Thanks to many,many people

A trip such as this would not be possible if it were not for literally thousands of people - all the Rotarians who contribute to the Rotary Foundation. On a level closer to us there are many hard working behind the scenes people - District 7570's GSE Chair, Ernie Bentley, District 4590's GSE Chair, Miguel Anfe, the coordinators in each city, all the Rotarians in each city who welcomed us with open arms and hearts and opened their homes to us.



Thank you to all those who followed us via this blog and facebook. We truly appreciate your support.


Thank you to our families and love ones whom we missed for our 5 weeks in Brazil.


On a personal note I want to thank the members of "Team Brazil", Ashley Olin, Chris Teague, Jose Perez, and Katie Meeks for being such great travel companions and team mates. This was truly a TEAM - everyone looked out for each other and pitched in and helped where ever and when ever needed. This was one of the best if not best GSE Teams I have ever seen. Thank you guys!!!

Jundiai

On June 2^nd we traveled from Cajamar to Jundiai. Upon arrival we were met at the local Rotary building by our host families and taken to our new homes. After lunch we went to the local TV station expecting to be interviewed but all the journalist were out on assignment so we ended up just touring the facility.




The team on TV Set








In the evening we presented at the Rotary Club of Jundiai. Here we are pictured with the club president, Roberto (far right), a past district governor (2nd from left) and next year's district governor (4th from right).

June 3^rd was a holiday – Corpus Christi. In Brazil, this means a party which means BBQ – we had another all day BBQ held at the country home of Chris’ family.

Friday morning we headed in Sao Paulo City. We dropped Ashley and her host father off at a home decorating show being held at the racetrack on the edge of the city. Two hours later we got out of our van and walked the last kilometer to the downtown market. Traffic was bumper to bumper and crawling. We ate at a food court. It took almost two hours as we had to wait for a table and then wait to place our order. It was wall to wall people. The two pictures below were taken from the same spot looking in opposite directions. After lunch we went back outside where we met Ashley and her host father. We walked around looking into shops. Some were successful in purchasing some items to take home. People and cars were attempting to occupy the same space and it made walking along the streets very difficult.





Looking one way from lunch


Looking the other way from the same spot

Crowded streets

Our last morning in Brazil was spent visiting the widow of the artist Tao Sigulda, a well known Brazilian artist who had lived to be 91 and passed away 4 years ago. His wife has kept his gallery, home, and studio as a shrine to his brilliant talent. Several of his metal sculptures were on display in the yard. Inside the buildings were many of his paintings and a history of his work. A life size statue of his wife was the center piece in front of the gallery.

After having lunch at a local Rotarian’s home we started our journey homeward. A small van met us and we somehow got the 5 team members, 2 Rotarians, 2 drivers, and all the team’s luggage into it. On the way to the airport we saw a beautiful sun set.

After checking in at the airport we had to say our final farewells in Brazil. Chris was remaining in Brazil for another week as his wife was meeting him in Rio the next morning. The rest of us flew back to Roanoke via Atlanta.

Our last team photo in Brazil

Cajamar

Our stay in Cajamar was shorter than planned as we spent part of this scheduled visit at the beach. Our first visit in Cajamar was to the town hall where we met with the mayor who gave us some basic facts and information about the city. Adjacent to the city hall was a small museum showing the history of the city.

The team and the Mayor of Cajamar

We next visited a home for children with HIV. Ages were from birth through 18. Many were children of single mothers who couldn’t raise the children properly, others were orphans and some were unwanted by their families. There were 4 houses for the children who were divided up by age groups. We were surprised at how clean the houses were and how big the bedrooms were. All the children we saw looked happy. School age children attended the regular public schools. The local Rotary Club works with the home and even raised money to help the home buy a bakery at which baked goods are sold to the public with the proceeds helping finance the home.

Outside and inside the home for children

After lunch we visited a social program where women were making clothes, towels, and other products from donated cloth. The products were sold at a bazaar and the proceeds went to help the poor. This was another Rotary sponsored project.

Sign at Bazaar

That evening we had a BBQ with the Rotary Club of Cajamar. My host family hosted this at their home. This was an informal meeting of the club and we did our presentation for them. In the middle of the presentation my wife skyped me. We stopped our presentation and had the club talk to her. As with other BBQs, it seemed the meat and other food never stopped appearing. This lasted until midnight!

Party Time!!!!

The next morning we and traveled about 20 minutes to our next city, Jundiai.

Day at the Beach

While at the District Conference we met my host family, Marco and Ansley, for our next city, Cajamar. They told us they would met us Sunday morning and to have a small bag packed and ready to go to the beach.

We met them Sunday morning and drove to their home in Cajamar, dropped the majority of our luggage (and that's a lot!!), and headed to their condo on a beach called Riveria located south of Sao Paulo, not in France.

Upon arriving we ate at a lovely resturant overlooking the ocean.

After eating lunch we took a short walk on the beach and then to their condo which overlooked the beach and ocean. Ashley and Katie waded into the water and found it to be rather cold.

Monday morning walks were taken along the beach and sun soaked up while relaxing. We were even able to watch nature close up.

For lunch we drove about 20 kilometers to another beach and arrived just as a storm hit. We did get to see a beautiful rainbow. After lunch we went back to the condo and prepared for our journey back to Cajamar and the world of GSE travel and adventure.

District Conference

Team members have been taking turns updating our team blog and it is my turn again.

We arrived at the District Conference in Aquas de Lindoia after a two hour drive from Atibaia. Jose and Chris had left in the morning and Russ, Ashley, and Katie arrived in late afternoon. The conference was held at the Hotel Majestic. Upon arrival we started meeting people from some of the cities we had visited. The conference was held on Thursday, May 27 through Sunday, May 30.

We attended the opening ceremony which was very impressive. Each club had a representative march their flag into the large auditorium. They placed the flag on the stage behind the district governor's table. We recognized many of the people carrying the flags including Alda, the team leader for the team that had visited our district in March. When she saw me she left the line to give me a great big hug! The flag ceremony concluded with the entrance of the Brazilian flag and color guard.

Friday was a "free" day for the team. Several of us spent the day catching up on rest and trying to combat colds and sore muscles. Some shopping in nearby shops was also done. Some of the team even managed to get to a party Friday night!

Many clubs had created posters showing the projects they support.
Saturday morning we did our presentation to the largest group we faced. Estimates have ranged from 300 to 500 people. It was a large room and there were a lot of people there. Friends who had seen our presentation in other cities even cheered and did some ad libbing for us! It was definitely our best job of presenting so far. We presented just before Alda's GSE team. It was great to be reunited with them even if it was for such a short time. Both teams remained on the stage for a photo op with the district governor. Each of presented the district governor a gift representing our home towns. The team's gift was a soccer ball with our team picture imprinted and our signatures.

That evening a masquerade ball was held. Most of us attended but not in costume. The Brazilians attending were dressed in a variety of costumes including gangsters, wild west sheriff, soccer fans dressed in green and gold and blowing horns, pirates, royalty and several other outfits.

Sunday morning we were met by our next town's coordinator, Marco Ginciene and his wife, who took us first to Cajamar and then onto their beach house south of São Paulo.

To see additional pictures follow this link:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2051161&id=1398728287&l=3c4b73c9d5

The group arrived on Atibaia on Sunday, where we were greeted with an afternoon lunch at a beautiful location on the top of a mountain. The afternoon was filled with good conversation, plenty of laughter, food and beverages. At this point the team went to their respective host families, were we rested and prepared for an evening of pizza. Brazilians love their pizza! They are famous for their sweet (dolce) pizza. One of my personal favorites has arugula as a topping.

Monday morning we met at the local rotary club and after a bumpy trip up to Pedra Grande. The pictures we took barely do this amazing place justice, but one gets the idea of the amazing vistas. After another delicious lunch we headed to Hiranaka Orchid greenhouse. This particular greenhouse sells orchids all over the country. I know why they are so expensive… shipping! Monday evening we visited Casa do Caminho, a soup kitchen that the local rotary club supports. The team toured the facility and helped serve a few meals. Afterwards we went to see a group of 12-string guitar players that gathers every Monday to work on new pieces of music. My host brother, Hi, told me that they sometimes perform for the community. The sound was amazing, very relaxing!


Tuesday morning was free, and I took advantage and slept in! At two we went to city council where we learned that the city continues to grow, but only industries that do not pollute are supported by the local government. The group then went to practice our pottery skills at Bairro do Tanque. First we watched a master, Izumi, create a sugar bowl in minutes. It was amazing how quick he finished and how easy he made it look. Then it was our turn, once everyone had given it their best shot, we took a look at the showroom. Actually participating and then seeing the final product of a master, one truly appreciates the skill it takes to create these works of art. On the way back towards our homes, we stopped at what they call a redneck coffee house. I have no idea where the name comes from, the coffee was delicious and the warm bread and real (locally made) butter is making my mouth water just writing about it.

Wednesday the group split up, Chris and Jose’ visited the city of São Paulo, the rest of us visited Schwing, a company that fabricates cement pumps and mixers, places them on trucks and then paints them to their customers specifications. It was interesting to see the process from the steel sheets to the actual trucks. For me the most intriguing thing was the fact that all the water used is cleaned before it’s returned to the environment. Yet another example of how Brazilian’s respect their resources and the environment. Wednesday night we presented to Rotary Club Atibaia, and had a lovely time meeting with the local Rotarians.


Thursday we headed to Águas de Lindóia for the district conference, more to come!

Pictures from Atibaia

We have spent the last few days in the city of Atibaia located about 40 kilometers north of Sao Paulo. It's been one of our most relaxing weeks - getting ready for Rotary District 4590's conference. Below is a link to some of the pictures I have taken. Another detailed post will be made when Ashley gets Internet Service.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2050887&id=1398728287&l=a7d42a3caa