Rio Trip, Last Week, The End (of the beginning)

Hey guys, I know I haven't posted in a really long time, but I've been unbelievably busy this last week here in Brazil. It's only now, that I'm packing my bags to leave, that I have time to recount my latest adventures.

The trip to Rio last weekend was amazing! The journey itself was hard, however, as Tiago and I drove more than 500 kilometers each way on his motorcycle. But the city was worth all of the pain and suffering. We stayed in a hostel in Copacabana, just a few blocks from the beach. We arrived late on Friday night, and went to bed early, to wake up and get out early Saturday morning. We ended up leaving the hotel around 9, and we headed over to the beach to see the ocean and have a breakfast chopp. The rest of the day was spent around Cobacabana and Ipanema beaches, as well as a trip up to Pão de Açucar, or "sugar loaf." From the two hills, we saw gorgeous views of Rio, and we saw a plane land at the Sants Dumont airport, right in the bay.

Copacabana beach in the morning

Tiago with Pão de Açucar behind him

The afternoon was spent touring the city a little on Tiago's bike, as we went to see Barra, the nicer area of the city. We ate dinner out there as well, and then went to a mall where they had a Hard Rock Cafe, to meet up with Tiago's girlfriend. Then we went back to Copacabana to stroll along the beach, buying drinks from the beachside bars along the way.

The view from Pão de Açucar

Sunday was busy as we still had to see the Corcovado, where the Christ the Redeemer statue is, and go to the Pedra de Gavea, where I was planning on hang gliding over Rio. We went to the Pedra de Gavea first, only to learn that the wind was bad that day, making it impossible to jump. I was disappointed, but the views from the rock were beautiful, way high above the city and the beach. We then went to see the Christ statue, but we had to park the motorcycle 5 kilometers away and walk, since the road was closed. In the end, it was worth it, as I got to see the most iconic landmark of Rio de Janeiro. Then we went back to the hostel, packed up, and made the 6 hour journey home. More pictures are on Facebook, and should be on Flickr soon.

On top of Pedra de Gavea

At the Corcovado

After the Rio trip, I only had one week left before leaving for home. During this week, I spent Tuesday night at Rodrigo's house playing video games with him until 3 in the morning, Wednesday night at Tiago's house after washing my clothes and failing to get into a club because Tiago had track pants on, and Thursday night at Rodrigo's again after going to Outback for a happy hour with all of Rodrigo's friends for a sendoff party. On Friday at work, Rodrigo, Tiago, Rosana, and Alex revealed they had a gift for me: a Ponte Preta original jersey with my name on the back! I was really happy, as the shirt is beautiful and really comfortable. I even got to wear it to a Ponte game, as Rodrigo, Tiago, Fucho, and I went to the Ponte Preta game yesterday. Then Tiago, Fucho, and I went out at night to a bar to eat and drink before heading out to some funk party for my last weekend in Brazil.

Today, Tiago's mom cooked feijoada for me for a sendoff lunch with some of Tiago's extended family. It was delicious, but I'm sad that lately, all I've been doing is saying goodbye to people. I'll really miss the people here in Brazil who have so readily taken me in and treated me like one of their own. Rodrigo and Tiago's respective friends and families have really made these weeks pass by in a blur. I have rarely experienced a lonely moment here, and I really have them to thank.

Well, that's really about it. I'm almost done packing my suitcases, and I'll go to work tomorrow, say more goodbyes, pick up my bags, and get driven to the airport, hopefully by Tiago, Rosana, and Rodrigo. So concludes this chapter of Rollin in Brazil - I know I will be back to this wonderful country sometime in the next year, I just don't know when. I really want to thank all of you who have tuned in from time to time to see what I've been up to this summer, and especially those of you who have given me feedback. It's always easier to write knowing people are out there reading! I'll be arriving back in Newark Liberty Airport Tuesday morning at 6AM, and from there it's a fast track back to Duke in less than two weeks. I hope all of you are well - some of you I will see sooner than others, but I cannot wait to see you all again.

Bejos e Abraços,
Rollin

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.