Taking things for granted!

In the UK, we have so many things that we enjoy and sometimes we want more. The hideous behaviour of some people on 'Black Friday' only goes to prove this! However, it is some of the basic things in life that are so important that we can take for granted and not fully appreciate. One of these is water.

On Sunday morning, we work up to find that there was no water in the base where we are staying. This caused problems including being unable to clean dishes, flush the toilet, wash our hands, have a cup of tea, or have a shower. During this time, it was inconvenient and a bit frustrating and even though it only lasted for a few hours, it was bad enough during that time. I'd like to challenge you for half a day to consider the effects on your day not having water would have. Each time you use water, think about what you would have to do if it was not available. For many of the families that we have visited, this is an ongoing issue as they do not have clean running water in their homes!

As our time nears an end in Brazil, we have also been lucky enough to be able to afford taking a few days away from the base and our work. Currently, I am writing this from a beautiful location in a resort called Porto de Galinhas, which translated means 'Port of the chickens'. It is a beautiful place and is considered to have one of the best beaches in Brazil! 

So why is is called 'Port of the chickens'? 

Until 1850, the town was called Porto Rico (Puerto Rico) when it became a place where people bought and sold slaves to work in the plantations of sugar cane. As this was illegal, passwords were created by the traffickers (people trading in slaves). When a ship arrived in town, as it was prohibited to mention slavery, the word spread as "there are new chickens in the port"; and so the place gained its name of Porto de Galinhas.

That's all for this week - a shorter blog, but I'm off to enjoy the rest of my stay here!

Tchau!

Building relationships

During the past week, we have continued working in the various projects that I have described in the previous entries, but on Friday, we had a special time in one of the favelas when visiting several families. The particular area that we went to is home to many of the families who go to one of the locations we visit in the evenings. When we go there and on home visits, we wear special t-shirts; mine is bright orange! Because of the t-shirts, and because of the positive relationships that grow between the families and the group, including ourselves, the children quickly recognise them when they see them. They become really excited to see us and that is why I was taken by surprise by a young child who ran up behind me and gave me a great big hug before I even realised that she was there. It was lovely to see her again. In fact, it was the same little girl who had painted my wife's nails in a previous week. 

We soon reached the family we were intending to visit first and by now there were several children around us. At this point, a friend of mine made an appearance out of our bag - Tutter (or Tutter de Mouse to give him his full name). If you are not aware of Tutter, perhaps ask a member of staff who has been at West Leigh for several years or one of my past pupils. Anyway, he had great fun with the children and they seemed to enjoy playing with him. It turns out that he can speak a little Portuguese; I never knew that! 

Tutter visiting a family in their home

Something interesting was evident during this time with Tutter though - some of the younger children had never seen a puppet and didn't seem to know how to use one. The older children did, but it made me realise that some of the toddlers don't get the wonderful array of experiences early in their life that those in the UK do!

Finally, for this week, I want to explain something that has hit me this week - the power of the projects! Although we have only been here for two months, we have got to know so many children through our involvement in football, teaching girls English, visiting the streets and working with those at Hope House. I am surprised how quickly this can happen and that is exciting. These projects really do have a positive impact on the lives of people. The people who work on them really care about the children and families they meet and it has been great to work alongside them. Of course our time is not yet at an end so we can still enjoy these opportunities for a few more weeks.

Unfortunately, not everything here is quite so great! On Monday, we were walking through the jungle taking the shortcut to Hope House when we noticed a huge spider in the middle of a massive web. That was interesting but what we saw next wasn't - at least 8 huge spiders all with webs of their own only a few steps further on! 

Hopefully they stay in their webs and I'll stay our of their way.

Tchau again!

Playing games

This week in the blog, I want to tell you about a project that is run in the local community that I have attended each week - brinquedoteca. This is the Portuguese word for toy and the club is open to children from the local area to come and play games. 

Over the past few weeks, I have enjoyed being a part of this. The best way of visualising the club is to think of 'No Breakfast Club' at West Leigh. However, there are quite a few differences:

For the children attending this project, it enables them to learn how to play board games - an opportunity which is less common at their homes than it would be in the UK. They particularly enjoy traditional games like dominos, making a jigsaw, but love the opportunity to draw and create artwork. They also have the chance to play new games which, even for me, has been great fun. For these children, having the chance to play different games allows them the opportunity to learn new skills such as taking turns fairly, counting, and developing thinking skills in some of the more complex games. Without this club, the possibility of developing these vital skills would be much less. 

At the end of the session, the children have the option of borrowing a game from the club but they must be responsible with them. The pieces are checked and recorded when they take the game and when they return it. If they demonstrate that they can be trusted to look after it, they will be able to borrow another game if they wish. Such a simple idea is so good to see in action as it allows children who don't have as much the chance to play more.

I've even been influenced by the games at the club and am looking forward to getting some of the games when I return to the UK. 

Ligretto: one of the games that I have enjoyed.

Of course, not everyone knows how to play every game...especially if they are very young! This amused me on a visit to the streets on Wednesday evening.  A little boy wanted to play a game and we chose a travel version of Connect 4 to play. When we began playing, I realised that he didn't play by the 'normal' rules but instead it seemed to be a race to put all the counters into the frame. I lost as he used a tactic of holding and blocking my hand when I tried to put my counters in. We may not have been using the traditional rules but he was enjoying the game and that was the most important thing.

Children playing and drawing during a street visit

This week, we also visited three homes in the poorer areas of Recife again and these visits were really encouraging. Whilst there, we played with balloons, a little boy decided to throw the toy money he was given out the window into the river below (I hope he doesn't do that with real money), and we learned about how one mother works making and selling chips on the street to help support her family. Each of the families that we visited were given some food items (including oil, rice, crackers, pasta) and each famiily was really grateful to receive these.

I hope that you have been enjoying reading this blog and I have been encouraged to know that many people have seen it. In actual fact, I have been rather surprised. The internet makes communicating with a vast audience so easy and therefore, I have been very careful to chose my words thoughtfully especially when I know that my blog has been read in the UK, Brazil, USA, France, Spain, Ireland, Australia, Venezuela, Philippines, Ukraine, Germany, Italy and China!

A few less common things have also happened this week:

My wife had her nails painted by one of the children on the streets 

I had one nail painted when the girls were learning about makeup at their English class. They wanted to paint them all but I didn't feel that I suited the bright pink colour they had chosen! I hope the photo that was taken never appears on the internet!

I told a story in English to a class of girls (aged 10-14) who don't speak English! I had a translator but I think they enjoyed my overacting in the English version.

Until next time, tchau!

A small, small dot in Brazil

Imagine a tourist from Brazil visiting England and spending all their time in Leigh-on-Sea. They might have a lovely time and visit the shops on the Broadway, have a nice meal, eat seafood in Old Leigh, but would they be able to experience everything about life in the United Kingdom? No! They would know nothing of what it is like to live in the countryside in Yorkshire or a busy industrial city like Glasgow or about the lives of poorer people living on the streets in London. 

You might be wondering why I have started my blog this way but it is simple: If you look on a map of Brazil, you will see the vast nature of the country and that Recife in merely a dot. That dot is a huge city and to get from one part of it to another can sometimes take two hours or more on public transport. The things that I have explained to you exist here and many of these aspects exist elsewhere in Brazil but so do many other very different things too. For example, in some parts of Brazil, it is considered that people are more friendly or more hardworking. So really I am trying to say, do not judge all of Brazil on what you read in this blog; there is so much more to learn.

I have recently learned about another region in the north-east of Brazil called the Sertao. It is an area of Brazil which is very hot and often very dry, and in parts is a desert. You only need to compare the two following photos to see the comparisons between two regions which are both in the north-east of Brazil.

The desert in the Sertao

View from the base in Camaragibe

Another difference which I have learned of relates to foreigners visiting Brazil. Normally, tourists go to certain places when in Brazil - Rio de Janeiro, the Amazon Rainforest, Manaus but rarely Camaragibe on the outskirts of Recife, where we are. For this reason, we stand out as we look different to the vast majority of people here. 

I haven't mentioned wildlife too much recently so perhaps it is time to explain why caterpillars are dangerous. There is a fury caterpillar that exists here and if you were unlucky enough to touch it, it would cause the skin that it came into contact with it suffer a burning pain! A friend of ours explained this to us and that the pain lasted for hours. I have been more wary of caterpillars since then.

On Saturday, we spent the day in Boa Viagem (the area by the beach in Recife). It is beautiful there and there are lots of hotels for tourists but the sign in the photo below clearly put me off going for a swim in the sea!

Finally, with Christmas approaching, I'm sure you have seen more and more displays of Christmas trees and decorations in shops. We have seen that too but it seems strange especially when we consider the weather. We associate Christmas with the idea of snow but at Christmas here, it is the middle of the Summer! Also, even in their winter the average minimum temperature (at night) is 21 degrees celsius so anyone living in this part of Brazil who has not travelled far, will never have seen snow; it is merely something they have heard about. And this is why it is a dream for one of the boys at Hope House to see snow in his lifetime.

What is poverty?

Recently the blog has included many brighter stories and events but this week I want to discuss something that my brain has been struggling to fully understand.

I read a quote this week which made me think quite a lot. I don't know who said it but it carries a great deal of truth. The following is a paraphrase (my own words) of that quote:

 

'We think sometimes that poverty is being homeless, hungry and in need of clothes. But the poverty of being unwanted, unloved and uncared for is a much greater poverty.'

Since I have been in Brazil, I have viewed much of the first type of poverty and this is challenging enough to see. However, we mustn't forget that it exists in the UK as we learn that more and more families rely on Food Bank donations to help feed their families each week. We also know that there are homeless shelters in Southend and all over England which are needed greatly. 

I then began to consider how it must feel to be unloved, unwanted and uncared for! For the children living on the streets here in Recife, the initial cause leading them to this life will be at least one of these! For me, thinking about this can be uncomfortable especially as I have begun to get to know some of the children for whom this is a reality or is a part of their past. Even the boys currently at Hope House will have a story that began with this type of poverty.

I'm not going to go into details about any one child as that would be unfair to them and I know that I wouldn't expect a friend of mine to share my problems with the world on the internet. This is also why I have decided to not share a photo this week of any street children. I'm sure you understand this choice.

However, this type of poverty is not without hope! There are so many good people in the world and charities that do so much. Many of these help with food, clothes and homes. Others carry out the important job of showing care to someone and showing them that they are wanted and loved. I'd like to challenge you to do something in the coming weeks and months. Around you there are people who feel lonely, perhaps unwanted or unloved. This could be a pupil on the playground who has no one to play with or a grandparent who has very few visitors. Find time to show them that someone cares about them and that they are wanted. It might not change the world but it will change theirs!

Brazil isn't just football but it is a lot!

Last time I wrote this blog, I mentioned that I was going to do something exciting and I did! I went with two Brazilian friends to a football match held at the Pernambuco Arena which was one of the World Cup stadiums. We went to see Santa Cruz, a team from Recife, play Vasco da Gama, a team from Rio de Janeiro. The stadium was beautiful and the atmosphere was electric at points. I have been to many games in the UK but the noise and intensity when Santa Cruz scored was more than I had ever experienced!  Have a look for yourself using the link below.

http://youtu.be/bJON2oiLP2c

An interesting story related to this match was that one of the players who was in the Santa Cruz squad had grown up with his football training at Show de Bola - the project run by at the base where we are staying. Although the player in question did not play on this occasion, it is really exciting to know that the project helped to shape his life and he fulfilled his potential and dream by becoming a professional footballer. 

This week, I also helped with the Show de Bola project although I mostly ended up playing 6-a-side football with them. It was great fun to play with them. The various teams (different age categories) were preparing for matches in a large competition this weekend. All the teams played really well and won (if my Portuguese has understood correctly). If you are wondering how good they are, the following video will show you - a great free kick on a dusty pitch.

http://youtu.be/Pc37lkfytn8

This week hasn't all been about football though! On Monday, I spent the day in Hope House with former street boys. It was a great day and included more loom bands, playing football and I was also able to help two of the boys with maths. We were learning about equivalent fractions so we used fruit in the kitchen and had a penalty shootout outside! In the evening, we went with the boys to a funfair in Camaragibe. Although the rides were quite simple in comparison to some of those you might know about, that didn't make them less scary! As a result of a relaxed view to safety, they were actually much more terrifying!

The boys who are Hope House have had several great opportunities this week. 

Sunday: they were taken to the beach

Monday: they went to the funfair 

Friday: they were part of a fancy dress party

Not every week is like this, but I hope it shows how much the staff who work there try to make their lives the best they can be. The boys also have responsibilities with homework, cleaning and they are expected to do all their washing. However, they also know that if they behave well, they can be rewarded with privileges such as being able to use the washing machine instead of washing by hand.

Finally, I want to share something that touched me on Wednesday evening. During a visit to the streets of Recife in which the main aim is to develop relationships with street families and street children, I was sitting next to a young man who was colouring in a picture using the things we had taken with us. He was in his teens and was really focused on the task and seemed to be enjoying it. It is important to realise that although this may not be normally enjoyed by teenagers in the UK, his life is not like those of teenagers in the UK! When he finished it and had signed it, I was thrilled when he decided to give it to me (see below).

Perhaps that wasn't the final thing...

On the Metro (equivalent to the London Underground)  people are not allowed to sell things but they do...a lot! You can buy:

crisps, chocolates, sweets, nuts, popcorn, CDs, combs, small toys, keyrings, water, headphones, sunglasses, jewellery, credit card holders, story books etc

People pay in cash but apparently in Rio, where there is even more that can be bought, they even accept credit card payments!

Bye again!

This isn't Essex

This week's blog is going to be a little bit different. Over the past few weeks, many serious situations have been discussed relating to the lives of the poor people in this area of Brazil. There are more stories to share about the street families and children but I will save those for another week.

In the past few days, we have continued to learn about wildlife and this week it relates to something I found. On Monday, we were helping in Hope House (the home for former street boys) and during the afternoon, none of the boys was actually there as they were either at school or playing football at Show de Bola (the coaching programme for boys from the local community). So, instead of spending time with the boys, we were cleaning. Whilst sweeping the floor, I found something - a snake skin! I suppose this was better than finding a snake but it did make me think: Where was the snake now?

As if that wasn't enough, on Wednesday whilst my wife was in the church at the base, they were visited by a snake. Many people there decided that it was best to stand on the chairs but my wife decided that it was best to climb out of the open window.

Since these experiences, I have learned how dangerous some of the snakes in this area can be - deadly! There is even one very small snake that is capable of killing a large bull with its venom. I also learned that if you avoid them, they won't bother you. 

This week, I also had the opportunity to play football with many of the Brazilians here on the base. In summary, they were incredibly skilful and can control a ball very well on a dusty hard patch of ground. I didn't find it so easy! Also, playing football in such warm weather and humidity does not make it easy for someone who is used to much colder weather. 

A final story for this week relates to a special day that was held on Wednesday - Teacher's Day. The following link explains a little more about it:

http://www.irenescorner.com/home/braziliancorner/feasts/teachers/teachersday.

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On Thursday, at the English class for local girls, they planned a surprise for their teachers. Each girl brought something ranging from cakes to traditional sweets including brigadeiros (see photo). It was lovely to see how appreciative the girls were of their teachers and how much effort they made to keep it as a surprise. Once again, if showed the great generosity of the Brazilian people especially knowing that many of the girls come from a poorer community.

As my time here continues, I am beginning to understand a little more about Brazil and its people. I have even seen a little of their traditional culture including a traditional dance.

At some point in the near future, I hope to be able to tell you more about the school here as education in Brazil is very different.

Finally, I don't have too many unusual facts to share but I have learned that:

Brazilians don't knock on a door; they clap

A driving test is expensive and has so many tests that need to be passed. Apart from the actual driving on the CRAZY roads, they need to learn about first aid, about pollution, and mechanics so that they can fix their car when it breaks down on the road. They also need to take a psychological test, a drugs test and  learn how to defend themselves in their car on the road.

It is a day off for us today and I might be doing something quite exciting but I'll let you know about that next time.

Bye!