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 My
trip to Livremento,
Rio Grande
do Sul, Brasil was everything and more that I intended it to
be. Flying there was a bit of a scare simply because I have never flown alone to
another country by myself especially one that speaks a different language, but
believe it or not I got by. The people were incredibly kind and patient. Even if
they don't speak English they would take all the time in the world to try and
figure out what you're trying to say. Because of this my trip went by smoothly.
My host family was awesome. They made me feel like I was truly part of the
family. I had 5 brothers, Rafael 23, Pedro 18, Fernando 13, Filipe 18 , and
Pablo 26, and then of course my mother and father, Margareth and Juca. Except
for Juca, my family spoke hardly any English. With a lot of time of using hand
motions and pointing at things, we were all able to communicate and understand.
The way of life, traditions, customs and morals and beliefs were surprisingly
similar to
U.S.
There were only a few things that really stood out to be different. For an example,
in the
U.S.
we eat breakfast, lunch and then dinner, in
Brazil
they eat breakfast, dinner and lunch. Also, at
noon
, the whole country takes a dinner break. All the businesses close and the
streets are empty. I visited 2 Rotary Clubs during my stay. One club met in the
morning and the other at night. Unlike most Rotary Clubs that I have been to or
seen in the
U.S.
, one club in Livremento was comprised of women only. It was something new
and different.
Instead of staying in Livremento, we often visited other
cities, states and countries. Because my host family lived two minutes from the
border of
Uruguay
, we often went there, and it was strange because you don't need a passport to
enter the country. But
Uruguay
was very similar to Brasil simply because the same people live there. My host
mother often took me to other cities. We went to a small city named Bage. We
also went to
Rio de Janeiro
, Copacabana, Baha, Uruguianana, and
Santa Maria
. Each city was different. It was almost as if it was its own little Brasil. But
one thing all the cities had in common was the happy, nice, and helpful people.
I spent one night in Uruguaianana with the Rotary Exchange Coordinator, Ilson
Silveria. His family and I went to a Rotary District President Change
ceremony. On spare time I took Portuguese classes. It was at a cultural school.
At the school they taught English, so of course I made a lot of friends. The
teachers and the students were extremely happy to see me, being that I was
American and all and they were excited to talk to me and ask me about life at
home in the U.S. But I did learn an abundance of the language and I believe if I
stayed one more month I'd be fluent, not perfect, but able to communicate.
Overall, I had an exciting trip, and if I can go back, I will.
Mineaux Saunders
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