The first couple of days

Things I've learned so far in Brazil
1. If it's raining wear sunscreen it'll be sunny again soon. If it's bright and sunny bring an umbrella, more than likely it's going to start raining.
2. Bananas, rice, ground beef and cheese do not make a good casserole (although some people seem to like it)
3. ""Nya, nah, nah, naan, nah" is the same in any language (learned while playing tag with a bunch of four year olds - I think I was "it"!)

I've spent three days working in the school and so far it's been a fun, if exhausting experience! I'm working in the four year old classroom at a community center school where most of the children live in poverty. The morning starts with a prayer service (which fortunately happens before we get there in the morning). When we arrive the kids are taking a bathroom break before heading upstairs to the classroom to start the day. The day starts with "circle time" where the kids sit in a circle and review the day and date and sing some songs. At least I think that's what they do, it's all in Portuguese so they could all be discussing "who is this crazy lady sitting here with us?" The teacher and I sit in those little mini chairs (which make me glad that I don't teach kindergarten - how do they do that all the time, my knees are practically up my nose in those chairs!) Then we move into academic work where the teachers goes over letters and numbers with the kids - I can now count to 8 in Portuguese! I go around and help those who are struggling as they work on worksheets and then help entertain the ones who finish early. Being a Warner School geek I am reading Freire in Brazil - just cause I think that's so cool - and I think he might be rolling over in his grave at the type of education being offered here. That being said, there are a lot of good aspects of this school. The kids get a snack, a lunch and a shower while we are there in the mornings - something they don't always have access to at home. The parents get the opportunity to go out and provide for their families knowing that their kids are safe.
After the academic time comes my favorite, play time! Sometimes we are inside and today we got to go outside and run around with the kids which was fun. Then comes shower time, the four year olds can do it by themselves and I help them get dressed afterwards. Finally it's off to lunch where we help serve the kids (and yes 65 2-4 year olds eating spaghetti looks exactly how you would expect it to look!) Then it's down for a nap for the kids and back to the homebase for us - not bad for a days work - although I'm not quitting my day job, I think I'll keep my high school kids!

Welcome to Salvador!

I arrived here in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil last night at around 6:30 and after waiting forever for my luggage (I think they had one guy unloading 4 planes one piece of luggage at a time!) I made my way to the homebase in time for dinner. There are going to be about 26 of us in the house volunteering in different parts of the city. Some of the people have been here for week already while 14 of us came in yesterday (or rather 12 of us did, 2 people are still stuck in the U.S because of bad weather!)
What I've learned so far about Salvador is that it was the first capital of Brazil and that it's heavily influenced by Portuguese colonization and the history of slavery that came with the establishment of sugarcane plantations. This Afro-Brazilian heritage is seen in the music, the dancing, the artwork and on the faces of the people. On a more practical note, the beautiful geography of Salvador, the steep hillsides plunging down to the coast line, makes it very difficult to get water to homes so water conservation is an important factor in day to day life. This makes for very short showers! A related plumbing fact - the sewage system here is such that toilet paper cannot be flushed. Ahh the joys of international plumbing - oh well, it's not the first time I've had to deal with that and it won't be the last! At least there's no Asian squat toilets here.
We start work bright and early tomorrow morning and four of us will be off to Santa Teresa to play with the kids - It's going to be fun.

Getting Ready to Leave

I'm finally just about ready to leave for Brazil. This is the latest in the summer I've ever done a trip so I've been waiting anxiously to get going. My visa and my brand spanking new passport came through so I can officially enter the country (my nice beat up hugely thick passport which made me look like a "real" traveler expired this winter so I'm starting over!) I fly out of New York City on Friday night and it will be one long night of flying. I keep thinking, "Oh it's South America, that's nothing after all of those summers of flying to China" but really, it will be just as long. I fly from NYC to Miami and then it's an 8 1/2 hour flight to Rio and then I have a 2 hour domestic flight to get to Salvador.
Once I get there the long hours on the airplane will all be worth it. I got the details of my volunteer assignment today and I'm very excited. Of course, as with anything, this assignment can change but for now I will be working at the Centro De Educacao Infantil Santa Teresa De Lisieux (St. Therese of Lisieux Education Center). This is a school and a day care center that was set up by a nonprofit organization to provide education and support for people living in the favelas around Salvador. As of now my job will be assisting the teachers in the 2-3 year old classroom. I get to teach the kids English games and songs, play with them and help feed and take care of them. How cool is that? It certainly is a big change from teaching high school! Good thing I got to spend time playing with my nephew this summer - he got me ready for this assignment. I am definitely open to any suggestions of good activities that I can plan for kids this age cause I don't have a clue. This will be a huge learning experience for me.
Once I get there my goal is to be just one link in the chain of volunteers who come through this program. My students know that I love the term "cultural diffusion" and a program like this one allows me to play a small role in this cultural exchange - I can't wait to see what I'll learn!