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!
Day 14 Josh
It was all quiet on the plane, until Bradley Rustik with the facts woke the whole team up by sleep talking about some facts. The plane was approximately one hour away from the destination which was Miami, Florida when the team was awoken. The flight attendants handed out breakfast which consisted of, a slice of watermelon, three slices of melon, two slices of pineapple, cheesy bread, and orange juice. The rest of the flight went by in a jiffy and the long eight hour journey ended. At the airport, the group went through baggage claim and customs. After baggage claim we realized that Bradley Rustik was calling his girlfriend, " Ayse Raymond" we could tell he missed her dearly. We were so distracted by this beautiful sight of love that we realized we lost Niharhar Baxi when we were going through security check. Jack Corscadden was brainstorming when Bradley Rustik jumped out from the corner saying, " we should send someone to search for him!"This was another great idea by Bradley Rustik and the group agreed with it, so Brendans Dad went searching for Nihar. The whole group especially the parents were very worried about Nihars safety so all we could do was pray while Brendan's dad, "Scott" carried out the task. After 20 long minutes of playing touchgrind, Nihar was found! An interview was carried out once Nihar was found and he said he was scared. He said it was like being lost in Costco as a little kid. After this crisis we made sure we got the count right and boarded the plane departing for Dallas, Texas. The plane ride from Miami, Florida to Dallas, Texas went by quickly because everyone was asleep through the duration of the three hour flight. The group arrived to feel the heat of Tehas. The group waited for two hours in the airport of Dallas, Texas for the plane to taxi. Once the plane arrived the group boarded and had a peaceful flight. Everyone was excited to get to see their family again! This trip helped all the players get better at soccer but also helped build the characters of the players. Fernando and Xinho helped the players realize that they are all lucky to have what the have on the table because Fernando gave us an inspirational speech about how he got out of poverty by studying and as he grew up he volunteered a lot and started the school, "Quero Ser" which changed the lives of many students and said that helping others makes him happier so the players should volunteer and help others more. The whole group that went learned an important fact of Brazil from Fernando saying countless times, "Cars don't stop!"
Day 13 by Kian: Our last day in Rio
Last night we all had an idea to go to the beach first thing this morning from 6 to 8 o'clock to have one last day at the beach. That didn't work out due to having such a busy schedule today and the weather was unpredictable. After breakfast we checked out of our hotel at 930 and loaded all of our stuff on the bus. We drove to Sugar Loaf which is two mountains connected by a cable car. The cable car was mostly glass and had a great view of the ocean, the beach, and the city of Rio. The first mountain was the lowest mountain which gave a closer view and had lots of little monkeys jumping around on the trees. The second mountain was higher so you could see farther, and this is where my team took a picture with Copacabana Beach in the background.
Next we took the oldest train in Brazil to the top of another mountain to see Corcovado, the Christ statue, which is the equivalent of 13 stories high and a wingspan of about 8 stories wide. The statue was built with Christ's arms outstretched to bless the city. In 1984 the pope visited Corcovado, and blessed the city. A lot of us took pictures in front of the statue with our arms outstretched as well. It was a great view of the entire area.
We had our last meal together in Brazil at a restaurant where you weigh your plate of food to see how much you pay. We all loaded up our plates and enjoyed the food.
We headed to the airport 5 HOURS early because of the Bastian family but I think it was because Fernando was excited to see us leave. He worked so hard for 2 weeks we had everything we needed and wanted and really took care of us. I think he will sleep well tonight.
In our downtime in the airport we played Ninja destruction and with the brazilian souvenirs we picked up along the way. All in all it has been a pretty great day. I can't wait to get on the 24 hour plane ride home :)
Next we took the oldest train in Brazil to the top of another mountain to see Corcovado, the Christ statue, which is the equivalent of 13 stories high and a wingspan of about 8 stories wide. The statue was built with Christ's arms outstretched to bless the city. In 1984 the pope visited Corcovado, and blessed the city. A lot of us took pictures in front of the statue with our arms outstretched as well. It was a great view of the entire area.
We had our last meal together in Brazil at a restaurant where you weigh your plate of food to see how much you pay. We all loaded up our plates and enjoyed the food.
We headed to the airport 5 HOURS early because of the Bastian family but I think it was because Fernando was excited to see us leave. He worked so hard for 2 weeks we had everything we needed and wanted and really took care of us. I think he will sleep well tonight.
In our downtime in the airport we played Ninja destruction and with the brazilian souvenirs we picked up along the way. All in all it has been a pretty great day. I can't wait to get on the 24 hour plane ride home :)
Monday, August 16, 2010
Day 12 by Brad
After eating breakfast at the hotel buffet the team decided to all go to the beach even though the weather was less than favorable. We are all from Seattle, we can handle a few clouds, but unfortunately we were unable to swim this tim ebecause the waves were considered too dangerous. so instead, we decided to play beach soccer. It was hard to pass the ball around on the loose sand, but both teams were still able to play a very competitive game. Fernando was impressed with Geena's great defense, Fernando was also impressed by the goalie skills of Scott Long and Adam Lehman. After the beach soccer game, some of the kids decided to go to the street market to buy some last souvenirs for family members and friends back home. Then we went and got lunch at the mall. The food mall is the only place open on Sundays....but most of the boys were able to eat MacDonald's which was so good!!! Then we went back to the hotel and shortly after went to the game between Fluminese and Internacionale. The game featured a match up between the first and fifth place teams in the league. The atmosphere was electric and the stadium that holds 190,000 people was packed. This was the last game at this stadium before they close it for remodelling for the 2014 world cup; it will be the venue for the finals. Fluminese dominated the competition, scoring two goals in quick succession in the first half to take a commanding 2 to 0 lead in the half time. The second half was more of the same and a final goal in the 59th minute silenced any hopes of a comeback. The final score was three to zero. It took a long time to exit the stadium and the entire team was hungry for dinner. After stuffing our faces with dinner and then ice cream, the team stayed in the hotel for the rest of the night. (Mom note: and they had a great time playing soccer in their hotel rooms until well past midnight, and a few had slumber parties on their last night in Rio!)
Shopping/Touring in Rio
Two historic sides of Rio: Copacabana Palace and the Favelas.
Haviana Mission Accomplished!
Xinho checking out the Nike goods
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Brazil by John Marcelia
Today we woke up to Brads morning facts, and since Fernando told us the breakfeast was on the 4th floor when really it wasn't, it took us a while to find it. Then half the group went shopping with Fernando's neice Terrisa, and half went to the beach. We only got to swim for about a half hour because the waves had gotten too big, but it was still a lot of fun. After this we went to McDonalds for lunch. Some of the kids said it was the best meal they ever had in their life. Most of the team bought Havaianas and the store owner gave Fernando a hug saying he made quota. After the mall we toured the city in the bus. We saw beaches, slums, and even a guy trying to sell a penguin. Then we went to the Flamengo v. Ceara game at the Maracana stadium. It once had held 250,000 people for the world cup. Then we went to yet another churrascaria for dinner, and finaly ended the day by going back to the hotel. It was a very exciting day.
P.S chibre is not a good word to say.
P.S chibre is not a good word to say.
Friday, August 13, 2010
Day 10-Brendan Long
We had to wake up at 5 in the morning in order to catch the bus for Rio de Janeiro. We all went down to breakfast half asleep, and luckily, no one forgot to wake up this time. On the bus ride most of us slept for the majority of the time and we had lunch at a store in the middle of the highway. After lunch we travelled 2 more hours to Rio, and on the way we were all amazed by the Jesus statue on the top of the mountain. I found that as we travelled to Rio there were some very extreme living conditions. The favelas on which people live look nothing like what we see back home. I found it amazing how very poor areas could be located adjacent to much richer areas. For example, our hotel from the street side looks like any major city, filled with skyscrapers and hotels, but after a look out the back of my hotel room i found a town that looks to be in the middle of a jungle. This interested me because i had never seen a situation such as that before. Once there we all checked into our rooms. Next we all walked down to the Copacabana Beach and swam in massive waves for a hour and a half before playing some beach soccer. The beach had extremely soft sand and the water looked tropical and like something you would see in a brochure. Later at dinner we went to another churrascaria restaurant that had a great variety of foods.
Day 9: by Sam Lehman
Today we woke up bright and early at 7:30 to Brad's morning facts. After breakfast we took a bus ride to a public school across the street from Quero Ser. We dropped in to a couple different classes and got to see what the rooms were like. Their class rooms were very basic with one chalkboard at the front and chairs filling up the rest of the room. The kids were given the opportunity to ask any questions. Pretty much all of the kids were too shy to speak up but one girl who attended Quero Ser in the afternoon was bold enough to ask my sister the simple question, "how are you?". My sister was delighted and replied in Portugeuse, "tudo bem!". After getting our pictures taken by numerous school girls we made our way to Fernando's school, Quero Ser. Compared to the public school, Quero Ser was tiny. It was about the size of an average two-story house. Fernando explained that the school is a place where kids who want to get ahead in life and excel academically can go. Quero Ser teaches most of the same subjects that the public school does but to a higher level. We unloaded our numerous boxes of donations which were greeted excitedly by the kids and teachers alike. Before entering Quero Ser Fernando explained to us the school's motto which roughly means "We cannot change the way we started but we can change our future." The school definitely lives by these words. We also learned that middle schoolers go to public school in the morning and Quero Ser in the afternoon and elementary school kids vice versa. We were then ushered into Quero Ser's main room. We were lucky enough to be there for the christening of their brand new reading room named after Fernando's late wife Gail Barros. Over the arch of the room was a motto that was covered by a paper banner. One by one each player come up to the banner and pealed it away a little to reveal the motto. When it was my turn to peal off the banner I pulled a bit too hard and the entire banner came down revealing the motto, "I Wanna Be, Read and Know". After breaking in the reading room we had a snack of bread and lettuce which was grown from the garden. We played soccer and frisbee with the little kids and then we went to lunch at an Italian restaurant. Once we finished lunch we went back to Quero Ser and met the middle schoolers. We were greeted by the girls singing "Heal The World" and they danced to "Baby" by Justin Bieber. We also had the treat of getting to watch Fernando samba!! Fernando showed our team the computer room and there he gave us a talk about the importance of giving back to your community and helping those less privileged than yourself. I thought that this talk was really important and it meant a lot to the team.
Next, we had a friendly against a local team. The game was played in a large stadium and with people from around town sitting in the stands to watch their team play the Americans. I think the atmosphere really improved the experience of the game. We tied 0-0 with many chances to go ahead for both teams.
Once the game ended we said goodbye to the Quero Ser students and made our way back to the hotel. Back at the hotel we had a farewell get-together with some of the Brazilian families. It was really nice to get to see them for one last time before we left Sao Roque. After our goodbyes we went to dinner at an Italian restaurant. We all had a great time singing, dancing, and just enjoying each others company. Our team was talked into singing "Stand By Me" and "What a Wonderful World". Gabe really nailed the Louis Armstrong voice. At the very end of the dinner Xinho, Mido, and Fernando all spoke. They had incredibly nice things to say about our team and each other and I think their words touched everybody.
We bussed back to the hotel worn out and ready to go to bed. There had been talk of pulling an all-nighter but once we got back to the hotel we all stumbled to our seperate rooms and crashed.
Next, we had a friendly against a local team. The game was played in a large stadium and with people from around town sitting in the stands to watch their team play the Americans. I think the atmosphere really improved the experience of the game. We tied 0-0 with many chances to go ahead for both teams.
Once the game ended we said goodbye to the Quero Ser students and made our way back to the hotel. Back at the hotel we had a farewell get-together with some of the Brazilian families. It was really nice to get to see them for one last time before we left Sao Roque. After our goodbyes we went to dinner at an Italian restaurant. We all had a great time singing, dancing, and just enjoying each others company. Our team was talked into singing "Stand By Me" and "What a Wonderful World". Gabe really nailed the Louis Armstrong voice. At the very end of the dinner Xinho, Mido, and Fernando all spoke. They had incredibly nice things to say about our team and each other and I think their words touched everybody.
We bussed back to the hotel worn out and ready to go to bed. There had been talk of pulling an all-nighter but once we got back to the hotel we all stumbled to our seperate rooms and crashed.
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Day 8 By: BLake Lee Sao Paulo Youth Training Center, and Embu arts and Crafts Town
This morning we were all excited to go to the training center and see Embu. We were all waiting on the bus and as we started to go we counted off and noticed we were missing 3 kids. We quickly told Xhino and we went back to get Josh, Brad and Gabe. Half asleep Josh and Brad hurried to the bus without breakfast because they forgot to wake up this morning, again. And then we were off to see Embu, for shopping and seeing the town. In Embu we saw many jerseys, hats, and other souvenirs. While walking toward where we were going to meet we passed a very sketchy dog. We bought lots of things in Embu because it was famous for arts and crafts. After we had a delicious lunch we got back on the bus and headed to the Sao Paulo Youth training facility, where 120 kids who start at 11 years old. These kids all practice, sleep, learn and live at this facility from 11 to even 20 years old. They have many fields, but only one turf field. There is a workout room, a film room, computer rooms and all of the kids dorms. There was also a dentist office, a doctors office, a pediatrist and a phsycologist there to help the students have a happy functional life there and play soccer and keep their grades up. Most of the kids here probably won't get the chance to go pro, and thats why they are very serious about their academics too.
When we got back from the training facility we had a futsol game from 6 oclock to 8. We did drills for one hour and then scrimmaged the brazilians. Kyle played goalie and I played in the field. Unfortunately we were all owned by the brazilians. But our spirits were soon lifted, because after we had dinner we went to town and walked the busy streets listening to the music and buying delicious smelling treats, such as chocolate filled churros, chocolate strawberries and caramel apples. None of us are looking forward to the early morning bus ride tomorrow at 8:30. We are all now in charge of waking up Brad (facts) and Josh (JZ cheetah).
When we got back from the training facility we had a futsol game from 6 oclock to 8. We did drills for one hour and then scrimmaged the brazilians. Kyle played goalie and I played in the field. Unfortunately we were all owned by the brazilians. But our spirits were soon lifted, because after we had dinner we went to town and walked the busy streets listening to the music and buying delicious smelling treats, such as chocolate filled churros, chocolate strawberries and caramel apples. None of us are looking forward to the early morning bus ride tomorrow at 8:30. We are all now in charge of waking up Brad (facts) and Josh (JZ cheetah).
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Sao Paulo FC Youth Training Center
We also visited the Sao Paulo FC youth training center. It was an amazing complex. They have 11 fields (10 natural grass and 1 turf). Over 300 boys train there, with 65 between 14-18 years old residing onsite. They have their own medical doctor, dentist and even a podiatrist on site. Ka Ka was discovered by this program and they're looking for the next great one. As Fernando says "It's a business" because clubs sell rights to the players that they develop, sometimes for millions of dollars (Santos recently sold rights to a player for $100M).
Shopping in Embu
Lots of arts and crafts shopping for the parents, but a little lost on the boys. As you can see in the picture, they did manage to find an assortment of crazy hats, sunglasses and jerseys.
Brad was the first one to order a hot dog from a street vendor. Little did he know that his hot dog would consist of a bun, a hot dog PLUS mashed potatoes and deep fried onions!
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Mom Blog
S3 will backfill the other details of the trip perhaps a 14-year-old either missed or finds inconsequential. On Sunday, we all were able to sleep in until 11:30 (it was awesome)before we boarded our "coach" for the professional soccer game. Seems every time we travel, we pick up anywhere from 2-8 additional Brazilians. Most times we recognize them from our homestays in Seattle, the rest, not so much. General interpretation is either cousins, spouses or children of the homestay boys, teachers here or the bus drivers. Everyone says "Bom Gia" with hugs and kisses, so it's all good.
Our morning safety briefing was the most detailed so far. No purses, no wearing green (an opposing team color) and all women sit on the inside. However, we realized due to our early arrival we could pick whatever seats we wanted in our section, were able to easily sit together, and had ample time to hit the port-a-lets prior to kick-off. Funny notes: the food vendors walk thru the aisle and you have to continually lift your legs to let them pass throughout the game, it was 75 degrees during the winter and we heavily sunscreened everyone, the opposing team had a very small section of seats separated by a 20-ft fence and guarded by multiple police officers with uzi's, and a "hot do" is a "hot dog" with a "g" missing from the vendor oven. (We'll take 15.)
The game started with unbelieveable pageantry, the fan flags were unveiled over the entire section 100 seats wide by 100 seats upward... and multiple different flags were brought out throughout the game. Chants, songs, clapping, boo'ing - you name it... the Brazilians LOVE their soccer.
Fernando explained that the two largest fan clubs in the world belong to these two teams. Only Xinho was pained when the home town Corinthians beat the Flamencos of Rio. "I hate those guys!" Our Seattle pal, Sereta, was the #4 referee of the match(his professional job) and we loudly boo'd "robber!!" in Portugese when he came on and off the field.
The home team won, 1-0, and we left the barbed-wired, horse-patroled stadium with all 14 boys intact.
The next day, Monday, we went to the CK academy (a private school Mido and his wife teach at)for a tour and futsol game. The boys--wearing their Eastside FC uniforms --were very respectful talking to a kindergarten art class and an English class. The interesting thing about this school is that it is conjoined with the Brazilian beisbol (baseball) academy. The youth pro players attend classes in the morning and then train at the pro facility in the afternoon. Two boys from South Carolina were training there for the summer, and clearly were happy to spend the afternoon with fellow Americans.
Our boys were the main event (o.k., the only event) of the late morning school assembly for a futsol game against the school kids in the gym (Brazilians somehow never seem to have to be in class if a soccer game is to be played.) It was a rowdy, fun game of EFC vs. kids, and then EFC vs. coaches. Lots of laughter - and Kyle's younger brother, Nick Bastian, at age 7 made his EFC debut.
The average minimum wage in Brazil is 550 Real and the private school costs 680 Real/month so it is very exclusive. This set up good perspective for our boys when we visit Fernando's non-profit school for high-achieving underpriviledged kids on Thursday.
Today, Tuesday, the three team sisters, Geena, Megan and Grace, went to volunteer at Fernando's school, Quero Ser. They worked with the younger kids on their English in the morning, and in the afternoon they taught the older kids ultimate frisbee. The rest of the team traveled to Sorocabo... a "Bellevue-like" town where Xinho went to university. We visited an even more exclusive private school (1500 Real/month) and were bowled over by the reception we received. The head priest, Father Fernando :), met us and Coach Fernando presented him with smoked Sockeye Salmon from Seattle. He told him it was so special, he needed to eat it quickly and in private. :) We also presented the team with new Eastside FC t-shirts which we purchased for exchange with every team we have played so far.
The opposing school team and ours took a friendly pre-game photo together, and then all gloves were off. (Have we mentioned that Brazilians take their soccer very seriously?) Thankfully, there was the now very familiar fencing surrounding the field to hold the fans back. Even 8-15 year olds can be somewhat daunting when their team is playing. The parents were laughing hysterically because we felt like we were accompanying rockstars. These fans come from wealthy families and have studied English for years. All of them, based on their level of bravado, approached us to take a stab at "talking face-to-face with their first Americans!" We fielded questions ranging from "what is your name," to "how long and when should I go to DisneyWorld including seeing Harry Potter at Univeral Studios?" The Brazilian boys were pretty much done with the amount of drooling the Brazilian girls were doing over our boys, and in an attempt to strike back would yell, "Your parents are in the Army!" (Huh?) We all could appreciate what Lady Gaga must go through every day! (The boys' blog covers the game.)
On our way back, and after the soccer store, we drove through a town called "Aluminumville" (that's the American translation). It's a bit Stepford, the streets, banks, housing, and school etc. are all paid by the owner of the ridiculously large factory which produce the most aluminum for Brazil. Truly amazing.
Tonight, a few more families continued their thank you individual dinners hosted by the local families of the boys they hosted. (John scored with a thank you gift of a soccer jersey signed by Pele!) Fernando met with the town mayor, while Dr. Connie Lehman (Samalamadingdong's mom), lectured on Breast Cancer research breakthrough via research in the U.S.
Think that fills the gaps as far as the trip the parents are experiencing vs. the rockin' time the boys are having. What a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for all of us.
Our morning safety briefing was the most detailed so far. No purses, no wearing green (an opposing team color) and all women sit on the inside. However, we realized due to our early arrival we could pick whatever seats we wanted in our section, were able to easily sit together, and had ample time to hit the port-a-lets prior to kick-off. Funny notes: the food vendors walk thru the aisle and you have to continually lift your legs to let them pass throughout the game, it was 75 degrees during the winter and we heavily sunscreened everyone, the opposing team had a very small section of seats separated by a 20-ft fence and guarded by multiple police officers with uzi's, and a "hot do" is a "hot dog" with a "g" missing from the vendor oven. (We'll take 15.)
The game started with unbelieveable pageantry, the fan flags were unveiled over the entire section 100 seats wide by 100 seats upward... and multiple different flags were brought out throughout the game. Chants, songs, clapping, boo'ing - you name it... the Brazilians LOVE their soccer.
Fernando explained that the two largest fan clubs in the world belong to these two teams. Only Xinho was pained when the home town Corinthians beat the Flamencos of Rio. "I hate those guys!" Our Seattle pal, Sereta, was the #4 referee of the match(his professional job) and we loudly boo'd "robber!!" in Portugese when he came on and off the field.
The home team won, 1-0, and we left the barbed-wired, horse-patroled stadium with all 14 boys intact.
The next day, Monday, we went to the CK academy (a private school Mido and his wife teach at)for a tour and futsol game. The boys--wearing their Eastside FC uniforms --were very respectful talking to a kindergarten art class and an English class. The interesting thing about this school is that it is conjoined with the Brazilian beisbol (baseball) academy. The youth pro players attend classes in the morning and then train at the pro facility in the afternoon. Two boys from South Carolina were training there for the summer, and clearly were happy to spend the afternoon with fellow Americans.
Our boys were the main event (o.k., the only event) of the late morning school assembly for a futsol game against the school kids in the gym (Brazilians somehow never seem to have to be in class if a soccer game is to be played.) It was a rowdy, fun game of EFC vs. kids, and then EFC vs. coaches. Lots of laughter - and Kyle's younger brother, Nick Bastian, at age 7 made his EFC debut.
The average minimum wage in Brazil is 550 Real and the private school costs 680 Real/month so it is very exclusive. This set up good perspective for our boys when we visit Fernando's non-profit school for high-achieving underpriviledged kids on Thursday.
Today, Tuesday, the three team sisters, Geena, Megan and Grace, went to volunteer at Fernando's school, Quero Ser. They worked with the younger kids on their English in the morning, and in the afternoon they taught the older kids ultimate frisbee. The rest of the team traveled to Sorocabo... a "Bellevue-like" town where Xinho went to university. We visited an even more exclusive private school (1500 Real/month) and were bowled over by the reception we received. The head priest, Father Fernando :), met us and Coach Fernando presented him with smoked Sockeye Salmon from Seattle. He told him it was so special, he needed to eat it quickly and in private. :) We also presented the team with new Eastside FC t-shirts which we purchased for exchange with every team we have played so far.
The opposing school team and ours took a friendly pre-game photo together, and then all gloves were off. (Have we mentioned that Brazilians take their soccer very seriously?) Thankfully, there was the now very familiar fencing surrounding the field to hold the fans back. Even 8-15 year olds can be somewhat daunting when their team is playing. The parents were laughing hysterically because we felt like we were accompanying rockstars. These fans come from wealthy families and have studied English for years. All of them, based on their level of bravado, approached us to take a stab at "talking face-to-face with their first Americans!" We fielded questions ranging from "what is your name," to "how long and when should I go to DisneyWorld including seeing Harry Potter at Univeral Studios?" The Brazilian boys were pretty much done with the amount of drooling the Brazilian girls were doing over our boys, and in an attempt to strike back would yell, "Your parents are in the Army!" (Huh?) We all could appreciate what Lady Gaga must go through every day! (The boys' blog covers the game.)
On our way back, and after the soccer store, we drove through a town called "Aluminumville" (that's the American translation). It's a bit Stepford, the streets, banks, housing, and school etc. are all paid by the owner of the ridiculously large factory which produce the most aluminum for Brazil. Truly amazing.
Tonight, a few more families continued their thank you individual dinners hosted by the local families of the boys they hosted. (John scored with a thank you gift of a soccer jersey signed by Pele!) Fernando met with the town mayor, while Dr. Connie Lehman (Samalamadingdong's mom), lectured on Breast Cancer research breakthrough via research in the U.S.
Think that fills the gaps as far as the trip the parents are experiencing vs. the rockin' time the boys are having. What a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for all of us.
Kyle the Ladies Man, By Gordon
As the sun rose we knew it was Tuesday by the sound of josh's SAT studying in the morning; it was math day on Tuesday. We ate breakfast while listening to Brad's morning facts. We soon figured out that Jack was sick and Kyle the ladies man was hurt. We got on the bus while talking about celebrations. We arrived at a school and went to the field to get ready for the game. We were going to play their school team. After a few pictures with the other team the game started. The other team was out playing us, we did not come to play and ended the first half losing 1-0. It was the second half, we were playing better and the time was running out. Then we got a corner and brendan aka benji crossed it and Josh aka JZCheetah headed the ball into the corner of the goal then did a front flip as a celebration. We ended the game 1-1. After the game all the Brazilan kids were surrounding us. Some were even chanting "Kyle" aka Kyle the ladies man. After more pictures we started to leave the school and the girls still followed us. We finally left to go to a soccer store. There was lots of cool stuff. Then we left to go to the hotel. When we got there we just hung out at someones room and watched t.v. Then we watched U.S. get killed by Brazil in soccer. It was a good end to the first week of our trip.
Game vs. Salesianos school, aka Beattles tour
If I was one of the boys, this would be one of my highlights. They played the Salesianos school team to a 1-1 tie, but the girls of the school stole the show. They absolutely adored the boys. You would have thought the Beattles had come to visit. It made for great entertainment throughout the game and especially afterward. At least one of the school boys wasn't jealous and asked for Fernando's autograph after the game. (Post 1 of 2)
Baseball training center visit
We visited the largest baseball training center in South America. It was huge, with 3 smaller fields, 2 full size fields, an olympic-size pool, and of course a full-size soccer field and a futsal court. Evidently, many of the boys play on the Brazil national team. They go to school at CK school from 7-1 and then train from 1-6 pm. I guess they study after that! We met 2 boys from North Carolina that were training at the center for 10 weeks this summer. It sounded like they were having quite a unique experience!
They had long grassy hills that the boys decided would be perfect for sledding, but they had to settle for racing up and down them.
CK school visit
We visited Country Kids school, although the older kids don't like the name so now it's just CK school! The boys went to art class with the little ones, were introduced to an older English class and played Futsal with some of the students. The boys had quite a few fans by the time the day was over. (Sorry about the blue tint in one of the pictures. That's the color of the light in the gym!)
Corinthians Game
Beautiful day for a soccer match. Here are a few pictures from the game, which Corinthian won 1-0. On a side note, almost all of the boys bought jerseys after the game.
Coach's Note
Don't panic: The liitle bit of wine was tasted by the parents in the tasting room of a history museum in the back of a 1909 winery owned by one of the Brazilan boy's family after a special "behind the scenes" tour. Can you say rocket fuel in Welch's grape juice? Lots of plastic smiles for that 10 minutes of an otherwise fabulous day.
Monday, August 9, 2010
8/9/10 Monday by Alex
We woke up at 7:30 and ate breakfast at the hotel. Then we left at 9:15 to a private school where we first visited younger kids doing art and in a preschool. We then visited an 8th grade class and we saw the girl who got a scholarship to the private school and we were all inspired. After we finished visiting the school, we went to the gym for futsol. The first game was the smaller kids on our team versus the 5th graders from the school and the smaller eastside won 3-1 with a two goals by Alex and one by Gordon. Next, the taller kids played the taller kids from the school and it was a close game but eastside pulled out the victory. Then came the big game. Eastside versus the coaches. The first team for eastside kept it close but the coaches got a one goal lead. the second team played tough and with two good goals by John, kept that smaller third at a 2-2 tie. The third team to go in got an angry Xhino to deal with and lost by 2 or 3 goals. We then visited the Brazil baseball program and ate lunch at a buffet. Then we watched the team warm up while Fernando explained to us about how it works for the kids on the team. We then left and visited Blake aka Brake Ree's kid's dad's winery and tasted grape juice and a little wine. We then rested our legs at the hotel before leaving to play futsol at the gremio futsol court. A lot of intense games with different teams that included brazilians and americans. By far the most intense game was the two eastside teams played each other. Team Sketchbot v.s. The other team. The first game was won 2-1 by the other team but the second goal was on a incredibly questionable out-of-bounds call. There was an amazing celebration preformed by Sam aka Sammy Snake aka Samalama ding dong aka Ham and Jack where Same took off his shirt and used it as a cape used for Bullfighters and Jack pretended to be a bull. The second game was tied 1-1 with meg goal and celebration by Josh Zhou aka jzcheeta and a last second goal by Brad with an extremely intense celebration. The day was really long but a blast. Eastside... OUT
April 8th 2010, Day 5 by gabe
Its day 5 and rations are running dangerously low. We have needed to utilize the last resort and eat alex. We decided afterwards that alex was a very bad choice. He had absolutely no meat on him whatsoever.
In other news... We had the unique opportunity to sleep in until 11:00. It was very helpful because we were incredibly tired from staying up late last night and waking up at 6:30 the day before. We had a relaxed morning which consisted of sleeping, sleeping, and walking to the grocery store. After that we ate lunch and chilled in the rooms for the next hour until the bus came to pick us up. We had a swift ride over to sao paolo and watched an interesting match between Corinthians and Flamengo. Corinthians won 1-0. After the game we drove to a nearby Churrascuria. The food was great... mostly meat. including chicken heart. We then rode back to the hotel and went to sleep.
In other news... We had the unique opportunity to sleep in until 11:00. It was very helpful because we were incredibly tired from staying up late last night and waking up at 6:30 the day before. We had a relaxed morning which consisted of sleeping, sleeping, and walking to the grocery store. After that we ate lunch and chilled in the rooms for the next hour until the bus came to pick us up. We had a swift ride over to sao paolo and watched an interesting match between Corinthians and Flamengo. Corinthians won 1-0. After the game we drove to a nearby Churrascuria. The food was great... mostly meat. including chicken heart. We then rode back to the hotel and went to sleep.
Sunday, August 8, 2010
Saturday - by Jack Corscadden
Saturday started when we woke up at 6:45. We quickly ate breakfast becuase we had to go to a tournament at 9:15. We all expexted to lose badly because of the beach soccer games. The field was at an incredible complex with footsol courts, gyms, and cafeterias. Our first game was against Xhinos brothers team. We were all tired from the night before so we started out rusty and they scored two goals on mistakes. At the end of the first half it was 2-0, we were losing. We managed to hold the score to the end, 2-0. After the game we watched our brazilian team play, and they also lost to a strong team. This meant that we would get to rematch our brazilians. The first half of that game was against 13 year olds and we were 0-0 at half. We were playing poorly, as if we had lost our facts. At the beginning of the 2nd half Ceretta put all the strong players in. Quickly we were down 2-0. Near the end of the half JZcheetah aka Josh Zhou scored an awesome goal and did a front flip celebration. Their goalie was one of the defenders as a joke and it had cost them. At the last minute of the game Sam Lehman aka Sam Snake aka Samalamadingdong aka Ultimate Sam aka Ham ;) tried a bicycle kick and earned us a corner kick. Brendan aka Benji crossed the ball and Green eggs and Sam took a header at the goalie that dropped, was shot off the post and scored by Kian!!! We tied the game. That ment pks. After saves by goalkeeper blake lee aka Brake Ree, Benji had to take the last kick for the win. Benji shot the ball off the back of the goal and scored! We all thought he missed though and we stared at Benji when he ran up the field with his arms open. The other team was mad and left the field quickly. Then we had a bbq near the field. We hung out and watched the championship game. After, our team got a 3rd place trophy. We took a bus ride home and stayed at the hotel until 7 and then walked the town. It was really crowded and we all eventually joined a concert in a plaza. At first for 15 minutes, then 30. We walked home and went to sleep. We are having a lot of fun in Brazil!
Saturday, August 7, 2010
Welcome Eastside FC!
The team we hosted back in Washington made everyone feel welcome with the dinner on Friday night and the warm reception at Saturday's game.
Beach soccer
I don't think a lot of us knew what to expect from beach soccer, but it was great fun for the parents -- and I think the kids too. It was amazing to see what some of the Brazilian boys could do with their feet. Our boys had a learning curve at first, but got the hang of it and played some good beach soccer.
Mom Blog - Saturday, Day 1
Shelly, Suzi and Susan ("S3") found a grinning Fernando outside of customs in Sao Paulo this morning... only a couple hours late. (We do not recommend Abilene as a tour destination this time of year.) S3, Fernando and the Bastians-just back from Iguana (sp?) Falls in Argentina boarded our private coach on the way to Sao Roque. Beautiful 75-degree weather, despite the arctic chill the rest of the team experienced the night before.
We dropped our bags at quaint, clean, well-appointed hotel and rushed to make the last half of the boys second tournament game. The tournament was hosted by one of several "soccer/recreation clubs" in the area. The boys lost by 1 to Xinho's brother's team in the morning game, and were starting the second half of the afternoon game against our Brazilian boys when we arrived. The crowd was very large (60 people-ish) of families of both teams. Sereta coached the Brazilian and Xinho was at the helm for EFC. We were down 0-2, when Bradley brought it down and dished off to Josh for a GOOOAAAALLL! Then Brendan crossed to Jack who shot (it was a little more scrambled than this sounds :) and Kian was there to secure the goal. 2-2. Game went to PK's and EFC WON PK's 3-2!!! Way to operate under extreme pressure Blake, saving two PK's - in front of a town of cheering local fans.
After the tournament, the club hosted a large BBQ of (surprise!) large hunks of freshly BBQ'd meat, sausage,bread and salsa! Yum!!! Many of our Brazilian kiddos were there, too. At the end, there was an big award ceremony, EFC came in third, and the boys received an individual medal and a LARGE trophy for their play awarded by the president of the club. We have great photos (which again we can't upload... user error?)
We also met Xinho's brother and father after the game. (Mineko spent the afternoon hanging with her newly-acquainted mother-in-law.) They are as charming as he. The boys are continuing to blog nightly, based on alphabetical order. Ben's was a day late due to a late arrival back to the hotel last night after the Welcome Party at Gabrielo's house on a hill last night. We missed it, but all the families were there. This has been a fabulous trip for our sons so far...
Sao Roque is celebrating is 463rd birthday of its patron saint on August 18th... there are a lot of colorful festival traditions going on in the town while we are here. We can hear the fireworks in the distance as we type.
We dropped our bags at quaint, clean, well-appointed hotel and rushed to make the last half of the boys second tournament game. The tournament was hosted by one of several "soccer/recreation clubs" in the area. The boys lost by 1 to Xinho's brother's team in the morning game, and were starting the second half of the afternoon game against our Brazilian boys when we arrived. The crowd was very large (60 people-ish) of families of both teams. Sereta coached the Brazilian and Xinho was at the helm for EFC. We were down 0-2, when Bradley brought it down and dished off to Josh for a GOOOAAAALLL! Then Brendan crossed to Jack who shot (it was a little more scrambled than this sounds :) and Kian was there to secure the goal. 2-2. Game went to PK's and EFC WON PK's 3-2!!! Way to operate under extreme pressure Blake, saving two PK's - in front of a town of cheering local fans.
After the tournament, the club hosted a large BBQ of (surprise!) large hunks of freshly BBQ'd meat, sausage,bread and salsa! Yum!!! Many of our Brazilian kiddos were there, too. At the end, there was an big award ceremony, EFC came in third, and the boys received an individual medal and a LARGE trophy for their play awarded by the president of the club. We have great photos (which again we can't upload... user error?)
We also met Xinho's brother and father after the game. (Mineko spent the afternoon hanging with her newly-acquainted mother-in-law.) They are as charming as he. The boys are continuing to blog nightly, based on alphabetical order. Ben's was a day late due to a late arrival back to the hotel last night after the Welcome Party at Gabrielo's house on a hill last night. We missed it, but all the families were there. This has been a fabulous trip for our sons so far...
Sao Roque is celebrating is 463rd birthday of its patron saint on August 18th... there are a lot of colorful festival traditions going on in the town while we are here. We can hear the fireworks in the distance as we type.
8/6/10 Ben Corman
Today we woke up early and put our bags on the bus to go to Sao Roque. on the way we stopped in Santos to see the home stadium of santos fc. there, we got to tour the field and locker rooms as well as view a museum where we learned about Pele's team. after the stadium we went to a resteraunt that charged you by the pound of food. afterwords we went back on the bus and headed to our new hotel. we crossed over "Immigrant's Highway," where in some places, the road is completely above the mountainous terrain. after checking into our four star hotel and a brief free time, we went to a party with our Brazilian friends from Seattle and went to bed at around 11:00.
Friday, August 6, 2010
Just a quick stop in Abilene
Bad weather in Dallas. Circled until they closed the airport so we've now been grounded in abilene to refuel. Awaiting Dallas to reopen. Good news: all flights are delayed so we shouldn't miss our connection. Bad news: all flights are now delayed. We took a photo, but can't figure out how to upload from an iPhone; so just close your eyes and picture nothing...it's the same.
Thursday, August 5, 2010
8/5/10- by Nihar
Today we had to wake up at 8 in the morning. everybody was still getting used to the time change so we were a little tired.We had breakfast at 8:30 and then went right down to the beach in front of our hotel. Two other Brazilian teams showed up. Everyone was very excited but eastside was surely a little intimidated still in mind the bad loss the day before. Eastside divided into two teams because when playing beach soccer you can only have 5 on the field including the keeper. Both eastside teams actually did very well and every one learned many new things. The style of soccer here is very different from back home so we are learning many new things and hopefully teaching something to brazil. The mayor of the city came to the beach to meet us after the tournament was over. He was very excited to have a team coming all the way from america to learn about their culture. we all got medals and some of us exchanged jerseys with the other players. We went back to the hotel and played some ping pong. The dinner tonight was great an we watched a soccer final with the while team. We are very excited for tommorow to go to Sao Roque! We miss you all and look forward to see you when we get home. Nihar
8/4/10 By: Kyle
greetings from brazil!! today we arrived into the airport on time. after we got off the plane we took about 2 hours to finally get out of airport mainly due to my family holding us up. after the airport we boarded a bus and took a 2 hr bus ride to the city of bertioga we stopped for lunch in a huge park that seemed to having everything. after lunch we played a soccer game against a team in a swamped field. we lost 7 0. after the loss we took a 10 min bus ride to our hotel which is on the beach. everyone was surprised on how small the rooms were. at night we discovered sketchbot and the sketch hotel upstairs which seems to be the set of a horror movie. turned out to be a really fun day but really long considering we all got about 4 hours of sleep. cant wait for tommorrow hopefully will be a good day
Update from Connie!
Looks like access is available...in case you didn't get the email from connie, here it is:
Hello from Brazil!!! Just a note to let you all know we arrived safely and are having a great time. Easy travel and the boys arrived at the first site and played a great game of soccer with the local boys. Delicious dinner last night with more soccer on the beach this morning. Parents are off for sight seeing.....leaving Grace and Xinho in charge of the boys. :)
The boys will write on the blog by tonight.
With love,
from all of us in Brazil
PS
For any mothers or others with any worries......nothing to worry about. No lost luggage, no lost meds, all are eating really well and feeling good, no injuries, we still have a headcount of 14 boys!
Hello from Brazil!!! Just a note to let you all know we arrived safely and are having a great time. Easy travel and the boys arrived at the first site and played a great game of soccer with the local boys. Delicious dinner last night with more soccer on the beach this morning. Parents are off for sight seeing.....leaving Grace and Xinho in charge of the boys. :)
The boys will write on the blog by tonight.
With love,
from all of us in Brazil
PS
For any mothers or others with any worries......nothing to worry about. No lost luggage, no lost meds, all are eating really well and feeling good, no injuries, we still have a headcount of 14 boys!
Small update
I got a text from Scott this morning with a quick update. He said he hasn't had internet access but his phone is working. So far it has been cold and wet and their game yesterday was in standing water but it doesn't seem to be bothering them. He said today's beach soccer was really fun and that everyone is having a great time.
Hopefully they get internet access so we can hear from them directly. Also, I looked up the weather and it looks rainy today and then things look really good from that point forward, so that is all good.
If anyone else hears anything, please share!!!
Hopefully they get internet access so we can hear from them directly. Also, I looked up the weather and it looks rainy today and then things look really good from that point forward, so that is all good.
If anyone else hears anything, please share!!!
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Arrival Confirmed!
Per Rachel Long at 7:49 this morning: "Thought anyone 'left behind' may want to hear... I got a text from Scott at 7:25 a.m. our time that they arrived safely, are now on the bus heading to lunch, their first game, and the hotel. I am sure they are exhausted and it might be funny to see the first game, but I'm glad they are finally there!"
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Wheels Up!
After the trial run last week checking the Brazilian team in at the American desk, this morning ran smoothly. Thankfully, the same desk manager, Kim, was on duty and she knew the drill. One boy + one container + hand back the passport to an adult + go sit down over "'there,' which is not 'here,'" as Fernando reminded several times. Having one additional hour before flight time didn't hurt either. The boys were very excited as proven by the genuine smiles in the photos. No "say cheese" prompting needed today. Suzi, Shelly and I will be leaving Friday a.m., so if your son discovers they forgot something crucial, get it to one of us by Thursday evening, and MomMail (tm) will deliver on time with love. ~Susan
Sunday, August 1, 2010
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