COUNTRY: Brazil
PROGRAM: GapBreak
PROJECT: Wildlife Conservation & Youth Work
WRITTEN BY: Laura Watts
Another two weeks have gone by, and they have been so full on- yet again! In fact, as I write this post I keep thinking that we must have been here for longer; how can all that we've done have happened in just a month and a half?
We have completed our Portuguese lessons and equipped ourselves with dictionaries and language books as we plan to study at the wildlife centre. We concluded the lessons in true Brazilian style, at an absolutely delightful churrascaria where we all ate more than you'd think was humanly possible. We're getting rather good at that.
We have spent some time figuring out our donations for the children's centre. Jackson has already donated a ping pong table which has been a massive hit (no pun intended), and between Kirsten and I we have donated a veggie garden (all the supplies for it and setting it up), canvases for the kids to paint with, and meat for lunches. Plans are also well on the way for our Australia Day farewell party. We have practiced making scrolls, lamingtons and sausage rolls with varying amounts of frustration and success, and are very eagerly awaiting our packages of tim tams, caramello koalas and vegemite to compliment our baking. Not at all for our own cravings...
Tracking down Blinky Bill episodes to translate, Australian animal templates for colouring in, and searching for traditional games to play have also been on the agenda. We spent a couple of days implementing our donations, which was a really rewarding feeling. We planted the vegetable garden straight away, and have slowly been adding to it and happily noting the gradual growth of the seedlings.
About a week was dedicated to painting the canvases, which was a rather calm exercise for a change, and gave our Portuguese some well needed practice as 'devagar' (slowly) became our mantra in assisting the kids. It was kind of funny though, because almost all of them ended up choosing Adventure Time characters, superheroes or the minions from Despicable Me to paint - and thank goodness, because it was mostly up to us three to actually draw the designs on the canvases and that was a challenge in itself. Nevertheless, all of the kids enjoyed themselves and it was really good to see how excited they were to be able to create something like that.
We have all had to take at least one sick day, and have accepted that as a sign to take it easy for a few days. At the same time that this was happening, we had the opportunity to assist Tati and Jeoline on some of their house visits. They seem to do these fortnightly, dropping off excess donations of grains, pasta, nappies, etc to the families of the kids. It's a truly heart warming experience and although we all wish our Portuguese was perfect so we could have offered something else to these families, we still managed to get by and were humbled by how dedicated the staff at the centre are to bettering the lives of these families in whatever way they can - whether it be sitting down to have a chat, or praying with them to put their minds at ease.
The kids now greet us very enthusiastically with hugs, running up to meet us. We play a lot of games with them, like tips, gathering all the rules we can as we run from the determined tipper. Some of their other pastimes include tackling Jackson, tickling the three of us and laughing at our attempts to communicate with them in Portuguese. Despite their cheekiness (or maybe because of it) we have ridiculous amounts of fun.
Last weekend we made a trip to Florianopolis, which is an island in Santa Catarina state where previous volunteers of this program have lived. It meant another bus ride, though not nearly as bad as the previous one - only four and a half hours this time.
The next morning we went to the beach, which was just 15 minutes from where we were staying, and spent about two hours walking along the beach, enjoying the sight of the windswept waves and the feeling of refreshing water lapping at our ankles. When we reached the end of the beach there was a welcoming site: a Brazilian set up! There were red and yellow chairs near tables with striped beach umbrellas, and two or three juice stands on the sand itself, with a couple of restaurants and a small market set up closer to the road. There were still heaps of people out and about, playing beach volleyball and swimming in tiny swim wear and lazing around.
After our walk we were all very hungry, so we decided to share some fish and chips at one of the restaurants before going for a swim. With the help of a kind garçom (waiter) we got exactly what we wanted. And then to top it off, one of the churro sellers walked by and, sensing our indecision, doubled back and convinced us to get what we would discover to be the best churros of our lives. It was even filled with caramel sauce!
We separated shortly after that, so that Jackson could look for some presents at the markets and Kirsten and I could get some juice and açai bowls which were also well worth it.
Jackson and I then braved the constant waves for a swim, although when the current got a bit strong we both bailed and all headed back to the hostel. There we relaxed in hammocks before enjoying a super delicious dinner of pizza (I have to say the food is very good here, if you haven't been able to tell from my food-centred blog updates).
The journey home went quickly as usual, and before we knew it we were back in Curitiba, and already planning our next weekend trip, which will be to Rio de Janeiro!
On Friday we are heading off to the wildlife centre for three weeks, and as much as we love the children's centre I think we are looking forward to the change in routine. We are all enjoying our time here, and will keep you posted on the next few weeks.
Till next time,
Laura
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