Day 16 and 17

Day 16 (May 4th, 2011)

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.

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!

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!

Day 17 (May 5th, 2011)

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.

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.

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.

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.

After a long day, we headed home to our respective host families. We are heading out for pizza! Delizioso!

Jennifer

Day 14

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.
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.

Day 13

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.

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.

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.

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. 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.

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.

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.

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!

Jennifer

Day 12

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....

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:

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...

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.

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.

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.

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...

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...

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!!

Boa noite (again...it seems I probably got most of my original post here after another 30 minutes of typying - hopefully you enjoy!).

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...

Day 11

Today 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.
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.
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.
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.
Tomorrow we are hitting the road for 5 days to head to the coast and see some of the state of Piaui.

Day Ten

An 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!

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!

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!

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!

Jennifer

Day 9

Its hard to believe that we are at day 9 already - only one more day with our new friends in Sao Luis!!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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... :)

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.

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...

that is all for tonight - enjoy the pictures and send an email or submit a comment if you have any questions.

Thanks