I've just returned from a weekend away on the gorgeous island of Morro De Sao Paulo. It was so nice to be able to escape the bustle of the city and do some good ol relaxing.
Morro is a quaint little tourist town where the main mode of transportation is wheelbarrow. They do not have any paved streets, only sand. We stayed on the most popular beach in a hostel I can only describe as looking some what reminiscent of a jail cell. The shower, or as I referred to it, the showlet, was in the same space as the toilet, so essentially you could kill two birds with one stone if you really felt it necessary. But we were literally 20 feet from the biggest beach party at night and for $15 a night during peak season I would say we got off well.
It's back to work tomorrow which I am both looking forward to and dreading. We all had a very trying week last week as things at MT took a bad turn. All of the kids are getting very sick and it seems none are getting better. On friday we only had 4 kids there(3 of which were running fevers)as the rest where in the hospital. Their caretaker had a breakdown on Thursday when one of the little boys started vomiting all over the place. Her reaction makes me think that these kids are in much poorer health than they let on.
While MT does an excellent job taking care of the kids, the children go home with their parent(s) on the weekend. I think it's important for the kids to have that maternal contact, but when it appears none of them have been fed, washed or nurtured when they return on Monday, it's a bit angering that they allow them to go home at all.
In fact it's interesting to see the mood of all the children change as the week goes on. Even though they are only a few years old, they understand what Friday means and many become very withdrawn and sad.
Don't worry, I've been keeping very busy otherwise so life isn't as depressing as the last paragraph makes it sound.
I went on a day trip last weekend to a town called Cachoeira. We ate lunch at a former convent, now a restaurant and inn, toured a cigar factory, walked around the creepiest art exhibit I have ever seen in my life, and snapped a lot of phots of a place far different, far more rural and untouched by tourism, than Salvador. The Boa Morte (Good Death) all female Condomble group is very big there and if we had chosen to stay later we could have attended a seance up in the hills of Cachoeira. Unfortunately catching busses at night is not the safest thing, so we had to leave before the seance.
I'm sure there will be another chance though....
Sunday, January 28, 2007
Friday, January 19, 2007
Just a slice of life
Thankfully this week has gone by much quicker than the last. The heat just really wears me down and I find it hard to resist a daily afternoon nap after work.
While I still can't speak in complete grammatically correct sentences, my Portuguese is improving. I don't necessarily need to speak Portuguese at Mother Teresa as the kids only screech and the old women usually just stare at me blankly. But with the few things I do know I have been able to learn quite a lot about the backgrounds of the kids and women who reside at MT. Each story is so sad, especially the childrens', and it's really depressing to think of the lives these kids will have to go back to once they leave MT.
I of course have my favorite kids, Kyle and Nicole. Nicole is the cutest little chubster of the bunch and just loves potty time, even when she's nowhere near a toilet. She and I got off to a rough start when she jammed herself into a doorway and screamed bloody murder any time I came near her. But now we trust each other and even cuddle during lunch time. Kyle is whom I get most of my Portuguese practice with, such as 'stop hitting' and 'sit down'. He has some sort of infection in his mouth so he can't eat solid foods and therefore has a lot of stomach issues. He is constantly screaming and hitting but it’s only because of the pain. He's just a jem.
At home we've been getting out pretty regularly after work to visit different markets, museums and festivals. Since Carnival is just around the corner many drumming groups practice nightly in the town center. They are really a unique site to see.
Last week we went to the Nuestro Senhor Do Bomfin Festival. (Translating roughly into: Our father of good endings) Ten of thousands of people descend on the streets for a 10k walk ending at the BomFin church to celebrate side by side, Catholicism and Condomble, the religion brought from Africa with the Slave trade.
When slaves first arrived in Salvador they were not allowed to practice their own religion and therefore disguised their worship under the pretense that they were worshipping Catholic saints and other figures. Therefore almost all Condomble Orixas (gods) have a corresponding Catholic entity.
Nuestro Senhor Do Bomfin celebrates both Jesus and Oxala. Many people welcome both Catholicism and Condomble in their lives and don't judge if their neighbor only follows one. It is intensely moving to be in a city where everyone believes in God, and even more powerful to experience the emotion that brings them all together, regardless of belief.
While I still can't speak in complete grammatically correct sentences, my Portuguese is improving. I don't necessarily need to speak Portuguese at Mother Teresa as the kids only screech and the old women usually just stare at me blankly. But with the few things I do know I have been able to learn quite a lot about the backgrounds of the kids and women who reside at MT. Each story is so sad, especially the childrens', and it's really depressing to think of the lives these kids will have to go back to once they leave MT.
I of course have my favorite kids, Kyle and Nicole. Nicole is the cutest little chubster of the bunch and just loves potty time, even when she's nowhere near a toilet. She and I got off to a rough start when she jammed herself into a doorway and screamed bloody murder any time I came near her. But now we trust each other and even cuddle during lunch time. Kyle is whom I get most of my Portuguese practice with, such as 'stop hitting' and 'sit down'. He has some sort of infection in his mouth so he can't eat solid foods and therefore has a lot of stomach issues. He is constantly screaming and hitting but it’s only because of the pain. He's just a jem.
At home we've been getting out pretty regularly after work to visit different markets, museums and festivals. Since Carnival is just around the corner many drumming groups practice nightly in the town center. They are really a unique site to see.
Last week we went to the Nuestro Senhor Do Bomfin Festival. (Translating roughly into: Our father of good endings) Ten of thousands of people descend on the streets for a 10k walk ending at the BomFin church to celebrate side by side, Catholicism and Condomble, the religion brought from Africa with the Slave trade.
When slaves first arrived in Salvador they were not allowed to practice their own religion and therefore disguised their worship under the pretense that they were worshipping Catholic saints and other figures. Therefore almost all Condomble Orixas (gods) have a corresponding Catholic entity.
Nuestro Senhor Do Bomfin celebrates both Jesus and Oxala. Many people welcome both Catholicism and Condomble in their lives and don't judge if their neighbor only follows one. It is intensely moving to be in a city where everyone believes in God, and even more powerful to experience the emotion that brings them all together, regardless of belief.
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
The Beginning
Well I wouldn’t say things went terribly on my flight down here. Besides all 4 of my flights being delayed and being awake for more than 40 hours straight, everything was really nice. I was able to enjoy a live mariachi band at the Duty Free in the Lima Airport at 3am. The airline also gave me a complementary meal in the airport because of the delay.
I am currently living in the neighborhood of Graca, which by Latin American standards is pretty nice. The house is huge, 5 floors and houses 30 people. I share a room with 7 others girls, which I thought would be a nightmare but has actually worked out quite well. We have the largest room by far and most everyone communicates via sarcasm, so I fit right in.
The girls, yes I live with 30 girls, range from 18 to late 30's and are all just a kick. For most, this is their first time to a Latin American country so most are still in culture shock. The program does almost too good of a job educating everyone on the dangers of a large city. I feel like I can’t turn around without someone asking if its safe to wear a skirt outside or earrings to a bar. It’s a bit unfortunate this mistrust as most people are more than kind.
That being said, while we still live in a nice area, we only live down the hill from a favela. While these favelas aren’t nearly as poor as the ones we work in, poverty and crime are still just right in our backyard.
Work is been pretty tiring. The house is home to 8 children, mostly 1 and 2 years old, and elderly women. Days consist of cleaning in the morning, talking with the old women and then helping with the children in the afternoon. All but one of the elderly women seem to suffer from dementia or are unable to speak. It’s been a challenge finding things to do with them. For the most part the children are well behaved but can sometimes be total terrors.
The nuns run the house on a strict schedule, which is nice for the volunteers because it provides a great structure that seems to be lacking from all the other volunteers' programs. Because of this regimented day, the house retains a very peaceful atmosphere and is extremely clean.
I honestly have never seem anything like the fevela we work in. My group is the last to be dropped off in the morning and most of the ride to work is reminiscent of downtown LA. It’s right around this clay soccer field that the neighborhood gets extremely poor; many houses lacking proper roofs, some just 4 cement walls. My work is at the base of the favela, so a glance up the hill reveals even worse poverty. It’s all very emotionally and physically draining.
Of course I take care to get a few drinks in when I can. The night life is great, drinks are cheap and Carnival season is in full swing!
Ate Logo.
I am currently living in the neighborhood of Graca, which by Latin American standards is pretty nice. The house is huge, 5 floors and houses 30 people. I share a room with 7 others girls, which I thought would be a nightmare but has actually worked out quite well. We have the largest room by far and most everyone communicates via sarcasm, so I fit right in.
The girls, yes I live with 30 girls, range from 18 to late 30's and are all just a kick. For most, this is their first time to a Latin American country so most are still in culture shock. The program does almost too good of a job educating everyone on the dangers of a large city. I feel like I can’t turn around without someone asking if its safe to wear a skirt outside or earrings to a bar. It’s a bit unfortunate this mistrust as most people are more than kind.
That being said, while we still live in a nice area, we only live down the hill from a favela. While these favelas aren’t nearly as poor as the ones we work in, poverty and crime are still just right in our backyard.
Work is been pretty tiring. The house is home to 8 children, mostly 1 and 2 years old, and elderly women. Days consist of cleaning in the morning, talking with the old women and then helping with the children in the afternoon. All but one of the elderly women seem to suffer from dementia or are unable to speak. It’s been a challenge finding things to do with them. For the most part the children are well behaved but can sometimes be total terrors.
The nuns run the house on a strict schedule, which is nice for the volunteers because it provides a great structure that seems to be lacking from all the other volunteers' programs. Because of this regimented day, the house retains a very peaceful atmosphere and is extremely clean.
I honestly have never seem anything like the fevela we work in. My group is the last to be dropped off in the morning and most of the ride to work is reminiscent of downtown LA. It’s right around this clay soccer field that the neighborhood gets extremely poor; many houses lacking proper roofs, some just 4 cement walls. My work is at the base of the favela, so a glance up the hill reveals even worse poverty. It’s all very emotionally and physically draining.
Of course I take care to get a few drinks in when I can. The night life is great, drinks are cheap and Carnival season is in full swing!
Ate Logo.
Wednesday, January 03, 2007
Setting Sail
Just one day to go until I get on one of my many flights that will eventually land me in Salvador, Brazil.
I received an email last night confirming my placement with the partner organization Madre Tereza, Missionaries of Charity. The organization was founded by none other than Mother Teresa in 1950. The first house was opened in Brazil in 1979. The brief description tells me that, “the sisters serve the poorest of the poor. Working with abandoned women, the elderly, and malnourished children, the organization receives no help from the government.”
I’m not exactly sure what I will be doing there, but am very excited! I guess my dreams of micro-finance will have to wait until next time.
So assuming nothing goes drastically wrong I will post again from Brazil!
I received an email last night confirming my placement with the partner organization Madre Tereza, Missionaries of Charity. The organization was founded by none other than Mother Teresa in 1950. The first house was opened in Brazil in 1979. The brief description tells me that, “the sisters serve the poorest of the poor. Working with abandoned women, the elderly, and malnourished children, the organization receives no help from the government.”
I’m not exactly sure what I will be doing there, but am very excited! I guess my dreams of micro-finance will have to wait until next time.
So assuming nothing goes drastically wrong I will post again from Brazil!
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