tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-39317469890380214162024-03-13T11:09:33.146-07:00Changing SeasonsRotary GSE from Canada (District 5550) to Brazil (District 4490) in 2011been_kownterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16049744974385423939noreply@blogger.comBlogger29125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3931746989038021416.post-52418077507231291752011-05-19T07:57:00.000-07:002011-05-19T08:03:19.462-07:00Day 31<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0eTiVbXITgQ/TdUxK-QXQBI/AAAAAAAAABE/TQcqVDRrwe4/s1600/Brazil%2BMay%2B10th%2B014.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0eTiVbXITgQ/TdUxK-QXQBI/AAAAAAAAABE/TQcqVDRrwe4/s320/Brazil%2BMay%2B10th%2B014.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5608442975539904530" border="0" /></a><br />The end is nigh... of the trip, that is. Today is our last day in Brazil. We are heading to the airport after lunch to catch our flights home, except for Brenda who is spending a few days in Sao Paulo with a former exchange student from Brazil.<br /><br />As for Laurie, Keith and myself, we are heading back to Canada but not before a solid 24 hours of flying time.<br /><br />We have all enjoyed our time in Brazil, the wonderful hospitality of the people we have met and the opportunity to meet with Rotary Clubs.<br /><br />I didn't have a picture of just the four of us for this blog post. I seemed to forgot my camera existed over this trip and didn't take that many photos. However, Laurie was a shutterbug and I will have to grab some from her camera.<br /><br />Bon voyage!<br /><br />Jenniferjenniferardielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03619124343237613159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3931746989038021416.post-85416856802408579042011-05-18T17:41:00.000-07:002011-05-18T18:23:03.907-07:00Day 30<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Fr9luvxrPXg/TdRu2OseYBI/AAAAAAAAAA0/9T9cstOpUgE/s1600/Brazil%2BMay%2B18th%2B019.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Fr9luvxrPXg/TdRu2OseYBI/AAAAAAAAAA0/9T9cstOpUgE/s320/Brazil%2BMay%2B18th%2B019.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5608229313919737874" border="0" /></a><br />"I wish I could wax my chest hair." Keith G. Fonstad.<br /><br />Last full day in Brazil! We began the trip with a tour of a unique school in Fortaleza. Edisca combines dance, theatre and education for free to disadvantaged students. Students attend the school either before or after going to their regular schools.<br /><br />The school provides tutorial services, dance, theatre, medical care and meals to students. Additionally, they provide the opportunity for student's parents to learn skills, such as sewing for costumes that they can parlay into an chance to earn income.<br /><br />We watched part of a student performance from a previous year. I am a huge fan of the arts, including dance. I really enjoyed the video of the performance; such an interesting take on contemporary dance.<br /><br />We then hit the beach for our last afternoon. Laurie found the perfect relaxation spot on a giant bean bag. Keith, decided to try his luck at surfing. Here is something I learned about surfing, the board is covered with glue so that surfers can grip better. Here is something Keith learned about surfing... glue sticks to your chest hair.<br /><br />Late in the afternoon, we packed up and headed to our respective families.<br /><br />Now... to attempt to pack all my stuff. Where did I put my shrink ray gun?<br /><br />Jenniferjenniferardielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03619124343237613159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3931746989038021416.post-27870006086472291002011-05-17T16:50:00.000-07:002011-05-17T17:07:23.643-07:00Day 29<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gbv-tDbxKhQ/TdMNKV52IoI/AAAAAAAAAGc/RB3cKU_WRyw/s1600/2011%2B05%2B19%2B-%2Bshark.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 400px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5607840432336020098" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gbv-tDbxKhQ/TdMNKV52IoI/AAAAAAAAAGc/RB3cKU_WRyw/s400/2011%2B05%2B19%2B-%2Bshark.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-iT4HS_UQ3_M/TdMNJzcT2gI/AAAAAAAAAGU/7wY-dQZ3uB4/s1600/2011%2B05%2B19%2B-%2Bslides.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 400px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5607840423085332994" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-iT4HS_UQ3_M/TdMNJzcT2gI/AAAAAAAAAGU/7wY-dQZ3uB4/s400/2011%2B05%2B19%2B-%2Bslides.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_0boOthz2SA/TdMNJlRuQ8I/AAAAAAAAAGM/6xMcJBZcYqM/s1600/2011%2B05%2B19%2B-%2Briver%2Bfloat.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 300px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5607840419282830274" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_0boOthz2SA/TdMNJlRuQ8I/AAAAAAAAAGM/6xMcJBZcYqM/s400/2011%2B05%2B19%2B-%2Briver%2Bfloat.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7D1IW4bQml4/TdMNJRhjQgI/AAAAAAAAAGE/X33-LUvrAwc/s1600/2011%2B05%2B19%2B-%2Binsano.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 300px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5607840413980508674" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7D1IW4bQml4/TdMNJRhjQgI/AAAAAAAAAGE/X33-LUvrAwc/s400/2011%2B05%2B19%2B-%2Binsano.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div>We have done a few touristy trips here, but today was very touristy - we went to a place called Beach Park - a huge water park - includes three significant little kids water parks, a river float (Laurie's fav), wave pool (small waves by ocean and West Ed standards), a 41 metre screamer and a couple smaller ones, multiple slides for just riders, and with tubes and mats...there were even a sauna and hot tub (seldom used - can't imagine why as the location of Beach Park is in a city where 25 celsius is a cold day...). As the name suggests, the Beach Park is located on a beach (appropriate :) ) and once you pay to go the park, you can get a pass to go in and out of the park to the beach. We arrived around 12 and after getting set up by our Rotary host, we headed off for some river floating followed by a couple of the water slides. The sun was out today (finally) so we all had to be aware of sunscreen use and sun exposure - didn't appear to be any lobsters in the group today...After the slides, it was the wave pool. After bobbing for while, lunch was calling our name - so he headed to the restuarant and had the most expensive meal we have had yet (apparently amusement parks are excessively expensive all over the world...). After lunch, the girls peer pressured/coerced/manipulated me to do the Insano - the 41 metre screamer...well, okay I kinda volunteered to take one for the team so we could say someone did it...or as Laurie put it, "being a man"....in any regards, I successfully survived the insano experience and moved on to making sure I rode all the other adult slides in the park (all those open anyways...), which some rivaled the insano for worst/best ride...all in all, it was a very good day and much thanks goes to our Rotary hosts for arranging for the trip!!</div><br /><br /><div></div><br /><div>We are all now back at our hosts houses recuperating and preparing for our last full day in Brazil...</div></div></div></div>been_kownterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16049744974385423939noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3931746989038021416.post-76686248718133805792011-05-16T18:00:00.000-07:002011-05-16T18:16:13.239-07:00Day 28Today we were picked up at home at 6am Brazilian time....so by the time we actually got everyone and hit the road it was 7:30. We had a 3 hour drive to our destination so we all settled in for the ride and attempted to have a nap on the bus. The roads here are not exactly 'nap friendly'. There are several reasons for this, the first and most prominent is the pot hole issue. Pot holes are everywhere and they are not filled, nor are they marked so when you are flying down the highway it is necessary to slam on the brakes and swerve often to avoid a flat tire, or in some cases having your vehicle swallowed up by the hole. On top of the pot hole issue there are also random donkeys, dogs and various farm animals including cows the size of cars that cause more swerving and braking. And the final factor in the nap free roads are the other crazy drivers who keep our drivers on their toes at all times. Despite all this we made it to Limoeiro do Norte City after a short stop to have some juice and breakfast along the way.<br />Upon arriving we went to the district governors house for a snack of fresh fruit and bread and then off to an irrigation agricultural farm where we saw 4 types of bananas, limes, oranges, pears and apples being grown. The manager of the farm gave us a tour and explained that banana trees are cut after they produce a crop and another tree grows next to the initial tree and the new tree grows the next crop. <br />We also saw one of three pump houses on the property, and the manager explained how fertilizers and pesticides were injected into the water based on the needs of each fruit tree and then the correct mixture was sent through the irrigation system to the trees.<br />After the tour we headed back to the district governors house for lunch, we had a BBQ outside and relaxed at his house for a while afterwards. We then boarded the bus for another bumpy ride home.<br />We were sad to say goodbye to our friend Marcelo at the end of the ride. Marcelo is heading to Canada next week on the Brazilian GSE team so we will see him again soon. We spent 10 days with him in Sao Luis and now 5 in Fortaleza, since he has been with us for half of the trip we have inducted him as an honorary member of our team! We would not have survived without his great translating skills!!<br />We are all now at our respective hosts houses and getting ready for Beach park tomorrow. Our days in Brazil are numbered now so I thought I would share a few things that I have noticed about this country over the past few weeks:<br />1. At restaurants it is automatic that they bring you beer, you have to ask for water<br />2. Eating 6 to 8 types of meat in one meal is totally normal<br />3. Stop signs are just suggestions and roundabouts are racetracks<br />4. Pot holes create driver training simulations<br />5. Cake, even chocolate cake is a breakfast food<br />6. Work seems to be optional in the afternoon for most people<br />7. Everyone speaks some English even if they claim not too<br />8. Ketchup and mayo are for pizza not hotdogs<br />9. Whisky bottles must be emptied completely as soon as possible if opened<br />10. It is acceptable and apparently legal to carry your entire family across town on either a bicycle or motor bike<br />11. They eat food family style....enough food as though there were 4 families (we have yet to even come close to finishing the food that is served to us, despite Keiths efforts)<br />12. Happy hour can start anytime after 8am<br />13. Soccer (football) is a religion, there are more soccer fields than churches, and brazil is the most catholic country in the world<br />14. 'Jesus' comes in a bottle here and tastes like cotton candy....it's a bright pink coca cola product<br />15. Hammock hooks are built into the walls of every house, inside and out. Genius!<br />16. Jeans are warn everywhere....even the government buildings, they are acceptable but shorts are forbidden <br />17. And in Brazil always LOCK THE DOOR!<br /> Lauriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07811900787330387569noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3931746989038021416.post-38464692858977442582011-05-16T16:47:00.001-07:002011-05-16T16:52:27.864-07:00Day 27<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tag7AMwttpI/TdG4cEfMR0I/AAAAAAAAAAs/4xw01vqhBpA/s1600/Brazil%2BMay%2B15th%2B009.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 270px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tag7AMwttpI/TdG4cEfMR0I/AAAAAAAAAAs/4xw01vqhBpA/s320/Brazil%2BMay%2B15th%2B009.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5607465803433396034" border="0" /></a><br />Day 27 came very early... too early for me.<br /><br />We begun the day with an early wake up call and hopped in a few cars to head to the city of Aracati. The father of my host family is from this town and they own a beach house there as well. Before heading to the beach house, we stopped and had a quick taste of the local industry; shrimp farming. We then headed to the farm to see where shrimp are raise. Imagine, if you will, giant ponds for all the eyes can see. This is how shrimp are raised and farmed in this part of Ceara. They use salt water for the holding ponds from the sea. Since it was Sunday, the farm was very quite however, it was interesting to see how ‘livestock’ are raised in this part of Brazil. <p class="MsoNormal">We then had a wonderful lunch at Ivan and Lucina’s beach house. After a quick change, the team headed to the beach to test our strength again the ocean’s waves. It was rather overcast but my fair skin enjoyed the break from the sun's rays. Keith and I spent the entire time in the ocean where the water is always around 27 degrees Celsius. Lauire tried to work on her tan a bit and Marcelo eventually came in the water although he was slightly concerned that the tide would pull him out (he can’t swim). No worries, Keith was practicing his defense against the waves and Laurie has the pictures to prove it!</p> <p class="MsoNormal">After a long, rainy drive back to Fortaleza, we all hit the hay for a good night’s rest. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">Jennifer</p>jenniferardielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03619124343237613159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3931746989038021416.post-79642573987164166822011-05-15T18:45:00.000-07:002011-05-15T19:23:33.850-07:00Days 25 and 26<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zfE76Djgm8Y/TdCJhc2DD0I/AAAAAAAAAF8/bYuPKp4jCTM/s1600/2011%2B05%2B20%2B-%2Bbeach.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 400px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5607132743847841602" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zfE76Djgm8Y/TdCJhc2DD0I/AAAAAAAAAF8/bYuPKp4jCTM/s400/2011%2B05%2B20%2B-%2Bbeach.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SWr_F1L3N7M/TdCJhMeEJMI/AAAAAAAAAF0/iy814QP_Qv4/s1600/2011%2B05%2B20%2B-%2BBrenda%2Band%2Bfransico.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 300px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5607132739452282050" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SWr_F1L3N7M/TdCJhMeEJMI/AAAAAAAAAF0/iy814QP_Qv4/s400/2011%2B05%2B20%2B-%2BBrenda%2Band%2Bfransico.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ep2U_6vITNY/TdCJg4jL28I/AAAAAAAAAFs/LjXn_Pue4xY/s1600/2011%2B05%2B20%2B-%2Bgirls%2Band%2Bmarcelo.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 400px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5607132734105050050" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ep2U_6vITNY/TdCJg4jL28I/AAAAAAAAAFs/LjXn_Pue4xY/s400/2011%2B05%2B20%2B-%2Bgirls%2Band%2Bmarcelo.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Plkf-6VNftk/TdCJgnNp2rI/AAAAAAAAAFk/NMUBjTZWhk0/s1600/2011%2B05%2B20%2B-%2BKeith%2527s%2Bhost%2Bmoms.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 400px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5607132729451338418" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Plkf-6VNftk/TdCJgnNp2rI/AAAAAAAAAFk/NMUBjTZWhk0/s400/2011%2B05%2B20%2B-%2BKeith%2527s%2Bhost%2Bmoms.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div>With a small agenda change (for the positive) we had to make our presentation to the conference on Friday at 12:30 - everything went really well and should be our last presentation for the trip. Once the presentation and lunch was over, we had the rest of the day off - our Sao Luis friends (mine and Jenny's hosts and Marcelo from the Brazilian GSE team) made arrangements to meet us at a beach bar called Croco Beach - it is a pretty large bar complex with something for all ages. First, we made an executive decision to get a hotel room for the team (except Brenda who could more easily get to and from her hosts) as we weren't sure on how late the night would be and we wanted to be at the beach in the morning - hotel rooms are reasonable and with the Canadian dollar stronger right now, it made lots of sense - it also allowed us somewhere to store our suits from the presentation while we went to the beach - after some emergency purchases of toiletries, we headed off to the beach - after some cervejas, our Sao Luis friends showed up for a quick visit before the bar closed for the day - since the visit wasn't long enough, we made arrangements to meet for supper back downtown - the team and Marcelo were able to do some minor shopping at the ocean side market before supper, and then we enjoyed a night of visiting, eating, and yes, drinking (how were the caipiroska's girls?) - we finished visting at the restuarant late enough that we didn't have time to go to the conference hotel where a forro dance had been going on (although we learned the next day that it likely was still going - the sleep ended up being a good choice though...).</div><br /><br /><div></div><br /><div>Saturday morning we awoke to head back to the beach bar to meet Brenda at ten for our day off, relaxing at the beach - however Marcelo received a message that he needed to go to the conference hotel to get some supplies for his GSE trip, we needed to go to the bank, then Marcelo found out he was going to stay with us till Monday and come to the dinner Saturday night (instead of returning to Sao Luis) so he headed off with Carlos to get some clothes for the extended stay - upon his return, waited for him to get ready (a consistent theme for the next two days....) and we arrived at the beach at noon - luckily Brenda is now climatized to Brazilian time and didn''t worry too much about us and she did an excellent job reserving a beach front table - from this table, we spent the rest of the day swimming in the large waves, watching the surfers (in the late afternoon rain shower), playing cards, having fruit puree drinks, ice cream based drinks, cerveja, and a really disgusting cheeseburger and fries from the kids menu (should have known better...) Other than the clouds and the late afternoon rain shower, the day was really good, although we all could have used a hammock for an afternoon siesta.</div><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div>We returned to the hotel to get ready for the evening dinner - the conference wind-up event - the team got dressed up in our suit/dresses for what we thought was a gala event - waited for Marcelo to get ready (the ladies even went and got their hair done, but apparently something was lost in translation as they ended up paying for getting their hair dried and Laurie's bangs were teased and partially trimmed, but Jenny's cost more even though it was only dried - neither got any product, curling, straightening, etc....still looked beautiful though ladies!! well, presentable anyways...) While walking to the conference hotel, Marcelo then informed us that the event is semi-casual, that 's why he didn't have a tie and jacket...thanks for the heads up...as it was, there were a wide variety of dress so my tie wasn't out of place and the ladies in Brazil always seem to dress up, so the ladies on the team were not out of place either...we arrived at the scheduled time of 8 - there were about 20 people there of the expected couple hundred, there were more waiters than people although the waiters weren't serving anything...more people arrived as the time passed, yet no drinks were served - again, a culturual difference noted by our team, especially since we had spent most of the day wetting the whistle and our whistles were now bone dry....finally at 9:30 someone instructed the waiters to begin - whiskey and cerveja were the choices (surprise, surprise) - at 10:30 a local dance group came in and provided a show of a local dance - very entertaining - at 11:10 the buffet opened and a live band began playing. We spent the night with our Sao Luis and Pedro II friends, visiting with many others, a little bit of dancing, and lots of laughter - my host 'mom' from Sao Luis has a gift - after two glasses of whiskey, she is basically fluent in english which is quite amazing since she doesn't really know much english...a very enjoyable evening, although it had a sad ending as this would be our last chance to visit with our hosts from the other parts of the district - after lots of hugs and offers to visit, we returned home for our early morning pick-up for Sunday's activities.</div></div></div></div>been_kownterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16049744974385423939noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3931746989038021416.post-19860193084653365132011-05-15T17:39:00.000-07:002011-05-15T18:42:01.887-07:00Day 24<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-m6BB-5xRc38/TdCAngzu8tI/AAAAAAAAAFc/r8f0PAEeG40/s1600/2011%2B05%2B18%2B-%2Bcashew%2Bfruit.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 300px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5607122952386441938" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-m6BB-5xRc38/TdCAngzu8tI/AAAAAAAAAFc/r8f0PAEeG40/s400/2011%2B05%2B18%2B-%2Bcashew%2Bfruit.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2muFUvJznRE/TdCAndkuRrI/AAAAAAAAAFU/Ips3D0JSa1I/s1600/2011%2B05%2B18%2B-%2Bcashew%2Bworkers.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 400px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5607122951518176946" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2muFUvJznRE/TdCAndkuRrI/AAAAAAAAAFU/Ips3D0JSa1I/s400/2011%2B05%2B18%2B-%2Bcashew%2Bworkers.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-sRQj2pzgfFA/TdCAnRLOjpI/AAAAAAAAAFM/j9cP5OQoAz4/s1600/2011%2B05%2B18%2B-%2Bfactory%2Bvisit.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 400px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5607122948190015122" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-sRQj2pzgfFA/TdCAnRLOjpI/AAAAAAAAAFM/j9cP5OQoAz4/s400/2011%2B05%2B18%2B-%2Bfactory%2Bvisit.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div>This morning we had to be at the hotel early to be picked up for a trip to a cashew farm - Gilnei, one of the Brazilian GSE team members works for a large cashew producer and was to be our guide for the day. He picked us up in what has to be the oldest truck on the road - an early 80's model chevy extended cab - it is in this beast that we travled the 135 km to the cashew farm. The farm is enormous (consists of various properties) - approx 100,000 acres and 3,000,000 trees - during harvest season (sept - nov) it employs 5,000 workers - during the rest of the year 350. The farm is really a decent size town - there is housing for employees, approx 500 houses total, a school, two churches (catholic and protestant), supermarket, butcher, multiple football fields, etc. - in the production area that we toured, there were these large storage areas for approx 5 million tonnes of cashew nuts. The cashew nut grows out of the cashew fruit and when harvested, the worker picks the fruit off the tree, twists the nut off and throws the fruit on the ground - only about 5 - 10% of the fruit is used for juice or other purposes and 100% of the nuts are used - apparently the juice market is limited and the shelf life is too short for export - they are researching additional uses for the fruit (dried fruit is crushed and mixed with corn for feed for the local cattle on the farm, but not done commercially, as well as they are beginning production of a cashew burger - a hamburger made out of cashew fruit and nuts - Jenny and Laurie did the taste test and it exceeded their expectations - as a meatatarian in Brazil, I felt it was against my beliefs to partake...) The farm has a bunch of new equipment and if the crop is good, they will process the nuts there, but currently all the processing is being done in Fortaleza at the factory, which we traveled to after an excellent lunch, a nap in a hammock, and a quick visit to the local farm (which had cattle (milk and beef), goats, pigs, and chickens - the pig barns were even set up for proper drainage with two holding tanks that were emptied into portable spreader tanks for fertilizer). </div><br /><br /><div></div><br /><div>Most of the factories (and other businesses) we have visited have been very labour intensive - many jobs most people wouldn't chose to do - but the cashew factory topped the list of jobs I wouldn't want - most of the cashews are sorted by hand - ladies (apparently men aren't consistent enough so they only use ladies) sit at the side of a conveyor belt with a bucket beside them and pick out the appropriate sized cashew - 9 hours a day, 5 days a week - for minimum wage (makes you wonder if the men are smarter by being 'inconsistent' so they have to do different jobs......nah, attention to detail just typically isn't our thing....) - there is some automated sorting done, but only for whole cashews...the employees at all the facilities we visited are treated very well - this company had housing for most of its employees, all facilities had on site medical for employee and their family, and other benefits including cross training and rotating jobs where applicable. Most of these factories, including the cashew factory today had very low employee turnover and high levels of loyalty - the employees we talked to at the cashew company were very loyal to the owner, whom they all respectfully called president. Given the lifestyle and jobs of many other people we have seen and talked to (beach vendors, people living in the rural areas) the repetitive job duties don't actually seem that bad (trying to say that even though I described it previously as jobs I wouldn't want, they are still better than a lot of other jobs and situatinos that still exist here in Brazil - even though there is a growing middle class, the lower class is still huge and struggling - the richer are getting richer and most of the poor are getting poorer - there is a huge problem with the political system and corruption here, but I will save that discussion for another blog...). Gilnei works at the factory as a food engineer (for processing and research/quality control) and so he provided a very thorough and informative tour - you could tell he was very proud of the company and the work they did. </div><br /><br /><div></div><br /><div>After the cashew factory visit, we returned to our homes to get ready for the opening of the conference - the schedule indicated a cocktail party at 8 - we were instructed that it was dressy - so we dressed up in cocktail dresses (mine was pants, dress shirt and tie...a nice ensemble) and arrived to find that it was actually the opening ceremonies which included 2 hours of speeches in portuguese, followed by a short social with way too many people and not enough waiters...the best part was reuniting with all our new friends from previous locations and getting to say hi. See the following blog for more on the conference...</div></div></div>been_kownterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16049744974385423939noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3931746989038021416.post-16929397423980970932011-05-15T16:18:00.000-07:002011-05-15T16:21:19.408-07:00Day 23Since we are several days behind I will just give you a quick overview of Day 23. It started at our usual meeting place, the hotel where the Rotary District Conference was held in Fortaleza. We met our tour guides for the day and head out to emcetur, an old prison in the centre of town that is now a market for local artisans to display their works. We saw several of these artists at work, one elderly woman making clothing, doilies and other things using a dying art form that will likely not be passed down to the next generation due to the intensive work and relatively low return on sales. <br />Afterwards we headed to the University of Fortaleza where we had a tour of the campus and the athletic facilities. It was a very nice campus and is the largest public University in the state of Ceara. <br />Lunch on day 23 was similar to several meals we have now had in Brazil. An all you can eat BBQ restaurant. For about 13 dollars Canadian you are first greeted with an immense salad bar, and buffet with several choices of hot food. Once you fill your plate and head to your table you are inundated with waiters (garçons) offering every type of meat imaginable. This is soon followed by the largest desert cart in existence. Needless to say, lunch is the 'big meal' in Brazil.....or in a case like this, the only meal you need in a day. Most brazilians take a two hour lunch break so they have time for a much needed nap afterwards. <br />Unfortunately and afternoon nap wasn't in the cards for us this day, we headed straight to our next vocational visit. A local Rotarian took us to two of the private schools that he owns. At each of them we had the opportunity to tour the facilities and visit with students at various levels. Both schools were very nice and well maintained. We spoke with some staff members and had the opportunity to see the administration office, which was in a converted house across the street from one of the schools (very similar to the set up of the old board office in Kenora). At the second of the two schools we were invited to their weekly assembly and introduced to the senior students, we also fielded some questions about Canada for some very shy grade 1 students. Lauriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07811900787330387569noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3931746989038021416.post-76724462240866900222011-05-14T21:54:00.000-07:002011-05-14T22:00:44.381-07:00Day 22Hello All,<br /><br />Yes, we are alive. No, we didn't forget to post. We ran into a few hiccups over that last few days. The Blogger site has been down and we have been away from the internet. Details will follow in the forthcoming posts. 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The Univeristy of Foratleza (UNIFOR for short) is a sprawling campus in Fortaleza. Roughly 60 000 students attend the university. That is larger than the city I grew up in! Here is a nod to Brandon, Manitoba... keep to dry land! <p class="MsoNormal">The healthcare faculty includes medicine, dentistry, nursing, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, speech language pathology, audiology and dietitian faculties.<span style=""> </span>Due to time restraints, we only had the opportunity to see the therapy portion of the campus. Although I would have loved to see the nursing facility, the opportunity to see the facility was fantastic. In my practice in Canada, I refer patients to these specialties all the time so it was nice to see what happens there. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">An interesting part of the tour was the services available for free to the public. Students practice their specialty on campus and provide health services for free. The day we visited happened to be very raining. Hardly anyone was in the building. I guess it is like a blizzard in Canada; everyone stays home. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">We then had lunch at one of Fortaleza’s Rotary Clubs called Oeste. They meet in a beautiful yacht club by the ocean. Oeste is the second largest of the 22 clubs in Fortaleza. We were fortunate to meet a couple leaders from previous GSE teams that traveled to the USA and Scotland. They also spoke English, which we always welcome. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">After lunch, we headed a local market to do some shopping. Anyone on this trip can vouch for my love of shopping. If only I had more room to bring home my finds... The market was enormous at four levels high with too many stores to count. <span style=""> </span>It was hard to contain my impulses but Laurie kept me honest. We did pick up some hammocks to bring home. So now we need to find a shrink ray gun to make it all fit. I wonder if they sell one at Walmart?<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Following the market, we headed to the Dragao do Mar Cultural Center. This centre host numerous cultural activities like dance, theatre and museums. We had the chance to see the contemporary exhibit. May we suggest Googling Sergio Vega’s piece entitled Genesis According to Parrots (2004)? In case you all we wondering, it is the book of Genesis as told by parrots in a mixed media installation piece. Very interesting work...</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Another intriguing exhibition was a collection from several artists in the style called Xilogravura. The artist carves an intricate design into a wood slab and then using pant and what looks like a newspaper press from yesteryear, transforms the image onto paper. The detail was amazing and often featured very dark images. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">To round out the day, Laurie, Keith and I headed to the mall and caught a movie and had popcorn. The movie happened to be set in Rio so we all considered it an extension of our cultural experience. Slightly problem in that the there was Portuguese subtitles as the movie was in English. However, there were no English subtitles when the characters were speaking Portuguese or Spanish.<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Jennifer </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=""> </span></p>jenniferardielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03619124343237613159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3931746989038021416.post-45945885569806553812011-05-09T16:05:00.000-07:002011-05-14T22:01:09.332-07:00Day 21<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WqFi2kq0lUk/TciRPVTk_8I/AAAAAAAAAAk/Ko5vJzxB1Ig/s1600/Brazil%2BDay%2B21%2B-%2BMay%2B9th%252C%2B2011%2B010.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WqFi2kq0lUk/TciRPVTk_8I/AAAAAAAAAAk/Ko5vJzxB1Ig/s320/Brazil%2BDay%2B21%2B-%2BMay%2B9th%252C%2B2011%2B010.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5604889428865908674" border="0" /></a><br />Just to catch everyone up to speed, we are in our final city of Fortaleza, Ceara, Brazil. We caught a very early flight on Sunday to the capital of the state of Ceara, called Fortaleza. We spend Sunday with our host families doing low key activities and family time for of the occasion of Mother`s Day.<br /><br />Back to 'work' today! This morning, we met one of the Brazilians heading on exchange to Canada next month. Carlos was our guide for the day. We began with some change in plans. Originally, we were suppose to visit some government facilities but that fact that three of our four team members were wearing shorts prevented us from participating. Strangely, jeans are a very acceptable dress code for everything, including work. We explained to our host that jeans are rarely every worn to work in Canada. Potato, potato.<br /><br />We did have an opportunity to visit a political history museum. We learned about the changing political environment here in Brazil and the basics of their governance. No matter what country of the world you are in, someone wants to run it.<br /><br />We then had the opportunity to meet with The Federacao das Industrias do Estado do Ceara. In English, a branch of the state federation of industries. Eduardo de Castro Bezerra Neto and Paulo Studart Filho spent time with us discussing international trade agreements and how their state and federal federations of industry try to increase trade with other countries. We learned about the main exports (shoes, fruit) and imports (wheat) to and from the state of Ceara. In this ever changing economic climate, growth is heavily sought. Of particular interest of our hosts was developing trade with Canada, as it experiences the least exchange compared to the USA or Mexico. Any interested persons should contact Keith for more information, as my business savvy ends with three bananas for a mango.<br /><br />After a delicious lunch at the Coco Bambu (big thanks to Carlos for helping with the menu selection), we headed to a public hospital for a tour. Now, I must thank my team members for the patience while I asked a million questions about healthcare. We had a tour at a public hospital. Very interesting and surprisingly similar and different than Canada. I won't rehash my thoughts on dual system health care. Our tour host is a radiologist at Fernades Tavora Hospital in Fortaleza. I am slightly embarrassed as his name is escaping me and that is unfortunate as he was wonderfully patient and provided a wealth of information.<br /><br />At any rate, we had the opportunity to see the imaging department. The hospital has two portable Xray machines, two standard Xray machines, one CT scanner and three ultrasound machines. The bed capacity of the hospital is 175. All examinations are preformed by specialist. Completely different than in Canada. Most people have had some exposure to the healthcare system at home. In Canada, exams such as CT, MRI, US and Xray are preformed by very skilled technicians and sonographers and then the reports are interpreted by radiologist. We explained how our system differs and the concept of cost effectiveness. Is one better than the other? Too hard to say. In Winnipeg, the current wait time for a non-emergent MRI is 6 months. The idea of a wait time was foreign in Brazil. Again, potato, potato.<br /><br />We also toured the adult ICU and Dialysis units. I had the opportunity to discuss the healthcare challenges that Canadian's experience. It is interesting to note the similarities (hypertension, diabetes, cancer) and the vast differences (equipment, tiers, cost). One area that I noted a particular difference in is the idea of preventative care. In Canada, we spend roughly 5% of healthcare dollars on preventative medicine. That includes screens like mammograms, colonscopy, pap tests, routine bloodwork, immunizations, education. We talked about the importance of this type of medicine, the two physicians agreed that this is an area lacking in Brazil. People do not often screen for issues before they are problems. I often use the analogy of pulling people out of a river downstream but never going upstream to see why they are falling in. Why not prevent a problem instead of trying to fix one that exists?<br /><br />In short, I really enjoyed the opportunity to discuss healthcare. Gaining an understanding, however small, of what healthcare means to people in other parts of the world only stand to improve my ability to provide care... plus, I love to talk so bonus!<br /><br />Jenniferjenniferardielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03619124343237613159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3931746989038021416.post-83103749458160094302011-05-08T15:22:00.000-07:002011-05-08T16:01:19.801-07:00Day 18 - Jennifer<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-i-DuJtKZyHE/Tccga33DEUI/AAAAAAAAAAc/eBdM6eNkDAg/s1600/Brazil%2BDay%2B17th%2BMay%2B6th%2B021.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 235px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-i-DuJtKZyHE/Tccga33DEUI/AAAAAAAAAAc/eBdM6eNkDAg/s320/Brazil%2BDay%2B17th%2BMay%2B6th%2B021.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5604483907329397058" border="0" /></a><br />For my vocational visit, I went to a private hospital for a brief tour. Firstly, the concept of a two tiered healthcare system is something completely foreign to us as Canadians. With the recent election, there is always platform issues surrounding the privatization of healthcare. I have always been a strong advocate for the improvement of a universal system compared to the creation of private and public systems. Even with the elements of private care we Canadians have to provide either out of pocket or through private insurance (dental, vision care, pharmaceutical), we still have the right and access to quality medical care. This is something we should treasure and use appropriately for other countries are not as fortunate.<br /><br />My tour guide was Dr. Teresinha Carvalho, who is my host mom Gina's mom. She is a pathologist at the hospital. Our first stop on the tour was the pathology area, where she showed me our tissue samples from patients are prepared and analyzed. Now I know what happens to my biopsy samples! We then visited some of the wards of the hospital, which focuses particularly on specialist services (ie heart surgery, cancer care, transplants).<br /><br />Of interesting note, the emergency room had three stable patients. Three! And loads of staff. Apparently, this is not an uncommon occurrence in private healthcare. I still can't believe it! I tried to explain what Health Sciences Centre's (the largest hospital in Manitoba) ER department is like, but I don't think it translated.<br /><br />I had a few minutes to chat with an American nurse who has been in Brazil for the last 40 years. She currently works in administration for the hospital. We had an interesting discussion on why private health care is necessary. According to her, health care dollars are given to the state from the federal level. What is done with them next varies greatly. A private hospital will receive 60 cents of every dollar from the government for each health care dollar they spend. As such, private insurance/money makes up for the difference. And of course, there is greed and money disappears before it ever makes it to patient care.<br /><br />Additionally, out of state persons often receive care at a public/private hospital but the money allotted for their healthcare doesn't move with them. In Teresina, the river is all that separates the states of Piaui and Maranhao. Translation, people from the other side of the river contribute to the stress of the public system because the hospitals receive no healthcare dollars for treating them. This concept of 'Portability' is part of the Canada Health Act and allows us Canadians to receive medical care anywhere in the country.<br /><br />I have worked in healthcare for the last ten years in many roles and facilities. It was surprising to draw so many comparisons and differences between the Canadian and Brazilian healthcare systems. It was apparent that the concept of universal healthcare didn't translate to the Brazilians or Americans I met, and I can understand why... it is as foreign as ice hockey and curling!<br /><br />Jenniferjenniferardielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03619124343237613159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3931746989038021416.post-62635039863761136932011-05-07T10:18:00.000-07:002011-05-07T10:39:33.187-07:00Day 18-LaurieFor my vocational visit I had the opportunity to visit 3 schools in Terresina. The first was a private school for students in grades 10 to 12. My guide for the day was Wildermeir, the GSE team leader for the Brazilian team that will visit Canada next month. He is a teacher at this school and was able to take me into several classrooms, the library and staff room. I was very surprised to see class sizes in private schools, there were anywhere from 50 to 200 students in each class, the average was about 70 students. Their classroom management skills are very good because you would never known that there were that many adolescents in the room based on how calm and quiet it was. I had the opportunity to meet a lot of the students and fielded some questions about Canada and our education system.....and of course some questions about Justin Beeber too. Apparently young Brazilian girls love him and they think I may know him because I am Canadian.<br /><br />The next school was also a private school, but was only for grade 12 students. Its focus is specifically to train the students to prepare for the entry exam for the state universities. University here in Brazil is public, but entrance is based on the test and is limited in numbers. The intent of the school, which just opened this year, is to have a high volume of students pass the exam and gain entry into the publicly funded University in the hopes of expanding next year from 3 classes to as many as 10 classes. I also had the opportunity to speak with some teachers and staff here and get an idea how the staffing and 'business' side of the schools operates, it's very different than in Canada.<br /><br />The last school that we visited was another school that Wildermeir teaches at, this one is a public school. The differences in the public vs private were immediately apparent. As you can imagine the private schools were a step up in every aspect, including air conditioning and audiovisual equipment that was non existent in the public schools.<br /><br />After touring the schools we met for lunch and then I headed home to study for my exam.Lauriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07811900787330387569noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3931746989038021416.post-2586030120680342252011-05-06T12:38:00.001-07:002011-05-06T12:58:01.675-07:00Day 18 - Keith's visit<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error">Today</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-error">we</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-error">split</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_3" class="blsp-spelling-error">up</span> for <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_4" class="blsp-spelling-error">vocational</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_5" class="blsp-spelling-error">visits</span> - <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_6" class="blsp-spelling-error">here</span> is a <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_7" class="blsp-spelling-error">brief</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_8" class="blsp-spelling-error">summary</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_9" class="blsp-spelling-error">of</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_10" class="blsp-spelling-error">my</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_11" class="blsp-spelling-error">visit</span>:<br /><br /><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_12" class="blsp-spelling-error">In</span> a bit <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_13" class="blsp-spelling-error">of</span> a <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_14" class="blsp-spelling-error">lost</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_15" class="blsp-spelling-error">in</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_16" class="blsp-spelling-error">translation</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_17" class="blsp-spelling-error">momment</span>, <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_18" class="blsp-spelling-error">it</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_19" class="blsp-spelling-error">was</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_20" class="blsp-spelling-error">assumed</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_21" class="blsp-spelling-error">that</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_22" class="blsp-spelling-error">because</span> I <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_23" class="blsp-spelling-error">was</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_24" class="blsp-spelling-error">an</span> auditor, <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_25" class="blsp-spelling-error">that</span> I <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_26" class="blsp-spelling-error">worked</span> for <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_27" class="blsp-spelling-error">the</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_28" class="blsp-spelling-error">government</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_29" class="blsp-spelling-error">collecting</span> taxes, as <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_30" class="blsp-spelling-error">in</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_31" class="blsp-spelling-error">Brazil</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_32" class="blsp-spelling-error">that</span> is <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_33" class="blsp-spelling-error">all</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_34" class="blsp-spelling-error">auditors</span> do (<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_35" class="blsp-spelling-error">this</span> is <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_36" class="blsp-spelling-error">the</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_37" class="blsp-spelling-error">assumption</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_38" class="blsp-spelling-error">made</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_39" class="blsp-spelling-error">by</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_40" class="blsp-spelling-error">my</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_41" class="blsp-spelling-error">guide for the morning</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_42" class="blsp-spelling-error">anyways</span>). I <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_43" class="blsp-spelling-error">was</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_44" class="blsp-spelling-error">was</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_45" class="blsp-spelling-error">visiting</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_46" class="blsp-spelling-error">the</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_47" class="blsp-spelling-error">equivalent</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_48" class="blsp-spelling-error">of</span> the <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_49" class="blsp-spelling-error">Department</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_50" class="blsp-spelling-error">of</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_51" class="blsp-spelling-error">Finances</span> for <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_52" class="blsp-spelling-error">the</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_53" class="blsp-spelling-error">state</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_54" class="blsp-spelling-error">of</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_55" class="blsp-spelling-error">Piaui</span>. <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_56" class="blsp-spelling-error">Here</span>, I <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_57" class="blsp-spelling-error">was</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_58" class="blsp-spelling-error">guided</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_59" class="blsp-spelling-error">by</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_60" class="blsp-spelling-error">an</span> auditor <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_61" class="blsp-spelling-error">who</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_62" class="blsp-spelling-error">collected</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_63" class="blsp-spelling-error">information</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_64" class="blsp-spelling-error">from</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_65" class="blsp-spelling-error">business'</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_66" class="blsp-spelling-error">computers</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_67" class="blsp-spelling-error">and</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_68" class="blsp-spelling-error">modified</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_69" class="blsp-spelling-error">it</span> to <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_70" class="blsp-spelling-error">be</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_71" class="blsp-spelling-error">looked</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_72" class="blsp-spelling-error">at</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_73" class="blsp-spelling-error">by</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_74" class="blsp-spelling-error">other</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_75" class="blsp-spelling-error">auditors</span>. <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_76" class="blsp-spelling-error">The</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_77" class="blsp-spelling-error">building</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_78" class="blsp-spelling-error">hosted</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_79" class="blsp-spelling-error">many</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_80" class="blsp-spelling-error">departments</span>, <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_81" class="blsp-spelling-error">and</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_82" class="blsp-spelling-error">the</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_83" class="blsp-spelling-error">ones</span> I <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_84" class="blsp-spelling-error">visited</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_85" class="blsp-spelling-error">were</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_86" class="blsp-spelling-error">the</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_87" class="blsp-spelling-error">energy</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_88" class="blsp-spelling-error">tax</span>, <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_89" class="blsp-spelling-error">legislation</span>, <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_90" class="blsp-spelling-error">and</span> justice <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_91" class="blsp-spelling-error">departments</span> of finance as <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_92" class="blsp-spelling-error">well</span> as <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_93" class="blsp-spelling-error">the</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_94" class="blsp-spelling-error">tax</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_95" class="blsp-spelling-error">collection</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_96" class="blsp-spelling-error">audit</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_97" class="blsp-spelling-error">department</span>. <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_98" class="blsp-spelling-error">Here in Brazil</span>, <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_99" class="blsp-spelling-error">every</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_100" class="blsp-spelling-error">business</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_101" class="blsp-spelling-error">must</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_102" class="blsp-spelling-error">buy</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_103" class="blsp-spelling-error">the</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_104" class="blsp-spelling-error">exact</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_105" class="blsp-spelling-error">same</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_106" class="blsp-spelling-error">till</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_107" class="blsp-spelling-error">receipt</span> software/hardware (<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_108" class="blsp-spelling-error">although</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_109" class="blsp-spelling-error">supplied</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_110" class="blsp-spelling-error">by</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_111" class="blsp-spelling-error">various</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_112" class="blsp-spelling-error">businesses</span>, <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_113" class="blsp-spelling-error">it</span> is <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_114" class="blsp-spelling-error">law</span> to use <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_115" class="blsp-spelling-error">one</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_116" class="blsp-spelling-error">specific</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_117" class="blsp-spelling-error">type</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_118" class="blsp-spelling-error">of</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_119" class="blsp-spelling-error">machine</span>) <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_120" class="blsp-spelling-error">and</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_121" class="blsp-spelling-error">report</span> to <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_122" class="blsp-spelling-error">the</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_123" class="blsp-spelling-error">government</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_124" class="blsp-spelling-error">their</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_125" class="blsp-spelling-error">sales</span> - <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_126" class="blsp-spelling-error">this</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_127" class="blsp-spelling-error">department</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_128" class="blsp-spelling-error">takes</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_129" class="blsp-spelling-error">the</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_130" class="blsp-spelling-error">info</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_131" class="blsp-spelling-error">from</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_132" class="blsp-spelling-error">the</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_133" class="blsp-spelling-error">machine</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_134" class="blsp-spelling-error">and</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_135" class="blsp-spelling-error">analyzes</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_136" class="blsp-spelling-error">it</span> - <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_137" class="blsp-spelling-error">looking</span> to <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_138" class="blsp-spelling-error">make</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_139" class="blsp-spelling-error">sure</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_140" class="blsp-spelling-error">the</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_141" class="blsp-spelling-error">proper</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_142" class="blsp-spelling-error">tax</span> rate is <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_143" class="blsp-spelling-error">used</span>, <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_144" class="blsp-spelling-error">sales</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_145" class="blsp-spelling-error">trends</span> are <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_146" class="blsp-spelling-error">consistent</span>, <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_147" class="blsp-spelling-error">and</span> to compare <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_148" class="blsp-spelling-error">the</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_149" class="blsp-spelling-error">receipt</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_150" class="blsp-spelling-error">information</span> to <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_151" class="blsp-spelling-error">credit</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_152" class="blsp-spelling-error">card</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_153" class="blsp-spelling-error">company</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_154" class="blsp-spelling-error">information</span> (<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_155" class="blsp-spelling-error">this</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_156" class="blsp-spelling-error">part</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_157" class="blsp-spelling-error">was</span> a <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_158" class="blsp-spelling-error">surprise</span> - <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_159" class="blsp-spelling-error">the</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_160" class="blsp-spelling-error">credit</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_161" class="blsp-spelling-error">card</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_162" class="blsp-spelling-error">companies</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_163" class="blsp-spelling-error">must</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_164" class="blsp-spelling-error">provide</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_165" class="blsp-spelling-error">the</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_166" class="blsp-spelling-error">government</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_167" class="blsp-spelling-error">with</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_168" class="blsp-spelling-error">the</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_169" class="blsp-spelling-error">information</span>). <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_170" class="blsp-spelling-error">There</span> are a <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_171" class="blsp-spelling-error">lot</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_172" class="blsp-spelling-error">of</span> taxes <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_173" class="blsp-spelling-error">in</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_174" class="blsp-spelling-error">Brazil</span>, <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_175" class="blsp-spelling-error">and</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_176" class="blsp-spelling-error">many</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_177" class="blsp-spelling-error">of</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_178" class="blsp-spelling-error">them</span> are quite <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_179" class="blsp-spelling-error">high</span> - 15 to 25% - <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_180" class="blsp-spelling-error">consumers</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_181" class="blsp-spelling-error">aren</span>'t <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_182" class="blsp-spelling-error">aware</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_183" class="blsp-spelling-error">of</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_184" class="blsp-spelling-error">the</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_185" class="blsp-spelling-error">tax</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_186" class="blsp-spelling-error">amounts</span> as <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_187" class="blsp-spelling-error">they</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_188" class="blsp-spelling-error">aren</span>'t <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_189" class="blsp-spelling-error">posted</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_190" class="blsp-spelling-error">on</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_191" class="blsp-spelling-error">the</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_192" class="blsp-spelling-error">receipt</span>. 80% <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_193" class="blsp-spelling-error">of</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_194" class="blsp-spelling-error">the</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_195" class="blsp-spelling-error">states</span> taxes come <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_196" class="blsp-spelling-error">from</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_197" class="blsp-spelling-error">the</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_198" class="blsp-spelling-error">enegy</span> sector <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_199" class="blsp-spelling-error">due</span> to <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_200" class="blsp-spelling-error">such</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_201" class="blsp-spelling-error">large</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_202" class="blsp-spelling-error">corporations</span> (<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_203" class="blsp-spelling-error">hydro</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_204" class="blsp-spelling-error">electricity</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_205" class="blsp-spelling-error">being</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_206" class="blsp-spelling-error">the</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_207" class="blsp-spelling-error">largest</span> sector).<br /><br /><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_208" class="blsp-spelling-error">In</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_209" class="blsp-spelling-error">the</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_210" class="blsp-spelling-error">afternoon</span>, I <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_211" class="blsp-spelling-error">visited</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_212" class="blsp-spelling-error">the</span> local <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_213" class="blsp-spelling-error">state</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_214" class="blsp-spelling-error">chapter</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_215" class="blsp-spelling-error">of</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_216" class="blsp-spelling-error">the</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_217" class="blsp-spelling-error">accounting</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_218" class="blsp-spelling-error">profession</span> - <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_219" class="blsp-spelling-error">basically</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_220" class="blsp-spelling-error">the</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_221" class="blsp-spelling-error">Brazilian</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_222" class="blsp-spelling-error">version</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_223" class="blsp-spelling-error">of</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_224" class="blsp-spelling-error">Institute</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_225" class="blsp-spelling-error">of</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_226" class="blsp-spelling-error">Chartered</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_227" class="blsp-spelling-error">Accountants</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_228" class="blsp-spelling-error">of</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_229" class="blsp-spelling-error">Saskatchewan</span> - <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_230" class="blsp-spelling-error">here</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_231" class="blsp-spelling-error">they</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_232" class="blsp-spelling-error">provide</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_233" class="blsp-spelling-error">permits</span> to <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_234" class="blsp-spelling-error">work</span> as <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_235" class="blsp-spelling-error">an</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_236" class="blsp-spelling-error">accountant</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_237" class="blsp-spelling-error">in</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_238" class="blsp-spelling-error">the</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_239" class="blsp-spelling-error">state</span>, <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_240" class="blsp-spelling-error">provide</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_241" class="blsp-spelling-error">training</span> for <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_242" class="blsp-spelling-error">both</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_243" class="blsp-spelling-error">students</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_244" class="blsp-spelling-error">and</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_245" class="blsp-spelling-error">members</span>, <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_246" class="blsp-spelling-error">and</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_247" class="blsp-spelling-error">provide</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_248" class="blsp-spelling-error">guidance</span> for <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_249" class="blsp-spelling-error">changes</span> - <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_250" class="blsp-spelling-error">we</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_251" class="blsp-spelling-error">interupted</span> a <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_252" class="blsp-spelling-error">meeting</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_253" class="blsp-spelling-error">on</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_254" class="blsp-spelling-error">IFRS</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_255" class="blsp-spelling-error">implementation</span>...this was a quick visit and was basically a tour and pictures...been_kownterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16049744974385423939noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3931746989038021416.post-89304627410914925802011-05-05T15:43:00.000-07:002011-05-05T15:58:22.393-07:00Day 15 (finally)<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Oc42TptVag0/TcMrH26_JyI/AAAAAAAAAFE/OSCzn2vfi8c/s1600/2011%2B05%2B05%2B-%2Bgritador.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 400px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5603369775381030690" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Oc42TptVag0/TcMrH26_JyI/AAAAAAAAAFE/OSCzn2vfi8c/s400/2011%2B05%2B05%2B-%2Bgritador.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oNvxQLwY4Uc/TcMrHpM51zI/AAAAAAAAAE8/hHWXkNdH8MQ/s1600/2011%2B05%2B05%2B-%2Blagoon.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 400px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5603369771698083634" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oNvxQLwY4Uc/TcMrHpM51zI/AAAAAAAAAE8/hHWXkNdH8MQ/s400/2011%2B05%2B05%2B-%2Blagoon.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tZoMdi6ThVo/TcMrHaDJDOI/AAAAAAAAAE0/eYtURv5qFJs/s1600/2011%2B05%2B05%2B-%2Bmeat.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 300px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5603369767630605538" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tZoMdi6ThVo/TcMrHaDJDOI/AAAAAAAAAE0/eYtURv5qFJs/s400/2011%2B05%2B05%2B-%2Bmeat.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ot1UjrF6TT8/TcMrHHvCDkI/AAAAAAAAAEs/x165wxQfLGE/s1600/2011%2B05%2B05%2B-%2Bopal.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 400px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5603369762714422850" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ot1UjrF6TT8/TcMrHHvCDkI/AAAAAAAAAEs/x165wxQfLGE/s400/2011%2B05%2B05%2B-%2Bopal.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Hi5a5xsJAXA/TcMrG-fOYoI/AAAAAAAAAEk/W00-SEaswO4/s1600/2011%2B05%2B05%2B-%2Bclub%2Bmeeting.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 400px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5603369760232202882" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Hi5a5xsJAXA/TcMrG-fOYoI/AAAAAAAAAEk/W00-SEaswO4/s400/2011%2B05%2B05%2B-%2Bclub%2Bmeeting.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div>I procrastinated long enough that Jenny beat me to the punch...here is what we did on day 15:</div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div></div><br /><div>We awoke in Pedro II and were picked up for a day of sight seeing - first was Gritador - a very large cliff - the view was outstanding (see pic of me with cliff edge and valley in background). If my memory is correct, the gritador name recognizes the local folk lore that when you shouted from the cliff, you could hear a response...Next was a trip to a 'hole-in-the-wall' bar which was located just outside town, off the road, through a locked gate (which we walked around/through) and where the bar was closed, but here someone has built a retaining wall (see pic of Laurie and Brenda sitting on the wall) for a nature stream and created a little lagoon - we went for a swim and just as we finished, the local's showed up and opened the bar, so of course we had to stay and have a cerveja...next was one of my favourite (maybe the most favourite) part of Brazil - the BBQ - we went to the restuarant and sat down and were served a couple of plates of salad and rice - next, the waiter brought out a three foot fork with a bunch of sausages on it and gave each person one - we all thought that would be it as there was some meat in the rice as well (note, the restuarant was located as part of a gas station and had five tables), but not to be - there were total of 6 meats on either giant forks or swords which the waiter brought around - I tried all the meats - way too much food, but really good!!! (see pic of waiter)...finally, we attended a jewellery store which hand made jewellery with local opal, a rock only found here and Australia - the layout of the workroom reminded me of a dental lab with the work stations, dremals, other small tools (see pic of workroom) - after a tour of the workroom, we went to the showroom and had a chance to buy some opals - very nice stuff. After this store, we went to a co-operative weaver store where we could buy hammock (rege in portuguese), table cloths, place mats, and coasters...the rest of the afternoon was spent relaxing. that evening we met with the club and did our presentation and then went to a restuarant for more great food (and cerveja...i know, its a theme...) - see pic of club - Pedro II was very good to us and we had some great hosts...</div></div></div></div></div>been_kownterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16049744974385423939noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3931746989038021416.post-19944412721920919032011-05-05T14:46:00.000-07:002011-05-05T15:43:15.818-07:00Day 16 and 17Day 16 (May 4th, 2011)<br /><br />Early in the morning, the team loaded back into the van to head to Teresina. We bid adieu to Pedro II and hit the road for a three hour ride. After a short stop for some ice cream (yes, if you can drink in the morning in Brazil, ice cream is completely acceptable too) we met our Teresina host families and headed home for an afternoon of rest.<br /><br />I spent the evening with my family as their son Pedro had his 16th birthday party. In Canada, my mom would make our favorite meal on our birthday (at our request, of course). In Brazil, there was about 20 people and fine china! What a difference!<br /><br />The rest of the team headed out to a few bars for a drink with one of the Rotary Clubs in Teresina. I hear a good time was had by all and some team members made it home at 3:30am!<br /><br />Day 17 (May 5th, 2011)<br /><br />Today was our first day of vocational visits. We started the day with a tour of a company that manufacture mattress and couches. What a process! All the creation and assembly is done at a plant in Teresina that has been in operation for 36 years. We were able to see all the stages of construction from beginning to end. The wire that is coiled for springs, making foam for the mattress, assembling and packaging the completed products. A very interesting process.<br /><br />The second factory manufacture bicycles. Orginally started as a computer manufacturer, it now is the largest producer of bikes in South America. Similar to the first company, we saw the process from beginning to end. The warehouse space was unbelievible! Bikes, in various stages, for all the eye could see. They plan to expand in the next year to produce one million bikes per year. And interesting project that just began, involves the government and education. The company is completing the first order of bikes for children to ride to school. The kids that receive these school-bus-yellow bikes must be enrolled in school. The idea is to decrease the barriers to accessing education.<br /><br />After a delicious lunch at a churrascaria (re: BBQ) buffet, we headed to the last factory on the tour. Here they manufacture clothing. Originated in 1975, the company has been creating clothing for domestic and export use. Currently, they have retooled operations to focus on designing, creating and manufacturing clothing for the Brazilian market. From concept to completion, we saw how the clothes we wear are made. The process is amazing! I had no idea so much work went into getting clothes to my closet. The plant employs 850 people and makes 16000 pieces of clothing per month.<br /><br />All three factories are owned by a family company. It was evident that they strive for improving the conditions and lives of their employees. Health care is provided onsite for employees and their families with the goal of having healthy workers. Because my professional background is in health prevention and promotion, it was good to note that hearing protection was used, egronomic equipment was in place and the health of employees was addressed. They have many long term employees, which indicates that people like their jobs; an important concept to any profession. Compensation and training is dependent on what role an employee has and bonuses depend on productivity. At all three sites, our tour guides noted that finding skilled persons can be difficult even with the opportunity for onsite training. This is attributed to a lack of intrinsic motivation to work.<br /><br />After a long day, we headed home to our respective host families. We are heading out for pizza! Delizioso!<br /><br />Jenniferjenniferardielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03619124343237613159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3931746989038021416.post-74206361639442005132011-05-04T08:19:00.000-07:002011-05-05T15:41:52.693-07:00Day 14<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-UHiSdeLuqL4/TcMnjNKkXKI/AAAAAAAAAEc/FrgBpkoZ170/s1600/2011%2B05%2B05%2B-%2Bwaterfall.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 300px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5603365847161920674" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-UHiSdeLuqL4/TcMnjNKkXKI/AAAAAAAAAEc/FrgBpkoZ170/s400/2011%2B05%2B05%2B-%2Bwaterfall.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-d7LZ-dRAzR8/TcMni8t3BsI/AAAAAAAAAEU/XfLdNwtm5Fo/s1600/2011%2B05%2B05%2B-%2Bdragon.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 400px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5603365842746541762" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-d7LZ-dRAzR8/TcMni8t3BsI/AAAAAAAAAEU/XfLdNwtm5Fo/s400/2011%2B05%2B05%2B-%2Bdragon.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PsJxmnlnZI0/TcMnilRyABI/AAAAAAAAAEM/BE9ABFyTvmQ/s1600/2011%2B05%2B05%2B-%2Barch.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 300px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5603365836454756370" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PsJxmnlnZI0/TcMnilRyABI/AAAAAAAAAEM/BE9ABFyTvmQ/s400/2011%2B05%2B05%2B-%2Barch.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div>After a great rest in a hotel we started the day with breakfast and hit the road for the seven cities national park. We toured the area and took in the sights. The region of the park was divided in "Seven Cities of Rock", each one possessing a peculiar set of geological monuments as "The Rock of the Turtle", "The library" and others that resembled dragons and elephants. The view from the top lookout was beautiful. The rocks were from about 20 meters to 80 meters in height and millions of years old. There were also ancient paintings that dated over 6000 years.<br />We then went to a beautiful waterfall to cool off and take a swim. A quick climb over a rock and we were able to walk behind the waterfall and swim in the lagoon it created, what a great way to spend some time. We swam and relaxed there for a while before heading back to the hotel for a shower, and some studying/computer time. We then boarded the bus again and headed out to our next destination Pedro II city. We arrived and were greeted by our new hosts and taken to their homes and then to a restaurant for dinner. Milena a member of the Brazilian GSE team that went to India lest year has been traveling with us and translating for us.....thankfully she was with us as none of the members of the Pedro II Rotary club spoke English! After dinner we headed to a square in the town that was packed with people, we were served cervejas (this sort of goes without saying now) and enjoyed the music and the company of the club members. There was an auction taking place I the square as well.</div></div></div>Lauriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07811900787330387569noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3931746989038021416.post-5321034681692631972011-05-02T04:08:00.000-07:002011-05-02T04:17:13.355-07:00Day 13<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:trackmoves/> <w:trackformatting/> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:donotpromoteqf/> <w:lidthemeother>EN-CA</w:LidThemeOther> <w:lidthemeasian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:lidthemecomplexscript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> <w:splitpgbreakandparamark/> <w:dontvertaligncellwithsp/> 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mso-para-margin-top:0cm; mso-para-margin-right:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0cm; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} </style> <![endif]--><p class="MsoNormal">I received a marriage proposal today. Seriously. The only reason I have begun the post with this bit of scintillating information is that Keith threatened to edit my post if I didn’t. Blackmail is a powerful mediator. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">We began the day in Parnaiba, Piaui with a boat tour of the delta outlets to the ocean. The city is only one of four located in the state on the coast. We were guided by the host family of Keith and myself. Apparently more Rotary members were scheduled to join us but the whiskey from the night prior got the best of them. Additionally, we learned that it is more than acceptable to start the whiskey again at 9am. The inner medical professional within me would have to disagree. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">The ride along the delta channels was fantastic! We were flanked by very luscious vegetation and the odd monkey and crab. Finally the channels opened to where the river and sea meet. We hopped off at a beach to take a swim and play in the sand. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">On the way back to the port city of Parnaiba, we stopped for lunch at a local restaurant. We had local fish done three different ways and an assortment of sides including the ever-popular.... white rice.<span style=""> </span>Our hosts didn’t speak any English so translation was needed. However, even with the delay in conversation, we learned about the projects Rotary is doing in the end of the country. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">The afternoon concluded with my marriage proposal (yes, he did get down on one knee) and a lesson on why whiskey is better for the body than water from out hosts. Clinical data is still unavailable on this debate so we shall call it a draw for now.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">After doning our matching shirts and loading into our rented van, we hit the road for Piripiri, Piaui. The comment was made that in our van, with our matching shirts, we resemble a traveling band. I would like to think we are more like The Partridge Family than the Von Trapp children. But maybe a yodeling lesson would change our tune.<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">We were met in Piripiri by the tiniest Rotary club. Just seven members! After sorting out some mild confusion about where we were to give our presentation, a very informal meeting occurred at the local restaurant using our laptops. It was a nice change of pace. Best of all... we had pizza! No rice insight!</p><p class="MsoNormal">Jennifer<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p>jenniferardielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03619124343237613159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3931746989038021416.post-85793522163096065242011-05-01T18:55:00.000-07:002011-05-01T20:17:36.987-07:00Day 12<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-eN4O8ML1CS0/Tb4huprVN9I/AAAAAAAAAEE/7QHxHu-rECg/s1600/2011%2B04%2B30%2Bbike%2Bsound%2Bsystem.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 400px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5601952071840774098" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-eN4O8ML1CS0/Tb4huprVN9I/AAAAAAAAAEE/7QHxHu-rECg/s400/2011%2B04%2B30%2Bbike%2Bsound%2Bsystem.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XaKZeSp-bzM/Tb4g55CHrZI/AAAAAAAAAD8/eXQHr_x3Km0/s1600/2011%2B04%2B30%2Bshark.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 400px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5601951165429820818" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XaKZeSp-bzM/Tb4g55CHrZI/AAAAAAAAAD8/eXQHr_x3Km0/s400/2011%2B04%2B30%2Bshark.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-l_ZuLJbyCzU/Tb4g5fCzbSI/AAAAAAAAAD0/zbngCRCpzuc/s1600/2011%2B04%2B30%2Blunch%2Bview.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 400px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5601951158453366050" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-l_ZuLJbyCzU/Tb4g5fCzbSI/AAAAAAAAAD0/zbngCRCpzuc/s400/2011%2B04%2B30%2Blunch%2Bview.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LC8rP0L77rI/Tb4g5Pp4y6I/AAAAAAAAADs/iUogyDiJTg8/s1600/2011%2B04%2B30%2Bcrane.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 400px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5601951154322328482" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LC8rP0L77rI/Tb4g5Pp4y6I/AAAAAAAAADs/iUogyDiJTg8/s400/2011%2B04%2B30%2Bcrane.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-iH2yYTpmdzw/Tb4g4_1nOnI/AAAAAAAAADk/FpbVOiA4Z6E/s1600/2011%2B04%2B30%2Bwind.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 400px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5601951150076541554" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-iH2yYTpmdzw/Tb4g4_1nOnI/AAAAAAAAADk/FpbVOiA4Z6E/s400/2011%2B04%2B30%2Bwind.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-aDZTdJMiVoo/Tb4g4orNi6I/AAAAAAAAADc/xJt64bXckgg/s1600/2011%2B04%2B30%2Bbeach%2B%25231.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 400px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5601951143858899874" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-aDZTdJMiVoo/Tb4g4orNi6I/AAAAAAAAADc/xJt64bXckgg/s400/2011%2B04%2B30%2Bbeach%2B%25231.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div>AAHHHH!! I just finished writing a book for you about day 12 - it was really good and quite detailed and very long - I wanted to save it in case something was wrong with the internet so I highlighted it to copy it into word, but once I highlighted it it dissappeared and I can't get it back - therefore, since I already spent 30 minutes on it, not sure how much you will get now - but this is representative of what life has been like for the last 12 days - just go with the flow and don't get frusturated....</div><br /><br /><div></div><br /><div>Here is Day 12 a day late, but better late than never (which is advice we have learned to live by here in Brazil). We didn't have internet yesterday, so here is the Day 12 update:</div><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div>After the day 11 (which was basically just day 10 for a really long day) flight adventure and meeting the Teresina Rotary clubs and our host families, packed back up for a four day road trip to northern Paiui. We met for an 8 a.m. departure for Parnaiba, and at 8:45 left for the coast. Piaui has very little coast, but what it does have is quite amazing. It is home to a river delta, which is the second largest in the world. Louisana and the Mississippi is the largest, with the Nile in Egypt being the third largest. But I will leave the delta to day 13 as that is when we actually visit it...</div><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div>Our van ride from Teresina to Parnaiba was approximately 4 hours. Most of us got some shut-eye during the trip. Upon arrival in Parnaiba, we were met by approx 15 Rotarians in a park where a Rotary sculpture was. After about a dozen pictures (as Laurie once commented, it feels like we are in a wedding party photo shoot every day...) we got back into the van and drove out to a resort property just out of town. The resort property is located on a lagoon with a sand dune around it. The attached picture with the boat and the palm tree is the view from our table at lunch. Lunch with the Rotarians was very good (I don't think any of our meals have been bad yet...) as were the cerveja.</div><br /><br /><div></div><br /><div>After lunch, two of our hosts took us on an afternoon of sightseeing - first was to a popular beach for a swim. We all went into the ocean (which feels like bath water it is so warm) to play in the waves. The waves at this beach were interesting as they didn't come in directly to the beach, but rather came at an angle left to right - therefore the current was strong to push you down the beach. It took quite a bit of effort to move against the current and to stay close to where our towels were...see picture with the waves.</div><br /><br /><div></div><br /><div>After our swim and a quick rinse, we packed back into the van and drove around the area to a different beach. This beach was located by the mouth of the river/delta and had much more wind. Apparently the wind is consistent, because there was a windmill farm located there (see picture). After a short walk and watching some teenagers surf, we sat down at a bar to watch the sunset. Our attention was taken by the sight of two sharks and two rays on the beach that some fishermen and brought in. (see picture of shark). The sharks were about five feet long. Since Brazilians apparently don't like shark meat, I'm not sure what was going to happen to them. After seeing the sharks, no one was interested in another swim today! We returned to our table and shortly after Jennifer was approached by a gentlemen who had braclets for sale - he seemed nice enough looking, but as soon as he started talking, it was obvious he had issues. Right away when she didn't respond to him, he got a bit aggressive. Our hosts told him we don't speak portuguese because we are Canadian and so he switched to saying "Hey Montreal" over and over again while trying to get Jenny to buy a braclet - he wasn't any less aggressive so our hosts had us pack-up and leave quickly, which was just a well as he started to get really rude. </div><br /><br /><div></div><br /><div>So instead of the sunset, our hosts took us to the artisan market, but since it was late, we only had two booths open to peruse. Where the market is is right on the river and here a lot of commerce has occurred over the years - the picture attached of the steam operated crane is located right next to the water on rails - most of the rails have been removed and what is left is enough for tourists to get the general idea...</div><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div>After the market, we went to our hosts houses to get ready for our presentations - we had about two hours, so it was lots of time to shower, relax, and get some visiting in, although not much english was spoken by our hosts. At 8:30 we went to a house where about four 10 feet by 20 feet tents where set up on the deck around the pool and a stage was placed over part of the pool. It was obvious this house was used to hosting events - it was a beautiful house. Here we were to give our presentation to the three Parnaiba clubs. Just as were about to get started, it began to rain so hard that the noise of the rain drowned out the speakers from the stage, so we were in rain delay mode for an hour. So we sat down to visit and enjoy some whiskey (yes, whiskey again - we have now had the pleasure to try Old Parr, Ballyntine, White Horse, Logan, and whatever Brenda had at the Teresina meeting - all scotches from Scotland...). At about 11, we finally had the chance to do our presentation, followed by a meal and more visiting. Since it is Saturday night, no one was in a rush to leave anyways, so it worked out, plus we did have the tents that kept us mostly dry. The 'whiskey club' apparently meets after the Rotary club is done - and the rule for the whiskey club is that the meeting isn't over until the bottle is done - it seems to be similar rules for the Sao Luis Grande Praira club as well...When we left at 12:45, there was very little left of the bottle, so not sure how late the 'club' met till...</div><br /><br /><div></div><br /><div>We are spending the next couple of days sightseeing and doing more presentations and then returning to Teresina for vocational visits and a day off, and I believe its safe to assum more whiskey's!!</div><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div>Boa noite (again...it seems I probably got most of my original post here after another 30 minutes of typying - hopefully you enjoy!).</div><br /><br /><div></div><br /><div>Note the picture of the motorbike - I love the Brazilians version of a motorbike sound system - you can hear this thing for four blocks away...</div></div></div></div></div></div>been_kownterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16049744974385423939noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3931746989038021416.post-27497812600108132062011-04-29T20:27:00.000-07:002011-04-29T20:44:25.109-07:00Day 11Today started early for some, for others it was basically a continuation of yesterday. Our flight left Sao Luis at 5am, so we left our houses around 3:30 this morning.<br />After last nights rotary club presentation we went to a bar on the beach to celebrate Marcelos Birthday and say goodbye to the great friends we made in Sao Luis. The hospitality that was extended to us from the Sao Luis Rotary clubs was phenomenal and it was sad to say goodbye as we moved onto our next stop.<br />Our flight left on time, however after a few attempts to land in Teresina our pilot told us that we would be going to Fortaleza as the fog was too thick. After dropping some passengers off in Fortaleza we headed back to Teresina where our new host families were waiting to greet us three or four hours later than we all expected. We had the day free to sleep, study and visit with our new hosts.<br />This evening we presented to all the clubs in Teresina at a dinner, there were about 100 people in attendance representing the ten clubs they have here in the City.<br />Tomorrow we are hitting the road for 5 days to head to the coast and see some of the state of Piaui.Lauriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07811900787330387569noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3931746989038021416.post-37205633563063349052011-04-28T12:58:00.000-07:002011-04-28T13:17:25.546-07:00Day TenAn interesting start to the day. We were scheduled to visit the ABCMi centre but when we arrived, they were having mass. So we decided to pass the time by the beach, testing our billards' skills. Turns out, some have better mastery of the pool cue than others!<br /><br />We then headed to the ABCMi centre to celebrate their 15th anniversary. The facility is a senior's drop in centre for exercise, church, painting, singing and computer access. As we witnessed, seniors in Brazil really, really like cake! They must have worked up quite the appetite doing Tai Chi!<br /><br />We then headed to the Praia Grande Rotary Club lunch meeting. We presented our slide show about life in Canada. Our gracious hosts had several gifts for us visitors, which was an unexpected surprise. The members of this club included most of our host families. And in usual Brazilian fashion... we ate some more!<br /><br />Most of our exchange group headed to the beach for a beer. I have not been handling the heat as well as others and headed to my host family's house for a rest and to post a blog. We are heading to the next city on our tour very early tomorrow. But first, we have our last Rotary Club visit this evening and then a 5 am flight in the morning!<br /><br />Jenniferjenniferardielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03619124343237613159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3931746989038021416.post-66547657085484601612011-04-27T19:35:00.001-07:002011-04-27T20:12:31.723-07:00Day 9<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2VfxUyo7XdQ/TbjagV573kI/AAAAAAAAADU/WlGMVj8GQxg/s1600/joao%2Bpaulo.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 150px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5600466385806024258" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2VfxUyo7XdQ/TbjagV573kI/AAAAAAAAADU/WlGMVj8GQxg/s200/joao%2Bpaulo.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kQHEdGI6aWU/TbjagEncxbI/AAAAAAAAADM/KzGEHObEsHY/s1600/kids2.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 150px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5600466381165086130" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kQHEdGI6aWU/TbjagEncxbI/AAAAAAAAADM/KzGEHObEsHY/s200/kids2.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Dj_g2V-JoAY/Tbjaf1hD1gI/AAAAAAAAADE/gClP2SWpI6c/s1600/kids1.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 150px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5600466377111754242" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Dj_g2V-JoAY/Tbjaf1hD1gI/AAAAAAAAADE/gClP2SWpI6c/s200/kids1.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pfDw5H9RoKs/TbjafXRlTtI/AAAAAAAAAC8/THK7H4G5Vag/s1600/factory.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 150px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5600466368993775314" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pfDw5H9RoKs/TbjafXRlTtI/AAAAAAAAAC8/THK7H4G5Vag/s200/factory.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><div>Its hard to believe that we are at day 9 already - only one more day with our new friends in Sao Luis!!</div><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div>Today we had a bit of a later start, which was nice for some personal time in the morning (running, studying, sleeping). We spent today with the club from Joao Paulo here in Sao Luis (there are five clubs, which share a meeting hall where we do most of our presentations). the president picked up Jenny and I and we met Brenda, Laurie, Marcelo and Cristiane. </div><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div>This club has a couple of projects which were were able to visit. The first was a vocational school in partnership with other non-profits and a couple of corporations. They have a building on farm land on the edge of poor neighbourhood in Sao Luis. This building is split into approx 10 rooms, with one for mechanics (teenagers, about half male and female), one for machining (the only room not yet remodeled or being used due to lack of funds), one computer classroom, and various other classroom and administration. The first room we visited had some very cute youngsters (aged 5 to 10 - 22 kids). As soon as we entered the room they stood up and while clapping sang us a song - it was adorable. After everyone got a Canada pin, we had a picutre (see above). Next, we visited the mechanics section where again we were able to give everyone a Canada pin and pose for more pictures.</div><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div>At the back of the property is an old chruch and house. The priest who started the project and is an honorary rotary member still lives there (and is a practicing priest with over 50 years of services). the building and out-buildings were available for rent to help supplement the operating costs. it even included a small zoo. Most of the funding has been coming from France, but as the benefactors get older and pass away, the funding has been harder to attain. The church on the property has the original owner buried underneath and a tombstone puts the date over three centuries ago.</div><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div>After that visit, we made our way through the neighbourhood and into the 'bush' along the river to find a historical site protected as a state park. Here we met Netty, a Rotary member of the club (current secretary) who gave us the history of the park and other information. Next we dined on some traditional food including a huge plate of shrimp. We thought that it was kind of interesting but didn't really see the historical significance (explained to us about an old factory on the property - since we couldn't see anything, we assumed it was gone) until we went for the 'walk' after lunch - see pictures above - the old factory dates to over 250 years ago and was used to manufacture leather products. the plumbing system was very complex considering the age of the structure - also, considering the age, the remaining walls are all in pretty good shape (over two and half feet thick). At the front of the old building was a fountain/well with roman style pillars, which is curious to all as the age and timing just don't fit and its surprising to see.</div><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div>After our tour ended, we returned to my host family's house where we either read, studied, watched tv or caught up on our facebooking... :)</div><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div>tonight, we then attended the Joao Paulo club meeting and made our presentation to an attentive audience - I found it interesting that this club had approx 5 accountants in attendance - most of the other clubs have mostly teachers, social workers, or lawyers. </div><br /><br /><div></div><br /><div>tomorrow we have a project visit in the morning followed by a presentation to the club of most of our host families - it is our understanding that we then have beach time followed by the last of the club presentations - we also found out today that our trip to teresina is at 5 am on Friday - therefore, we may not get our post of tomorrow's trip up tomorrow - it is Marcelo's birthday on Friday and we would like to have a short celebration before having to leave early the next morning...</div><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div>that is all for tonight - enjoy the pictures and send an email or submit a comment if you have any questions.</div><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div>Thanks</div></div></div></div>been_kownterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16049744974385423939noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3931746989038021416.post-88335342396504315992011-04-26T19:30:00.000-07:002011-04-26T19:43:31.854-07:00Day 8Today started with a tour of vale botanical gardens. We walked through a trail there with a guide who described the trees and vegetation. We saw a sloth in a tree and many butterflies and caterpillars. <br /><br />After a few hours at the park we went to our first rotary meeting at the Sao Luis Ponta D'Arcia Rotary Club. As the club members arrived we were introduced and then enjoyed lunch with them. The club brought in a translator who helped us with our presentation on the 4 Canadian seasons. <br /><br />After the meeting we visited 3 museums in the old part of Sao Louis for the afternoon. <br /><br />This evening we attended another Rotary meeting at the Sao Luis Anil Rotary club. This meeting was held in the presidents house and dinner was brought in by all the members. We presented again and exchanged banners with the club, our friend Marcelo was with us to translate for us.<br /><br />It was 35 degrees today, and rained on and off all day so the humidity was very high.Lauriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07811900787330387569noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3931746989038021416.post-36617056765746924912011-04-25T18:13:00.000-07:002011-04-25T20:10:58.017-07:00Day Seven<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qi8kBlJnuSU/TbY3lWX3uJI/AAAAAAAAAC0/9mv337m5r7Y/s1600/Vera.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 200px; HEIGHT: 150px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5599724301482178706" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qi8kBlJnuSU/TbY3lWX3uJI/AAAAAAAAAC0/9mv337m5r7Y/s200/Vera.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gpFQef_ZeSU/TbY3lDzrlpI/AAAAAAAAACs/T6nRd28cd5s/s1600/Statue.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 150px; HEIGHT: 200px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5599724296498550418" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gpFQef_ZeSU/TbY3lDzrlpI/AAAAAAAAACs/T6nRd28cd5s/s200/Statue.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Vp9pib-MACY/TbY3k42sULI/AAAAAAAAACk/ZFAI7HjB47c/s1600/Hot%2Bdogs.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 200px; HEIGHT: 150px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5599724293558390962" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Vp9pib-MACY/TbY3k42sULI/AAAAAAAAACk/ZFAI7HjB47c/s200/Hot%2Bdogs.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><br /><div>To borrow a quote from The Wizard of Oz:<br /><br />"I'm melting! Melting!"<br />-- The Wicked Witch<br /><br />Simple put, today was hot. We started the day at a Rotary Sponsored house for improvised children. From what we gathered, the kids can spend time at the school learning, using computers and can eat there as well. In the evening, adults and the elderly also can access the resources. There were about 12 children there when we arrived. They were playing a game with dried black beans and a rock. However their attention was easily redirected with same mementos that we brought including Canada flag pins, pencils and stickers. The centre just recieved a grant to purchase machines to start a bakery under the school. Students will learn these skills and provide food for the neighborhood.<br /><br />We then headed to the town of Ribamar, which is about 40 kms from Sao Luis. It is known for religious pilgrimages, the beautiful church and numerous statutes. Located right on the coast line the beach looked fantastic from the view at the church. We also saw where local fisherman bring their haul into port to sell.<br /><br />On our way back to Sao Luis, we stopped for lunch with our hosts Carlos, Divanna and Marcelo. The lunch was fantastic and consisted of various fish and seafood dishes, rice and sauces. Polished off with some Brahma and Coke, we headed for some downtime at the mall.<br /><br />Lastly, we returned to the old city centre for a tour of the city and history lesson. There was a little shopping in the market and we finished the evening with the most unusual hotdog. The toppings included ground meat, cabbage, green peas, mayo and ketchup. Sounds awful but surprisingly delicious.<br /><br />Time for bed.<br /><br />Jennifer</div><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div>(pictures - hot dogs, statue, Vera (school director))</div></div></div>jenniferardielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03619124343237613159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3931746989038021416.post-31840769156354811862011-04-24T17:34:00.001-07:002011-04-24T18:04:27.253-07:00Day 6<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KOmIrHDZZG4/TbTGa4TKyjI/AAAAAAAAACc/qZqqJAoHcQw/s1600/Leo%2527s%2Bbar.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 200px; HEIGHT: 150px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5599318401820052018" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KOmIrHDZZG4/TbTGa4TKyjI/AAAAAAAAACc/qZqqJAoHcQw/s200/Leo%2527s%2Bbar.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Tjvyiu2xJ3M/TbTGahPy43I/AAAAAAAAACU/LRuwwmnqrHQ/s1600/dunes.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 200px; HEIGHT: 150px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5599318395631887218" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Tjvyiu2xJ3M/TbTGahPy43I/AAAAAAAAACU/LRuwwmnqrHQ/s200/dunes.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-49mymC_E0_c/TbTGahzzagI/AAAAAAAAACM/J2CD4Y_Q_Z8/s1600/Bumba%2BMeu%2BBoi%2Bcostume%2B-%2BKeith.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 150px; HEIGHT: 200px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5599318395782916610" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-49mymC_E0_c/TbTGahzzagI/AAAAAAAAACM/J2CD4Y_Q_Z8/s200/Bumba%2BMeu%2BBoi%2Bcostume%2B-%2BKeith.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kN7HDPGE2J8/TbTGAyxABuI/AAAAAAAAACE/vBuP_mAwGRg/s1600/Brazilian%2Bbbq.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 200px; HEIGHT: 150px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5599317953657964258" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kN7HDPGE2J8/TbTGAyxABuI/AAAAAAAAACE/vBuP_mAwGRg/s200/Brazilian%2Bbbq.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><br /><div>Today started with a helicopter ride - too cool - the military police were nice enough to take everyone for a short ride over Sao Luis - see video of Laurie, Jenny, and Marcello taking off...<br /></div><br /><div></div><br /><p><br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dyX46OD3Vod0lYyHEErVxodOlAhUbz5AKGsEaGBoLLrTQz9wJ6kAmNkRUL5OqG57DJVz7YDJE_HaEVuKamV7A' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></p><br /><p>After the ride, we split up and went for the Easter meal with our host families -<em> </em>I attended Divanna's Mother's house where there were many family members and an aunt who was celebrating a birthday. It was very special to be invited to be part of their family celebration and even with the language barrier, we had a good visit and a great time. </p><br /><p>Jenny and Laurie went to Jenny's host mother's mother's house for a meal and Brenda went to Conscita's house where she was hosting her family for the meal.</p><br /><p>After all the celebrating, we checked into our hotel for our day off, and Jenny and Laurie lounged around the pool while Brenda and I ended up for a few beverages at a beach side bar after a walk/run on the beach.</p><br /><p>Tonight, we are taking it easy, catching up on some computing and sleep, and getting ready for the next four days of touring and presentations.</p><br /><p>I will attach some pictures from the last few days for your viewing pleasure (at Leo's bar with Marcelo and Cristiane; at the sand dunes; me in my Bumba Meu Boi costume; Brazilian bbq (yes its a wheel barrow - very ingenuitive)<br /><br /><br /></p><br /><p>Boa Noite</p></div></div></div>been_kownterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16049744974385423939noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3931746989038021416.post-58890624613235194692011-04-23T21:15:00.000-07:002011-04-23T21:19:10.664-07:00Days 4 and 5On Friday morning we got up very early to head out of Sao Luis for a few days on a road trip. We all met near the airport and then hit the road....the bumpy road, for the three hour drive. We arrived and had lunch, since we cant read the menus we usually sit back and let our hosts order for us, we have not been disapointed yet. We were greeted by the owners of the restaurant and stayed for several hours enjoying the food and the cervejas as well as the river. From the restaurant our guide picked us up and we went on a ferry across the river. There we boarded our truck (seated in the box of the truck on chairs). After a 25 minute exciting ride through sand roads, mud puddles and lagoons we arrived at Lencois Maranhenses National Park. It was Beatiful! We spent a few hours walking though the sand dunes and swimming in the fresh water. We left as the sun was setting and raced the other trucks through the mud and sand to return back to the ferry. Our rides were waiting for us when we returned and we drove about half way back to Sao Luis to a farm. We were greeted at the farm by the owner Jose with tables with cervejas and bottles of his favorite whisky behind him. It was apparent what the agenda was for the night! The four of us were joined all day by Keiths host family, Jennys host family as well as Marcelo (a gse member for the brazil team who will be in Canada in may/June) and our new friend Cristiane, brenda's hosts niece. We were again wined and dined and enjoyed good company and a lot of laughter into the wee hours of the morning. Both Marcelo and Cristiane speak English so they were able to translate all of Jose's jokes for us. <br />We all stayed the night at the Farm, there were about 15 of us all in Jose's home.....it was quite a big place. The kids and women had beds inside and the men slept in hammocks outside.....we figured after the whisky that the men would be okay with the sleeping arrangements, and they were.<br />Today we awoke to more food, more cervejas and more whisky awaiting us. We spent the entire day at the farm relaxing, touring the coconut plantation, visiting,and resting in the hammocks. It rained and thunder stormed all day so it was a perfect day to relax at the farm. We are now back in Sao Luis and Are spending the evening with our host families.Lauriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07811900787330387569noreply@blogger.com0