Bushbuckridge so glad we came =)

Monday was a fun day at the Wildlife College.  We had a brief orientation session after breakfast where we learned more about being in Bushbuckridge.  Bushbuckridge used to be a homeland settlement during the Apartheid regime.  It is 100% rural, and there is a 29% HIV positive prevalence.  Their native language is Shangan (which we were also able to learn!).  After orientation we had free time to roam around and explore.  We ran into many animals around the compound, found an obstacle course to run through, and even had time for a nap.  After this we meet up as a group to do a delayed Easter hunt.  It was more like a scavenger hunt than an Easter egg hunt.  It was pretty intense.  We got into three teams and came up with a team name and cheer.  My team was the Spice Girls (kickin it back old school) and.... we won!!!! Well we actually missed a couple of the stations so we got to the treasure super early, but we were still the first ones there =).  Such a fun day.  I also had time to Skype with my mommy... which was very exciting.  Here is a picture of our tent on campus... really roughing it on IHP lol.

My Tuesday started off very productive with a morning run, stretch and swim.  That's right our school has a pool!!!  How cool! hehe.  It's like a mini paradise (see below).  After breakfast we had a Safety Orientation session headed by the college rangers.  We learned to stay away from snakes, spiders, and scorpions because even though there is a fence surrounding the college protecting it from the larger wildlife all around, these small critters can get by.  The college is about 15 years old and its mission is to train managers for wildlife reserves.  It is located within the Kruger National Park, and students come hear from all over South Africa as well as surrounding countries such as Angola, Mozambique, Cameroon, Zambia, and much more.  For lunch we went to try the famous Chicken Dust at a nearby restaurant/lodge.  It was prettty gooood.  The chicken was not dusty at all, its actually given this name because of the way it was before.  Chickens would roam around on the roadways and streets and they would be cooked there as well.  So when they were received to cook their feathers were really dusty, hence the name for the food.  (P.S. Chickens are worldwide... they are everywhere! In the WORLD! just thought I'd share that.)  Tuesday was also the day where we met our host families!!!  We met them at a Braai at the Southern African Wildlife College.  Braai is the South African term for barbecue, they are a lot of fun, and very delicious.  Our host family was very welcoming and sweet.  Our host mom, Mama Susan, changed our names us as soon as she met us.  My African name is Tinyiko which means "gift".  I am a gift to their family =).

Wednesday we had a late start which was great for sleeping in.  Our new home is gorgeous.  We live in a town called Islington, which is very rural and far away from any city, yet our house looked better than any house I've had in Brazil or Vietnam.  Our host family is well off, they own their own business and Mama Susan is a very determined woman.  She was widowed in 2003 and left with three children.  Her children are Noxolo (age 16), Nomhle (age 23), and Mpumelelo (age 27).  They are very well educated and speak English very well, we have a lot of interesting conversations together.  Breakfast each morning is a 3 course meal.  We start off by having oatmeal or cereal as a starter, then a big banquet including some form of bread, eggs, beans, and salad and we end with fruit as dessert.  Mama Susan likes to feed us really well.  After our morning at home, we headed to the Tribal Authority Center of Islington.  Here we were able to talk to the village chief about any issues he was facing.  He told us he was the leader of 11 different communities and that there wasn't much violence or crime in this area, but domestic issues did arise like sexual violence or rape.  After visiting the Tribal Center, we took a walk to a local creche.  This was like a day care center for children between the ages of 0 and 7.  It was started by a local family who saw the need for such services.  There is a really high rate of teenage pregnancy in this area and so there is also a need for centers like this one to take care of children while the mothers are at work or at school.  The children were adorable!  They were also very scared of us however.  We got there during their nap time, so they had to be woken up by the caretakers, and above that they were asked to perform a song for us.  I would be very grumpy if someone did this to me at age 5.  They also were very scared because to them we probably looked like a group of 35 white giants, creatures they probably have never encountered before.

After visiting the creche, we visited local traditional healers.  Our experience with traditional medicines and healers here in South Africa was very different from traditional healers in Brazil or Vietnam.  Their stories were very interesting.  In order to become a "Sangoma" or traditional healer you first must be in a state of extreme pain and sickness.  You must be sooo sick that no doctor or hospital is able to cure your illness.  Therefore, your only resort is to visit the traditional healer in your village.  Typically, the traditional healer will know what your ailment is and most often the only cure for it is to become a traditional healer yourself.  The spirits will then come to you in your dreams and tell you where to go to be trained.  One of the sangomas told us that she was trained by a mermaid and spent three months underwater.  These men and women are recognized by the government of South Africa as healers and they are required to refer their patients to doctors if they can't heal them.  But views of traditional healers vary among community members.  Typically, those that are very religious do not believe in the powers that Sangomas have to cure people because they see their work as witchcraft related to the devil.  To determine one's ailments they ask you to sit in front of them, they chant and then throw a bag of bones on the floor.  Depending on how the bones land, they will read a different message and tell you what you are suffering from (see bones below).  Very interesting for me, but scary for others.

Thursday we had class all morning with my favorite professor, Lee.  Despite having class though, we were able to have lots of free time at the wildlife college.  I really love being in school here. Its been a lot of fun and different in a very good way.  Africa is gorgeous!  Every morning to and from school we get to see wildlife all around us.  We run into giraffes, elephants, impalas, water buffalo, wildebeests, quails and more.  The weather is also fabulous.  We are here in their "winter" season (because everything is opposite in the southern hemisphere) yet the temperature has be in the 80s almost everyday.  Can't complain.  But what has been most impacting is the sky.  It is amazingly clear and blue.  Its so perfect, that it looks as if it had been painted above us.  The sunsets are also breathtaking.  So many vibrant and warm colors in the sky at one time!

Friday was another full day of classes.  We talked about the similarities that exist between the American Civil War and the South African Apartheid.  And we came up with a list of about 10 things that we had in common, a lot more than I had expected.  One thing I had't realized was our common struggle with indigenous people, limiting their home lands, and forcibly removing them from our communities in both countries.  Its sad to look back on that history and see all that was stripped from these people, especially because they had rightful ownership, not us.  We also watched a movie on the Truth and Reconciliation Council of South Africa and learned more about the struggle for amnesty after Apartheid ended.  It was interesting to see that about 80% of people applying for amnesty were black and not white.  But this could have been due to the higher percentage of prisoners being black as well.  Either way it was an astonishing reality.  We also learned that about 1 out of every 7 applicants were granted amnesty, and that there were over 22,000 hearings.  It is a large number, but thankfully they happened and people were able to learn more about the struggle in order to reconcile and overcome it.  On a more positive note, during our free time today I saw zebras!!!  A whole herd of them was walking past us during lunch today... NBD.

Saturday we had our class excursion to Moholoholo Wildlife Rehabilitation Center.  Before we went around to go see the animals we heard a talk about the work they do at the center.  They have a lot of success stories, but there are also a lot of problems getting animals accustomed to living in the wild again.  It was sad to see that even in Africa, where wild animals are in abundance, space for them to live is limited.  We are taking over their natural habitats and this is why they are in danger.  At Moholoholo we saw eagles, vultures, honey badgers, cheetahs, leopards, lions, wild dogs, hyenas, rhinos, and wart hogs.  But my favorite of all was the baby rhino.  It was three weeks old when we went to visit, and it was at the center because it was born prematurely.  The mother could not take care of it.  Speaking of mothers, when we got home today, our host mother had prepared us a large feast, just like any other day.  We ate a lot, and any one who knows me can say that I am a pretty good eater.  But NO, not for Mama Suzanne.  She said "You eat like Americans.  You are in Africa, you should eat like Africans.  People who live in the mountain eat mounds of food on their plates."  So much for trying to lose weight.  In every country I have been feed enormous amounts of food, more than I have on a regular basis at home.  For breakfast, I have a three course meal every morning!  We start with oatmeal, porridge, or cereal as a starter.  Then we move to our main course which consists of some eggs, toast, bacon or other meat, beans, salad, and a couple extras.  Finally, to top it off we either have yogurt or fruit for dessert.  Whoaaaa and to think I usually never eat breakfast.

Sunday was church day.  We went to a Christian non-denominational church called the Fountain of Living Waters.  The service was 3 hours long, and it involved a lot of singing, clapping, scripture, and various other expressions of faith.  Of course we walked in and all eyes were on us.  We were the only white people in the entire congregation.  The service started with an hour of singing, and since we knew none of the words all we could do is sway to the music and clap.  After the music reached a low point, the pastor began his service by addressing the people.  The mass was not in English, so I couldn't understand most of it... but all of a sudden I hear my roommate's name... then mine!  They were welcoming us to the parish.  We were asked to stand up,  while people came to us, shook our hands and gave us hugs, much like when you offer people the sign of peace at mass.  It was great.  This was then followed by an hour of scripture and lastly an hour of revivals.  This is the time when people are summoned to the front of the church, receive the touch of Jesus, and the Holy Spirit enters them.  It is so powerful, that most of these people faint, fall, and tremble upon the touch of the pastor.  It was quite and interesting experience and a good end to my weekend.

Joburg South Africa... Week 1

Monday we began our journey to South Africa!!  We left Hanoi at around 5:30pm (on time, for once!) and got to South Africa on Tuesday afternoon.  Our flight was long!!!  However being the third of many long flights on this program, I was well accustomed by this time and I was able to sleep right through.  As soon as we got off the plane in South Africa we heard music playing in the walk-way.  The song was a Pitbull song, so it made me feel like I was in the States again.  Then as we made our way out of the airport, I noticed I was able to read every sign and understand all of the announcements, the cars outside were all regular size, and the people were black, white, and everything in between.  We weren’t in South Africa, we had landed back in the US! Well not really, but that is what it felt like our first few hours in Joberg. 

Our first week in South Africa began with our stay at Wilgespruit, a Christian fellowship center.  It was breathtaking.  At first, I was a bit worried about staying at this center outside of the city, but it soon became an amazing and unforgettable experience.  Upon arrival we were each given a room, and were then treated to an amazing home cooked meal for dinner.    During our dinner we officially met some of the staff there and learned a bit more about the place where we were staying.  This location in the outskirts of Joberg was the site of many important historical moments; it even served as the hiding spot for Nelson Mandela during the Apartheid regime.  Who would have known we would be staying in such an alternative and impactful place!

Wednesday we had a more in depth orientation of Wilgespruit.  Anastasia, the executive director and also the daughter of the founders of Wilgespruit, told us all about the place where we were staying.  Her father was placed here by the church as a minister in 1965.  Wilgespruit was a Christian-based center, however it worked across all religions and cultures, focusing on the peace-building role of religion.  Seven ecumenical ministers were placed here in total during the Apartheid in order to bring people together in a time when the country was splitting apart.  3.5 MILLION people were removed and relocated from certain areas by the Apartheid regime in order to create distinct white and black home lands and these people were prohibited from intermixing with each other.  Anastasia was born in 1970, during a time of political turmoil in South Africa, and because of this her name means "resurrection".  Her parents were white, but they believed in creating interracial ties and communities, so they adopted 16 other children, all of which were black.  She was very lucky to have grown up in this alternative environment at Wilgespruit.  By the time she was 18 she was involved politically as a student to end the struggle of Apartheid and because of her involvement she had to flee from the authorities until she was 20.  In fact most of the power behind the struggle to end Apartheid came from the youth at the time.  I could never even imagine what that would be like.  Sitting there listening to her story made me think of what I would do in her situation.  Here I am a 21 year-old in college, learning about all the problems and struggles that exist in the world around me, yet I have never taken initiative to end any of them, at least not to the extent of Anastasia.  "Wilgespruit has always been the place to conduct things that need to be done.  To bring people together as human beings." - Anastasia.

We also learned a lot about the history of South Africa from Jean Paul de la Porte.  He came to talk to us for about 2 hours on the very intricate and complicated story South Africa has to tell.  He started off by saying however that you will never hear the same story from any two South Africans, because the story is very personal.  I obviously can't share the whole story with you, but here are just a few facts that I thought were very intriguing:

• The first people came to South African around 500 B.C.
• People migrated south because the population kept growing.  They moved approximately 100 miles in 10 years.
• The Dutch then colonized South Africa near Cape Town.  
• "You don't need writing unless you want the hierarchy to administer resources, like the Egyptians.  Writing and domination go hand in hand."
• Black South Africans extended all over the country, they farmed and used every meter of land, but they were forced by the colonist to occupy only 7% of the country.
• Nazi notions of white supremacy largely shaped the Apartheid movement and American examples of black movements during the Civil Rights era largely inspired black unity in South Africa.

After our history lesson, we went on a group excursion to a nearby mall to take out money and buy any miscellaneous necessities.  Again we weren't in South Africa, this was Oak Lawn and we were in the Chicago Ridge mall. There were stores that looked like Sears and JC Penny, an accessory store like Claire's, phone stores like T-mobile, and much much more.  As soon as we came back to Wilgespruit, we headed off an an optional tour of some caves right beside the compound.  These caves were said to be one of the many hiding spots for Nelson Mandela during Apartheid.  The hike up and down these mountains and valleys outside of Johannesburg was beautiful.  And again I felt very lucky to be here and to be able to witness all of this beauty.

Thursday we began our academic portion of the program by visiting the Aurum Institute for AIDS and TB research.  This center was founded in 1998 with the goal of providing ARVs to South Africans working in the gold mines.  As most people know, Africa has a large epidemic of HIV/AIDS.  In South Africa specifically there exists approximately 40% of the population living with HIV and about 75% living with TB.  Although treatment is available for free, there still exists a very high rate of HIV infection because patients stop taking treatment when they feel no symptoms or simply avoid getting tested to begin with.  After our visit here we headed towards Bree street at the city center.  At this location was one of the clinics set up by the Aurum Institute to test and treat HIV/AIDS and TB.  They informed us that one of their largest populations included taxi workers or bus drivers, most of which are men.  TB is spread very easily this way because of the confinement between healthy and sick people.  TB is a very contagious disease and so any slight cough or sneeze could be enough to contract the illness.  It is interesting to see how illnesses that are not even on our radar in the US as being epidemic, exist in vast quantities and are life threatening in other places such as South Africa.  

Friday was a very historical day.  We spent the majority of our morning in Soweto, a town in the outskirts of Johannesburg.  This town was designated as an all black home town during Apartheid and still houses most of ht black communities near Johannesburg today.  Our initial plan was to visit the Hector Peterson Memorial Museum, however being Good Friday it was closed.  So instead we walked around the neighborhood and discussed some of the key historical moments and locations during Apartheid.  Hector Peterson was a young boy the age of 12 or so who after school one day was tragically killed during one of the Apartheid riots.  His shooting impacted the community drastically in 1976, it was the beginning of a long struggle to end Apartheid.  After seeing the site of his shooting we walked further towards Nelson Mandela's house.  Nelson moved to this house soon after he was married, but only 4 months later he was imprisoned for over 27 years.  Once he was released from prison he returned here to tend to his wife and community.  We also learned that Bishop Desmond Tutu was a big member of this community in the religious sense, and that both he and Mandela knew each other before imprisonment.  How cool!

After Soweto we went to visit a smaller town called Kliptown.  This was more like a village than a town, with dirt roads, smaller homes, and much more prevalent poverty among the vilagers.  We visited a Children's Center here where community members were involved in keeping the children off of the streets.  They come here before and after school to play sports, do art, and dance!  It was very motivational to see the energy in all of these children.  Their ages ranged from about 4 to 20 years old.  At the end of our visit they performed a dance for us.  This dance was actually used as a form of training for Black activists and militant men during the Apartheid.  Children at this center performed this routine every morning at 6am before school and after school.  It lasted at least 30 minutes and during the entire time the children remained energetic and motivated. I didn't understand all of the words to the songs but I could sense the power behind the movements.  It was quite moving.  After the Physical Training as they called it, we took pictures with the group and then they invited us to sing and dance with them.  During this time I talked to several girls at the center and learned a lot about what role this played in their lives.  They are encouraged to go to school and they are supported in that process.  Some children have no other home other than the center, so it forms a huge part of their lives.  As we were about to leave, a little girl, about the age of 9 or 10, came up to me, held my arm and lead me around everywhere.  I was very surprised, she hardly spoke to me but she seemed very interested in me and very attached.  She hugged me several times, as if wanting to prevent me from leaving, and she almost always had a hold of my arms or hands.  Finally, right before leaving she grabs my hair, she plays with it for a while, and after about 2 minutes she stops and asks me, "Is this real?"  I had no idea what to say, I had never been asked this question, so all I could think to say was "yes".  Although this was a very small incident, it helped me realize how lucky I am to be seeing all of these things, noticing our differences but building upon our similarities. 

Saturday we learned more about the history of South Africa by going to visit the Apartheid Museum.  I was actually very surprised that Johannesburg already had developed this type of institution so recently after the struggle.  It took Chicago many years before creating the Holocaust Museum for example.  So it was a huge accomplishment by the government of South Africa to acknowledge this point in history.  The museum was very powerful.  Upon entrance you were assigned a class or race, and you proceeded through the museum as that race.  I was assigned to be a white, and I witnessed and learned a lot about the way this group thought about their birthrights and power.  It was very intimidating and scary, for the lack of a better word.  Below are several quotes I saw along the way through the museum that I would like to share with you... 

Sunday was our last day in Wilgespruit. We left early in the morning to begin our travels to Bushbuckridge.  We arrived at the Southern African Wildlife College around 6 pm super drained and tired.  But as soon as we arrived we ran into approximately 7 giraffes and suddenly our day changed for the better.  This is exactly what we wanted to see!  Our college is centered in a wildlife animal reserve, so we get so see animals everyday at school.  How awesome!

Hanoi... It just keeps getting better!

And the week begins.  Monday we were back at school to learn about the effects of smoking in Hanoi... and they were quite astonishing to say the least.  Like I mentioned last week, I have already felt the effects of smoking in ambient air all around me.  I thought the U.S. was bad in terms of environmental pollution, but I was wrong.  Viet Nam does have a more tropical climate, and perhaps this is why the fog and air pollution just hovers over the city like mist over the sea.  Because of this I have learned to appreciate clear skies and fresh air, it is not until you leave your home environment that you realize the impacts of these determinants on health and well-being.  Not to be a Debbie-downer, but ever since I arrived in this country I have been sick, with an unending cough and congestion and I blame it on the pollution.  On the bright side, there is an abundance of soup in this country, which is great for congestion relief.  Almost everyday I have some type of soup with my dinner at home, and very often I eat pho or bun cha for lunch (see below).  Yummmm!

The most touching part of my day Monday occurred after lunch at the Hanoi Cinematheque.  We traveled to the Old Quarter to watch a movie on the effects of Agent Orange on the Vietnamese population.  Agent Orange was used during the Vietnam war to destroy the foliage and plants used by the Vietnamese as a mode of living and nutrition.  This herbicide was dispersed country-wide through the use of US army jet planes.  More than 20 million gallons of this chemical was sprayed during the war in Operation Ranch Hand.  I don't know if this was known at the time, but these chemicals have caused an enormous number of health effects on the Vietnamese veterans as well as their children and children of their children in future generations.  I believe there have been approximately 16 health diseases caused by this spraying, including mental disabilities, blindness, deafness, physical deformities, and much more.  During the time after the spraying there were also increased incidences of death, stillbirths, and miscarriages.  The movie we saw was really touching and emotionally challenging.  I could not hold back my tears.  The movie touched on the story of one army veteran and his family.   His oldest daughter was born mentally disabled, epileptic, blind, deaf, and paralyzed, she is now 21 years old and bed-ridden.  They also had a son a couple years later who was born blind.  As you can imagine this family leads a very hard life.  The father used to be very well off before the war, but now they live a very poor life.  The mother has to stay at home with the daughter to fed her, bathe her, dress her, and tend to her when she has seizures.  She makes a living as a tailor sewing, making, and fixing clothes, while the dad leaves the house to make a living as a photographer.  Through watching this movie, I realized that despite all of our cultural differences, we are all humans, affected by the same illnesses and diseases as anyone else.  We thrive in knowing we are loved by our families and we take comfort in religion and faith to help us move forward.  No matter what religion we practice, or who we chose to believe or not believe in, we are all united as people, in need of the same attention, love and care.

Tuesday we had the opportunity of visiting the Peace Village in Hanoi, which is the center for children ages 0-15 affected by Agent Orange.  We arrived and we were given a quick talk on the purpose of the center and what kind of activities are held for the children.  The center includes doctors, nurses, teachers, and many volunteers.  Children spend all their day here in classes learning the alphabet, how to read, as well as other basic skills.  They also receive free basic health care by the medical staff on site.  After our talk/introduction we were taken on a tour of the center.  We walked through their medical examination rooms and classrooms. As soon as I stepped into one of the classrooms I was surprised by the tiny hands I felt around my legs.  This little boy, no more than 4 years old had run up to me to give me a hug.  I was immediately touched my his love and presence, he repeatedly came up to me to hug me at least 3 or 4 more times.  He also grabbed my hand and walked me over to his table, where he was practicing how to draw circles.  It was evident in his appearance and mannerism that he was effected by a form of mental disability.  It was so hard to hold back my tears, knowing that the cause of this little boys disability was due to our involvement in the war.  Throughout the day I met many more little boys and girls just like this, some more worse off than others.  But despite all of their suffering, every single child there had a large smile on their face.  They were all very excited to see us there, and play with us.  Due to the status of the situation, we were not allowed to photograph any of the patients there, but despite that, this visit will surely be one I will never forget!

Wednesday we had an all day visit to the Hanoi Hospital of Traditional Medicine.  Our day started with a presentation by one of the doctors at the hospital.  She told us that this hospital also serves as a teaching center for aspiring doctors.  This is the first place I have ever known of or visited that combines modern medicine techniques like surgery with traditional medicine practices such as massage, acupuncture and medicinal herbs.  To my surprise it is very widely accepted by both the government and the people.  They recognize the need of both systems to complement and complete each other.  There are many things that can be done with modern treatment, but the addition of traditional medicines and practices above this is even more beneficial.

Once the presentation and introduction was over, we were given a tour of the hospital.  They have two separate buildings one for outpatient care and the other for inpatient care.  But what was most interesting was their pharmacy center.  They have a herb room filled with over 30 different herb species used in traditional medicines.  70% of them are found and grown in Viet Nam, the remainder are imported from China or Korea.  While we were there we got the opportunity to see pharmacists prepare remedies from a variety of different plants and seeds.  We also were given some samples to try... and lets just say some tasted better than others. We also went into their serum preparation room, where they boiled many herbs to extract the essential chemicals, and these extractions were then bottled up and given to patients to drink.

After our visit we were sent off to the Traditional Medicine Street in the center of Hanoi to find natural remedies for things like headaches, tension, stomach problems, high blood pressure, etc.  We ran into a lot of interesting things, like turtle shells, starfish, and lizards.  Oh my!  What a fun class period =)

Thursday we were back at school to begin our discussion of HIV/AIDS in Vietnam.  It was a very interesting and different discussion.  As opposed to Brazil and the US, Vietnam's main cause of AIDS is a result of its drug user community.  Because of cultural influences, sexual transmission is very minimal, therefore AIDS campaigns here focus on clean needles, no sharing, and sterilization, as opposed to condom use.  However, despite the context of the disease, it still remains a very touchy subject among communities and between spouses.  Interestingly, it is claimed that AIDS was brought to Viet Nam during the war by American and French soldiers.  Overall, the prevalence of this disease remains low in Viet Nam, but it continues to increase as times passes.  What was also surprising is that the government does not support AIDS campaigns economically here.  All of the funding that is received by AIDS activists and organizations in Viet Nam comes from international aid programs like from PEP FAR in Hungry and the US.  When this aid exceeds its minimal five or ten year commitment, the country will experience tremendous deficit in their AIDS programs on prevention and treatment.

Friday we continued our talk on HIV/AIDS by inviting speakers to come talk to us from WHO, the CDC, and also inviting panelists from various HIV/AIDS organizations and groups.  The representatives who came and talk to us from the big international organizations were both from countries other than Viet Nam, actually they were both from Brazil.  This meant that they were much more willing to share information with us regarding the country and its stance on HIV/AIDS.  Because Viet Nam has a communist government, there is a lot that the people here are afraid of or unwilling to share with us, and that makes learning things very difficult, because you never know if they are telling you the real story.  But surprisingly the panelists who came and talked to us, were willing to share very personal information including their HIV status.  After class we all went for a night out in the town, to go see a water puppet show!  Literally this was a puppet show in the water.  In the past this used to be done in times of flooding as a form of entertainment, it was then moved to rivers and lakes as a more regular form of entertainment.  But it soon became known that this was very dangerous health-wise, because a lot of the puppeteers were coming down with water born illnesses.  So it moved once more to be indoors in a theater, and puppeteers were then required to wear waders.  Overall, the show was really cool... I felt like a child again =)

Saturday was a relaxing day again.  I got to sleep in a little bit, and I headed back to the Old Quarter to walk around the lake.  I found a very interesting statue (see below).  So peaceful...

Sunday was a very busy and fun day!  I accompanied my host sister to Viet Tri, a town about 2 hours from Hanoi where we were to visit a famous temple.  We left at 5 am to catch a 6 am train and meet with her friends who were also going with us to the Hung Temple.  As soon as we got off the train in Viet Tri an older lady ridding a bicycle came up to me and told me in Vietnamese that I was a foreigner (who would have guessed!?).  We then made our way to Hung Temple, which was situated at the top of a mountain in the center of the town.  On the way to the top I learned a lot about the Buddhist religion which is shared by Vietnamese and Chinese people.   I saw many offerings of money, incense, food, and even animals such as dead chickens.  I was offered the opportunity to enter the temples to pray and give my offering (of a couple dong).  I was the ONLY white girl there... so I very clearly stood out like a sore thumb.  But surprisingly people did not question my presence and allowed me to pray with them.  There were three temples, the lowest, the middle, and the highest one.  The increased in importance as we walked further up the mountain.  It was such a cool experience to form a part of.

On our way down the mountain, I stopped to take many nature pictures, as I am a Biology major and enjoy this stuff.  During this time I was approached by many people who would pass by and say hello, where are you from, etc.  What was most surprising were the mothers and families that would approach me with their little kids, so as to touch them and bless them good luck and a prosperous future.  It felt very bizarre.  Also on our bus ride home to Hanoi (which was very random because we simply jumped on an unmarked bus near the side of the road) the lady who sat behind me began playing with my hair as if in amazement.  Oh what a trip!

Viet Nam - This can't be real!

Whoa what a week!  After over 24 hours of travel from Sao Paulo, Brasil we finally arrived in Hanoi, Viet Nam.  Not surprisingly, our initial flight from Sao Paulo to Doha was delayed 3 hours... we arrived at the airport at midnight and instead of leaving at 3 am we had to wait there until 6.  Needless to say, by the time I got on the plane I was exhausted, so I slept right through and turned our 11 hour flight to only 3 or 4 hours long. We arrived at around 5 pm on Monday ready to explore the city!  Well not actually, we were still really tired, and most of us slept on the bus ride to the hotel.  Once we checked in, we were released for the evening to have dinner on our own.  Dinner was very interesting, we walked around the hotel and found this vegetarian restaurant.  It was through a very tiny alley-way, all the way near the back, and of course no one spoke English.  But luckily for us, the menu was in both Vietnamese and English =).  Our dinner was delicious and very cheap, we only paid a total of $2 USD for a meal with dessert!  However after looking though the menu, we quickly realized that their definition of vegetarian was very different than ours because we noticed things like vegetarian beef, pork, chicken, and even... yes... vegetarian beer.  Interesting.  After dinner we came straight home and slept.  It must have been the first night in years that I was in bed before 9pm!

Tuesday was orientation!  I woke up super early and several times during the night because I was still very jet-lag, but I officially got out of bed at 6am.  For breakfast, they had an array of pastries and the typical tea, juice or coffee.  They also had traditional Vietnamese pho and fried rice, noodles, and vegetables.  It all was very good.  Orientation was right after breakfast, and it included general information about Vietnam, safety, the school, and dos and don'ts.  Talk of all of these things was getting us super excited to go out an explore, so instead of keeping us all day, Ngyuen, our coordinator let us out early!  As part of my exploration, I headed to the nearest ATM to take out some Vietnamese Dong.  It was only day two and I already had in my pocket, 2.5 million dong!!!  That was the moment when I knew I would enjoy Vietnam.  Well not really, but it was very exciting to see sooo many zeros in my hand.  We had to return to the hotel before 4pm to check out  and wait to meet out host families.  It was so nerve-wrecking, just waiting there for our families to arrive and greet us.  But in Vietnam they did it a bit differently, we were actually all brought up to this conference room, and assigned a numbered table to sit at.  So meeting our families felt more of like a blind date. Our family was great, both the mother and daughter who came to pick us up spoke English and they were really nice to us.  We got on a taxi from the hotel to their apartment complex, because everyone here owns motorbikes and it would be a bit difficult to carry our luggage on that.  I have to say that taxi ride was the most stressful car ride I've been on.  Taxi drivers are bad to begin with, but this one had to weave in and out of cars, buses, and motorbikes at rush hour.  What an adventure!

Wednesday was our first day of class and the most difficult part of our day was getting to and from school.  The streets here don't have street signs or traffic lights, and if they do people don't respect them, so needless to say crossing the street is always a challenge and making it across is a big accomplishment.  The bus ride was also an adventure.  Even if you are waiting at the bus stop to catch it, you always have to run/jump to get on it because it barely stops.  Similarly when getting off, you must always be waiting by the door because as soon as that doors open you have to make a leap for it and hope there are no motorbikes or puddles on the road.  Our classes are at the Hanoi School of Public Health (Đại học Y tế Công cộng), which is about a 20 min ride from our apartment.  I really love the location of our home.  It is still in the city limits, but far enough away to feel like a new place.  It is very peaceful and quite, well at least at night it is hehe.  The picture below is a view of Hanoi from our apartment window.

Just when I thought I had gotten used to a new bus system, our instructors tell us to meet them at a  new location on Thursday.  We were to all meet up at the Hanoi Cinemateque near the Old Quarter.  This required talking a new bus, two buses actually.  Taking buses is the next most stressful thing to do in this city, not only do they not stop for you, but they drive like crazy, and they are super packed so you must always hold on for dear life, all while trying to manage your location so that you don't miss your stop.  But besides all of this, being at the Cinemateque was a nice escape from class.  We had a hard time finding it at first, because like all good things, it was hidden at the end of a tiny alley-way in the city.  The movies we watched here were very interesting, they were both on Viet nam, one was about the war and the second was about cultural differences between Americans and Vietnamese.  Its very interesting to learn about the Viet nam war here, because even though I vaguely remember talking about it in my high school history classes, we only talked about it for a brief period.  It is such a recent war, that I feel like I should know more about it but I don't.  In Viet nam the war is actually referred to as the American war because of our involvement in it.  It always intrigues me to hear and see the other side of things, I am very lucky to have that new perspective.

Friday we returned to the school for classes.  I can't believe that we already finished the first week, everything has felt like a blur since I got here.  It is very weird.  At the end of class we all stayed a bit later to talk about our vacation plans.  Our last week in Viet nam is our spring break and we are thinking of getting away from the city.  Even though I enjoy being in cities, it is very overwhelming at times, especially here.  I have really felt and seen the effects of pollution in this city, every morning the sky is grey and a large fog cloud covers the city, during the day the sun never comes out, and at night its back to its dark gloomy state, its very depressing.  I never realized how much I would miss the sun, or what impact the sun would have on my state of being.  So, for our spring break we decided to head south, to a warmer part of the country, preferably with a beach =).  After class we met at a wifi cafe across the street from our school, Valentines Day Cafe/ Lego Cafe.  It was a very nice, zen, place to be after a long week of classes and adjustments.  I had this amazing strawberry tea with milk.  It was delicious!

Saturday was by far my favorite day this week.  I woke up early, went to an internet cafe, checked email and just sipped on some green tea.  It was very nice to take a bit of time to relax and have some alone time.  After noon or so I headed to the Old Quarter with some friends to go shopping.  This neighborhood is very very touristy.  I no longer was the only "white" girl walking through the streets, trying to cross without dying, or butchering Vietnamese.  It felt great!  We began by walking around the lake, which was gorgeous and serene.  It was so relaxing to just be in this area for some time.  For the first time all week I was enjoying walking through the city.  We walked around for some time, bartering with street vendors for scarves and other nick-knacks, until we finally retreated in this small cafe in the city.  I had a delicious grapefruit smoothie, I really needed that freshness and vitamin C.  The smoke all around the city was really getting to me, to the point where I had to walk around with my map over my nose and mouth.  People here smoke everywhere, there is no place in the city where smoking is banned and it doesn't help that over 50% of the population smokes.  To relieve my tension a little bit, we all decided to go for a manicure =).  This city is great for pampering, with massages, spas, and nail salons available in almost every corner.  And not to mention how cheap it all is.  I think the most expensive massage I've seen is $15 USD, and this is a full body massage for one full hour.

Sunday was a relaxing day for me.  It was the first day since we arrived that I was able to sleep in... and when I say sleep in I mean 9am hehe.  We had breakfast, I sat around watching TV, organizing some school stuff, and just being lazy.  Our family took us out for lunch to this very fancy restaurant near our apartment building.  I kid you not, we had a minimum of like 25 or so courses brought out to us to eat.  Granted they were all very small but they just kept on bringing out more and more dishes!  It was very overwhelming but delicious.  I know I keep on mentioning money, but it is just amazing all one can get here with so little money, we paid a total of $40 USD for a full meal for 5 people, and I mean very full.  Not even at Olive Garden can you pay that much for 5 people, and this place was no match for Olive Garden.  So if you guys are hungry, come to Viet nam!

Barra do Turvo... Our Final Week in Brasil

Our last week in Brasil... I can't believe it!  Starting from Monday we spent our final week in a rural area within Vale do Ribeira.  The first day involved two bus rides and a boat ride from Sao Paulo to our final destination: Cooperafloresta (see below).  This was a beautiful area within the Atlantic Forest near the south of the state of Sao Paulo.  It was a very poor area where people made a living from their land.  People were up and ready to work at the cocks crow, they worked all day, feasted on the foods they grew, and sang, played music, and danced for entertainment.  Upon arrival we were greeted by Pedro, the owner of this farm, and a group of Brazilian students studying agroforesting techniques.  This group of hippies (to give you a better idea of what they looked like) was very welcoming and kind to us.  After lunch, we met and talked with Pedro who spoke to us about his ideas of global citizenship and the responsibilities we have to the earth we live on.  He told us about the dilemma facing the people living in this area.  He said that even though the people here live in very rich lands, they are very poor.  But they are poor because they see poor, think poor, act poor, and therefore make themselves poor.  Pedro was once like this too, until he decided to switch his life for the better.  He realized how lucky he was to live on this land and he took advantage of the soil to produce crops for his family and to sell.  After talking to Pedro, he gave us a tour of the area very quickly because it started to rain.  After the rained stopped we went swimming in a pool, ate dinner, and danced to music played by the group.  It was one of the last days of Carnaval so it was only appropriate to dance samba.  We learned a very specific type of samba called Coconut Samba.  It was very interesting and fun, hopefully I still remember by the time I get back home so I can show you what I learned!!

Tuesday we woke up at the cocks crow to have breakfast with the group.  Breakfast was then followed by visits to nearby farms.  My group stayed with Pedro and had a more in-depth tour of his farm land and the forest surrounding it.  He showed us some new technology he developed for the transport of bananas from the top of the mountain to the hillside.  It was the equivalent of a zip-line but for crates of bananas.  They were released onto this metal wire from the top of the mountain and allowed to drop down a distance of a couple hundred meters or so.  A trip that would take at least an hour or so walking, was reduced to 1.15 min on zip-line.  After witnessing this system Pedro asked us if we were up for a hike to see where the banana trees were, up near the peak of the mountain.  So off we went for a hike into the forest in search for the banana trees.  The hike took a lot longer than expected because we were by no means experts in maneuvering through the jungle.  There were lots of trees, mud patches, spider webs, and other tiny, annoying, pestering insects.  I actually had a very interesting (to say the least) encounter with some insects that were a mix between flies and bees.  As we were heading up the mountain, we stopped near a hive of these splendid creatures to talk about some of the neighboring vegetation.  Very soon after we stopped I noticed a lot of buzzing near my head, by my face, in my ears and around my hair.  The insects were swarming around me and soon made a home out of my hair.  There were literally 20 or 30 bees in my hair!!!  I quickly took off my pony tail and shook my head back and forth as to get the bees out... but they would not budge!  I had to individually pick them out one by one until I no longer heard any buzzing.  It was quite a scene.  Lesson of the day:  When in nature, don't wash your hair with herbal essences! Apparently insects like the scent and will hastily leave their home to make a new one with you.

But my day was not all that bad.  After our visit to the farms, we headed to a nearby waterfall for some relaxation time.  It was beautiful (see below)!  The water was crystal clear and very very cold, but refreshing for such a hot day.  We then had to say good bye to all of our friends at Cooperafloresta because the rest of the week was to take place in Barra do Turvo, a nearby town.  When we got to this town, we settled in a hotel and went out for dinner as a group.  After dinner we were free to do whatever we liked.  So we took the liberty to hang out at the town square.  There we meet Denin who worked for the municipality as a social worker.  He was briefly introduced to us on Monday by our country coordinator but we didn't know much about him.  We spent a lot of time chatting and conversing in the square that the time passed by too quickly for me to notice.  Until I was all of a sudden surrounded by a group of about 20 students all singing me Happy Birthday.  I was so surprised!  It was only minutes past midnight, and already people were celebrating my birthday.  From this moment on I knew that they day would only get better =)

So Wednesday was, of course, My Birthday! After breakfast we hoped on a bus to go visit a Quilombo.  Quilombos are communities of African American slave descendants in Brasil.  They live off the land through the use of farming and agriculture.  After the slaves were freed in Brasil, they all left their owners in search for their own homes.  They traveled very far distances until reaching areas of plush vegetation near rivers in the Vale do Ribeira.  Many of these communities still exist today, however they are very small in numbers.  After a brief introduction of the village, we got a tour of a traditional herb garden.  We saw plants that were used for diabetes, the common cold, high blood pressure, headaches, and more.  It was very interesting to see.  In this community we also toured their farms since it was one of their main practices.  We had to again hike a little bit to get there but eventually we landed upon an area of land used to grow corn, bananas, zucchini, cucumber, and more.  The area was about the size of a soccer field, and tended by only one man.  He told us that he worked on planting and harvesting every single one of the plants there.  Wow what a job!  After our visits we had lunch with the people of the Quilombo.  They cooked us delicious meals, all made from food grown on their land.

After the Quilombo, we visited another waterfall! What a great birthday present.  Also before leaving the Quilombo, on my way down the mountainside, I was greeted and kissed by a beautiful blue butterfly.  The day was just full of pleasant surprises.  Once back in Barra do Turvo we had dinner together as a group and after dinner I was surprised yet again by a birthday song and cake!  It was delicious.  You can see parts of it left on my face below hehe.

Thursday, luckily for us, we had the morning off!  So I got to sleep in till 10... yay hehe. The whole day was pretty low key actually.  We stayed in Barra do Turvo and visited the municipality building and a primary school.  At the school we got the chance to talk to a panel of health professionals which included nurses, doctors, community health workers, and peer educators.  They talked to us about the troubles encountered with health care in rural areas.  Most people here have access to general care, but when it comes to specialties or medical emergencies patients must be transferred to other hospitals in nearby cities.  And this could take hours.  For example deliveries usually are not done at the clinics here so they have to transfer them to other hospitals, and in most cases expecting mothers end up having their babies on the ambulance on their way to the hospital.

This was our last night here, so we celebrated by having a pizza dinner at a local restaurant/club.  During dinner a live band played famous Brazilian cover songs, and after dinner we showed everyone our thanks by saying a few words on all of our site visits and quest lecturers.  The night ended with a spontaneous dance party hosted by the locals.  We had loads of fun and learned a lot of new dance moves!  Oh and I also learned a new card game called Truco... I will show everyone when I get back =)

Friday was a very interesting day.  I woke up at 8:30, went to class and did my written evaluations, but after that I took a visit to the clinic.  The night before I had noticed a couple of red blotches all over my face and hands and thought that they would go away by the morning, however they didn't, they actually had gotten worse.  So after much debate I decided to go to the clinic to get it looked at, considering that in 2 days I would be leaving the country.  And unfortunately, I have to say that my first-hand experience with the public health care system in Brasil was not the best.  I got to the clinic and all they asked for was my passport.  They took down my name and birth date and asked me to have a seat.  After about 10 minutes I was called in by a nurse who took my blood pressure and my temperature.  My temperature was normal at 36 or so degrees C but my blood pressure was low at 80/50.  I then waited some more for the doctor to see me.  After 20 minutes I was called in by the doctor.  I took a seat, she asked me what I was in for, I showed her my hands, and within 2 minutes she was already writing me a list of medications.  There were no tests involved, no touching, no consulting, nothing.  Only one question was asked and that was "So what is the problem?"  I was prescribed 3 medications, and I only decided to buy one based on my own knowledge of the symptoms and my distrust of the doctor. Below is a picture of one of my hands, as you can see it looked like a sunburn but it was very sporadic and uneven.  It was on my face as well as in between my fingers and on the undersides of my arms... weird!  After my visit to the clinic, we headed back to the city.  We took a bus which was only supposed to take 5 hours, but ended up taking 10.  We hit a lot of traffic on the way back into the city, and halfway there one of the tires got a flat. So instead of getting to the hotel at 7pm we got there almost at 1 am.  What a stressful day.

Saturday was our free day to pack and get ready for our next trip.  I woke up, did some laundry at the hotel, and attempted to go to the post office but it was closed.  In the afternoon I did most of my homework, Skyped with my family and packed all of my belongings.  I am always surprised by the amount of stuff I can fit into my one suitcase.  For dinner, a group of friends and I went to a local pizza place.  The lady serving us was super kind and friendly.  She offered to play samba music for us, lowered the price on our food, and gave us free desserts!  It was great... below is a picture of the coconut treats she gave us to try for dessert.  They were very delicious and sweet.  Tchau Brasil.... You were amazing, I will miss you dearly!!!!

Oh São Paulo... How I will miss you!

The week got off to a good start with the purchase of our Carnaval tickets!  Lucky for us, we got out early that day from class and were able to make it to the ticket sales place before it closed.  We also got our tickets for half price because of our student IDs... yay us!  Tuesday we had the morning off, so my roommate and I took advantage of the time to go shopping in the garment district: Bom Retiro!  There were tons and tons of shops everywhere, all throughout the streets of this town.  I'm glad we decided to come and check it out before leaving the city.

Wednesday and Thursday were our two case study days.  Our project was to research water sanitation and treatment in Brazil.  On the first day we visited a sanitation engineer at the Universidad de Saude Publica.  She told us all about the problems in dealing with clean water in Sao Paulo.  It was very interesting and informative.  I learned that there are about 700,000 people that die each year as a result of improper water treatment and lack of sanitation.  On Thursday we continued our research by visiting an organization called Trata Brasil which educates local communities on the importance of water sanitation and treatment.  They recently conducted a survey and out of the 2,000 respondents 30% had no idea what the word sanitation even meant.  And only 3% of this population were able to make a connection between sanitation and health.  Very impressive.  After meeting with the coordinators of this organization we headed over to an Indigenous Reserve on a mountain side.  This reserve was one of the communities that Trata Brasil worked with.  It was a community with very minimal needs and belongings.  Children running without clothes or shoes on, women breast-feeding their babies in the public, and men tending to the work.  We were told that this was a community without knowledge of hygiene, and indeed we noticed almost as soon as we got there by the mountains of trash everywhere and anywhere.  What was most alarming however, was the amount of untreated water running all over this village.  If one wasn't careful enough, one could step in urine or other forms of polluted water.  There is no wonder why children here are becoming sick from diarrhea and other illnesses caused from improper sanitation.  Overall, however, this was such an amazing visit and I was very grateful to have seen how these people live and how they still maintain their almost direct contact with nature.

Friday we ended our school week by presenting our research findings at Santa Casa.  Each presentation was 45 min, so you can just imagine how long our day was.  But after school, we began to prepare for Carnaval!  Blocos, or pre-carnaval parties, started Friday in neighborhoods all over the city with people parading the streets, beating drums and dancing.  Instead of going to a Bloco however, my big sister Caro took us out for one last drink in the city.  We went to this really nice tropical bar in Vila Magdalena and enjoyed the cool midnight breeze of the city.

Saturday - The big day!  All morning we were preparing for Carnaval by taking naps to build up our energy.  Carnaval is a nine hour long event beginning at 10 pm.  It starts on Saturday and continues on until the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday.  Like most of you may know, Carnaval involves a lot of dancing and elaborate costumes.  And floats too!  It was a lot of fun to be able to see it live and to simply be in Brazil for this time.  We are so so lucky!

Sunday was our last day in the city, and I will have to say that I will truly miss it all, especially my homestay family.  In the morning we made a final run to our favorite market at Republica.  We had lunch with our family, and after lunch I was surprised with a Birthday Cake!  My family knew that my birthday was coming up and they wanted to celebrate with me before I left.  I was so warmed by their affection and thoughtfulness!  Plus the cake was delicious.  It was made with condensed milk, coconut milk, and pieces of coconut.  After lunch, I worked on some school work and began my packing.  It was very sad but I am glad to say that I really enjoyed my time here in Sao Paulo.  I was truly blessed with a great homestay family here in Brazil.  And I hope to be able to come back here again!

Brasil Week 2... Time please slow down!

The second week of classes here just flew by (on a jet plane) super fast!  Monday we continued our talk on women's health by discussing birthing practices.  We had a panel consisting of three women from Sao Paulo who each gave us personal accounts on their birthing experience.  I was surprised to hear that most women in the city have C-sections (90%) as opposed to natural or ordinary labor.  This is because of two main reasons: (1) in the past the government of Brasil encouraged women to become sterilized as a form of contraception.  However, they did a faulty job in educating women on this practice.  For example, women who came in for the treatment later came back to their doctors asking for an "undo", because they were now ready to have children.  This was a huge problem to say the least.  After clarification however, it became very common to undergo sterilization after a C-section given that no extra surgical procedure was necessary.  (2) Doctors also encourage pregnant women to undergo C-sections because they get paid more for the procedure.  As disappointing as this may be its a reality that affects all workers, and despite the added health risks for the mother, they still consider it to be the best option for delivery.  All the women we talked to were against C-sections, and it was very alarming to hear their stories of Brazilian hospitals and their struggle to have ordinary labor.

After this panel, we were split up into groups to visit different women's hospitals.  I went to Perola Byington, a hospital for women who have experienced sexual violence.  This is a huge problem in Sao Paulo.  Approximately 12 million women are victims of sexual assault each year and this hospital treats about 15 new women a day.  Their hospital is equipped with an ER, gynecologists, oncologists, psychologists, and community health workers or agents.  I was very impressed by their ability to dedicate an entire building to this type of work in Sao Paulo.  I think it is a very important step to realize that forms of sexual violence also fall under the umbrella of health problems because not only do victims experience physical consequences, but they tend to have a great deal of mental repercussions as well.  One of the biggest problems that women of this hospital face is becoming pregnant as a consequence of rape.  Brazil is a very religious country, and as a result abortions are viewed as crimes.  Women are highly criticized and stigmatisized for this, so most choose to undergo abortions illegally, which impacts their health greatly due to unsafe methods.  Recently however, a law was passed in the country to allow for abortions in 2 circumstances: (1) in cases of maternal mortality and (2) in cases of rape.  This alleviates part of the pain, however it is still very much ingrained in these women's minds that what they are doing is wrong.  Part of this comes from the penalty of being accused of having an abortion.  The penalty for abortion is 2-5 years in prison (the same penalty for the sexual assaulter!  Incredible).  On a happier note, below is a picture of some graffiti right outside the hospital.  Sao Paulo is known for its graffiti as a form of art all around the city.

Tuesday we got out of class early, so we celebrated by going to the Mercado Municipal.  This is a permanent market in the city of Sao Paulo, open everyday, with all sorts of foods including fruits, vegetables, meat, fish, cheese, wine, nuts, spices, you name it!  It was great.  If you would like to learn more about it see Anthony Bourdain's video on Brazil: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z1THRZ4BbJA (min 3:45 - 6:45).

Wednesday we began our discussion on HIV/AIDS in Brasil.  Every year 7,000 cases of HIV/AIDS are added to the total population in Sao Paulo.  It is a huge issue to be addressed and thankfully it has been.  There are many organizations in the city set up to raise awareness and offer support to victims of this disease.  Most importantly, AIDS here in Brasil is viewed as a communal problem, not blamed on the individual.  They realize (and rightly so) that AIDS will affect their entire population if not handled correctly.  Brazil, unlike the US, is a very culture and community orientated country and I believe this helps greatly in the prevention of  AIDS.  Medications are also easily accessible and available free of charge to the public, so there exists a lot of  resources to prevent spread of this very much prevalent health hazard.  After class we went to visit several NGOs relating to HIV/AIDS.  The first place we went to was the Center of Reference and Training in STDs and AIDS.  This place was like Perola Byington in that it was entire building dedicated towards one health issue.  After visiting this center, we split up into groups and visited other NGOs.  I went to E de Lei which was an organization that worked with the homeless population in Sao Paulo, especially those that were doing drugs, and those affected with HIV.  Instead of just telling people to stop using drugs they focus more on helping individuals through the struggle by giving them needed attention and care.  They educate them on several health and social issues as well as accompany them to doctor visits, since most can't read or write.  This is a small organization that simply acts as a bridge between the homeless people and doctors.  "Homelessness is not forever, it is just a moment of life we must take care of."  It was after this visit that I came to a huge realization.  There are many issues affecting health such as sexual violence and homelessness that most of society chooses to ignore or view as just another way of life.  But when you take time to address these issues, people really begin to shine.  During both of my visits to these hospitals/centers, I was approached by patients asking me where I was from and what I was doing.  After telling them the reason for my visit they held my hand, looked me in the eye, and thanked me sincerely for being there and for taking the time to learn about these issues.  "Thank you, thank you, we really need your help."

Thursday- the party begins!  After class on Thursday we headed to a school of samba called Vai Vai.  We were lucky enough to visit the oldest Samba school in Sao Paulo, and we were even luckier to be able to talk to the man who founded the school.  He had been there for over 50 years, so he knew a lot about the history of the dance.  Samba originally was an African dance which came from the religious ceremonies of the slaves in Brasil.  During rituals, people would share spiritual callings by singing and dancing, more specifically they would pass all their good spirits along from one person to the next by touching each other's belly button .  The word for belly button in their native African tongue is "sumba", so from this you can see where the word for Samba came from.  After the history of the dance, we were invited to stay longer to watch the members of Vai Vai practice for Carnaval.  It was a lot of fun.  There were drummers and dancers of all age groups... from little children to elders.  After they processed through the streets several times, we were invited to join them in their dancing and singing.  I'm sure the locals were making fun of our dancing, but we didn't care, we were enjoying the music and festivities!

Friday we spent our entire day at the Butantan Institute.  This is a research facility for venomous animals such as snakes, spiders, and scorpions.  Scientists here extract and use these venoms for medicinal purposes, the most common being to treat animal bites.  The research institute has a great history, being founded over 100 years ago during times of the bubonic plague, and the motivational drive behind their work is very impressive.  Because of Brasil's SUS program, most of the medicines, vaccines, and serums produced in Butantan are given to patients free of charge.  In the US I feel like this medical research and production would not go without some form or another of payment.  Every scientist is looking to make a ground-breaking discovery in order to win fame as well as monetary compensation.  Also, in the US every new idea or discovery is immediately patented with the fear of others taking the idea and the prize.  Here in Brazil medical researchers are not looking to be millionaires, instead they work for the betterment of their own community, for the advancement of science.  Their priority here is to publish papers so that other people can learn about their achievements and implement them, not to patent for legal and monetary rights.

After our visit, we had a dinner party with all of the students and their host families.  It was fantastic!  The dinner of course was delicious, with an assortment of fruits (mango, grapes, pineapple, watermelon and papaya) and a salad bar including guacamole =).  We also had white rice with chicken for dinner and banana cake with vanilla ice cream for dessert.  After dinner we put on a show for the families, buy singing American songs including but not limited to "Small Town Girl" by Journey and "I Want It That Way" by the Backstreet Boys.  This sing-a-long soon turned into a kareokee and everyone was singing and dancing with us.  One of the dad's played the guitar and the rest of us clapped and hummed to the beat.  This get together began at 8pm and lasted well up until midnight if not later.  But we weren't done, after dinner we all decided to go to Canto de Ema, a Brazilian club with regional music called Forro.

The weekend was pretty low key.  On Saturday we headed downtown to walk around and we coincidentally ran into some guys doing Capoeira.  This is a Brazilian martial art which mixes dance and music in it as well.  It was a lot of fun to watch all the jumps and kicks as well as the maneuvering back and forth.

Sunday we went back to the Feira du Praca da Republica and toured the food portion of the square.  They had some wonderful smelling desserts and all kinds of delicious snacks.  Food food everywhere!  I wouldn't be surprised if I can no longer fit into my jeans by the end of this program... ahh!!!  But I still love you Sao Paulo =)