The Heart of Brasil.....

....is Embu! We were told all about the arts and crafts that Embu is known for, but I was not prepared for the sheer volume! The streets are covered with vendors who have lovingly painted, sewed or crafted something by hand for sale. The prices were unbelievable which explains why all of us need to buy extra luggage to get all of our purchases back to the states. Even better than the shopping were the people! As soon as I got out of the car in Embu I am greeted by my host family and the lovely matriarch says, This is your brother. Vinicius, help your sister with her bags. (SHOUT OUT TO VINICIUS!) That is just a small example of how immediately the people of Embu wanted us to feel welcomed and like a part of the family. As a matter of fact ALL of the brasileiros we have met have been amazing. You are greeted with hugs and kisses as if you are seeing old friends again. And for a southern girl like me that works just fine! :)

Also while in Embu we were introduced to churrascaria which is basically a never ending feast of meats that are perfectly seasoned and cooked to perfection over a fire. The nights were filled with fun, dancing, food and caipirinhas (hehe, google it!)

Embu felt like a refreshing visit with family and I am so thankful to all the Rotarians and friends of Rotarians who gave us space to relax, relate and reflect! Now I feel ready for our upcoming week.

Here is what we have coming up:

-the zoo

-a visit to Santos

-the Sao Paulo Stock Exchange, Commodities and Futures Exchange

-Saint Bento Monastery

-Latin American Memorial

-Portuguese Language Museum

-Pinacoteca Museum

-Estaçao da Luz

-Pateo do Colegio

-Rio Branco High School

As you can see we have lots to look forward to and I am equally excited to meet the Rotarians who are taking time out of their schedules to join us during this week. MUITO OBRIGADA!!

Stay tuned yall!

Who knew?

So like Alicia has mentioned previously it has been a whirlwind of days leaving all of us asking what day it is and having little free time to share our experiences. This morning I will try briefly to sum up some of the a-ha moments I am learning about Rotary and Brazil so far for me. This past week we saw a Rotary project that I was very impressed with IPP - a program to help teens learn basic work skills and maintain employment. More importantly this project was partnered in funds by CitiBank. The students are all working in entery level administrative style jobs and have an opportunity as a result of this project. Like mentioned before there is evean a quota for employers to give people experience in their businesses. Imagine how many people would love those opportunities and these teens work very hard to maintain them. This program is very impressive!

We have also seen a great amount of hospitality and national pride with our host families which deserve a mention to date - so far I have stayed with: Maria Luzia, Vannessa & Renaldo and this week Ricardo & Michelle.

Today is a free day for us but I am learning about graphic arts design and printing here at Ricardo`s workplace where he is the director. I simply cannot wait to see what adventure and information tomorrow holds. I am going to the ZOO!!!! I cannot wait!!!

Rotary in SP is doing big things!!!

It has been a few days since any of us has had a moment to post. You all would not believe the experiences we are having and its only been eight days...I think....sorry I lost track of the days a while ago.
This is what I do know...Rotary is amazing and they are definitely doing amazing things in SP! On Friday we got a chance to visit IPP (Instituto Profissionalizante Paulista). This is a program that provides job training and education to students to fill administrative positions for different companies. The students spend one day a week there in addition to their regular hours at school. All of the kids we talked to have jobs at different places, publishing houses or even companies like Citibank- who is a major corporate sponsor of the program. The students are learning about professionalism, how to dress and other components necessary for maintaining their positions. The students were so cool and very interested in us. Our time with them was brief but it definitely made an impact!
On another note: Did you know that in Sao Paulo there is a law that requires companies to hire a certain number of individuals with disabilities? Imagine how your office would be different if you interacted with a person living with a physical or mental disability on a daily basis? Our understanding of what life is like for people who live with these challenges would certainly be expanded. Its also encouraging to know legislation like that can be passed and enforced.
Later on we traveled to the Microsurgery Unit at a nearby hospital (sorry I forgot the name of the hospital!) where we learned that Rotary not only provided equipment for microsurgery, but also supported the education of several doctors to use the equipment. We saw pictures of hands that where completely severed and because of what Rotary has accomplished injured people can have their limbs reattached and have a high percentage of functioning return. We all left in awe of the diversity in the projects that Rotary is committed to and also the vast number of people that are benefiting from what Rotary is doing in Sao Paulo.
We had lunch that afternoon with the Avenue Paulista club and interestingly enough one of the members found an article published that morning where Citibank notes the IPP program as one of the most important programs it sponsors. WOW!
It was an eye opening day that was capped off with a great walking tour of Avenue Paulista. So after this busy week we were shuttled off to Embu for a weekend of relaxation. Ahh, Embu.....we just got back to SP from Embu and Embu deserves its own post, but for now I will say this: Embu was wonderful so stay tuned for more details on the shopping, the dancing and the CHURRASCARIA!!!

Well.. I couldnt go to bed without mentioning that we toured a deaf school today! YES.. I was ab le to sign to the deaf children!!! And yes it was different from ASL because they use Brazilian sign but we were still able to communicate! I was in my element and totally loving it!

WOW..THIS TRIP IS AMAZING!!!!

This has been an amazing experience so far. We went to the "Fotebol musem which s the same as our soccer and the children in the attached picture had never heard and English speaking American and they crowded us for pictures.. It was adorable and they were so sweet. We also went to a radio station and met famous radio personalities etc. etc. But most of all, the people here are amazing and so generous! More to come!!!! God Bless!

Lindo Maravilhoso!!!!

Day two in Brazil has been an absolute adventure! I intend to update later with pictures so you can see some of the things I saw today. This is the first day our team has been split up and we were turned over to our host families. And initially when the day started I was anxious to do something and a little homesick all at the same time. But then Renata walked into Guido;s home she was like a burst of sunlight! Leigh and I hopped into her red Fiat pickup and sped off to our new home for the rest of the week. Let me tell you...her home ....absolutely beautiful! Renata is a lawyer who got tired of practicing law and decided to spend her time helping people. She owns several properties that she is renovating for some of her less fortunate friends to get a step up in life. Renata is new to Rotary but the way she talks about working with poor people and giving any and everything she has makes her seem like Rotary has always been a part of her life. Leigh and I immediately fell in love with her dog and her bird, Tucano...yes he is a tucan! After lunch Renata was determined to show us where the real Brazilians lived and explained that she wanted us to visit a friend of hers that lived in the favela. Favela would be something Americans considered the ghetto, but really, Americans do not know poverty like this. The houses are multi-colored shacks that scale up, down and around the hillside. There are no roads just trails that you would need a 4wheeler to navigate. This visit was definitely not on the Rotary itinerary and probably somewhere Guido and Jim would NOT want us to be, but Renata is a strong woman and the people who live in the favela were so simpatico that we felt very comfortable the entire time. Plus, despite all forewarning, I was just as determined to see ALL of Sao Paulo. Kids were all over - boys playing dodgeball and the girls swinging on a makeshift swing. All the kids ran to us so they could play with Renata;s dog who came along. Renata;s friend invited us into her home and fussed over us offering cake and water. Renata advised us not to drink the water and we politely pretended to drink. The lady talked about how she went to see a doctor and when he asked where she lived she was embarassed because she doesnt have an address. There are no streets in the favela, no one pays rent or water or electricity. Since the people here dont pay, some days they have water and lights and other days they do not. Even while we were sitting in the house the lights would dim periodically. But this lady was a proud woman who declared that she wanted to pay for these things because she works hard and is a good person. We left thanking her for her hospitality and wishing her good luck at her new housekeeping job she was starting the next day.
Immediately after slowly trekking down the hillside and leaving the favela, Renata took us to the other extreme of Sao Paulo. After lots of chat, lots of traffic and a near side swipe from a city bus, we were gazing as the storefronts of Roberto Cavalli and Armani and Tiffany & Co. A stark contrast to the life we experienced 45 minutes earlier. Renata definitely opened our eyes to the fact that Sao Paulo has it all and everything in between.
I feel so fortunate to be living with Renata for a week, she has opened her home and heart to us and insisted that we act as if we are home as well.
YAWN!!!! Its getting late and we have to visit Guido;s Rotary club tomorrow so for now...BOA NOITE! Til next time...

Well as you can see from the previous posts, we are here! Oi Brazil!!!!!

LaTonya and I are staying with Guido and Seonea this week. We had a huge lunch of pasta and fresh salad. Seonea is a woman of my own heart, she suggested we take a walk for ice cream later. We are apparently blocks away from the best ice cream parlor in Sao Paulo.

We officially start the GSE program with tours and meeting Rotary groups tomorrow. Can't wait to see more of this country.

Sao Paolo is huge. I am posting a few pics, Jim and Christina have more on their cameras and will post even more later.

Loving it so far!

Ciao Ciao!