Sociedade Benefeitora Jaguare

After giving a presentation to the Rotary Club of Sao Paulo Jaguare I had the privilege of visiting a school the club is associated with. The school is located next to a poor community and serves the children who live there. In 2008 1,117 students attended the school but certainly much more would have liked to. The school currently has over 300 names on a waiting list. The opportunity to study at the school is highly sought after because 100% of students obtain jobs when they leave the school at typically age 17.

While the younger students study traditional subjects, older students receive technical training. The school offers a program in Mechanics that teaches the students how to create and read technical drawings. It also has a small shop with machines where the students actually practice using machinery. Another track offers classes focused in business skills such as typing, the use of Microsoft office, business administration and computer programming. Students are also able to select from electives such as dance and Capoeira.

The school provides additional important education the children do not necessarily get at home. For example, the children are taught the importance of eating vegetables and maintain a garden at the school. In the cafeteria, where the children are provided with free meals, I saw a sign reminding them to throw their trash in a garbage can. Throwing trash in a garbage can is not as much a part of Brazilian culture as it is American. For health reasons, it is important that the school teach the children the importance of putting garbage in a trash can and not in the street. A dentist volunteers at the school twice a week providing the students with dental care.

Keeping the school running is the effort of numerous groups and individuals. The Benefeitora Jaguare (a group of donors) provides a large portion of the funds needed. Other funds come from the government, the Rotary Club of Sao Paulo Jaguare, businesses, and individuals. However, the school has various projects to improve the school that require funding and, as mentioned before, a waiting list of children who want the opportunity to learn. Projects requiring funding include additional machines for the mechanics program, additional covering for uncovered parts of the school (it rains frequently in the summer), and a makeover of the auditorium’s roof. The auditorium, which is utilized for various classes and activities often at the same time, has a metal roof. During Sao Pualo’s hot summer months temperatures get very high inside and when it rains the noise is extremely loud.

I am hoping to begin volunteering at the school soon. It is a great opportunity to get to know children and young people here in Brazil . It is also a great way to work towards the goal of my scholarship and provide exposure to the American culture that this group of young people might not otherwise get.

Rotary Club of Jaguare

I gave my first presentation in Portuguese this week to the Rotary Club of Sao Paulo Jaguare. The picture to the left includes members of the club. To the far right is Mario, a Rotarian who continue to help me A LOT. Next to him is the President of the club, Wagner. The picture on the right is of myself with my councelor, Mara.

“Complicado”

A word used here frequently is “complicado.” As an American experiencing life in South America this word really hits home. It is an adjective used to describe something “complicated” or “difficult”. My life here is “complicado” that’s for sure. First of all I have the language barrier going against me. If it wasn’t for years of studying Spanish and Portuguese and Brazilian’s “carinhoso” nature I don’t know how I would make it through the day.

I will provide an example of obtaining texts for my homework. Here in Brazil students do not use one fat textbook per class like we do in the U.S. In several of my classes the professors use several books that are not cheap. Many of them happen to be American and are not nearly as expensive to purchase in the U.S. But, since I am on a different continent that is not really working in my favor right now. To save money, most students do not buy the books. The library has some but you can imagine that once a text is assigned that book tends to disappear from shelf. My experience in Chile has really helped me to adjust here. The idea of obtaining a packet from somewhere outside of the classroom for every homework assignment did not blow my mind.

What did surprise me is that in my school the copy center does not copy books. In Chile and at other schools here, teachers leave material in the copy center and students buy a copy at the copy center. In Chile, the main problem was actually catching the copy center open. Here somehow getting my hands on at least five different texts a week can be overwhelming. Sometimes I check the book out from the library; sometimes it is not in the library and the teacher leaves material in the copy center, sometimes students organize making copies off campus. Again, I am grateful that other students are willing to help me out when they see the lost look on my face.

Every day includes a battle with my desire to complete things in the most efficient way possible. I experienced this inner conflict in Chile as well but as an American I find it to be one of the most challenging things to adapt to. At the end of the day I try to remind myself that for a person living in Sao Paulo, who doesn’t know the transportation system, or many of the processes and is still learning the language, I accomplished a lot. Even if all I really did was go to school and get one other thing done in the afternoon.

Brazilians themselves are often frustrated that things are “complicado.” When I told the owner of my hotel that I still had not found an apartment after being here for a month he replied “e complicado.” He told me that people from worse places should come to Sao Paulo; not people from better places. He has mentioned to me before that he does not like Sao Paulo.

Brazilians are "carinhosos"

Brazilians describe themselves as “carinhosos” (warm/loving) and I very much agree; even here in Sao Pualo where the big city culture is very prevalent. Since I arrived in Sao Paulo, my experience has been that, in general, people are very helpful. Contrary to what people in Rio said about “Paulistas” (people from Sao Paulo). There is a very strong rivalry between the two cities. At school students help me to obtain texts for class and even let me use their internet password so that I can actually use the internet! The willingness to help has also been very important when I get lost, which is not an unusual occurrence. Now this is obviously less helpful when the person has no idea what they are talking about or enjoys the idea of sending the poor foreigner in the wrong direction. But I am not alone when it comes to getting lost in Sao Paulo. ALL THE TIME, as I walk through the streets, I see someone asking for directions.

One of the gestures that I have noticed different from the US that demonstrate the “carinhoso” character of Brazilians includes physical touch. For example, people here hold hands more. I notice this often when people are at a table they hold hands here more than we do in the US. For example, it is not strange for a father to hold his teenage sons hand or a pair of friends. Another gesture I find more common here is sharing food. People always offer to share their food with me: fellow students offer me part of a sandwich they brought, a woman in the waiting room in the hospital that I did not even know offered me some of her snack.

An Afternoon in a Public Hospital

As mentioned previously, my personal health struggle with my knee does lead to experiences here in Brazil that I might not have otherwise. Last week that experience happened to be an afternoon in a public hospital. I am trying to get treatment here in Sao Paulo to continue my recovery from knee surgery. I have found that actually obtaining the treatment is really taking awhile. A doctor was recommended to me here but once I got to his office he would not do anything without an X-ray and an MRI. I have a very basic international health insurance plan for Rotary Ambassadorial Scholars which does not cover expenses for my knee. Luckily, a Rotarian offered to take me to a public hospital where I could get the tests done for free.

I was told that this hospital was not the “worst” of public hospitals here in Sao Paulo. Being from the desert, I found outside of the hospital pretty and calming because of the beautiful Brazilian foliage. The first thing I noticed upon entering the hospital was a stretcher entering in front of me pushed over a small ledge into the hospital (a small ramp would surely be more comfortable for the person on the stretcher). There was an obvious triage type of area but overall the hospital was not well organized. Additional signage and processes were needed. My inner supply chain nerd was screaming. At the same time, my stomach dropped as I looked around at the facility and the unhappy patients.

I had an “appointment” and was promptly led into the exam area about 3 hours after the appointment…probably not really that bad. The MRI experience was fairly similar to that of the US with additional wait time and marked up equipment. After the MRI we tried to determine the process to get the X-ray done. There was a line of people standing, sitting in wheel chairs, and lying in stretchers outside the X-ray exam room. I get uncomfortable standing in line and I was better off than some of the people standing inline. Anyway, it was apparent that I wanted to be in that line but what the heck was the process? Wondering around the floor I noticed the stains on the walls and missing chunks of vinyl floor. After asking a security guard, then a receptionist we eventually ended up in another reception area where I gave my Brazilian health card. I was told to wait and I would be called.

Since I didn’t understand really what was going on I was very alert. At some point some one announced something that I didn’t understand and a mass of people got up and began to walk down the hall. I assumed we were all making a mad dash for the comfy line. Once everyone got there someone began to shout out names to create the line. At the end, he asked if everyone else was accompanying someone….my name was not announced….back to the reception area as people who had checked in before me took their place in line.

Eventually, by being the squeaky wheel, I skipped to the head of the line and was taken into the X-ray exam room by a guy in a t-shirt. He did not provide any heavy protective vest for me to wear and I would bet anything the table is not cleaned between patients. Yes, the emergency patients are X-rayed in the same room. It was certainly the fastest X-ray I have ever experienced once I actually got in the exam room. The Xray was provided about 15 minutes later but the MRI will not be ready for about 3 weeks.