Limeria...then Homeward Bound

Most of our team is officially back in the states now (minus Matthew who's coming home soon). We're all readjusting to reality & desperately missing Brazil...hence the delay in our final blog post. Here's a recap of our final destination, Limeria.

On Wednesday, June 8th, we enjoyed a tasty breakfast buffet in Araras, then boarded a bus for Limeria where we were greeted by Anna Karina, our coordinator in this new city. After checking into our hotel, we were quickly whisked off to lunch & a visit at Senai, a technical training school. Limeria is a city full of industry with many factories producing food, machinery, costume jewelry, etc... As a result, this technical school provides an essential service, training the work force this city requires, while giving students skills that guarantee them employment post-graduation. Upon our arrival to the school, we were met by the school's director & a photographer & videographer who documented every moment of our visit. The school posted welcome posters featuring our team photo around nearly every corner. It was a virtual "Where's Waldo" of us & definitely made us feel welcome while eliciting some self-conscious laughter. That evening we presented to local Rotary Club where we were given with beautiful quartz jewelry made that day. What a delightful & generous surprise!

The second day we got all dressed up for an appearance on The Reinaldo Bastelli Show, local Limeria TV program. In Brazil, it's not difficult to feel like a star! Matthew, Bob & our wonderful translator did an amazing job on the interview couch, while Jennifer, Christine & I sat in the audience & provided some later commentary regarding our exchange program & experiences in Brazil thus far. After tons of photos & lunch, we rushed over to the major's office for an informational session about Limeria, it's growth, population & economy. Then onto Limeria's local newspaper office where we toured the establishment & were interviewed by a reporter. The following day we were featured in the paper. Hard to believe it was a third appearance in a Brazilian paper since touching down in this incredible country! :) Onward we went to a costume jewelry factory where the girls were given rings are parting gifts, then off to a costume jewelry museum & shopping. We ended the day speaking at another Rotary Club meeting. The highlights were when the Senai School Director presented us with a slide show of our visit the previous day & his translation of Christine's fabulous blog post about her Rotary District Conference. It's amazing to see that people are following our little blog.

On Friday morning, we got up in the wee hours of the morning to present at the Blue Mountain Rotary Club. It was surreal to think this was our last presentation in Brazil, but a wonderful feeling. Afterward we visited Dohler, a fruit processing company that makes juices & many other food items. We got all dressed up in our protective hairnets & smocks & took a tour of the facility & tasted some delicious juices. In the afternoon, we had free time so Anna Karina generously took the girls on a tour of the town where we shopped for tasty treats to bring back home & got pedicures. We topped off the night with a delectable meal at the churascaria with local Rotarians, a fun farewell & phenomenal end to such an incredible trip!

Many of my team members have already been home for nearly a week. Brazil somehow feels like it was a lifetime ago already, but the memories of this trip will live with us forever. Thinking back to all that we learned, the incredible places we've seen, the thing that I will cherish the most are the warm & generous people that I've met along the way. I'll forever have a fondness for this beautiful country & its people & want to thank everybody in the US & Brazil that had a part of making it happen. Words cannot express how much I appreciate your hard work & generosity.

Muito obrigada!
-Stephanie

Ararassssssssssssssssssssssssss...

Hey guys. We had a wonderful time in our second to last stop in Araras. Araras is a fantastic city full of great food, beautiful farms and fantastic Rotarians. We arrived in Araras on Sunday afternoon after the District Conference. All of our families got together for a pizza dinner that night. Then we were off for a fun-filled, action packed two days.

On Monday morning, we visited St. Gertrudes Farm. This farm has been passed down for several generations. It was once a coffee farm and is now a premier location for shooting telenovelas and hosting weddings. The farm was beautiful and I hope to be attending a wedding there in the next few years! After lunch, we toured downtown Araras and saw a cultural center and church. The late afternoon took us to AMCRA (Association of Friends of Children of Araras), a center for children whose parents are HIV positive. They can come to this center for social and medical attention. We then visited Project Abrigo which is a home for young girls from birth to 18. Christine, our "Child Whisperer" immediately found some new friends. Of course I fell in love wiht the only boy in the home, four month old Gabriel. I wanted to take him home with me but between my clothes and Takuo's wife, there wasn't much room left in my suitcase! That evening we had a presentation at Rotary Club of Araras, which was the club of our host families.

 

Christine in the Cultural Center in downtown Araras that used to be a jail.

On Tuesday morning we visited Usina Sao Joao, a sugar plant. It was very interesting to see the process by which sugar cane is transformed into sugar and ethanol. After lunch (which by the way had Pastel with cinnamon and chocolate), we visited another farm, Fazendo Santo Antonio. This farm was once a sugar cane and coffee plantation. It is now owned by a private family. It is a stunning property with a golf course, stables, beautiful gardens and a private beach. I also had the opportunity to visit a museum in the afternoon designed by a Brazilian architect who is still working at the age of 102. Our second presentation is Araras was that evening at Rotary Club of Araras Sul.

On Wednesday morning we bid farewell to Araras and headed for Limeira. More to come...

Abracos,
Jennifer

District Conference

This past weekend was spent in the lovely town of Aguas de Lindoya for the Rotary District Conference, and what a weekend it was! The town is nestled into the foot of the mountains and our hotel was reminiscent of a European chateau.

We had all day Friday free to explore the town and practice our speech for Saturday, where we were to present in front of 250+ people....in all Portuguese. Luckily with a day of practice and language coaching, our presentation went off without a glitch. We were all able to present completely in Portuguese, a first for us and an exciting moment!!

Saturday night after dinner was a themed dance, and boy do they know how to throw a party! We joined the Cajamar club in representing Brazil, and conga lined our way in decked out in yellow and green. The live band played a mix of America and Brazilian hits, we were especially thrilled when they performed 'Footloose' and we could all sing along.

However, the highlight of the weekend for me was seeing so many familiar faces we had met along the way. These past 3 weeks have been filled with so many fun moments and memories and it was wonderful to connect with so many of our friends one more time. In many ways it felt like a family reunion, lots of hugs, smiles and even a few tears when we said our goodbyes.

This weekend reminded me of one of my favorite quotes, that I think wraps up the weekend well:

"Don't be dismayed at good-byes. A farewell is necessary before you can meet again and meeting again, after moments or a lifetime, is certain for those who are friends."


Abraços,
Christine

Cajamar & Beautiful Riviera Sao Lorenzo

We arrived in Cajamar in the evening time, and were greeted by the friendly welcome of Ansely and Marco, our hosts for the night.  We were invited into a beautiful house, and the first of what would be many good meals in Cajamar.  Marco and Ansely had just arrived back from Europe that day!  They had had a tough day of international travel, with flight changes and other adventures, and we were amazed by their level of energy and graciousness as we sat down to a home cooked meal and a bottle of Chilean wine. 

The next morning an fun group arrived to pick us up for a visit to a Chocolate factory.  This place was amazing - its a huge operations, that produces 300 tonnes of chocolate every day, according to our guide.  We had to wear full protective clothing on our tour, to make sure we didn't bring any dust or foreign elements into the production area.  Huge vats of chocolate churned around us, and miles of pipes and tubes carried the ingredients through the factory, it was amazing to see.

That afternoon we met with the mayor of the city, and his photographer, which resulted in a new friend and our pictures in the local papers the next day.

 On the way back we stopped to see on old church, get some icecream in the town square, and see the river that was famous for its bad smell, thanks to the sewage that comes from Sao Paulo, upstream.  We also visited a historic building, still in original form, from the early days of the city, and heard the legends of it builders.

We had heard that we were in for a treat at the beach.  But we didnt expect what awaited us at Riviera sao Lorenzo.  Marco and Ansely drove us up to their rooftop apartment at this beautiful beach town, famous for its ocean views and natural setting.  The views were beautiful, and we had the benefit of some rest and relaxation, with Marco and Ansely showing us their favorite spots, and teaching us about the history of the development there, which was a very unique construction project, designed to be in alignment with the forces of nature and the natural landscape.  The buildings are placed so that the wind can still circulate and much of the land is left undeveloped.

We drove back to Cajamar for our final night, which was a special invitation from the Mayor to be his guests at the huge Rodeo festival that was being hosted in the city.  An estimated 20,000-30,000 people were in attendance on the last day of this epic event, where we got a taste of local festivities on a grand scale, heard some traditional Brazilian country music, and saw a little bull riding rodeo excitement.  Thanks to the mayor, and of course Marco and Ansely, we had first class treatment.  All in all, a wonderful time in Cajamar!

A Grand Visit to Jundiaí

We just completed a lovely visit to Jundiaí, a city north west of Sao Paolo. On Monday we visited Cidade dos Meninos, a school for low income students ranging from 6 months to 18 years old. The school was created over 50 years ago by a couple without children of their own & who wanted to give back. The beautiful campus nestled on a hill offers many general education courses as well as some more unusual ones, including papermaking, gymnastics, baking, dairy production & electrician work. Similar to other schools we've visited thus far, this institution also offers classes to parents hoping to develop new skills. The children were overjoyed by our visit, especially when Christine joined them in singing Justin Bieber songs.

The afternoon continued with a visit to a private Portuguese-English school, a park & then a tour of TVE, a local educational TV station where we toured sets & got a first hand look at that interesting world. We ended the night at a Rotary Jundiaí Vila Arens meeting where I spoke with two wonderful previous GSE team members, one who went to Switzerland & another who visited Maine & New Hampshire. It was a pleasure hearing about all their exciting experiences during their exchange.

On Tuesday we visited Circuito das Frutas, the wine producing region just outside of the city. The scenery was gorgeous & we got a taste of the Pope's wine, the very same blend that he tasted upon his trip to a local winery awhile back. In the evening we presented at the District Governor's Club, Jundiaí Leste.

On Wednesday we ended our trip with a visit to a neighboring town where we toured Fabio's business, Matthew's host father. The town was very beautiful & the food was incredible too. After packing up & a series of goodbyes, we moved onward to Cajamar.

-Stephanie

Its A New Week For GSE In Jundiai

After a resful two days in Sao Pedro with some wonderful Rotarians we hopped into our familiar onibus and headed off for a two hour soujourn to Jundiai, a city of nearly half a million. We were greeted by some very friendly Rotarians in front of Park de Uva (grape), loaded up our luggage and headed off to a mountain top home of the President of the Jundiai club. I cannot remember which of the six clubs he his president, but Salvador was so hospitable. Their home is within an environmentally protected area. You can see that it is a very comfortable place. We had BBQ beef, pork and chicken, tasty fresh vegetables for salad and of course lots of wine, beer and caipirinhas. One friendly guy offered me a delicious liquor made from sugar cane, Cana - pretty smooth.

The team is having a great experience. Our Portuguese is not progressing as quickly as we may want because many of our hosts speak English so well.

Tchau,

BoB

We have seen the Mountain top, y Que lindo!

We just arrived in Jundiai after a wonderful visit to Sao Pedro over the weekend. This small town hosted us in big fashion. We stayed with wonderful Rotary families and our coordinator, Sandra, did a great job scheduling our activities. We hiked to a waterfall, visited the markets and a museum, had a great afternooon at Aguas de Sao Pedro, and some fantastic homemade pizza at Sergio´s house. I will save my adventure (or misadventure) to the Bee farm for another day! What a relaxing and exciting time we had. I´m definitely not the photographer of the group, but pictures will follow soon.

Caio,
Jennifer

And the Adventure Continues!

The past few days have been busy & a blast. On Monday afternoon we each had a vocational visit. I met with Adailton Silva, the owner of two ecommerce companies in Campinas & a member of the Campinas Norte Rotary Club. It was amazing to hear about his start in the industry back in 1989 & see how he´s developed his business in this technological center of Brazil.

Tuesday we visited CPqD, a telecommuncations company that develops technological solutions for Brazil, including payphones that don´t erode in Brazil´s extreme temperatures & new developments in fiber optics. Afterward we visited a school that helps educate poor children & also promotes self understanding through yoga & meditation. We finished off the day at Campinas Decor, a gorgeous decorators´ show house in Campinas´ old railway station. The designs were stunning & inspiring. I now have some amazing ideas to bring back to my company upon my return.

-Stephanie

Sao Paolo

On Sunday, our team took a wonderful tour through Sao Paolo, exploring the various parts of this large & beautiful city. Augusto Scorza, a Rotarian from the Campinas Sul Club & his wife, Lucia, were our wonderful guides. It was such a treat to see the city through their eyes. They were true experts in navigating the city´s winding streets & numerous turn-abouts. The city is bursting with activity & we passed many lush parks & outdoor mercados along the way. We also learned some new & interesting facts about Sao Paolo. For instance, unlike other major Brazilian cities that grew after the creation of a shipping port, Sao Paolo grew from the creation of a Jesuit school established to education local indigenous people.

We ended the day with a lovely Brazilian lunch buffet & tried so many new treats Brazilian food is incredible & so fresh. Below are some photos of this fantastic city.

After a 1.5 hour drive back to Campinas, it was a delight to share a quiet dinner in with my host family, Takuo & Yaeko Hashizume. They are such an incredible couple, I truly hit the jackpot!

-Stephanie

What a Start!

Wow. Only 3 days into our trip and I already feel like we have done so much, where to begin! My family here in Campinas is AMAZING, a true Rotary family. On both Saturday and Sunday I had dinner with my host 'parents', Carina and Junior, their adorable daughter Gabriela, Carina's parents, brother and his family...a lot of names to learn quickly! Carina's mother was the Rotary District Governor in 2004 and Carina was the GSE Team Leader to North Carolina in 2007-they know Rotary! I feel so lucky to have such a welcoming and supportive group here, they have made adjusting to live in Brazil quite easy.

Today was our first vocational day and I am so inspired by what I have seen. The first half of the day today was spent at UNICAMP, the University here in Campinas. The campus was beautiful and we were given a great informational session on the Univeristies in Brazil. The major difference between University here and in the US is cost, college is free here...yes, FREE!! UNICAMP receives 605million a year from the State each year, and they are only one of the State run schools.

After a great lunch on campus the team split up and I was off to 'Cidade dos Meninos', or City of Youth. City of Youth is a place were abused, abandoned, homeless and at risk children are given a second chance. The youth live on the campus where they receive both schooling and vocational training. The first youth I met were the youngest, about 7 years old, and they were in music class. When I walked in they all lit up and came to give me hugs. They then played a beautiful song for me on their recorders, accompanied by their teacher on the guitar. Next class I visited was 'food prep and safety', where I was forced to try a delicious chocolate pastery the kids had just made, followed by more hugs. The spirit of these youth was unreal and they were so happy to have visitors. One girl especially touched me, mainly because she reminded me so much of my own mentee in San Francisco. She was in the hair salon class and when I asked her, through a translator, if she wanted to be a hair dresser when she grew up she said 'No, I am going to go to law school in America and be a lawyer.' I realized she did not say she wanted to be, she said I'm going to be.

Todays experience and visit to Cidade dos Meninos is why I came on GSE and while I feel so lucky to b a part of this program. I am thousands of miles from home, but the work that I do and am so passionate about in San Francisco is being done here as well and there is much I can learn from these organizations.

More stories to come, thanks for reading and for your support of Rotary GSE!

Abracos,
Christine

Arrival and First Day

We've arrived and have been embraced with open arms and hearts by our brother and sister Rotarians here in Campinas, Sao Paulo, Brazil.

My host Augusto Scorza and I visited an AIDS organization "Esperanza e Vida" (Hope & Life) where poor people with HIV have a place to be treated or if too ill a place to spend their last days in an environment of caring and love. Augusto's club has helped them with some projects. We spent a couple of hours walking through the site and discussing Matching Grants with the founder and unpaid manager Robierto. I learned about how those afflicted with HIV deal with it here. It is much like in the US.

More later. Here we are at the home of Takuo Hashizume, on of the organizers for GSE here and a former GSE Team Leader to the US. This was a most welcome brunch with an amazing array of tropical fruits and breads. One of the team cannot eat glutin for all the breads were glutin free and delicious.

Bob

We´ve Arrived!

After a long nearly 15 hour journey, we´ve in Brazil! All flights went smoothly & each leg of the journey was well documented by our fearless leader, Bob. :)

We arrived early this morning & were greeted by Takuo & his lovely daughter, Cris, who teaches English in Sao Paolo. We squeezed the luggage into a van & road along Brazil´s lush green hills towards Campinas, 1.5 hours north west of the airport. There was a huge breakfast greeting us at Takuo´s place where the host families were waiting for us. The dining room table filled with delicious cheese bread, cakes, tropical fruits, juices, cheeses & ham, what a feast it was! Afterward we paired off with our hosts.

Later that day, Matthew & I had lunch with our host families at a country club that was a former coffee plantation. The architecture & grounds were gorgeous, filled with huge palm trees, a lake & many Brazilians enjoying the warm 60 degree Fall weather. Our Brazilian hosts have been so incredibly warm & gracious so far.

Tomorrow the team´s off to Sao Paolo for a private tour of Brazil´s largest city. Then our busy schedule begins Monday. I can´t wait for what lies ahead. A special thank you to everyone involved who´s helped get us here today.

-Stephanie

Amazing Videos from GSE South Korea Trip

In March, a GSE team from the Rotary District just south of ours traveled to South Korea. They had an amazing time & Z, one of their team members, documented some of the experiences with video. Feel free to take a look, they're fantastic!!!!! :)

South Korea Adventures Video: http://youtu.be/-OM6nOJUL1k


Thank You Rotary Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2q9Kl4_DmyU 

 Stephanie

6 days and counting!

Thanks for visiting our blog! We are tremendously excited for our departure in less than a week and I decided I should folllow in Stephanie and Jennifer's foot steps and introduce myself.

My name is Christine Gage and I am so honored to be a part the Rotary District 5150 GSE Team to Campinas, Brazil. I was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area and attended college in Washington DC at The George Washington University where I majored in Psychology with an emphasis in Child Development. I work for an Education non profit called Education Pioneers and am extremely passionate about education reform and youth development. I volunteer with a organization called City of Dreams which works with at risk youth in San Francisco and I have mentored a 12 year old girl for the past 2 years. I am also very active with GLIDE, a San Franicsco institution that has served the homeless for over 40 years.

I am looking forward to updating everyone on our adventures soon!

Christine

District 5150 Conference

Last Saturday was the District 5150 Conference at the South San Francisco Conference Center. There were about 280 Rotarians there for the annual conference. The room was nicely appointed, the food was good and the company was outstanding. Distsrict Governor Bill Koefoed handed out many awards to clubs in the district that have been doing outstanding work in the 5 Avenues of Service. Many Rotarians spoke on topics around the Avenues of Service. Our District RI Representative, John Blount, was on had to represent the RI President and he did a marvelous job of that. He is a very good inspirational speaker and displayed that talent a couple of times.

Our GSE Team Brazil 2011 was there in full force look quite daper in the team outfits sporting the colors of black, blue and gold. Our first official presentation was a short one and was well received. Matthew has been working with the PowerPoint and is getting it close to where we want it for our first presentations in Campinas, Brazil.