Everyone here tries not to keep track of the days we have left because there are so few, but it’s hard not to. We are making lists of the things we want to do before we have to leave this beautiful island. Every day is an amazing adventure and it is going to be so bittersweet when we all have to head back home.
Today, out of the blue, one of my Brazilian friends asked what my home phone number was. I told him and long story short, he eventually got ahold of my brother and my dad driving tractor and I was able to talk with them for a couple of minutes. It was the first words I have spoken to my dad since I have been here because of technology and him being so busy! As soon as we got off the phone, I was shedding tears of joy. It was so unexpected that I got to talk to him and even if it was only for a moment, it meant so much to me! I am excited to see my family again in a couple of weeks!
This week has been filled with tons of activities!
Monday was just an ordinary day. I had class in the afternoon. Society of the Amazon and Brazilian Cuisine! We made different dishes to go along with Festa Junina, which is a celebration here in Brazilian where they celebrate St. John and everyone dresses up as hicks for some unknown reason. Our group was in charge of making popcorn on the stove, so it was a pretty simple class. Next week we get to go to a huge oyster farm here in Brasil instead of cook and that should be an experience!
Tuesday was a full day! That morning Annie and I planned to go to the top of Morro Da Cruz, which is a very tall hill on the island that all the TV and radio station antennas are on top of. It has great views of the city! I had already been up there once with my family, but I wanted to take Annie to see it as well! The buses worked out really well that morning and while we were waiting for the last one, Garrett walked out of his apartment building that was right by our bus stop. He decided to go up with us as well! We had to be back for class at 1, so it was a really great morning activity! We had class until 4 then went to watch Brasil play in the semi-finals! They had a little fanfest for the college kids in a park at UFSC! It was a fun change of scenery from just watching the game at the bars. They played against Germany and it was suppose to be a really intense game….. Brasil ended up losing 7-1, the worst game in semi-final history of the world cup. People all over Brasil were so mad that they were burning flags and jerseys. They will play in a consolation game against the Netherlands for 3rd place and hopefully is goes better!
Wednesday I had class in the morning and then we went to a turtle reserve here on the island called the TAMAR Project. I love animals in general, but I thought this was incredible. The organization is constantly working to save sea turtles. A lot of the sea turtles are dying because of the garbage from people that ends up in the ocean. Sea turtles eat moss and the garbage gets covered in moss so the turtles then mistake it for food. Turtles, just like any other animal, cannot digest garbage and it eventually kills them. Another human cause of sea turtle deaths is the fishing industry. Turtles get caught in the nests and drown all the time. Sometimes performing a kind of turtle CPR can save the turtles, but most fishermen don’t take the time to try to save them or just don’t know how. The TAMAR Project works with fishermen to educate them on how to perform this CPR and to convince fishermen to use different types of nets that the sea turtle can maneuver through so they don’t get caught. The turtles that are rescued from the wild come to the resort for about 10 days where they are treated and then released back to the ocean. Saturday they will be releasing one of the turtles they rescued and I am fortunate enough to be able to go and watch! I think it will be a really rewarding experience! The next time you are thinking about throwing some garbage out your window, think twice. You’re contributing to killing the turtles and who doesn’t love a good turtle?
After the turtle reserve we went to surf class. The ocean was crazy that day! There were huge waves that were breaking all over the place and the current was incredibly strong. I was really frustrated by the end of class for not having ridden one good wave that day. I only have a few classes left!
Today, we went and visited Museu do Lixo, which is a trash museum! It was really interesting! The place is made up of things exclusively found in the trash! It is insane how much stuff they had that was usable. The museum works with thousands of groups every year to teach them how to conserve water and electricity and the importance of recycling. At the Museu do Lixo, they have workers that are constantly sorting the trash the way someone would if they recycled. They also use organic waste to grow lots of plants and trees on the property. What’s that saying, one persons trash is another’s treasure?
After the trash museum, we visited one of the local soccer teams, Avai. They had people from different departments come and speak to us about what their job is within the “club” and how much work they have to do to keep everything running smoothly. All of the information was new to me because I don’t know a whole lot about soccer. I thought it was interesting that they said they were going to restructure their whole program from the youngest to the oldest players because of the loss Brasil just had in the cup. They take their soccer very seriously here! Also, we asked if it was worth it to train the players if they just end up playing in a league in Europe. They told us that all the places that that particular player has trained throughout his entire life gets a cut of the profits depending on the time he spent with a specific club. I had no idea that was how it worked! It was a cool place and tomorrow we will have the chance to go through a professional practice with some of the trainers at the club!
When we got back to UFSC from all of our field trips a few of us hung out for a little while in the park talking. I wish we had a running quote book of things people have said on this trip. Everyone is always making jokes and tonight we played on the teeter-totters and I laughed until I was almost crying. I have met some truly amazing people here. They have impacted me in a way I never thought possible.
Crossing Continents with Caitlyn 