My camera runneth over
I arrived back home in Belo Horizonte early this morning after an all-night bus ride from Nova Almeida. This bus didn't have air conditioning, which was actually a bonus. I've been trying to sort through the hundreds (almost 400) pictures I took during my trip to choose a few to post here. And the winners are:
The youth group Saude é Vida ("Health is Life") in Nova Almeida
This was the group's annual excursion to the beach, for which they spend months raising the funds. I led one group discussion based on questions from the Would You Rather...? book (thanks, Polly!), and it was interesting to see how culture played a part in their answers. For example, every single one of them would rather earn a high salary over a year than win a smaller amount in the lottery. Also, everybody would rather be considered arrogant than a wimp.
The beautiful grounds of the Methodist Camp in Nova Almeida
The camp is about a 20-minute walk from the beach in the sleepy town of Nova Almeida. The caretakers have done a great job, and the grounds are very nice, with lots of plants, flowers and trees, in addition to a spacious soccer field, a sand volleyball court and a swingset/jungle gym. Mosquitoes provide the only interruption to an otherwise idyllic experience because the town is at the junction of a river and the ocean. Thanks to Linda for leaving her insect repellent for me!
After the youth group left on Sunday afternoon to head back to Belo Horizonte, I stayed on to visit the various Methodist projects in the area, starting with the Shade and Fresh Water program that meets at the camp Monday-Thursday. Run as a partnership between the Methodist Church of Nova Almeida and the Methodist Foundation for Social and Cultural Action (which also has an office in the state of Espírito Santo), the project serves 120 children from 6 to 14 years old.
Some of the kids and teachers from the Shade and Fresh Water project in Nova Almeida
Storytime for a small group at the Shade and Fresh Water project
The street in front of the camp was just recently paved; most of the residential streets in Nova Almeida are still dirt or grass. It was a big change to be in a town that only has one bus line (greater Belo Horizonte has more than 100). The town is pretty flat, and bicycle seems to be the primary mode of transportation. You see all kinds of acrobatic feats with two or more adults/children and assorted packages being balanced on a bicycle. I even saw a young man on a bicycle leading a horse down the street by the reins. I got a chance to borrow one (I got the good one that had working brakes just in the front) and ride around the neighborhood to take pictures. It was my first time on a bike in 2 or 3 years, and not unlike an experience I had growing up, this bike was too big for me, so I was more than a little nervous. Thankfully, I did not crash, although I came close... :)
The younger sister of one of the kids in the Shade and Fresh Water project at her house in Nova Almeida. She's using their customary means of entering the property--climbing the fence.
After spending one-and-a-half days observing the Shade and Fresh Water project, I was taken on Tuesday afternoon to visit the Mirim Halfway House for children in the care of Social Services and the Adult Homeless Shelter, both located close to the state's capital, Vitória.
Kids at the Mirim Halfway House
The Mirim Halfway House was just recovering from an outbreak of chicken pox, so several of the children were covered with pock marks. The modest facility takes care of up to 25 children who are sent their by the courts or social services until they are able to return to their families, be adopted, etc. It was founded in 1998, and the Methodist Foundation became a partner in 2003. Although the kids were sucked into TV when we arrived, it was their light and excitement that made it really hard to leave. As a side note, I found that these visits to projects were much easier because I could speak for myself.
My helpful guide, Viviane, and I then walked to the Homeless Shelter. It houses up to 14 clients, most of whom suffer from mental illness. It was founded in 2001, and the Methodist Foundation became a partner in 2003. The goal is to help them with their basic needs and psychological treatment (including medication, if necessary) until they are lucid enough to give information that allows the staff to locate their families.
Some of the clients at the Homeless Shelter
It was striking for me to find out by accident that the woman on the far right is the same age as me, born in the same month, although she looks closer to 55 or 60.
Wednesday, I was driven by Charles and Edinea to visit two different Methodist projects. First we went to one of the two locations for "The Young People" project. That location serves 150 adolescents from 15-18 years old with extra-curricular activities, job training and snacks, with the provision that the participants have to be going to school.
Max, a 16-year-old participant in the project
Max, pictured above, has been participating in the project for a year now. Originally, he'd dropped out of school and was hanging out at home and on the streets for three years without working before he joined the project. When I asked him what activities he like best, he mentioned the recent poetry recitation, which was his first-ever exposure to poetry. The facilities are very modest, but there are a lot of activities going on as far as literature (discussion groups and presentations to the local school), theater (performances on the roof), citizenship, sports/recreation, environment, health, drug addiction and other topics. I didn't get to visit the other location but learned that they serve an additional 175 adolescents.
The last place I visited on Wednesday was AMART, a home for drug and alcohol rehabilitation. It was founded in 1996 by the local Methodist church and serves up to 16 adult male clients at a time, who are encouraged to stay for a 6-month period. The grounds and facilities were well-kept and quite tranquil. The clients are the ones who do the cleaning, cooking, gardening, etc. I got an opportunity to interview three different clients, two of whom had been there since June, and one who'd arrived this week. Two were there because of crack cocaine and the other because of alcohol.
Some of the clients at the AMART rehabiliation home
I saw my first jack fruit tree on the grounds of the rehab home
for those who've never seen a mango tree, also at AMART
Although I was originally planning to take another bus to visit two more Shade and Fresh Water projects in the same state, it turned out that today (Thursday) was a holiday, so the projects weren't going to be operating, so I came back early. The trip was great, and it was nice to be able to visit the various projects. As usual, the Brazilian hospitality was outstanding, especially considering the fact that noone was expecting me.
Time to sign out and get some dinner...
The youth group Saude é Vida ("Health is Life") in Nova Almeida
This was the group's annual excursion to the beach, for which they spend months raising the funds. I led one group discussion based on questions from the Would You Rather...? book (thanks, Polly!), and it was interesting to see how culture played a part in their answers. For example, every single one of them would rather earn a high salary over a year than win a smaller amount in the lottery. Also, everybody would rather be considered arrogant than a wimp.
The beautiful grounds of the Methodist Camp in Nova Almeida
The camp is about a 20-minute walk from the beach in the sleepy town of Nova Almeida. The caretakers have done a great job, and the grounds are very nice, with lots of plants, flowers and trees, in addition to a spacious soccer field, a sand volleyball court and a swingset/jungle gym. Mosquitoes provide the only interruption to an otherwise idyllic experience because the town is at the junction of a river and the ocean. Thanks to Linda for leaving her insect repellent for me!
After the youth group left on Sunday afternoon to head back to Belo Horizonte, I stayed on to visit the various Methodist projects in the area, starting with the Shade and Fresh Water program that meets at the camp Monday-Thursday. Run as a partnership between the Methodist Church of Nova Almeida and the Methodist Foundation for Social and Cultural Action (which also has an office in the state of Espírito Santo), the project serves 120 children from 6 to 14 years old.
Some of the kids and teachers from the Shade and Fresh Water project in Nova Almeida
Storytime for a small group at the Shade and Fresh Water project
The street in front of the camp was just recently paved; most of the residential streets in Nova Almeida are still dirt or grass. It was a big change to be in a town that only has one bus line (greater Belo Horizonte has more than 100). The town is pretty flat, and bicycle seems to be the primary mode of transportation. You see all kinds of acrobatic feats with two or more adults/children and assorted packages being balanced on a bicycle. I even saw a young man on a bicycle leading a horse down the street by the reins. I got a chance to borrow one (I got the good one that had working brakes just in the front) and ride around the neighborhood to take pictures. It was my first time on a bike in 2 or 3 years, and not unlike an experience I had growing up, this bike was too big for me, so I was more than a little nervous. Thankfully, I did not crash, although I came close... :)
The younger sister of one of the kids in the Shade and Fresh Water project at her house in Nova Almeida. She's using their customary means of entering the property--climbing the fence.
After spending one-and-a-half days observing the Shade and Fresh Water project, I was taken on Tuesday afternoon to visit the Mirim Halfway House for children in the care of Social Services and the Adult Homeless Shelter, both located close to the state's capital, Vitória.
Kids at the Mirim Halfway House
The Mirim Halfway House was just recovering from an outbreak of chicken pox, so several of the children were covered with pock marks. The modest facility takes care of up to 25 children who are sent their by the courts or social services until they are able to return to their families, be adopted, etc. It was founded in 1998, and the Methodist Foundation became a partner in 2003. Although the kids were sucked into TV when we arrived, it was their light and excitement that made it really hard to leave. As a side note, I found that these visits to projects were much easier because I could speak for myself.
My helpful guide, Viviane, and I then walked to the Homeless Shelter. It houses up to 14 clients, most of whom suffer from mental illness. It was founded in 2001, and the Methodist Foundation became a partner in 2003. The goal is to help them with their basic needs and psychological treatment (including medication, if necessary) until they are lucid enough to give information that allows the staff to locate their families.
Some of the clients at the Homeless Shelter
It was striking for me to find out by accident that the woman on the far right is the same age as me, born in the same month, although she looks closer to 55 or 60.
Wednesday, I was driven by Charles and Edinea to visit two different Methodist projects. First we went to one of the two locations for "The Young People" project. That location serves 150 adolescents from 15-18 years old with extra-curricular activities, job training and snacks, with the provision that the participants have to be going to school.
Max, a 16-year-old participant in the project
Max, pictured above, has been participating in the project for a year now. Originally, he'd dropped out of school and was hanging out at home and on the streets for three years without working before he joined the project. When I asked him what activities he like best, he mentioned the recent poetry recitation, which was his first-ever exposure to poetry. The facilities are very modest, but there are a lot of activities going on as far as literature (discussion groups and presentations to the local school), theater (performances on the roof), citizenship, sports/recreation, environment, health, drug addiction and other topics. I didn't get to visit the other location but learned that they serve an additional 175 adolescents.
The last place I visited on Wednesday was AMART, a home for drug and alcohol rehabilitation. It was founded in 1996 by the local Methodist church and serves up to 16 adult male clients at a time, who are encouraged to stay for a 6-month period. The grounds and facilities were well-kept and quite tranquil. The clients are the ones who do the cleaning, cooking, gardening, etc. I got an opportunity to interview three different clients, two of whom had been there since June, and one who'd arrived this week. Two were there because of crack cocaine and the other because of alcohol.
Some of the clients at the AMART rehabiliation home
I saw my first jack fruit tree on the grounds of the rehab home
for those who've never seen a mango tree, also at AMART
Although I was originally planning to take another bus to visit two more Shade and Fresh Water projects in the same state, it turned out that today (Thursday) was a holiday, so the projects weren't going to be operating, so I came back early. The trip was great, and it was nice to be able to visit the various projects. As usual, the Brazilian hospitality was outstanding, especially considering the fact that noone was expecting me.
Time to sign out and get some dinner...
posted by Christine Piggee at
3:37 PM
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