January 28, 2011

Ola!! The students are taking their written exam as I begin typing and we are leaving for our ten day trip tonight. I do not know what type of internet connections we will have so I thought I would get a quick entry to the blog done before we leave.






Even with all the rain, we finally were able to complete service project on Monday after two postponements. We divided into three groups and painted three houses in Piracicaba. This is the first we have attempted three houses in my experience with AZP and I was very proud of the students. There is a service organization in Piracicaba that for many years have built houses for a very low cost and families apply for the project. One of the houses we painted was featured in the local Piracicaba paper and some of the students were interviewed. The students worked very hard to complete all three houses. We had one student that was working so hard in a back bedroom painting that the group at his house left to join the other groups without him. They realized halfway to the planned meeting spot that he wasn’t with them so we sent the bus back to pick him up. As I joined the group everyone made me very much aware that he was missing and I was glad to have him back when the bus joined us. It was a nice chuckle to end a grand day. The students have lots of stories to tell about each activity and this is just one of them.

Tuesday the students had class all day and then enjoyed a game of two hand touch “American Football”!!! They were so excited. I think six Brazilians had their first experience. The first play was a kick which was caught by a Brazilian and he immediately tossed a forward lateral. The first thing I thought of was playing hot potato as a child and getting rid of the ball. Everyone had a good laugh, reviewed the rules with the Brazilians and it took them a bit of getting use to. It was a gorgeous night for playing and they went at it for about an hour and a half. Great fun!! Then back to the hotel to study, get some supper or sleep whichever came first.

Wednesday morning, in small groups, we had to check in at the police department. Based on the type of visa , Brazil has a policy that if you are staying in the country for more than 30 days you must check in with the local police. They review your visa, issue a revised visa and take finger prints. A new experience for some. Are we criminals? ;-)


In the afternoon we had a great tour of Caterpillar. It was a huge factory supplying both parts and finished large equipment. We got to see the start to finish process with a great explanation. When we got there we were prepared that we would be videotaped for a feature story of the Visitors Center. He asked for four volunteers to say something at the beginning of the videotape and then three volunteers during the tour for a short comment on how great the tour was. Now to explain this. …… The videographers come in speaking Portuguese. They did three takes of the beginning of the video with a radio caster saying something in Portuguese. Then it came to our students. The comments they wanted the students to say were in Portuguese, not English. They worked with the students on two different statements, four takes of each and then we went on the tour. They videotaped at various spots and then about half through the three other students made their comments. At least those were in English. I am sure the “Americanos” will make a big splash when the video is played.

Today was a review session of questions to ask the Brazilian instructors, lunch, a panel including the instructors and then the exam - four questions. You will have to ask your student how it went. They still will prepare a group project to be presented when we return. It’s time for loading the bus, so new adventure here we come!!

January 23, 2011

Whew!! It’s Sunday evening after an exciting weekend. Everyone is unwinding this afternoon after unpacking and having a huge meal at lunch. Let’s see if I can do a virtual excursion of the week. The week started with the students having class with Shirota. Feedback was great!!. They were interested in what he was teaching and liked his organization. Tuesday we were to do a service project painting three new houses in Piracicaba but it rained on Monday so it was postponed until Wednesday. It rained on Tuesday so it was postponed and rescheduled for tomorrow. The students were really disappointed as they enjoy helping others.


Tuesday evening we decided to go out to dinner at a new Japanese restaurant near the hotel. Shirota joined us and sushi was the most popular pick for the meal and then noodles with chicken, beef and vegetables was a very close second. Wednesday and Thursday were spent in class and then Thursday the Brazilian students took the American students to a dance club.

Friday bright and early we left for Sao Paulo. You could tell they had rain but we did not see the damage that I expected to see. Our first visit was McDonald’s Food Town in Osasco which is a division of Braslow. Apparently between last year and this year Braslow must have been purchased by Seara. The location we toured made hamburgers and chicken for McDonalds. We were able to see the processing plant in action which was very interesting and even had samples of the chicken pieces at the conclusion. Hmmmmm good. We learned how they have to slaughter the animals differently when producing for the Middle Eastern Countries (Muslim/Islam). When producing for these countries it is done first thing in the morning when the equipment is clean and sterile and nothing else can be produced those days. From there we ate lunch at McDonald’s to compare American and Brazilian McDonald’s. You will have to ask your student the results of the comparison.


In the afternoon we went to Rabobank which is a bank that services the agricultural sector originally developed from a group from the Netherlands. It was located in Sao Paulo in a gorgeous, modern, tall building. One speaker discussed the history of the development of Rabobank bank and the other featured Brazil as an agriculture superpower and the limitations hindering Brazil from making greater strides more quickly in agriculture. Excellent presentations. While we there it poured rain. We were several stories high and the conference room looked out over one of the major rivers that runs through Sao Paulo. We could see the water drain into the river and watch 11 lanes of traffic slow to a crawl.







Friday night was samba dancing and the dress rehearsal for Carnival. It was an awesome experience for the students. It got raving reviews last year and was just as much fun this year. In the short version explanation we went to one of the community dance group hall locations. Apparently they meet twice a week throughout the year and prepare for the celebration of Carnival. A theme is picked each year so their costumes change from year to year. Carnival is the beginning of March but Friday night was their dance rehearsal. So this dance club with all their members (several hundred) and all their musicians and dancers, leave the dance hall location, walk out into town and then parade back to the dance hall dancing the samba to their native song that is sung at Carnival. By the time we get back to the dance hall we are exhausted, hot, sore and happy all rolled into one.




Saturday morning we slept in (on the bus at 8:30) and headed to the Sao Paulo zoo. We had a gorgeous morning to visit the zoo. It wasn’t too hot for most of the morning. We saw lots of animals and it was quite relaxing after the samba experience the night before.


Saturday afternoon we visited the Ipiranga (Independence) Museum which highlighted the important years in Brazil’s thrust for independence and then there also is a gorgeous monument which also depicts Brazil’s independence. Then last night we went to a soccer game with Sao Paulo against Independence and Sao Paulo lost . Only one goal was scored the whole evening. It rained between the museum and the soccer game.


Today we loaded the bus at 8:30 am and went to the Hippie Market. This is the best place for buying souvenirs. Again, we had gorgeous weather for an outdoor market. It is a cultural experience to see all the musical instruments, jewelry, blouses, dresses, gem stones, hammocks, leather goods, paintings, trinkets etc that are sold. The diversity of people both buying and selling is remarkable.



Then lunch. The students had already heard so much about this lunch. It is a typical Brazilian Sunday meal. Shirota told the students they had to do better than the Missouri group. No matter how much they heard about it I don’t think it really hits them until they really see it in action. There are 22 different cuts of meat served, plus salad, shrimp, fish, tomatoes, cheese, french fries, bread and then a salad bar. The waiters come to the table serving the meat until you can’t eat any longer. Shirota encourages the students so they eat and eat and eat and eat. Then they sleep all the way home on the bus.

After we returned this afternoon it rained a good bit so at this point we do not know about the service project for tomorrow. Take care.

January 15, 2011

The students are at their home stays so I have a few minutes to catch up with work from OSU and updating blog. The second week in Brazil was busy just like the first. Most of the week was spent in classes but there were a few highlights. Let me talk about class first. Our students have had quite an adjustment to what classes are like in Brazil. Classes go from 8:00 am to noon with a 10 minute coffee break at 10:00 and then 2:00 to 6:00 with a coffee break at 4:00. The coffee is served in very small cups and it is exceptionally strong. Some of the students are really enjoying the coffee. The long classes are quite a change. This week the students had classes from Dr. Fernando Peres, Dr. Pedro Mello, and Dr. Dalcio Caron. Then Cristina Fonseca teaches the survival Portuguese. Next week they get to meet Dr. Ricardo Shirota in the classroom. He is the Brazilian director and they have only seen him outside of the classroom.





The students were very tired on Monday from the big weekend of rafting and zip lining. They had class all day and had a free evening. Tuesday they had class then played basketball. Class 12 has some very good basketball players. We divided into four teams and played each other. In the pictures you can see the players and the “cheerleaders”. On Wednesday we visited Citrovita Votorantim in Araras in the morning and saw their orange processing plant. The orange season is finished for the year but we did learn about the company and it’s importance in the Brazilian market.





We ate lunch at a typical Brazilian restaurant and toured a Nestle Plant in the afternoon. In the evening we went to Ana Vitoria’s sorority house for supper. We ate hotdogs Brazilian style. The students sang, shared their dancing styles and just relaxed for the evening.




Let me take this time to let you meet the three Brazilian students who have been working with the program. First we have Carolina, then Henrique and then Ana Vitoria. They have been very patient, responsible and fun. All three have fit right in with our students and some long lasting relationships have been made.


It was back to class again on Thursday. Survival Portuguese class was spent practicing their introductions for meeting their host families. The host family dinner was Thursday night and the students were nervous, anxious and excited to meet their host families. We also celebrated Jessie Maier’s birthday on Thursday. She remembered how to cut the cake Brazilian style and she gave the first piece to Audry.






The host family dinner was held in a small restaurant in Piracicaba. We took up the whole restaurant. The students arrived first and then the host families. There is a picture of each of the tables as the students waited and tried to guess which family was theirs as they arrived. Then you can see some of the host families as we began the introductions. Each student introduced him or herself and then they sat with the host family. Once everyone was introduced the families and students ate supper together. It was a nice time to break the ice. Lots of talking occurred on the bus going back to the hotel about the families, plans for the weekend, what they talked about at dinner and hopes for the weekend.

Friday was a class day and then the students left with their families about 7:00 Friday evening. I felt like a mom sending their kids off to school. It is always fun to talk when they return Sunday evening. We will have a class meeting Sunday night once everyone is back to share the experiences of the weekend. The family stay is always considered a highlight of the trip.

Oh, before I forget. Yes, we have had a lot of rain but we are not near the flooding that has made the national news. The flooding has been in Sao Paulo and Rio areas. We are planning to go to Sao Paulo on Friday but we will be careful to check ahead where we are visiting. Shirota was in Sao Paulo yesterday so he knows the location of the flooding.

Best wishes with your snow and we will cope with the rain. Take care.

January 10, 2011

Sunday started with breakfast at 5:30 am and boarding the buses at 6:00 am. The University of Missouri students joined us for the day. We headed to Brotas which is about two hours from Paricacaba for a fun day. Brotas is a town known for its trekking and rafting. Lots of young people live in the area. Most of our students slept on the way but were quickly awakened when they found out they would be zip lining and hiking in the morning and rafting in the afternoon.




We were introduced to the safety of zip lining, the do’s and don'ts and given our equipment.


Then one by one we road 6 zip lines across a gorgeous waterfall and hiking area. I think I recall we were 60 meters above the waterfall. After the six zip lines we were able to do the second zip line again which was directly over the falls. This time we could enjoy it rather than being scared half to death. This series of pictures starts with the leader describing the experience and the safety, then the securing of equipment, getting up to the starting post and a picture taken while traveling three of the zip lines. Only two of our people got stuck in the middle of a zip line and we all lived to tell the story!!!





Once everyone completed the zip lines we hiked down to the waterfall where the students could walk on the rocks, get in the water, play and look up as people zip lined above the waterfall. Hopefully these pictures can give you the image of the total experience. It was quite breath taking.


We boarded the buses and stopped for lunch at a quaint family owned restaurant where the food was great. The students got to try some new fruit right from the trees: guava, mango and a fruit they couldn’t even tell us a translation. It tasted like the combination of chewing gum and banana.

From there we went back into Brotas proper where we prepared for the rafting. Again we had a safety demonstration, learned the commands in Portuguese that we would hear from the guides assigned to each raft, divided off into groups of seven and then practiced in a small lake. Because of all the rain the river was high and some of the rapids were judged to be level 4. The guides were fantastic! We didn’t always know our commands: Forward, backward, get down but we all had smiles on our faces at the end. The guides love their jobs. They had a blast!! We have a CD with pictures taken by the rafting company and I think each of our students had a memorable time. A couple of the rafts did tip over but it was the Missouri students not the OSU students. GO BUCKS!!! The guides then sang to us, in Portuguese of course, on the bus ride back to the livery.

All in all, it was a very physical day, lots of adrenaline, lots of stories and lots of memories.

January 7, 2011

Ola!! We arrived safely in Sao Paulo a little after 10:00 am on Wednesday. The flights were mostly uneventful but for those who have never flown before I am sure it was an eye opening experience. We made it through baggage claim with a little rush of adrenaline on Kate’s part but she remained calm, cool and collected. Customs went smoothly and Shirota, Caroline, Anna and Henrique were waiting for us once we got through customs. The Brazilian students and our students are getting along just great. It was a two hour bus ride to Piracicaba which is our home base and where the great Antonnio’s Hotel is located. We had a walking tour of campus (in the rain) and a bus tour of Piracicaba on Wednesday.

By now we have had seven meals, six different places to eat, and the students seem to be enjoying the food. Most have tried new foods (chicken hearts, palm, plantain, fried cheese, lots of meat and fish and the list goes on). I am including a few pictures. One of the group on the bridge that goes across the Piracicaba River. The water is very high this year. It is the highest I have seen it.




There was a beautiful rainbow Wednesday on the walking tour of campus after one of the showers. Some of the students were looking at rubber that had been collected from some of the trees on campus.


Today we had a birthday celebration for Darryl and sang Happy Birthday to him in Portuguese.


One of the highlights today was seeing the little monkeys that are on campus. You usually don’t see them unless they are being fed and one of the campus guards surprised the group as they headed off campus. After class we played indoor soccer, Americans against Americans, Americans against the Brazilians, mixed teams and I will have to say the Americans were pretty good. The Brazilians were better skilled but the Americans were more persistent. The students are out tonight for their first evening of Brazilian socializing. We have class tomorrow so they will need to be up and ready to go by 7:30 am but they were excited to go out.