Last day! The sun cooperated with us and we were up and at ‘em to hit both Sugar Loaf and Corcovado in one day. We rode the double gondola up Sugar Loaf. The adventure is described with one word: spectacular. Then again on the bus with Super Mario and off to Christ the Redeemer at Corcovado.
After a quick 15 minutes train ride, we were there. If we thought the view from Sugar Loaf was spectacular, Corcovado was heavenly. It is a full 360-degree view of Rio. Everywhere we had been over the past 3 days was laying out there for all to see. It was awe-inspiring. We took a great photo of all of us with Christ in the background (tough for any others to coordinate with 32 people on a small platform – but not for Fernando!) It was a site that words can’t do justice. We’ll post the photos and ask that you dream a little to imagine the splendor.
After our two final tourist destinations, it was one last food-by-the-pound destination and then off to the airport with Tom Petty in charge of getting the Bastards there on time. No problem. We all checked in with no problem, and strolled to the gate. Fernando was likely asleep by 7PM tonight after creating and unbelievable and once-in-a-lifetime experience for 32 lucky Americans over the past 14 days.
Words can’t express how much fun we had. THANK YOU!
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Mom Blog - Sunday in Rio, 8/15
The weather was still yucky, so Fernando took a group of boys to the beach for soccer. The waves were “closed” due to the weather, but they still had a great time. Many of us went to the sidewalk market around the corner for last minute souvenirs. We circled the wagons with everyone at 12:30 and walked again to the food court at the mall for a quick lunch. It’s a great spot for everyone, and the boys again loved the Mickey D’s.
We boarded Danica Patrick’s bus, and headed off to the pro soccer game of the entire trip: Fluminese vs. Internaticionale, #1 and #5 in the Brazilian soccer league. There are about 20 teams total in Division 1; four are in Rio and 5 are in Sao Paolo.
What a difference in the crowd of two top teams with one, Fluminense, having the largest fan club in the world. 11 sections of the stadium stood, cheered, boo’d, unveiled flags, clapped and sang the ENTIRE time. (It would be half of Qwest field.) The opposing team is allotted only one half-section of seats which are heavily guarded by cops.
There is a 70 year-old Polish guy we saw both nights before the game entertaining the crowds with his juggling. Fernando says he’s been there for as long as he can remember. He juggles his way around the stadium, never dropping the ball. ("But what if he does?" "He won't." "But what if he does?")
Another cool note, Deco – a new player just signed this week – joined the team for the first day, although he won’t play until this Saturday. He came on the field to wave to the fans for about 30 minutes and it was like the second coming of Christ. He is actually Brazilian in nationality, but has been playing for Chelsea and Barcelona. It was HUGE for these fans and the club.
Fernando changed up dinner on the last night, and we headed out to Barra (pronounced Baha) to the beautiful, wealthy open-aired mall for dinner. The Churrascaria was great to us, and we met another soccer team from a college in North Carolina in for dinner after their game. When in Rome…
We held a surprise celebration for Geena Marcelia’s 19th birthday, and sang Happy Birthday at the top of our lungs in Portuguese. Mr. and Mrs. Prestes along with Lorenzo taught it to us all in secret on the bus beforehand.
After dinner, we let the boys loose on the ice cream shop, and SURPRISE! it was a buffet, serve-yourself dealeo! Again with a theme. How the Brazilians are so thin is beyond us.
Back to the hotel by 11:00PM. Boys are still getting along great. Several in-room soccer games and even one sleepover party tonite to close out the trip.
We boarded Danica Patrick’s bus, and headed off to the pro soccer game of the entire trip: Fluminese vs. Internaticionale, #1 and #5 in the Brazilian soccer league. There are about 20 teams total in Division 1; four are in Rio and 5 are in Sao Paolo.
What a difference in the crowd of two top teams with one, Fluminense, having the largest fan club in the world. 11 sections of the stadium stood, cheered, boo’d, unveiled flags, clapped and sang the ENTIRE time. (It would be half of Qwest field.) The opposing team is allotted only one half-section of seats which are heavily guarded by cops.
There is a 70 year-old Polish guy we saw both nights before the game entertaining the crowds with his juggling. Fernando says he’s been there for as long as he can remember. He juggles his way around the stadium, never dropping the ball. ("But what if he does?" "He won't." "But what if he does?")
Another cool note, Deco – a new player just signed this week – joined the team for the first day, although he won’t play until this Saturday. He came on the field to wave to the fans for about 30 minutes and it was like the second coming of Christ. He is actually Brazilian in nationality, but has been playing for Chelsea and Barcelona. It was HUGE for these fans and the club.
Fernando changed up dinner on the last night, and we headed out to Barra (pronounced Baha) to the beautiful, wealthy open-aired mall for dinner. The Churrascaria was great to us, and we met another soccer team from a college in North Carolina in for dinner after their game. When in Rome…
We held a surprise celebration for Geena Marcelia’s 19th birthday, and sang Happy Birthday at the top of our lungs in Portuguese. Mr. and Mrs. Prestes along with Lorenzo taught it to us all in secret on the bus beforehand.
After dinner, we let the boys loose on the ice cream shop, and SURPRISE! it was a buffet, serve-yourself dealeo! Again with a theme. How the Brazilians are so thin is beyond us.
Back to the hotel by 11:00PM. Boys are still getting along great. Several in-room soccer games and even one sleepover party tonite to close out the trip.
Mom Blog, Saturday 8/14. The Heart of Rio: Shopping & Soccer
The weather refused to cooperate with us on Saturday, so Fernando quickly juggled the plans. It would have been a futile effort to go to Sugar Loaf with a low cloud cover. So Fernando took the boys who wanted to go to the beach for more futbol, and had his niece, Teresa, and Xinho/Mineko take the others to “The Mall.” Teresa is a 30-year old journalist who wants to continue her career in the online magazine industry. This shopping complex is like being at Bell Square. Upscale and fun.
Again, there were not that many people there when we first arrived so we could divide and conquer by breaking into smaller groups. The boys all wanted to look for “authentic” jerseys and the moms wanted Havianas. Mission Accomplished on both accounts. Even the mall store will negotiate a bit in price, so Teresa, Mineko and Xinho were critical toward getting us all through.
The weather was still bad in the afternoon, so we did an impromptu bus tour of “The Beaches of Rio!” There are at least five. It was fascinating to learn the history of each and how they developed. The bus driver, Dale Earnhardt, jerry-rigged a microphone for Fernando to use as he toured us around. One interesting tidbit is the different mosaic patterns on the sidewalks for each different beach. Another note is how much the favelas have infiltrated the use of the beaches. Several 5-star hotels have had to close because they are located too close to the exploding sprawl of the favelas, so the crime has skyrocketed and tourists wouldn’t stay there anymore.
After the tour, we headed directly to the Flamengo vs. Ceara game at Maracana Stadium. The pre-game warm-up was watching Fernando negotiate (aka bribe) our way into parking the bus of American’s inside the stadium gates. Between his persuasiveness, a few Reals, and the size of our bus – he was successful of parking us where he wanted.
During the game, we met Lorenzo Barros! This is Fernando’s nephew (brother of Teresa) – who spent the day before buying the 34 tickets we needed. They only sell tickets at a time so he had to go thru the line 11 times and it took four hours. He is a 26-year old patent attorney in Rio who speaks French, Portuguese, English and Spanish fluently. And he’s hysterical to boot.
We chose our seats 2 hours before game time to avoid any unruly crowds, and stayed seated until pretty much the entire stadium cleared. Easy, peasy. Finished out the night at our same local Churrscaria Palace.
Again, there were not that many people there when we first arrived so we could divide and conquer by breaking into smaller groups. The boys all wanted to look for “authentic” jerseys and the moms wanted Havianas. Mission Accomplished on both accounts. Even the mall store will negotiate a bit in price, so Teresa, Mineko and Xinho were critical toward getting us all through.
The weather was still bad in the afternoon, so we did an impromptu bus tour of “The Beaches of Rio!” There are at least five. It was fascinating to learn the history of each and how they developed. The bus driver, Dale Earnhardt, jerry-rigged a microphone for Fernando to use as he toured us around. One interesting tidbit is the different mosaic patterns on the sidewalks for each different beach. Another note is how much the favelas have infiltrated the use of the beaches. Several 5-star hotels have had to close because they are located too close to the exploding sprawl of the favelas, so the crime has skyrocketed and tourists wouldn’t stay there anymore.
After the tour, we headed directly to the Flamengo vs. Ceara game at Maracana Stadium. The pre-game warm-up was watching Fernando negotiate (aka bribe) our way into parking the bus of American’s inside the stadium gates. Between his persuasiveness, a few Reals, and the size of our bus – he was successful of parking us where he wanted.
During the game, we met Lorenzo Barros! This is Fernando’s nephew (brother of Teresa) – who spent the day before buying the 34 tickets we needed. They only sell tickets at a time so he had to go thru the line 11 times and it took four hours. He is a 26-year old patent attorney in Rio who speaks French, Portuguese, English and Spanish fluently. And he’s hysterical to boot.
We chose our seats 2 hours before game time to avoid any unruly crowds, and stayed seated until pretty much the entire stadium cleared. Easy, peasy. Finished out the night at our same local Churrscaria Palace.
Mom Blog: Friday 8/13... The Road to Rio!!
Friday the 13th! The day began with a round of unexpected 5:20 a.m. wakeup calls. (You could hear the calls work their way down the hall to each room. Thanks of thinking of us, Fernando.) Push time to Rio was designated as 6:00 a.m. The bus fired it up out behind the hotel and off we went. Pretty much everyone slept, unfortunately for a few the gal with the camera didn’t.
Departure ran very smoothly, and off we headed for our anticipated 8-hour trek. Once we made it through the Sao Paolo rush hour, the open road was beautiful. The ant hills were subject of much conversation. They populated every open field as far as you could see and were easily 10-feet tall.
About two hours in, we held up our record of adding a random Brazilian to our bus when we pulled over unexpectedly so a semi-truck could transfer his passenger to our coach. It was a police officer (in full regalia) just off duty and needing a ride home. Not sure how far “home” was, but he traveled/slept with us for another two hours. Bummer of a walk if you couldn’t find a ride after your shift.
Lunch was at a truck-stop diner owned by the tour bus company. Surprise! A flash of money grubbing American capitalism in Brazil. The bus companies have all installed their own pit-stops for passengers. It was another “pay by the pound” buffet, so everyone could find something they liked.
Once resupplied, we treacherously traversed the final mountain pass down off the plateau to the sea-level streets of Rio. Road to Hana, anyone?
Fernando switch into full travel-guide mode and gave us our first (honest) introduction to the suburbs of Rio. The favelas are as awful and wide-spread as you’ve heard, but wow. They are everywhere and massive. In between are beautiful historic buildings, tagged with endless graffiti. Fernando’s perspective was unique and personal as he was born and raised one block off of Copacabana Beach, and his knowledge of the history and lay-out of Rio is fantastic. We felt very lucky to visit the most visited city in the world with a true native.
Once we entered the beach district, all the distress was gone. We checked in to a nice hotel (Fernando is friends with the GM) and immediately checked out towel and bee-lined to the Copacabana Beach which was about a six block walk.
They boys were off and running to bodysurf, while Fernando the trained lifeguard stood on patrol in his swimsuit. For those who wonder, his surf patrol stance is the same as his sideline coaching stance. The parents enjoyed a few hours sitting on the beach in nice sunny weather watching the boys have a blast in the surf.
A fun fact? The soccer courts are permanently set up on Copacabana beach, so Suzi “negotiated” a fair price for a ball. The kids played against each other for at least an hour and were very bummed when Fernando made us clear the beach “before the sun goes down.” We had dinner at a Churrascaria and strolled home down the sidewalk past the historic Copacabana Palace hotel.
Departure ran very smoothly, and off we headed for our anticipated 8-hour trek. Once we made it through the Sao Paolo rush hour, the open road was beautiful. The ant hills were subject of much conversation. They populated every open field as far as you could see and were easily 10-feet tall.
About two hours in, we held up our record of adding a random Brazilian to our bus when we pulled over unexpectedly so a semi-truck could transfer his passenger to our coach. It was a police officer (in full regalia) just off duty and needing a ride home. Not sure how far “home” was, but he traveled/slept with us for another two hours. Bummer of a walk if you couldn’t find a ride after your shift.
Lunch was at a truck-stop diner owned by the tour bus company. Surprise! A flash of money grubbing American capitalism in Brazil. The bus companies have all installed their own pit-stops for passengers. It was another “pay by the pound” buffet, so everyone could find something they liked.
Once resupplied, we treacherously traversed the final mountain pass down off the plateau to the sea-level streets of Rio. Road to Hana, anyone?
Fernando switch into full travel-guide mode and gave us our first (honest) introduction to the suburbs of Rio. The favelas are as awful and wide-spread as you’ve heard, but wow. They are everywhere and massive. In between are beautiful historic buildings, tagged with endless graffiti. Fernando’s perspective was unique and personal as he was born and raised one block off of Copacabana Beach, and his knowledge of the history and lay-out of Rio is fantastic. We felt very lucky to visit the most visited city in the world with a true native.
Once we entered the beach district, all the distress was gone. We checked in to a nice hotel (Fernando is friends with the GM) and immediately checked out towel and bee-lined to the Copacabana Beach which was about a six block walk.
They boys were off and running to bodysurf, while Fernando the trained lifeguard stood on patrol in his swimsuit. For those who wonder, his surf patrol stance is the same as his sideline coaching stance. The parents enjoyed a few hours sitting on the beach in nice sunny weather watching the boys have a blast in the surf.
A fun fact? The soccer courts are permanently set up on Copacabana beach, so Suzi “negotiated” a fair price for a ball. The kids played against each other for at least an hour and were very bummed when Fernando made us clear the beach “before the sun goes down.” We had dinner at a Churrascaria and strolled home down the sidewalk past the historic Copacabana Palace hotel.
Mom Blog - Quero Ser - Thurs, 8/12
(Pictures to follow when we have the time to upload :)
A big day for all of us – visiting the public school of two of the exchange kids (Kevillin and Ianca) and the heading over to Fernando’s school , Quero Ser which means “I want to be…”
The two schools are across the street from each other. When we arrived on our big Mario Andretti driven tour bus, we could see the little kids about 200 yards down the dirt road at Quero Ser. They were all wearing red and when we waved far away from the road, they would jump, cheer and wave back. They were awaiting our arrival with such anticipation that just getting a glimpse of us debarking made them charmingly hysterical.
We went into the public school and were met by the director and assistant director. There are 700 kids at the school. 350 older grades in the morning and 350 younger in the afternoon. (The Quero Ser participants alternate conversely.)
The boys toured classrooms for about an hour; there was a disparaging difference between this facility and the one we’d seen days earlier. Despite the difference, the kids were just as engaged with our visit. Everyone really likes to try their English on “real Americans,” although noticeably few had any English here. The school is extremely run down, and plans for improvements are in the works, but will take time.
After touring the school, we headed to Quero Ser to meet the little kiddos. As we walked down the long dirt road, we noticed all the kids were in red. But until we arrived, we didn’t know they were “uniformed” in Eastside FC red training t-shirts. The kids were SO PROUD of their outfits and having us there. The boys then unloaded 20 large crates of donated soccer and regular clothing. When we showed the little girls that many of the EFC uniforms sent were actually “girl uniforms” they couldn’t believe it. Big, big smiles!!!!
We toured the two-story 2500-3000 square foot refurbished building and were unbelievably impressed. The contrast between the run-down condition of the public school (with random sketch dogs sleeping everywhere) and the well-kept, pristine condition of Quero Ser was stark. The grounds, flowers, the paint, kitchens, bathrooms, etc. were spotless. Fernando emphasize that one important part of Quero Ser is to model what efficiency, cleanliness and “cared-for” looks like. It took the entire first year of the school’s existence to teach proper hygiene to the children and dental health is a big deal.
The school also has a garden where fresh vegetables are grown by the kids and used in the morning and afternoon snacks they provide. After every meal, kids brush their teeth and wash their hands religiously. To no one’s surprise, the boys ultimately gravitated to the hap-hazard dirt soccer field built out behind the school. EFC and Quero Ser boys played pick-up ball.
We then boarded the bus again to head to lunch at the high-end winery, Goes. They have a beautiful white table cloth restaurant that was opened just for us. (Just how many favors did Fernando call in this trip?!) The meal was a tasty Italian meal of something like Chicken (aka “Frango”) Parmesan.
Next was a surprise! Stop at Mido’s home. He lives with his wife and Vitoria (Nick’s future wife) and her parents. It was a pristine home nestled in the hill of Conguera. The boys loved the outdoor parrot who would repeat everything. Joanne noted that Mido has used many of his old trophies as planters in the yards. Vitoria was solely intent on showing Nick her playhouse (and he was very sweet to play along) and Mido’s in-laws made a tasty summer squash puree for us to try. What an unbelievable family they are.
We then headed back to Quero Ser for the afternoon session of older grades. Navy training jerseys greeted us this time (they look really cool on the kids). The kiddos had prepared several presentations for us. A song (“Heal the World” by Michael Jackson) that really tugged at everyone’s heartstrings and there were quite a few tears, a Justin Bieber dance, a traditional Samba solo on the spot by Beatrice, and then the unveiling of the Gayle Barros Library. (The boys blogged on how this went down, but what an incredibly moving experience for us all to be there for Fernando as this gorgeous sunroom, reading room was christened for the first time with us there.)
Chef Melinda then headed into the kitchen to demonstrate how to make Chocolate Chip Cookies! They loved it and the hair nets were priceless. She left all of her cooking utensils there (measuring cups, etc.) as they can’t afford things like that at the school yet.
The rest of us received instructions on homemade crafts by the kids --- and the boys? Gravitated again to the soccer patch where the older boys were ready to take them on.
Late in the afternoon, the team adventured down a jungle path for about an 1/8 mile to the Canguera pitch. This is the local soccer stadium where EFC had a friendly lined up against the local club. Although the score ended in a 0-0 draw, it remained amazing how many local townsfolk showed up to watch the game. It was a beautiful 75-degree day and the adults enjoyed relaxing in the sun while the boys did their thing.
We then sprinted back to the hotel via the Jeff Gordon Express to meet our exchange families for one final farewell. It was an American-style, pick-up happy hour party in the deserted cement patch beside the hotel. Thanks yet again to Fernando, the hotel staff brought us tables and chairs and a quick run to the grocery supplied the beverages. Still not sure where the tuna sandwiches and popcorn came from, but yum! Nothing like a sandwich before heading to dinner.
Our faithful bus driver took a LARGE photo of everyone although we are pretty certain no one’s flash could illuminate the entire Hee-Haw gang. Lots of Obrigada’s were exchanged and off we went to dinner.
The Italian restaurant was owned by Mido’s wife’s aunt who is Italian! She opened the restaurant exclusively for us Thursday night and the musicians came all the way from Sao Paolo as a special favor to entertain us (are you catching the theme here?) The food was great, the wine for adults = interesting, and the night ended with Brazilian Karaoke per se. The boys arose to the occasion and Brad and Blake led the team in Wise Men Say by Elvis, Kyle and Gabe butchered “What a Wonderful World” and Josh brought it home with a rendition of “Imagine” by John Lennon. Mido’s wife Anna Lucia stole the show when she sang for the 45th wedding anniversary of two more Brazilians, the relatives and/or friends of someone on our trip; we’re not exactly sure but they were fabulous. It was a great meal and a truly special way to end our time with the Brazilian coaches and their families who did so much to facilitate our stay and to make us feel enormously welcome.
A big day for all of us – visiting the public school of two of the exchange kids (Kevillin and Ianca) and the heading over to Fernando’s school , Quero Ser which means “I want to be…”
The two schools are across the street from each other. When we arrived on our big Mario Andretti driven tour bus, we could see the little kids about 200 yards down the dirt road at Quero Ser. They were all wearing red and when we waved far away from the road, they would jump, cheer and wave back. They were awaiting our arrival with such anticipation that just getting a glimpse of us debarking made them charmingly hysterical.
We went into the public school and were met by the director and assistant director. There are 700 kids at the school. 350 older grades in the morning and 350 younger in the afternoon. (The Quero Ser participants alternate conversely.)
The boys toured classrooms for about an hour; there was a disparaging difference between this facility and the one we’d seen days earlier. Despite the difference, the kids were just as engaged with our visit. Everyone really likes to try their English on “real Americans,” although noticeably few had any English here. The school is extremely run down, and plans for improvements are in the works, but will take time.
After touring the school, we headed to Quero Ser to meet the little kiddos. As we walked down the long dirt road, we noticed all the kids were in red. But until we arrived, we didn’t know they were “uniformed” in Eastside FC red training t-shirts. The kids were SO PROUD of their outfits and having us there. The boys then unloaded 20 large crates of donated soccer and regular clothing. When we showed the little girls that many of the EFC uniforms sent were actually “girl uniforms” they couldn’t believe it. Big, big smiles!!!!
We toured the two-story 2500-3000 square foot refurbished building and were unbelievably impressed. The contrast between the run-down condition of the public school (with random sketch dogs sleeping everywhere) and the well-kept, pristine condition of Quero Ser was stark. The grounds, flowers, the paint, kitchens, bathrooms, etc. were spotless. Fernando emphasize that one important part of Quero Ser is to model what efficiency, cleanliness and “cared-for” looks like. It took the entire first year of the school’s existence to teach proper hygiene to the children and dental health is a big deal.
The school also has a garden where fresh vegetables are grown by the kids and used in the morning and afternoon snacks they provide. After every meal, kids brush their teeth and wash their hands religiously. To no one’s surprise, the boys ultimately gravitated to the hap-hazard dirt soccer field built out behind the school. EFC and Quero Ser boys played pick-up ball.
We then boarded the bus again to head to lunch at the high-end winery, Goes. They have a beautiful white table cloth restaurant that was opened just for us. (Just how many favors did Fernando call in this trip?!) The meal was a tasty Italian meal of something like Chicken (aka “Frango”) Parmesan.
Next was a surprise! Stop at Mido’s home. He lives with his wife and Vitoria (Nick’s future wife) and her parents. It was a pristine home nestled in the hill of Conguera. The boys loved the outdoor parrot who would repeat everything. Joanne noted that Mido has used many of his old trophies as planters in the yards. Vitoria was solely intent on showing Nick her playhouse (and he was very sweet to play along) and Mido’s in-laws made a tasty summer squash puree for us to try. What an unbelievable family they are.
We then headed back to Quero Ser for the afternoon session of older grades. Navy training jerseys greeted us this time (they look really cool on the kids). The kiddos had prepared several presentations for us. A song (“Heal the World” by Michael Jackson) that really tugged at everyone’s heartstrings and there were quite a few tears, a Justin Bieber dance, a traditional Samba solo on the spot by Beatrice, and then the unveiling of the Gayle Barros Library. (The boys blogged on how this went down, but what an incredibly moving experience for us all to be there for Fernando as this gorgeous sunroom, reading room was christened for the first time with us there.)
Chef Melinda then headed into the kitchen to demonstrate how to make Chocolate Chip Cookies! They loved it and the hair nets were priceless. She left all of her cooking utensils there (measuring cups, etc.) as they can’t afford things like that at the school yet.
The rest of us received instructions on homemade crafts by the kids --- and the boys? Gravitated again to the soccer patch where the older boys were ready to take them on.
Late in the afternoon, the team adventured down a jungle path for about an 1/8 mile to the Canguera pitch. This is the local soccer stadium where EFC had a friendly lined up against the local club. Although the score ended in a 0-0 draw, it remained amazing how many local townsfolk showed up to watch the game. It was a beautiful 75-degree day and the adults enjoyed relaxing in the sun while the boys did their thing.
We then sprinted back to the hotel via the Jeff Gordon Express to meet our exchange families for one final farewell. It was an American-style, pick-up happy hour party in the deserted cement patch beside the hotel. Thanks yet again to Fernando, the hotel staff brought us tables and chairs and a quick run to the grocery supplied the beverages. Still not sure where the tuna sandwiches and popcorn came from, but yum! Nothing like a sandwich before heading to dinner.
Our faithful bus driver took a LARGE photo of everyone although we are pretty certain no one’s flash could illuminate the entire Hee-Haw gang. Lots of Obrigada’s were exchanged and off we went to dinner.
The Italian restaurant was owned by Mido’s wife’s aunt who is Italian! She opened the restaurant exclusively for us Thursday night and the musicians came all the way from Sao Paolo as a special favor to entertain us (are you catching the theme here?) The food was great, the wine for adults = interesting, and the night ended with Brazilian Karaoke per se. The boys arose to the occasion and Brad and Blake led the team in Wise Men Say by Elvis, Kyle and Gabe butchered “What a Wonderful World” and Josh brought it home with a rendition of “Imagine” by John Lennon. Mido’s wife Anna Lucia stole the show when she sang for the 45th wedding anniversary of two more Brazilians, the relatives and/or friends of someone on our trip; we’re not exactly sure but they were fabulous. It was a great meal and a truly special way to end our time with the Brazilian coaches and their families who did so much to facilitate our stay and to make us feel enormously welcome.
Mom Blog - Color Commentary for Wednesday, 8/11
EMBU & SAO PAOLO YOUTH TRAINING CENTER: The boys blog is correct, we started the morning making it about 2 blocks as we did the “count off” (ask your sons) and realized that we were missing 3 kiddos. A quick run around the block and we found our fugitives. Overall, this worked well for the parents because we could run back into the lobby for one more quick refill on our coffees while Fernando stormed the halls.Embu is “about 40 minutes” from "Sow Hockey" and is a picturesque arts & crafts village where local artisans sell their wares. Since it was a Wednesday and overcast, the town was quiet so we could easily break into groups to roam the village shops. The boys gravitated to the expected: ornate swords, food vendors, polished stone and Brazilian trinkets. They were very sweet about choosing just the right thing for family members. Those boys without parents with them took the time to find a mom for advice on gifts or sizes, etc. (“Do you think my mom would like this?”) Brad with the facts earns the most diligent shopper award… those of you who receive a gift from him should know how much effort he put in toward buying just the right thing for each of you.
Lunch was a quick adventure bouncing between two street vendor stalls… Xinho managed our line at one; Mineko- with her fabulous Portuguese- manned the other. We ate at plastic sidewalk tables (do not picture the Champs Elysees) and watched Jack feed the pigeons with a hunk of bread tied to a string.
Then back on the bus and off to the Sao Paulo FC youth training center (home of KaKa), which is essentially a boarding school for Brazilian soccer hopefuls starting at age 11. 140 kids live there – it’s like a small college set up. The kids selected via quarterly try-outs with more than 3000 kids showing up for 10 spots. Or, discovered by one of about a dozen full-time scouts who cross the country looking to find the next Kaka.
A very large security guard escorted us around for about 2 hours giving a tour, and at the end the president of the club arrived to welcome us and give us little gifts.The tour is not open to the public; the visit was arranged for Fernando by Serreta through back-channels.
Ricardo played for the club as a youth as well. The training clubs such as this generate revenue by growing players, selling them to the highest bidder and taking 85+% of the signing bonus. One player in perhaps a 1000 makes it to the pros.
After heading back to the Hotel, the boys changed immediately and walked again to the local futsal center across the street. The Brazilian boys were there, and Xinho and Ricardo instructed a two-hour clinic. Afterward, dinner at the hotel and then a walk to town to see the ongoing festival, dance (aka jump around) at the bandstand and talk (like the Brazilians all do) with their Brazilian exchange buddies.
Something is missing
And...it all looks quite now. Maybe because the americans are gone!
Brazil misses you guys...Everyone misses you guys!
Brazil misses you guys...Everyone misses you guys!
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