First Reactions in Brazil....

Well I have arrived! Plane ride went really well and I have had the opportunity to meet most of my "housemate". Everyone is so nice and shows the same enthusiasm that I do. Ronnie, Leigh and Cindy were here before we arrived. They are doing 9-12 week trips. Leigh first went to Cape Town with CCS and then came to Salvador and Ronnie is leaving today to make his next 12 weeks stay in Guatemala. So cool!

My first reactions are WOW....this city has so much history, culture, different types of people, different types of food, the list goes on and on.  When we got in the van to go from the airport to home base the first thing we saw were slums, known as favelas. They are stacked high up on a hills and most windows were open with laundry hanging to dry. There are bars on all the windows and around buildings here safety and it is sometime hard to tell when you are going from a "rough" part of town to a "good" part of town. Again, where we are staying is known as Garca. (I spelled it wrong in my last post). Right by home base we have a bank across the street and believe or not, there is actually a Subway and McDonalds here. I'm going to stay away from those, I've got enough of that back home in the states! =-)

I did take a long hot walk around town and down to the beach. (The humidity is worse than Houston and there are no air conditions here) To get down there it is about a 15-20 min walk downhill and to get back a 20-30 minute uphill hike! lol We all went together to a the north end of the beach where a line of "bars" are. It reminds me of a Brazil version of Broadway in Lubbock, McKinney Ave in Dallas or Broad Ripple if your from Indy. My point is, there is a line of little windows that each represent a different "bar/restaurant." Kind of interesting.

Getting around town is pretty easy. We wither walk or take a cab. Most of the locals use the bus system. When we passed by various bus stops there were upwards of 80 people around the stops. The buses all have open windows for air. Reminder: no air condition here. Because they don't have air conditioners you will see shutters on a lot of the building so that in the summer time (this is not summertime for them) they can "shut out" the sun to keep cool.

More to come tomorrow!

Boa noite,

Nicki

 

 City and Beach View

 

This is Vinnie's car. Brazilian's that have cars typically have one that is small that looks like this. He is getting it ready to sell b/c he said he doesn't really need it. He said it costs 25,000 reias (pronounced heyis). This is approximately $15,000.

Salvador, ready or not, here I come!

I've read books, I've made a packing list, I've checked it not twice but like 40 times, I've made a photo book
 of my family and friends to bring, I've done as much as I think I can to prepare.

For some reason I fee exhausted right now. I think it's all the emotions stirring up in me. Flying isn't my favorite
 thing in the world and I'm about to be in the air for nearly 12 hours. I know people travel international all 
the time. But, Nicki Turnbow doesn't. The exhaustion also come from saying "bye" to my husband this morning;
 I broke down.  After he left, I texted him and said, "I always realize how much I love you when I have to leave
 you." We all tell our spouses/significant others we love them, but probably more out of routine on a daily basis 
because that is what you are used to doing (I'll speak for myself I guess). But, then when you have to be apart, 
for me anyway, it reaffirms the feelings I have.

Anyway, overall, two weeks isn't long, but being in a different place, with people you don't know, and with out your 
normal "routine" (I'm a routine girl) it can make you home sick. While I'm more of a homebody, I think that this
 is going to be such a phenomenal adventure and will allow me to experience another culture, and means of living.
 So don't get me wrong, I can't wait to explore, learn, teach, and grow over these next two weeks!

I had planned on bringing my computer, but last night I decided to leave it at home. No worries though, there 
is an internet cafe about 15-20 walk from out home base. I'm going to try really hard to share with yall at least
 every other day. Plus, I want to submerge myself in the culture. I think it is going to be nice walking to and from 
the cafe (with a buddy obviously).

THANKS JEFF FOR THE BOOKS!!

Stay tuned friends!

Nicki

I got my volunteer placement!

Centro De Educacao Infantil Santa Teresa De LisieuX-Saint Therese of Lisiseuc Eduation Center (That's a mouthful!)

So the official name of my placement is above, in other words, I will be at a community educational organization teaching children, assisting teachers and teaching English.

The center was founded in May 1980 and gives attendtion to children and their families by providing Education, Social Assistance and Spirituality in a holistic view. Upper-middles class ladies and couple from Salvador supply the funds to help this organization run. There are a total of 85 children and 5 teachers.

My activities will include:

• Assist teachers by caring for the children and organizing learning activities
• Play games with children
• Assist the staff with educational programming, including teaching, entertaining activities and creating new ways for children to learn
• Organize and develop learning activities for the students according to what is being given in class
• Provide individual attention to the children
• Teach basic for kids
• Organize and develop arts and crafts projects

I could not be more excited. The challenging part of the placement is that the 3 head organizers of the center on a scale of 1-5 in English proficiency are a 1 and 2. And my Brazil-Portuguese proficiency is probably lower than that. While we may not speak out loud the same language, I'm sure there will be multiple ways in which we will be able to translate to one another.

Next steps:
I think I'm going to go to a local Half Price Books and see what I can find. Children's stories, flashcards etc. that will help teach ABCs, numbers, family, body parts, food, animals, greetings, etc. If you have any great ideas, let me know! I'm all ears.

Brazil Home Base Pics!

I got some pictures of where I will be staying in Brazil! We will be in an area called "Graza" which would compare to a middle class area in America. Our placement areas are in a different part of Salvador.

This is the outside of home base!

One of the bedrooms. The whole "compound" sleeps 40!!!

This is the patio area..

When not doing my volunteer work I plan on being outside at all times experincing Brazil! The house is for sleeping in my opinion! =-)

Myhomebase team! Can't wait to meet them!

210 Languages....The People of Brazil!

(2nd post from my Lilly Blog)

Oi! (Hello!)

So I have been trying to find just the right book/books to read prior to my trip. The crazy thing with getting this opportunity is that I was offered a new role within the company the same week I found I was selected for Connecting Hearts Abroad. To say the least, things have been crazy in my world, but I am SO BLESSED and glad that God felt I could serve in this way!

After spending time at Barnes and Noble I found A book (yes, just one!). I thought for sure they would have a lot more, but no. Anyhow the book I ended up getting is quit good and I like the way they organized it. It discusses a lot of the cultural/history/religion and then in the back it divides into sections based on major cities and lists various sites to see.

You, luckily, are going to get to learn all about Brazil with me! I feel like if I discuss my learnings on my blog I will learn that much more! (I guess I'm selfishly sharing this with you all!) 

Let's get down to it because I keep wanting to read ahead in my book!

THE WORLD'S MOST HETEROGENEOUS POPULATION

I thought that was AMERICA! I was wrong!  The Brazilian colonial society was composed of only men that came over from Portugal. Unlike the Puritans of New England who were actually outcasts of their home country, the Portuguese men liked coming to Brazil. For decades is was strictly men who came over and while they were still loyal to their home country they eventually found a new home in Brazil. So why you might ask the "World's Most Heterogeneous Population?"

It started with the mix of the Portuguese men and the "local" females. These people were the first "Brazilians" known as the Mamelucos (White men and Amerindian women). Later, the Cafusos (Amerindian and African blood) and the Mulatos (African and European). In the 1500s there were nearly 5 million Amerindians (the original people of Brazil). Today, there are only 700,000 who are living on government reservations in Mato grosso.

A larger portion of the population is referred to as "Afro-Brazilian" which was a result of  slavery from the early 1500s to the late 1800s. The slavery rebellion that took place can be described as both tragic and harrowing. While many lives were lost, by 1888 the Lei Aurea (Golden Law) was signed freeing nearly 800,000 slaves. This was the start of a new begining!

SOCIOECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

This next portion honestly made me think, "How does the compare to our home country of America?"

Shocking facts of Brazil: (From 2006 Brazilian Census Bureau)

49.9% of the total population and 88.4% of the richest 1% of Brazilians were white....

Over 1/2 of the whites in the 18-24 age bracket (51.6%) attend college vs 48% of population classified as Afro-Bazilian make up a mere 19% that attend college.

It makes you wonder what could that "richest" 1% look like if that 19% looked more like 48%. If others were given the same opportunities that I was growing up, how much different would our world look? I really don't know. Just something to ponder.

WOMEN'S ROLES

Women's roles have historically been similar to those we have seen in the U.S. The biggest difference is that by 2010 2/3 of candidates for presidency were women and on Oct 31, the first female President was elected in Brazil.

210 LANGUAGES

" Around 210 languages are used in Brazil, including an estimated 80 Amerindian languages, and about 130 of them are endangered because they are spoken by groups of fewer than 600.  Many are on the verg of extinction, spoken by only a handful of people, mostly elderly." Insights Guide-Brazil

***What was happening in Brazil when Lilly was founded (1876 for those of you who don't know!)?***

The closest historical date I have is 1871, this is when children born to slaves were declared free.

TCHAU for now! (Goodbye)

Nicki

Preparing for Brazil!

For Brazil, I will actually be using a company blog to post my "travel journal". However, everything I post, I am going to copy and paste in my personal blog so that family and friends can follow if they choose! My first post is below:

SALVADOR BRAZIL!!! I am so excited for this adventure. Just getting the paperwork together and applying for my Visa has been quit the experience! (I finally got my visa in!)

I have been blessed with many volunteer opportunities. I have worked with Children Advocacy Centers, Local Children's Hospitals, Food Banks, Girl Scouts of America in the promotion of "real" beauty, Animal Services, Habitat for Humanity, and my most recent venture involved 60 miles in 3 days for Susan G. Komen for the Cure. My team, Pink Soles in Motion spent countless Saturdays raising funds and training; we were awarded the Top Fundraising Team totaling over $170,000. I've signed up again for 2011, but I want to continue to do great things and find new adventures! Connecting Hearts Abroad is going to be a life-changing experience. I want to serve others, make a difference, emerge myself in another culture, truly understand what it means to live in America and the difference that we as Americans can makes, to be an agent of change, and to enrich my knowledge and global perspective outside of my bubble that I call Dallas Fort Worth. I have an inherent need to help others, to serve others, and to put a smile on face that may have been missing. I hope to share my knowledge and culture with others in the hopes that they can use it to work towards their goals and dreams of life.

Here, I will be able to share my journey!

I have already begun researching Brazil and finding books to read up on the culture along with trying to learn basic phrases in Portuguese. A good friend, Jeff Lopez, was given the opportunity to teach there for a couple years and is sending me some of his reading material!

I have to be honest, I am nervous about my travels, but I am so excited to go lend a hand where I can! Stay tuned!