Capoeira

Originally a dance/martial art from Angola, capoeira was one of the many cultural traditions that came to Brazil with the massive African slave trade in the 1700′s and was incorporated into Brazilian culture.

The FOCUS and WVU groups had the opportunity to watch, and then also participate in, a capoeira performance while in Santarém. 

tchau for now

The WVU social marketing group left yesterday morning and I feel thankful once again for the opportunity to work closely with individuals who put a lot of energy and time into embracing their experience here in Santarém.

I will soon be able to share the results of their final project with you, but for now, some pictures from their last few days here, including their good-byes at the Pastoral do Menor.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Riverboats and Waterfalls

One of our weekend activities with the FOCUS and WVU groups was a riverboat trip to the town of Alenquer, which is six hours away by boat.  We left late Saturday and enjoyed an evening of music, caiman spotting, and relaxation on top of the boat.  The group had the opportunity to try sleeping in hammocks on the boat, which (I think) went better the second night.

When we woke up in the morning we hopped onto a bus and drove for two hours until we reached Vale do Paraiso (Paradise Valley).  The valley has a series of three waterfalls that can be reached by relatively short hikes.  When one imagines traipsing through the Amazon- this hike brings to life what you picture (minus the anacondas). 

        

So, how does a pleasure trip up the Amazon River factor into a service project?  Is it contradictory?  Some may say yes, and I used to be one of them.  Several years ago, the sentiment behind Ivan Illich’s speech: To Hell with Good Intentions, made me question my travel plans to Santarém for quite some time.  I now believe that this type of travel can enhance the international experience.  It is the exploration part of Amizade’s motto:  Explore, Serve, Understand.  It is our hope that reflection on our exploration and service can lead to understanding.  Exploring culture (you will soon see a post on the groups’ encounter with capoiera), exploring the beauty of the surrounding region, exploring local issues of deforestation and land invasion; all of this helps us see things outside of our typical experiences.  And if we are humble enough, in these spaces we can learn from our new friends.  When you meet people in Santarém one of their first questions is to ask whether or not you have visited their favorite beach yet.  They are proud of what their country and region have to offer and they are excited to share their culture with newcomers.

Out and About in Santarém

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Matt Clements

Matt Clements, an Amizade alum from 2007, has returned to Brazil for a summer internship to compliment his graduate studies at the University of Pittsburgh’s Graduate School of Public and International Affairs.

His internship will be in the state of Espirito Santo, but he is spending a week in Santarém to reconnect with some of the staff and children from the Pastoral do Menor that he knew from his work in 2007.  While here for the week he will also join some of the WVU activities like teaching english, kayaking, and construction work.

  

FOCUS Service

What does it mean to go to another community, another location, another country; to engage in service projects? 

Do we feel good about ourselves when we leave?  Is that a goal?  Or was the goal to have helped someone or some cause?  Do we think about what we have experienced and how it may have changed us and the way we think about our lives and the way we interact with the world?  What do we learn from the communities we work in?

FOCUS left this morning.  We had two really great weeks with them.  I am not going to presume to have answers to these questions from their perspectives.  I can only describe what I observed, which is that the FOCUS team did fantastic work.  They worked hard, they played hard and they did it all with smiles and good spirits.  It was clear from the goodbye party that community members were touched by the interactions all of them had and the chance to work side by side on a center that will benefit the children and families in their community.

When possible Amizade likes to tease out these ideas about service and what it means to both the groups and individuals who come to serve and the communities they are entering.   There are a couple of articles that focus on various aspects of this discussion which I am happy to pass on to anyone who is interested.

In the end, construction at the Alvorada site has been advanced a little farther and will wait for another group to come and help with the next phase.  And, in the process of advancing construction, games were played and laughter, sweat and tears were shared.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

….and fun times

                         

On Saturday the West Virginia University group (above) went downtown to visit the various markets (fish, fruit/vegetable, hammock, etc.) and walked along the waterfront.

The FOCUS group (below) went to the zoo, which is staffed and run by a local university’s veterinary medicine students.

On Sunday both groups went to Alter do Chão, a beach town 30 kilometers from Santarém to hike, swim, and relax on the beach.                         

                       

Busy times in Santarém

Last week two groups arrived in Santarém to work with Amizade and one of its partner organizations, the Pastoral do Menor.

The first group is part of FOCUS Missions and consists of 6 catholic, university students from all over the United States, their 4 leaders and a Father.  Their primary service is assisting with the construction of a satelite site for the Pastoral do Menor in a neighborhood called Alvorada.

The second group consists of a West Virginia University (WVU) professor, Paula Fitzgerald, and 3 students.  This group is teaching english classes to the children who attend the Pastoral do Menor.  They are taking a social marketing class with Professor Fitzgerald while they are here and will also spend some of their time applying marketing skills in a project for Amizade.

Our Legacies

As we near the end of our time abroad, thoughts of the future have begun to creep into our minds. When we arrived, we knew little of what was actually going on and we had doubts that we could leave any impact at all. Now that we are leaving, we are seeing glimpses of our impacts here after all. However, we are still left to wonder how these impacts will carry on after we leave. What legacy will we leave behind us when we go?

Reflecting on this semester’s themes of impact and value has taught us much about ourselves, both as Americans and as individuals. Our journeys in Tanzania and Bolivia have been filled with new lessons and new perspectives. As Lindsay said, “We have been able to learn lessons abroad that we could never have learned in our home country.” One thing that has not changed is the hope that we all will leave a lasting, positive effect at our service sites. In Tanzania, we have heard stories about past volunteers’ beneficial impacts here, and we hope that one day those stories may involve us as well. If we would leave a bad impression in our host countries, future volunteers would certainly be negatively affected from our actions. This is one of the many reasons why we have all tried to be as positive as possible.

In the past (as well as the present), international development from the United States has worn an ugly mask. Capitalist ideology has pushed its way into NGO’s plans and a lot of international aid has become a means of benefiting the developer. In a way, as Sarah said, our volunteer work abroad is playing into a development system that is accomplishing the opposite of what we are aiming for. It is true that we have impacted both Tanzanian and Bolivian culture in some way. The amount of cultural exchange that has occurred in the past two months cannot be overlooked. But it is the manner in which we have impacted these cultures that stands out as different. We have not only been volunteering under good intentions, but also with critical reflection on those intentions, as well as with the goals of the community (and not ourselves) in mind.

Our legacies stand out differently from those of national corporations or NGO’s. In both Tanzania and Bolivia, we have all left a personal mark. Below are overviews of how we feel about these personal legacies that are being left behind…

Views of Tanzania:

Lindsay & Kelsey feel positive that if nothing else, their legacies will live on ecologically through the plants that they have nurtured. These plants will continue to grow in the tree nursery for the community to use. Some of these plants may be used for wood to foster the building of new homes for the poor, while others will be used to provide food sources to families. Other than this ecological legacy, social impacts of their service will also be left. Stereotypes of Americans have been altered and brought down during their time working with local people.

Sarah’s time at APROFI Kindergarten has helped her to learn about the impacts that previous volunteers have left. It seems that the cycling of volunteers is common in this classroom. Before long, the teacher will probably be telling the next volunteer about Sarah‘s impact–enhancing her legacy over time. The biggest legacy that she hopes to leave, is the thought that she cared enough about the people of Tanzania to travel halfway across the world in an effort to help them.

Elizabeth’s involvement at WOMEDA has also added to the long line of volunteer work that has been done there before. She has grown close with her coworkers and has adopted WOMEDA’s goals as her own. Her legacy will live on not only through the visible work that she has completed, but also through the new perceptions that her friends carry. Because of her presence, views on Americans, Western women, and white people in general have been altered. Elizabeth has also seen an impact on her own family back home. Interest has sparked up not only about Tanzania, but of WOMEDA and the great services that they provide. Because of her time here, other people clear across the world have become involved in WOMEDA’s quests and may continue to stay involved.

At the hospital, Sara feels that she will leave a legacy most through the memories of the employees that work there. Volunteers in the future will be able to fill the gap that she is leaving behind at the registration desk, but they will not be able to fill in the memories that she has made. All of the paperwork and files that bear her handwriting will serve as a reminder of her time in the clinic as well. Stereotypes have also been altered from her presence, so future volunteers will not have to face as many false generalizations. Her final hope is that she has left the impression that she was thrilled to be here, and that she was here to both learn from and to help local Tanzanians in Karagwe.

As we tell our stories to others back home about our time in Tanzania, more interest will be sparked and more students may decide to participate in this study-abroad program through Amizade. The future of each of our service sites holds its own possibilities, for both locals and new study-abroad volunteers to fill in where we left off.

Views from Bolivia:

Justin believes that his impact will be telling his story and that of the children’s when he is back in the United States. Although, he is not convinced he is leaving a legacy he does hope that his interaction at the orphanage will prove to be helpful to the organization.

Shawnna, after taking this trip, wants to assist other volunteers from the United States to make their way to  Cochabamba. In giving friends and acquaintances an outlet to a reputable orphanage she believes she can continue the cycle of volunteers working with these children we have come to care about so much. For Shawnna, who was unsure about working with kids in the beginning of the trip, the orphanage has become a positive atmosphere where she would like to encourage future volunteers to contribute. Also, the girls’ home has made Shawnna feel that she is giving a worldly view to these children and at the same time benefiting from their insight into Bolivian culture.

Nora is happy that she has become part of the big family of children, workers, and volunteers at the orphanage. She is excited to keep updated on the future projects of the orphanage. Nora believes that this is an atmosphere that is good for these children to grow up.  She hopes that she has added some happiness to their lives, because she knows she has received  joy and learned so much about herself from these children.

In Bolivia we believe that we can encourage others to volunteer here despite the political atmosphere. Each one of us has grown from the experience at the orphanage. We all think that continuing the flow of volunteers to Bolivia and especially Cochabamba is important when we return home. We have come to love the places where we volunteer and have heard too many stories about the exit of American volunteers and funding because of relations between the U.S. and Bolivia. The group hopes that we can make a difference by retelling the positive experiences from our time in Cochabamba.

Both in Tanzania and in Bolivia we have been aware of the images that we present to the people we surround in two very different cultures. These views of ourselves individually compared those workers in the past or what the views of our work compared to people’s views of us coming from the U.S. Due to the history of the United States government and NGOs in both countries, we were definitely concience of our reputation. It seems important that most of us tried to prove that we were good workers and  made an effort to replace any previous negative views. In addition, we all have intentions of spreading our stories when we return to encourage study-abroad and service-learning trips.

“Our deeds still travel with us from afar, and what we have been makes us what we are.” – George Eliot

Image: Dia de Los Ninos celebration at the orphanage.

Discovering How Service Has Shaped Us

Walking To The Park in Cochabamba   (The volunteers in Bolivia learn new lessons from the children at the orphanage every day.)

“We travel, initially to lose ourselves; and we travel, next, to find ourselves.”

–Pico Iyer

This week we considered the work we are doing at our service sites in Tanzania and Bolivia and used it as a vantage point for self-reflection.  Before leaving the United States we were warned that our service sites may have a greater impact on us than we have on them.  Each of our journal entries seem to prove that this is true.  In the past we have struggled to see how we are making a difference in our communities, but when the reflection was turned around we had no shortage of examples of how our service sites and communities are impacting us.

Despite our respective countries and different service placements, all eight of us have agreed that taking time away from our busy, consumer-driven American lives has given us a unique vantage point for self-reflection.  We have all become much more aware of our representation to the United States, and it affects how we act, talk, and even dress.  Even though some of us are frustrated with the impact that we may or not be making in our service placements, we all have come to the conclusion that we represent a portion of the world that many people in Tanzania and/or Bolivia only have assumptions (and sometimes stereotypes) about.  It’s safe to say that we all want to break cultural barriers and really foster relationships with our communities. Most of the students have recognized that our self-reflection starts with the fact that we all chose to remove ourselves from our cultural norms in the United States; and this cultural immersion has made all of us learn things about ourselves that we would not have learned without being deprived of our normal routines at home.

While the degree of self-reflection is about the same in all of us, our personal self-reflections have differed somewhat because we are in different areas of service.  For example, Nora has more patience than she thought, Sara O has decided after her experience in the hospital that she wants to re-evaluate her career goals, Shawnna realized that she enjoys children, and Kelsey has learned from the Tanzanians that work can be a beauty rather than a burden.  As one can tell, all of us have had our own, different lessons, but through our blogging we can come together and share our experiences and personal lessons.  All of the Tanzania students recognize something in Tanzania life that is missing in their lives in the United States.  Elizabeth put it rather well in her blog by saying, “The irony never ceases to amaze me – I see so many aspects of Tanzanian life and society that I envy, value, and see lacking in my life and our culture; yet, all around me are people who want nothing more than to live the life they presume I have.” We all came to Bolivia and Tanzania because we wanted change, and that change is manifested through our own self-reflection and its effect on our identity in our respective countries, and eventually in our home country.