Wednesday & Thursday: Poker & The Magic Box

This post will be very brief, as I'm leaving soon for Rio de Janeiro for the weekend. So Wednesday after work I left with Rodrigo to head back to Valinhos, as his friends were organizing another game of poker. It was great to be able to see them again, as my time here is ever dwindling. We played a couple of games, and, since I departed relatively early from both, I played a good amount of snooker as well. The pictures will do the talking.






Thursday wasn't very eventful, except the box my mom shipped from the states finally arrived! Inside were gifts for pretty much all of the people here in Edumed. I opened the box and gave everyone their gifts. They all loved what they got, as I had carefully considered what to get each one of them. For Rodrigo I got a high performance laser Logitech mouse, for Tiago a new watch, for Alex a PS3 game anticipating his purchase next week, for Rosana a scarf (mom's idea), and for Professor Sabbatini and his wife Chinese artwork (also mom's idea).

Tuesday: Military Police Helicopter Unit Visit

Hey guys, sorry for the non-posting these past couple of days. I didn't get around to posting on Tuesday night, and then last night I was staying over Rodrigo's. But more on that later. Tuesday was somewhat exciting, as we ate a huge lunch at this restaurant we occasionally order take-out from called Casa de Moqueca. Then we went and got ice cream afterward from the gelateria on the corner.

In the afternoon, Rosana and Rodrigo had to go to a convention/event of sorts in a hotel here in Campinas. Tiago was going to his former military police helicopter unit to train in preparation for his physical examination this Friday. A quick note about the police here in Brazil. There are three types of police - the federal police, the military police, and the civil police. The federal police are like the FBI, the civil police are like normal US cops, and the military police are a sort of in-between that doesn't exist in the states. Tiago used to be a member of the helicopter air support company before joining Edumed.

So I decided to tag along with Tiago to check out the unit and see what his company was like. We arrived and I met a few of the people in the unit, but most of our time was spent with a Sergeant, who was helping Tiago train. He was an unbelievably nice man, and throughout the course of the 2 or so hours we were there, we talked about plenty of things. I was given a tour of the facility, which was pretty cool, complete with a radio room and a hangar for the helicopter.

The helicopter wasn't around when we first arrived, but returned later, and we went outside to watch them land. That was pretty cool. After they had shut it down and essentially parked it, I even got to take a closer look and climb inside. Pretty sweet being that close to a machine that costs about 4-5 million Reais ($2-2.5 million).

Me and Tiago inside with the copter

We took some pictures with the helicopter, then stood around on the tarmac talking. The Sergeant was giving Tiago a pep talk to prepare him for his test on Friday. He also expressed some regret about missing an opportunity to go to the United States and serve in the military to gain residency/citizenship. He cited that he doesn't get to do much here in Campinas, yet he still has to conduct himself like a soldier. He admired the order and preparedness of American soldiers, and also wished he would see more action, since he did sign up to be a soldier after all.

Me with the Sergeant

I thought this was a very interesting perspective, since I never really considered many people wanting to actually go to war. But I certainly can understand his desire to perform the type of duty he originally signed up to do. We went on to talk about some of the differences between the two countries, until it began to rain. Something of a flash storm began, with large droplets of rain coming down and thunder rumbling and lightning crackling in the sky. We took shelter inside, and the Sergeant said he wanted to give me a t-shirt with the logo of their company. He went to get it and emerged a few minutes later with not only a t-shirt, but also a bunch of stickers, one kind with a helicopter and another with the company logo. I was shocked at his generosity, as I had just met this man an hour and a half ago.

Suddenly, a siren began to ring, and people started running around, putting on gear. Tiago grabbed me and pulled me outside, where it was still raining a little bit. The company had received an urgent call requiring their assistance, so they were about to head out for a mission. We watched the helicopter take off from the doorway, and I filmed it. Video is below. Pretty cool.

Video Post! Amazon Recap!

Enjoy:

Video is coming ASAP. Youtube is being annoying with upload. Thanks for your patience.
Edit: Videos have been succesfully uploaded to Youtube. Embedded below.

Part I


Part II


Pictures will be on Fbook (some are on Flickr already) soon.

Hope you're all well.

-Rollin

Monday: Health Center, Packing...

Hey people, I'm currently packing my bag for our trip to Rondonia tomorrow. Rodrigo and I will be leaving Campinas after lunch to head to Sao Paolo, where we will catch the first of 3 flights on the journey to Porto Velho, the capital city of Rondonia.

Today, we had the privilege of visiting a health center in one of the poorer areas near Campinas. The center was quite remote - we drove on a couple miles of dirt road before we arrived there. The coordinator of the health center, Elizabeth, greeted us when we arrived, and agreed to answer the questions that we had. Naturally, Rodrigo did almost all of the talking, while I listened intently and attempted to translate the spoken Portuguese into English in my brain before writing down my notes in my journal. I'm quite proud, as I caught almost all of what was said. Rodrigo and I then took pictures to document our trip and further illustrate the challenges that the health center faces when we write the report. We didn't have time today to visit the other health center in Barao Geraldo, but I'm sure we'll get around to it after our trip to Rondonia.

Now, I'm packing my bag for the trip, and I've got all of my things laid out on my bed. I still have to buy a lighter, but Tiago helped me this weekend to find a nylon hammock, a mosquito net especially designed for use with hammocks, duct tape, and a flashlight. I already brought a few supplies from home, including sunscreen, 98% DEET insect repellent, and my backpack and hiking boots. See spread picture below, all packed picture unavailable, as the camera is already inside the bag, enclosed in a gallon-size ziploc to prevent water damage in the Amazon.


And, that's about it! I'll be sure to post along the way if I can, but otherwise, expect a lengthy post or series of posts upon my return this weekend!

Tickets Booked! = Adventurous Week Ahead

So it's on! I'm officially heading to the Amazonian state of Rondonia on Tuesday night! Rodrigo and I will be spending the remainder of the week there with a couple of goals in mind. First, we will be visiting a group of UNICAMP students who have been volunteering for the month of July in riverside communities near the Cunia Lake. They are providing primary health care to the populations of these riverside communities, who suffer from many diseases, including a high incidence of Malaria. They have a bi-directional satellite there, and they've been employing a crude form of telemedicine using Skype and digital images to consult with doctors back here in Campinas. Youtube videos here and here (both in Portuguese).

Since Edumed is working with the Rondonia state government on starting a telemedicine pilot program with a jungle health outpost, Rodrigo and I will be visiting the NAPRA students in Cunia to learn from their experiences. Their program has been going on for many years, and we hope to get an inside perspective on the obstacles, needs, and successful projects that come with providing telemedicine to a community in the Amazon rain forest.

To get to Lake Cunia, we must take a 5-hour boat ride down the Madeira River, followed by a 14km trek through the jungle. Obviously, the communities we will be visiting are impoverished, and we will be sleeping in hammocks with mosquito nets for the nights we are there. Do not worry, I'll be bringing my camera along, as we will be documenting almost everything we see there.

We will then return to Porto Velho, the capital of Rondonia, and hopefully we will have time to go to Cacoal, a city nearby where we will eventually implement the telemedicine pilot project. While we are there, we are going to test the connection of the satellite and other equipment to make sure it will be ready when we begin the program.

This weekend I'm going to have to shop for supplies, including said hammock and mosquito net, along with a few other essentials. I'm really excited to break out my backpack, but I'm beginning to worry that it will be too small. I think it should be fine, though.

Monday (and Tuesday, most likely) I'll begin a different project - a sort of report and investigation into community health centers here in Campinas. I will be visiting a couple of community health posts in different neighborhoods that differ in their socioeconomic affluence. I'll be collecting data about the center and the population it serves, as well as asking questions to see what kind of technology they are applying to their work and what kind of problems they are encountering. This, coupled with our Cunia trip, should be an interesting background and primer for my eventual report and analysis regarding the health post where we will install the telemedicine pilot. Unfortunately, it's likely, almost certain, that I'll be leaving to return to the States before the pilot gets underway, but the projected time frame is a couple of years, so I hope I will have plenty of opportunity to come back and get involved again.

So, I think that's the most of it. I'll be "off the grid" for a while, but we are running a twitter feed on our activities in Cunia and Cacoal - www.twitter.com/projetorondonia - Rodrigo will be posting in Portuguese, and I will be posting in English, and we'll be uploading pictures via TwitPic. So, if you so desire you can tune in to our adventures! I'll be writing my own blog post when I return!

Change of Plans

One of those things they teach you at DukeEngage Academy is about the differences in cultural perspective on certain values, such as dress and appearance, the individual vs. the community, and work habits and practices. But I've truly experienced one notion above all others during my time so far in Brazil. That is the sense of time and of planning. I've come to learn not to expect things to happen until they've actually begun happening. Naturally this comes as a shock to my American cultural upbringing, where strict scheduling and adherence to advanced planning are part of what makes society move with such efficiency.

Today, I learned that our trip to Rondonia, the Amazonian state, is once again delayed. This rescheduling is due to the fact that our contacts in Rondonia are currently on vacation, so leaving tomorrow would result in a pointless trip. How this news broke on the eve of our departure I am unaware, but I have learned to accept these hiccups as part of the experience. Now, the plan is to make our trip the first week of August, right before I leave on the 10th. Naturally, this concerns me because another delay will surely result in me not being able to go there, even though working with that region was the original purpose of my entire summer here in Brazil. But, as they told us again and again in the Academy, things never turn out like you originally expect.

Clearly, I'm disappointed with this news, but I have been assigned an interesting project to carry out over the next few weeks before we leave, so at the least I will be busy. This does, however, push up my timetable in terms of weekends I have left to make the trips I want to Sao Paulo and Rio. Tiago says we may be able to go to Rio this weekend or next weekend, and I hope this isn't just another one of the "plans" that gets delayed and revised.

The reality is that I'll be home in four weeks. Though that both seems like a little and a lot of time, I'll be very busy working during the week and (hopefully) traveling on the weekends. Hope you're all keeping well.

Friday: Mixing Things Up

Given my latest post and mounting feelings of slipping into a dull routine, I decided to mix things up a bit on Friday night. Every time when I take the bus home from Edumed, I pass by the strip of restaurants in Barao Geraldo that are a 15 minute walk away from my home. So yesterday, I finally decided to get off the bus early and try one of the restaurants. Professor Sabbatini had recommended one in particular, a seafood restaurant called Dom Alvarez. I decided that this would be the perfect time to try it out.

The restaurant was completely void of patrons when I walked in, as it was still early for dinner by Latin American standards. I actually asked one of the waiters whether the restaurant was open for business, and he assured me that I could choose any table I liked. Outdoor seating was available, but I opted for a window seat just inside the restaurant. The first thing I ordered was a chopp, and then an order of salmon sashimi as an appetizer. As I waited for the sashimi, I contemplated my entree choice. I was having difficulty deciphering just what types of fish they had to offer, as the only two on the menu I recognized were salmao (salmon) and truta (trout). On a whim, I settled on Abadejo, and asked the waiter for a recommendation as to which dish of Abadejo to enjoy. He suggested one, and tried to explain what an abadejo was - a saltwater fish, tasty.

The sashimi came and I was impressed by both the quantity and the thickness of the slices. The wasabi was on the weak side, but the quality of the fish was quite excellent. Good texture and balance of meat and fat, and very fresh. Needless to say I was surprised.

The sashimi

The main course came and I attacked it, accompanied by another chopp. The abadejo, which I now know is codfish, was cooked with a sauce of small shrimps, mushrooms, and capers. The dish came with steamed vegetables and a side of risotto. All parts of the dish were quite good, although some parts of the cod were slightly overcooked and chewy.

The main course

I finished my meal and paid, then left to walk back home. After arriving and settling down, I got a call from Rodrigo inviting me out to Outback with his girlfriend and his cousins. I explained that I had already eaten, but I would love to go and hang out. So Joao, the same cousin that let me drive his car a few weeks ago, drove by and I hopped in. Though we arrived at pretty much peak hours at the restaurant, the five of us got the next available table thanks to Rodrigo's other cousin's hookup - she works at that Outback as a waitress.

For the next couple of hours we sat, talked, ate, drank, and laughed. Rodrigo's cousin spoke perfect English, and we talked for a while about our respective travels. She lived in Orlando for about 6 months working at Universal Studios: Islands of Adventure, and lived another year in Ireland. She also worked on a cruise ship for a year, and got to see most of the Mediterranean, as well as some countries of Eastern Europe. I told her of my own travel experiences and strongly endorsed a trip to Asia.

After a while, another one of their friends, Terrence, arrived. He was also a nice guy, and spoke pretty good English, although he was shy to use it at first. He explained how he had learned a lot of English from working for IBM for a few months, where they would make daily calls to the divisions in the US. Now, though, he works at Abercrombie in one of the shopping centers as a sales rep. Like most Brazilians, he complained how much of a markup imported goods carry when they're sold in Brazilian stores. An Abercrombie t-shirt, for example, regularly costs 100 Reais, or $50! And, like most Brazilians, he dreams of seeing the United States, maybe taking a few months to travel around the country. We also talked about jobs and the difficulty of finding a well-paying job that will allow for financial stability. Clearly, job shortages are apparent not only in the United States.

I always find it interesting meeting new people and hearing their stories - what they've done, what they're doing, why they're doing it, and what they want to do. It's ever more fascinating when the people are somewhat close in age to myself, because then I can project my own perspective onto their situation, and really see how different, or similar, life can be depending on what country or culture you grow up in. During my time here, I've met many interesting people thanks to my relationships with Tiago and Rodrigo. I just hope I'll get to see some of them again before I leave, so we can continue discussions we've started. Further, it'd be nice to maintain contact with them after I go back home, just to see if they're able to achieve their goals as I hope to achieve my own. And after all, if they do end up visiting the States, I'd feel obliged to return their hospitality and show them around.

The Calm Before the Storm

I realize I haven't posted in the past few days, and it's really because there has been little to comment about. Perhaps the only activity of note that has transpired was going out to a bar for happy hour yesterday after work with Tiago and Fucho. Otherwise, I've been going to work, talking with Rodrigo as we take the bus from Edumed to Iguatemi Shopping where we part ways, and watching movies and talking to people from home back in the house.

I feel as though I'm falling into a state where everything feels routine, and few things still appear fresh. Perhaps the daily grind is starting to affect me. I must admit I'm a little tired of the food here and long for some of my favorite dishes from back home. With only a couple of people in the house, evenings are quiet and somewhat lonesome, though a good skype session always seems to fill up the time.

Luckily, I won't have to endure this for much longer, as we're off to the Amazon early next week. I'm sure this trip will serve not only to break the partial monotony that has begun to take hold of me, but also to remind me of my purpose here in Brazil, and the goals that I am seeking to accomplish. After the trip, I'll only have a few weeks left, and they will be very busy weeks as I write my paper/report on our project in Rondonia and travel to Rio to see more of this country. This period now really is the calm before the storm of activity that will continue to bluster until I land upon the shores of my home. Guess I'll just hold on tight and keep my eyes open, so as not to miss anything.

Weekend Edition: The Fourth, Churrasco

Saturday came and Tiago picked me up again to spend the weekend at his house. I had already told him of my desire to buy fireworks, so we dropped my bags off at his house and set off to buy them. Unfortunately, I suffered a burn at the hands (tailpipe) of his motorcycle, and it is now an unsightly brown air blister surrounded by a patch of red. Quite lamentable. Regardless, we continued with the plan and went to a pyrotechnics store, where we bought a dozen little rockets, and a dozen typical colored-burst fireworks. Along the way, I even got my hair cut, something I had been neglecting for a while.

Pyros

Later that night, Tiago and I started shooting off the fireworks from his roof, and Fucho joined us shortly. Video evidence is below.

Afterwards, we went to a Festa Junina in a part of the city called Taquaral. The festa was more like a fair, with hordes of people milling around the fairgrounds and lines of stalls selling food, hot wine, and quentao, a super-strong mixture of ginger tea and vodka-like alcohol. The three of us walked around for a while, watching people dancing a traditional Brazilian square dance, quadrilha.

Sunday was spent attending a churrasco at the house of Fucho's friend. During the day we ate and played around with the kids, kicking around a light soccer ball and shooting a basketball at a makeshift hoop. Everyone was a bit impressed with my handles, even though, as many of you know, my game is much to be desired by American standards. We took a break in the evening, walking over to a little live concert of samba at a house/shop in the neighborhood. I tried to learn the steps from one of the women, but it was pretty challenging, and the language barrier prevented me from asking more about the intricacies of the steps.

After that, we headed back to the house for more churrasco. We played truco, me and one of the guys against Tiago and Fucho. The guy (Aurelio?) and I ended up winning after a closely contested best of three matches to 12 points. I had to leave early, since Tiago was worried about rain on Monday morning. So I headed back to my house in Barao Geraldo, where I was able to skype and watch an episode of Flight of the Conchords before bed.

We're officially leaving for Rondonia (the Amazon) next week, so I'm getting more and more excited every day. Hope to hear from you guys soon. Much love.

Happy 4th!

Happy Independence Day to my fellow Americans, wherever in the world you may be! I don't know any other Americans here in Brazil, but I have arranged with Tiago to go buy some fireworks to set off tonight. So, despite the fact I will be without good 'ol charcoal grilled hamburgers and hot dogs, I'll still be able to share in some of the festivities.

These past couple of days have been relatively activity-filled. I went to Valinhos again with Rodrigo, where we played some poker again. This time, there were only 9 players to begin with, but most everyone there was well-seasoned in the art of Texas Hold 'Em. Once again, I finished in 4th place, despite holding the chip lead for much of the middle of the game. Rodrigo again finished in 3rd, one place out of the money. The winner and runner-up were Cahuel, Rodrigo's best friend, and his father, Carlinhos. I really had a great time as we laughed and joked throughout the night. Rodrigo's friends are all great guys, and I have really enjoyed spending time with them.

Poker, anyone?

The room where we play, snooker and foosball included

Me, Cahuel, Celso, and Marcelo

Crammed in the back of the car after poker

The view of Valinhos from Rodrigo's kitchen

I stayed the night at Rodrigo's again, and we went to Edumed together in the morning. After the usual day of work, I went back to the house where I chatted with Enrique for a while. He told me they were going to a party that night to celebrate Nahuel's (the Argentine) departure. I agreed to go along, and I was able to watch Watchmen before heading out to the festa. This time, the party was at a house just outside the campus of UNICAMP. Enrique explained that a bunch of French foreign students were staying in the house, and they were hosting the party to celebrate their own departures as well. The house was quite far away, and we had to ride bicycles to get there. I've now ridden a bike more times here in Brazil over the past 6 weeks than I had in the states over the past 6 months.

The party was fun, with plenty of international students, but no other Americans. So when I looked at the time and it was officially the 4th on the East Coast of the US, I cheered. Enrique and Yuri congratulated me as well. It was slightly awkward but pretty funny looking back on it. I'm sad to see another friend from the house leave, even though I didn't know Nahuel very well. I am the last remaining foreigner in the house.

Actually, I'm practically the only one in the house now, since all of the guys have left for their winter break. Most of them won't be back until the beginning of August, though some have to come back in two weeks to retake an exam or two. The rest of the weekend I'll spend at Tiago's, but it looks like plenty of movie-watching is heading my way next week. I'll post again soon, hopefully with some fireworks stories to tell.

July, July

To my lovely readers,

Today marks the beginning of July, and in a few more days, I will have already passed the halfway point of my journey. The entire month of June has been spent here in Sao Paulo State, making friends and learning about telemedicine. I have produced a presentation with a paper on the way, and soon enough we will be heading off to the Amazon for the main project.

In this time, my Portuguese has advanced quite rapidly. I began unable to mutter much else besides "I don't speak Portuguese" and "Do you speak English?" Now, I can understand most of the things that are said to me, as long as the speaker talks slow enough. I am confident in my day to day conversational skills, while I encounter a little more difficulty when trying to express complicated ideas or use very specific or technical terms. I think that in another 6 weeks' time, my Portuguese will be even better. Hopefully I will be able to continue studying Portuguese, and perhaps I will be fluent enough when a telemedicine conference rolls around here in Brazil.

I do certainly long for home and for school from time to time. I miss my family, my friends, food, Duke's campus, and some of the luxuries of life in the USA. I do consider myself quite fortunate, however, to be equipped with internet both at work and at home, so I am never too far out of touch with the people I care about. I suppose this post represents my reflections on my time here so far. I've enjoyed these (almost) 6 weeks immensely, though I hope the next 6 weeks are even better. Plans include our trip to the Amazon, a weekend excursion to Rio de Janeiro, and hopefully some more time in Sao Paulo.

The end of summer draws ever nearer, and I hope it is treating you all well. To those of you that are heading off abroad soon, I wish you safe travels and all the best. Skype me some time.

All the best,
Rollin