April 2009

Easter Celebrations

My students enjoyed searching for eggs, opening them with the story to see what was inside and learning how their object related to the Easter message, making crafts and eating sugar bunny and chick shaped sugar cookies!

Lar Batista

Vila Andrade

We don't have the space at Vila Andrade to hide the eggs, so I had the students select an egg after I told them the color in English.

New House at Lar Batista

The new home at the Lar has finally opened, which has a kitchen, dining area, family room and separate quarters for the boys and girls. The kids love their new 'home'!

Lar Field Trip to Pico Juruguá

With 90 students and 10 teachers, two buses left the Lar for the highest peak in São Paulo. Once we arrived, we got to hike some trails, then we took the bus to the top of the mountain, for a beautiful view of the city and visited with some curious monkeys. Finally, we climbed around 500 steps to the highest point where some radio towers are, to see even better. It was a little tiring, but well worth the effort!

Afterwards, we visited a small indigenous Indian community that live right outside the park of Jurugua. The children there are learning a little bit of Portuguese but mostly about their own tribe in two small classrooms. They sang and danced for us, and we also saw them making necklaces and bracelets out of beads. We were all tired by the end of day, but it was a fun and educational trip.

The Indian Village

American Visitors with One Challenge touring Vila Andrade

Pastor Marcelo shared how he got into his ministry to the poor community, and the work being done at Vila Andrade. The ladies enjoyed looking through and buying some of the craft items the women of the church make to sell.

Re-Connecting with an old friend
My friend Clayton met me at Calvary along with his girlfriend Luciane, and we had lunch afterwards and caught up on the last seven years. We were actually able to have a conversation with each other this time, as earlier he didn't know English and I didn't know Portuguese! He is teaching music to children in a poor community near Restoration Ministries.

Fun at the Beach

One of my friends family has a home at the beach. It was nice to get out of the city for a break! Do you like our "Jesus' Angels" pose?

March

Classes begin anew . . .

At Vila Andrade, returning students learn how to tell the time in English, and new students start with the basics.

At the Lar, returning students put their first stickers on their reward charts and classes begin for new students.

Working in children's church at Calvary International and with volunteer Raquel

How to work on the Network - Brazilian style

You grab a ladder and go on the roof yourself (André working on new network connections at Vila Andrade).

Elevator shaft and platform - but no working elevator yet . . .

Hopefully we don't have to wait 'till the cows come home' to get it working (I knew I could get my cow picture in here some way!)

February 2009

Hurry up and wait

February has been a month of hurry up and wait. While initially told classes would be re-commencing at both project sites the first week of February, I have yet to start formal classes. In the meantime, I have been planning, cleaning and resting to get geared up for the coming school year. I have also been reconnecting with friends at church, below is me with a group of teacher friends having lunch after church one Sunday.

Crossing the Street in São Paulo
The following in an item I came across in the 'Gringoes' newsletter I receive (for foreigners living in Brazil.) It was in the "Ask a Brazilian" question section. I thought it was funny and quite accurate, as I have to cross the street whenever I catch the bus.

"Do those striped pedestrian lines at intersections have any meaningful significance in São Paulo...". Yes, it means "Run, Forest"!

If "designed to better enable the drivers to line up their targets" or not we will never know. But with 13 million people, 7 million cars and 4 subway lines, we can understand why walking on your feet in São Paulo requires a certain expertise.

Some exercises at home might be useful to keep safe:

1. Walk between the furniture, couch, table, everything. Just walk around. You can start doing this for 10 minutes a day.

2. Now, put some chairs in the way, spread some cushion on the floor, whatever it is that is big enough to represent a car, a motorcycle. Use your imagination, it‘s your house, you‘re alone. (If you can‘t have a private moment ask the other person to be the Bus for you, it could be fun).

3. When you think you‘re doing good, try faster. Get in shape, 20 minutes for a week and you‘ll rule.

4. Now run. Run! Jump over the cushions, kick your bus-friend, and run. (Watch your toes in here, remember you can‘t touch anything) Are you finally fast, brave and thin?

Then you‘re ready to be a pedestrian in São Paulo.

Flowers of Brazil

I thought this would be a good time to showcase some of the beautiful flowers and plants of Brazil. Enjoy!