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!
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