(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.
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