After a very busy week in Campinas we are getting a chance to relax in São Pedro. Today we visited a couple projects that the Rotary Club de São Pedro has stepped in to lend a hand. The first was a clinic where they raise money for people that can´t afford proper health care can see a physician or a dentist, they currently are working toward getting a cardiologist. If I understood correctly Russ´s club will be making a donation towards this effort.

We then went to a farm where the water was beginning to dry up. The local Rotary club brought in an engineer to help with this problem, trees have been planted and the lakes are back in full force! The next step is to redirect the water to help prevent more erosion and to have it available for other uses. The wheel you see powers a pump, so the entire system is self-sustaining. As Sandra put it (the president for the São Pedro Rotary club) ingenuity occurs when you don´t have any money.

Almoço (lunch) is the big meal of the day, and today was no exception. We had a fabulous meal AGAIN and despite the rainy weather got to enjoy beautiful scenery. As a vegetarian I have had no problem finding something delicious and nutricious to eat.

This afternoon Wesley joined us and we went to the center of São Pedro where the water has the second highest sulfur content in the world. I was the only one brave enough to try it (only after Sergio, my host father did). It´s suppose to be amazing for your health, but it tasted like ovos (eggs). I was told that people come for treatments and take a bath in these waters for thirty days. I cannot imagine getting into a big tub of water that smells like rotten eggs, but I guess people will do anything for beauty (of the many health benefits, anti-aging is one).

A note on the language barrier... I do not speak Portuguese, but communicating has not been hard. We are lucky to have Chris with us during the day but a lot of the times we are left to our own devices. I try to pick up new words everyday, but have realized that communicating is more than just talking. Laughing and smiling is universal!

Boa noite. (Good night.)