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!