Belem May 6 to May 12

May 7, 2008

4:20 AM

Yesterday we arrived in Belem at 4:30 PM and immediately had to put our watches ahead one hour. So we are ahead of the East Coast of the US, as well as Santarem and Manaus.

Approaching Belem by air was awesome. Rivers EVERYWHERE. This city is huge, with many tall buildings. Population 1.9 million. MY first impression: wow a real city.

We got our bags and were met by several rotarians. Valdir, the cute little Rotarian that we met at the District Conference. Valdir is 78 years old. Antonio, whose wife Flor is a French teacher at the Unveristy and Wagner, who is Steve's host for the week.

I am staying with Claudia, Antonio's daughter who is also a teacher at the University. Mike and Dean's host is still in Sao Paulo so those two got dropped off at a hotel for the afternoon.

I got to Claudia's house and see that I have displaced 12 year old Ana. I feel bad about taking her room. I only had a few minutes to unpack a few things, change and head out the door to our first Rotary Meeting in Belem.

I had my first conversation in Portuguese, with Antonio in the car on the way to the meeting. It was basic two year old type speaking, but at least I could speak. The Rotary Club was Belem- Norte and it was their Annual Mother's Day Celebration. They had their program and then it was 10:00. Time to eat dinner. The food was good.

I was home by 11, showered and in bed by 11:30. I am getting picked up at 9 tomorrow morning. Time to get some sleep. But I only use the eye shield. Why would I need ear plugs here? I am four stories up in a condo building. Windows are closed. Air conditioner comes on sporatically as needed. So I don't use the ear plugs. A damn rooster woke me up at 4:20. I couldn't sleep, so I wrote my journal entry.

Things that I never thought about before:

Military time, kilometers, kilograms, Reais, liters, dates with day/month/year, 8 digit phone numbers/ addresses with road, then house number, then apartment complex, then the building and apartment number, then the barrio, then the city, then the state. (I hope I don't get lost)

7:30 AM

The rooster has stopped. 2 dogs barking. A man whistling. Clear blue skies. Did it rain here last night?


9:30 AM

Our first full day in Belem had Dean, Mike and I traveling by yacht on a water tour of the city's coastline. We spent a couple of hours riding up to coast then we headed west up a river way to a restaurant for lunch. Saldosa Mallorca. I think that is the correct spelling.

The food was just caught that morning: river crab, fish, shrimp. The buffalo meat was fresh, but I don't think it was hunted that morning. Who knows...it could have been. Acai and tapioca for dessert.

The platters of food kept coming out. I was so full by the time we got back on the boat, I thought I would sleep like a baby. Nope...little did I understand the properties of acai...a fruit that has a kick of energy.

After we got back to the dock, our hosts of Pedro and Roberto, took us to a pool run by the Para Government. If you have been reading this blog from the beginning, you have seen me write that children go to school in this region of Brasil in shifts. This leaves many children unattended through out the day because their parents are working, so the government stepped in and provides activities for the children. This pool that we attended has 1500 children in its aquatic program. I got to see the younger children in a lesson and the swim team first level - age 13 - in practice. They also had an amazing diving program. If the government of Para can keep this program up ==> Look out world, Brazil has some stars in the next several Olympics. While we were visiting them, the Brazil Olympic Time Trials were going on in another region of the country and this team had 4 swimmers there trying to make the team. Good luck to them.

We head home to change for our second Rotary Meeting.

Antonio picks me up and at first I realize we are heading back to the same place we went last night. Uh-oh. Is he lost? Did he get confused? Why take me back to the place he took me last night. Do I say anything? No. I go with the flow. We go to the same building and the same floor as the night before. I open the door and it is a totally different crowd. Whew!

There are 6 Rotary Clubs in Belem and they all meet in the same building, same floor, same room. One meets Monday night, two meet on Tuesday (AM and PM), Two meet on Wednesday (ditto) and one meets on Thursday night.

Another Mother's Day celebration. Another Rose. Same food. Same late night. In bed again by 11:30, with eye patch and ear plugs, slept until 7:15 AM YEAH!!!!!!