Day in the Neighborhood

So today started off pretty normal, the group meeting together at ABA and learning about different aspects of Brazil. While in class, we learned about why Brazilian's are the way they are, and in order to demonstrate, Vanessa decided to take us to the favelas (slums) to meet with the director of a branch of the NGO we'll be working for.


We took taxi's out there (and almost got in several wrecks at the same time, the guy drove like he was insane), and met the director and all of the people that help him there. They were all way awesome people and we got to know each other a little better and laughed a ton. we even had a guy display is dance moves. I was very impressed, especially considering it was in a small room with 35 people in it. This was a pic:

This is him bustin' out some moves.

This is a few in the group, the director has the beenie on (even though it was 85 degrees and 100% humidity). He is like a professional graffiti artist, and apparently is pretty good. He was a way nice guy, and he has a lot of great motives.


I look forward to working with this group. The area we were in (Olinda) is very very poor. Just the ride there gave us a hint of life there and reminded me of the poorer locations on my mission. I know things are worse in some areas, but it is pretty bad in Olinda. The kids are great, but to imagine them living in the conditions they are in is incredibly sad. Here are some pics of where we were:

 These are some old ruins that the city is slowly starting to fix. They were used as slaughter-houses and places for thieves and convicts to hide.

 These are a couple of girls that benefit from the program that we'll be participating in, and, of course, my beautiful wife :)

 This is the bottom level of where we'll be working.

 This is a small portion of the community where we'll be working.

These are the kids that benefit from the work this NGO is doing. They are awesome kids and love to play and laugh. I look forward to helping them out in the near future.


After our long day in the humid air, Cindy and I came back and the first thing I did was go down and chill in the really cold pool. It was soooooooooooo nice. A great way to relax.