Jill puke into a plastic bag the whole ride home. After the fact, we discovered that the morning sea is always 20 times rougher than the afternoon water, but hindsight is always 20/20, right? Still, despite everything, I’m so glad that I was able to visit such a breathtakingly beautiful place.

Monday morning it was back to the “grind” so to speak, but I don’t think I can even call it a “grind” because I’m still going to the beach almost every afternoon! It was great to see my kids again, but they didn’t give me any lesson plans this week, so I’ve just been trying to make up activities that I think two-year-olds would like. My class has been much bigger this week for whatever reason, topping out at 29 kids on both Tuesday & Wednesday! 29 toddlers + 3 teachers is quite a handful, which makes planning activities challenging because it’s impossible to watch everyone all at the same time. Markers, paint, glue, etc. are definitely out of the question, but we do a lot of coloring, singing & dancing. They LOVE playing the portugues equivalent of ring around the rosie! However, the whole time I’ve been here, I’ve been trying to pinpoint something that makes the classroom experience very different than a similar class in the states, & I think I’ve finally nailed it. There isn’t an emphasis on the concept of “fair”. There simply are not enough resources for everyone to have one of everything, so if Kamela has a car & Michael doesn’t have a toy at all, it doesn’t really matter where she got it, it’s hers. If you don’t eat your bread or your bowl of rice, the teachers only sit around for a minute or two trying to get you to eat it, & after that, it goes to someone else who is still hungry. At two-years-old, it’s already every man for himself, which kind of makes me sad & kind of makes me wonder. Maybe, because of the world these kids live in, that’s the mentality they need to survive. Life isn’t fair for anyone, especially these toddlers, so why make the classroom a fantasy world where fair exists?

I’m still loving life here in Salvador, but as the homebase is getting quieter, I can’t help but become sad for the goodbyes I will be saying within the next 2 weeks as some of these wonderful people pack up & head back to their respective homes. Although most of the people I have been hanging out with are 3-4 week-ers, there are also 2 awesome girls who are staying 8 & 12 weeks, so I’m stoked about that. Plus – we get new volunteers next weekend! I’m looking forward to sleeping in this weekend if my body will let me, because waking up at 7:15am hasn’t been the easier adjustment ever. Unfortunately, we’ve had some mishaps around the center with girls getting robbed, so chances are I will never carry a purse anywhere again, because that makes you an automatic target. Personally, I’ve never felt even remotely unsafe, but you have to be aware of your surroundings & money at all times. Luckily, taxis are cheap, very safe, & our usual mode of transportation. WHEW – that was a lot, I’m heading down to the beach. Tchau!

THE FIRST WEEK

Right now, I feel like I've been here forever (in a good way) but it's really only been 5 days. I'm still kind of in shock. I mean, am I really here, in Brasil, living out my life for the next 8 weeks? This is paradise, & this is my life. I didn't realize the two could coexist so nicely. Of course, it's not all about being a tourist, but it's hard to get out of the "vacation" mindset. I'm hoping that next week it will be easier to settle into a pattern. Everything is just so new & wonderful & exciting that I can't stop moving at 100 mph because I don't want to miss anything. I need to slow down & realize I've got time, time, time. The sad part is, I know when my 8 weeks is over, I will feel like it flew by at lightspeed. But it's way too soon to think about that now.


After a tour of the historical district of the city on Monday, we started our placements on Tuesday. I'm working at Frutos de Maes which is a preschool for babies to 6-year-olds. The program is government funded & the children that attend are from the flooded area of the shantytowns. There is a special name for the flooded neighborhood that starts with an A but I'm blanking on it right now. Although I am one of 5 CCS volunteers at Frutos, we all have different classes with different aged kids so we never really see each other during the workday. At first, I was really nervous because I landed the youngest class...the 2-year-olds, the first class above the nursery. I've never worked with children below kindergarten age so I was kind of freaked out, but I immediately fell in love with those kids. Today was my third day, & some of the little girls saw me come in & immediately sprinted over to hug me & practically tackle me onto the carpete, which was pretty much the best feeling ever. The hardest part is the language barrier - more with the teachers than the kids - & the complete lack of resources. I mean, keeping 25-30 toddlers occupied is hard enough with a room full of toys; a room lacking any toys makes it even more challenging. We sing a lot of songs & put on videos & today I brought bubbles, which they absolutely loved. I don't know what it is about kids & bubbles, but they go crazy! Also, I had no idea that I would be doing lesson plans, but evidently I am. Lesson plans for two year olds, written in portugues, are also quite a challenge. Half of my class isn't quite potty-trained but doesn't wear diapers, so I often leave in great need of a shower (today I got peed on) but like everything else, it's nothing a little soap & agua can't handle. I just wish I had more to offer the kids in terms of toys or something to do. Tomorrow I'm bringing in animal puppets & animal coloring books & crayons, but at most that will keep them occupied for 30 minutes. The kids are incredibly sweet though & you can tell a lot of them don't get much adult attention & affection at home from the way certain ones cling to you at every chance. Not to mention, all the children (& people) here are the most beautiful people I have ever seen. Seriously, kids this cute should be on T.V. or something.


In my free time, I've finally gotten to run twice which has been awesome. We've done some beaching when the sun is out & some shopping when it's cloudy. The portugues lessons are proving very helpful because they are geared directly towards surviving in Brasil & working with children. Sente se (sit down) is KEY. Earlier today, we bought tickets for a boat to an island which is evidently a-mazing. I'm so excited! At least 10 of us are headed over tomorrow afternoon & we are coming back on Sunday. I'm getting a little more accustomed to the city & the fact that I am gawked at everywhere I go. I'm also learning which parts to avoid & which parts are safe. OH! & I almost forgot! Every Tuesday night, in the historical district, they have a HUGE reggae music fest with dancing & music & drumming. Everyone here rocks at dancing! The drummers walk up & down the streets & people just follow them dancing, dancing, dancing. The guys here are all ripped from the dancing & soccer. We met a really sweet & gorgeous half-Brazilian half-German lady & her American boyfriend at the fest & that was really cool. Extremely nice & interesting people, plus, anyone who speaks English gets a serious thumbs up in my book. The Brasileiros love us & basically wouldn't take no for an answer, so I got a "personal" samba lesson in the streets of Brasil, if you will. Everything in good fun, of course. Brasileiros are all about having fun & who can blame them? Another really cool thing in this city is the graffiti. I haven't been able to photograph any of it yet, but I definitely plan on it. Evidently, in a effort to clean up the rampant offensive graffiti everywhere, the city "hired" graffiti artists to do their work to glamorize the city walls as long as the artwork is appropriate. As a result, all this amazing graffiti art fills the roads sides. Pretty clever way to handle the problem in my humble opinion.


In closing & in an effort to use my portugues, boa noite!

THE BEGINNING

Wow. So much has happened since I left the marvelous US of A that I don’t even know where to start! The flight was longggg & the Rio airport was a royal NIGHTMARE. Basically I spent the entire time running around & waving my ticket in the air & hoping I would find someone who speaks English to help me (I didn’t). I got through security at 8:55 & somehow managed to make my 9:05 flight to Salvador. The weirdest thing was that Brazilians taking the same flight were walking up to the gate at the same time as me & were just completely nonchalant while I’m hardcore stressing out. But I guess that’s pretty indicative of the whole lifestyle in this country. Everyone is all about being laid back & relaxed.

Continuing – I arrive in the Salvador airport & find the CCS (Cross Cultural Solutions) driver to pick me & 3 other girls up & drive us back to the center in the VW van. We could see some of the slums & what they call the “undercity” but obviously, we didn’t drive through it. Even so, the poverty is unreal & widespread beyond anything I have ever experienced in my life. The city around 2.7 million people and more would estimated that at least 60% are living in poverty.

We got to the center, unpacked & ate a delicious lunch...I think it was especially delicious because it was about 1PM & I hadn’t eaten since 5:30AM. It was rice & beans, veggies, vegetarian something-or-other, bread, & tons of fresh fruit, which seems to be the standard type meal. Luckily, I’m completely fine with eating the same thing over & over. After that, 5 of us girls decided to walk around & see what there was to see. (By the way, roads here are way confusing & people honk all the time & drive like they are crazy & don’t stop for pedestrians & don’t obey the very few stoplights/stop signs that exist) We ended up running into a really nice Brazilian man who spoke Spanish, & the woman who was with us also spoke Spanish, so he ended up touring us around the city for two hours, which was so awesome because we got everything for a resident’s perspective. He even drove us through the undercity, where we saw a child passed out on the side of the road half-way unclothed. We were horrified, but our “tour guide” simply pointed & said “crack” as if it were completely common to see something like that. That little boy is the kind of image that will haunt you for a very, very long time. After that, we hit up a café & sweet shop near the center which had delicious cappuccino. Unfortunately, it seems like everyone here drinks espresso or nothing at all, because I’ve yet to find normal coffee, but the center had coffee this morning which is a definite plus.

At dinnertime & bunch of new people showed up including one of my two roommates, Bethany, who is really awesome just like pretty much everyone here. I guess if you choose to come on something like CCS, that has to indicate good things about your character. A bunch of us went out last night but tried to avoid the “prostitute bars” for obvious reasons. Going out in a big group was fun, but I wouldn’t want to travel anywhere alone, ever.

Today, we woke up early to hit the beach which was beyond beautiful & quite crowded. At high tide, the beaches are non-existent because the water reaches all the way to the walls which block it from flowing onto the street. It’s definitely hot & I HOPE I managed to put on enough sunscreen to keep from burning, but I’m sure time will tell. Everywhere we go, I feel paranoid about getting robbed & about the fact that I am American. Men & boys (& even some older women) are all the time saying things to me about my eyes & hair & I have no idea what they are saying. Of course, the older women are much, much less creepy. So far, no Montezuma’s revenge, but we ate for the first time outside of the center for lunch, so hopefully I won’t regret that decision. Also, everything here is cheap & no one on the beach uses towels, only sarongs, so I’ll probably be buying one veryyyy soon. We’re hoping to go shopping sometime this week. Tomorrow morning we have orientation & a tour of the city starting at 8:30AM & we start our placements on Tuesday. 4 other people are working at my placement – I’ve met 2 of them, both guys from Dallas, Texas who seem extremely nice & are staying for 6 weeks. I’m definitely one of the youngest here if not the youngest, so I’m generally just not publicizing my age. The vibe seems to be that most people are 21-26 but no one really seems to care about specifics. You are from where you’re from, but there is only so much to talk about when it comes to that.

I could go on for hours but it’s naptime. (Sorry for any typos - I'm exhausted) On another wonderful note: I just noticed everything online is in Portuguese. This is going to be interesting.