Wednesday, May 27, 2009

tchau, sao paulo











it is wednesday nite and i am attempting to pack my things because we leave for lindoia tomorrow morning. i have been staring at all of the stuff piled on the floor and on my bed. where did it all come from? my clean but wet laundry is hanging outside. thais has assured me that it should be dry by morning, but i am afraid i may be traveling to lindoia in my pj~s. but all is well-- i am in sao paulo, brasil!! these last couple of days have flown by. as usual, thais has arranged for us an inspiring tour. today we visited the rotary foundation school(s) in sao paulo. the facilities are beautiful (like everything that we have seen), the cafezinho (pardon my spelling - it is late) is delicious, and we are treated like royalty. most inspiring is the rotary foundation school for the deaf. yesterday we visited the centro de esporte, cultura e lazer. they provide services to all ages of the community at the facility. they also provide all aspects of family support at the single location. i met some wonderful ladies who were doing handwork and painting. of course the day would not be complete until we had bought several of the handcrafted items. the afternoon was spent at the botanical gardens.

Sunday, May 24, 2009

oneweek- already










we have been in brasil for 8 days now. how time has flown. i was able to attend mass at the sao paulo mta shrine on thursday. thais arranged this for me, and i am so very grateful. the day was to end at 4pm, and the driver drop off all of the team before dropping me off, but we were running late, and nelson (pinch hitting for thais) told me that i was to be dropped off first. anyway, i was received warmly at the shrine, and after mass, met with father matheus and (my family will looove this) sister theo.




friday morning we had free, and i think i slept until it was time to leave for the afternoon. when i woke up, thais told me that she had been to the hospital for medicine or treatment. she has been going non-stop to arrange everything we need.




last night we went to the samba. i wasn~t there 5 minutes when someone spilled a beer over my head while cheering about something. brings back memories of week-ends at kyrles and crepes. it was really fun, but i wish rickey could have been there to dance with me. i was impressed by the atmosphere of the place. it was crowded, but not rowdy. everyone there was friendly and polite. there was actually toilet paper in the ladies bathroom.




after one week, communication is still a problem for me. i am trying my best, but it is very hard to understand the words, even in english. i am sure thais is really tired of repeating everything she says.




my observations after 8 days---




1-- this city is sooooo very big. there are people everywhere. (don~t they ever all go home?)




2-- every shop or resturant has some reference to a saint. they are everywhere. thais said that in june there are three big festivals centered around feast days of some saint or the other. reminds me of home- any excuse for a party!




3-- the people here are so very friendly. everyone smiles.




4-- the food here is delicious. the fruit is so fresh and plentiful, and the flavor explodes in your mouth.




5-- i was told that the beer here is the coldest anywhere, but at our camp, we can get it colder.




6-- these people are serious about security. there are locks and gates and iron bars everywhere.








they say that you can do anything in sao paulo, but i don~t think so. i can~t walk down the road to visit my in-laws sitting on their front porch. i can~t wave to the neighbors as they pass in front of my house on their tractor or 4-wheeler. i can~t sit on my back porch and see across the bayou. ( i think i even miss seeing those stupid cows and chickens.) i haven~t seen anyone fishing along the bayou bank. come to think of it, i don~t remember seeing a bayou bank.




Friday, May 22, 2009

friday-
















wow- the week has flown by. it is hard to believe that tomorrow will mark the end of our first week in brasil. i am having technical difficulties uploading my pictures, and because i am using my hosts computer, my time is limited. we attended the RC Aeroporto meeting Tuesday night, and I had the opportunity to meet the Presidents Rep- Gary Huang- from Taiwan. Wednesday night we attended the founding meeting of a new club. The meeting was very long, but very nice. We left shortly after midnight, and people were still there mingling. Thursday morning we attended a meeting of a RC that is mostly women, and two men (aren`t they lucky) Our days have been filled with inspirational visits. We have had the priveledge to meet professionals that are pioneers in their respective fields, and they have welcomed us warmly and thanked US for visiting them. Go figure! Thais` son just came home, and will try to help me get some pics uploaded. I guess it will be easy for you to know if it works.Tchau for now, Nita

Sunday, May 17, 2009

DayOne




The team arrived tired but excited Sunday morning. We were greeted at the airport by Thais and Lothar. When we arrived at the home of Thais, we enjoyed a wonderful breakfast, then all went home with host families.

Saturday, May 16, 2009




We are ready to go. Everyone is really excited. Obrigada to everyone who helped us get to this point. Sao Paulo here we come!!!