Leaving on a jet plane!

can you believe we are off for home tomorrow??? it´s so weird how fast the time flew!

Well, yesterday....we endured the Salvador market one last time and got to view the fantastic sunset before heading back home for supper. Today? A few of us are doing last minute shopping or utilizing the beach before we head off to a drum workshop!

And then...the packing begins. Hopefully none of us are over weight! Wish us luck and see you back in the US!

Church to the extreme...

WOW.

today? we attended church...but not your everyday type of church that most of us are used to back home. This church was Neopentecostal...and it was extreme.

The church service itself was 2 hours long, with about an hour or so of prelude music. The music was very upbeat and modern, and the altar looked more like a performing arts stage. That pastor, once he got on "stage", looked confident and powerful. The congregation was HUGE and reacted to their pastor's confidence and power as if he were almost...a god....

The pastor's preaching was passionate and LOUD. He was screaming at some points causing come of the congretation to cry and praise for joy.

Then, the offering? Consisted of something that looked like a conga line up to the offering boxes.....

Let's just say: interesting. I am sure we all will have stories once we arrive home.....

3 days!

As our eyes open...

What a first day in Salvador!

This morning, after walking on the beach, around town, or just reflecting on our past two and half weeks here, we hopped on a bus for a city tour. Each city we visit proves to be more beautiful...Salvador is rich in history, art, culture....

Salvador, like Rio, Sao Paulo, and Porto Alegre, is also rich in poverty. It was hard to see how close the rich and poor live together here. It makes me wonder...how can the rich live side by side to such poverty-stricken people and not do anything about it?? But, then I tell myself....unfortunately...we do the same thing in the United States.

We got to do a lot of walking around the historical part of the city, which was home to beautiful and elaborate churches...we visited two, and we ll were in awe.

I think, though, many of us are tired of being and living as tourists. It was very hard for me today especially...when we were walking down the streets many people came up to us begging or trying to force some sort of goods on us. We, unfortunately, had to completely ignore them and go on our way. I had a moment today where a women who looked like she had been beaten and malnurished for sometime was asking our group for change...we were told to ignore...so we did. It was in that moment that I wished I could be doing something about those causes- rather than being a tourist.

all in all...quite the day......

HEAT

oh! after 29 hours and 15 minutes we have arrived in Salvador! It is pretty humid here, as the sun is just as intense. We asked for heat...and we got it!

After we arrived, feeling pretty lathargic, we walked to the beach to relax...I am excited to see what Salvador has in store for us! Keep your tabs.....

Goodbye Rio :(

As gorgeous as Rio is, we unfortunately have to leave it today....



Yesterday, a free day, we all enjoyed the beautiful beach, ocean water, and the warm sun. Many of us went shoping, swimming, and even parasailing! I am sure Salvador will treat us just as well, but pray for us! We have a 30 hour bus ride ahead.......see you in Salvador!!!

What a Day!

First things first...FINALLY! SUUUUUN!



This morning, we got the chance to travel up hill to see the infamous cristo redentor. What a view!!! The statue was quite a treat too!



After cristo redentor, we hopped on the bus to the suburbs of Rio. Have a mentioned how insane the traffic is here?? It took us an hour and a half to travel due to the clustered streets and crazy, but I say, smart drivers :) they have less accidents then we do in the US!



In the suburbs, we were honored with the opportunity to visit a religious community where women victims of violence went to be educated, empowered, and rebuilt. We were entertained with a drum show, samba lessons, and got to taste food prepared by the women there! It was inspirational as well as an emotional experience....

RIO RIO RIO!

oh finally we made it!!

We arrived in Rio at 5:30 am this morning....I am sure you can imagine how tired we all are now! Very few of us slept well on the bus...due to excitement of course! Once we moved in to our new homes (where we can see a peak of the rocky mountains outside our windows!), we showered and headed to church. It was a wonderful service, and we even got the pleasure of singing ´Lean on me´to the congregation. :)

After church, we dined at a beautiful restaurant....we can definitely tell we are closer to the ocean. FISH!!! Fish and sushi and everything you can imagine from the sea. It is a great change of pace...and a tasty one at that!

After lunch, we went to the street market. With all of it´s winding turns and tables and treasures and bargains....it was hard to resist buying anything!! All of us came back with gorgeous new belongings either for ourselves or others.

Unfortunately, we decided to wait on seeing the infamous cristo redentor for a clearer day. Which, with how exhausted we all are, none of us complained...we still have plenty of time!

BUT...can you believe in 11 days we will be home in Chicago???

Rio here we come!

I cannot believe we are going to pack up for Rio today! It feels like we just got here.....

Yesterday we were jam-packed with learning experiences and sights to see. After breakfast, we attended Portuguese lessons then continued to discussion with Dr. Nash. We discussed our reactions to what we have seen and experienced, and we evetually brought our discussion to religion and the church. I must say, this trip has opened my eyes to many new ways of thinking....

Then we proceeded to visit a library, a beautiful church, and the only Afro-Brazilian church in Brazil....though the day was long, we got to see and learn some great things!

Today we will be gathering for lecture regarding Liberation Theology (cool stuff!) and heading to the Japenese community of Sao Paulo. And even better....we are attending a futbol game!

Wish us luck in all of our adventures and see you tomorrow in RIO!

What a day....

Last night was the best sleep we have all gotten in a LONG time....the beds are so comfortable here at this wonderful Catholic school...

This morning we had another speaker, a Black retired pastor, 71 years of age. He was phenominal, to put it lightly. He discussed the pressing issue of racism in Brazil and told us many stories of his own where he, himself, endured racism and discrimination. His stories, statistics, and facts blew our minds....for instance, we learned that over 800,000 children´s births are not documented and recorded (meaning, they legally do not exist....which, in order to recieve education, health care, etc., one must be legally documented in the country) . Such instances represent a vicious cycle...usually, if the children are not documented, the parents are not documented....and the cycle repeats itself

So, the question here is, what can we do? Our speaker stressed the importance of our generation and how glad he was to see such young students learning about these sorts of causes. It was very empowering...and I hope we all remember his empowerment after this trip

This afternoon, then, we traveled to the Afro-Brazilian museum...the largest in the world. Though we could not necessarily read the portuguese labels and descriptions, we found the museum to be intriging and, by all means, memorable.

And, so far, Sao Paulo has proven to be extraordinary. Riding on the bus to the museum today was a sight to see...the city just kept on going on the horizon! 10,900,000 people live here....a little different compared to my hometown of approx. 300!

we shall see what tomorrow brings....

Hello Sao Paulo!

Yesterday...oh yesterday! There are too many yesterdays on this trip already.........
Yesterday, though, was our last day at Iguacu Falls. We were on the Argentinian side where our group got the opportunity to get DRENCHED by the falls....then lay on the beach and dry themselves. It was a sight to see! Seriously, the place is paradise...I cannot wait for you all to see pictures!!

Now, we have safely arrived in Sao Paulo, the fifth largest city in the world. Here, the impoverished and rich live side by side.....and this inevitable causes for lots of crime. Dr. Nash and Jette have been very sure we are being safe about our travels. Though this is SUCH a huge city, I am excited for the cultural experiences it has to offer....we are here until Saturday and I will be sure to keep you updated!

Here comes the sun...

Yesterday (Sunday), was our last day in the Porte Alegre area. We can't believe it has already been a week since our arrival! We attended two different churches, as our group slip in two. Both churches were Lutheran. What an experience and privilege. The church I particularly attended was a small, cozy church that had a female pastor. Very few were there, but those that were proved to be very very devoted. Like our churches back home, they were welcoming and excited to have us.

After our 15 hour bus ride, we made it to Foz de Iguacu, home of the Iguacu Falls. What beauty! The waterfalls were breathtaking....and we only visited the Brazilian side today. Tomorrow, we will be seeing the Argentinian side (rumor has it, the falls are in more extraordinary!) And, in addition to this, the sun is out!!!!!!!

Nonetheless, the trip is beginning to fly...now that we will be constantly on the rode to new and exciting places, we'll be home before we know it! I am not ready to be home though...there are still MANY things to see and I'll be sure to blog about them :)

Till then, take care

Already Friday?

As I suspected, time is going TOO fast here! But the things we have learned and seen make all the difference.

Yesterday (Thursday) was probably one of the most fantastic days yet. In the morning, we had another BRILLIANT speaker who spoke of liberation and citizenship theology. Each lecture we attend becomes more and more thought provoking in regards to our world and culture. My mind runs 10,000 miles a minute before I go to bed at night....

At about one in the afternoon, in hopped on our bus and traveled again to Porto Alegre where we visited a quilombo. A quilombo is a settlement of fugitive slave descendents and, though most are rural, we had the priviledge to visit an urban one.

The experience was amazing. Our Wartburg soccer players got to play their game with some of the kids (who were quite a match!). Simply walking down the streets jam-packed with history was enough to place us in awe. We were even blessed with a traditional drum performance, which blew us away! Truly being immersed and interacting with these beautiful people made me fall in love with this place and culture...and it´s only Friday!!

´till we meet again :)

p.s. it´s raining....did Iowan clouds follow us here?!

Finally, I´m here!

I just got my blogger account, so I am adding some entries that I had previously done!

Monday, April 28th
Today is the day we leave from Chicago to travel the many miles to the country of Brazil. Being my first time abroad, I am apprenhensive, but overall, very excited! To experience another culture is an extraordinary opportunity. I expect to learn a great deal of things. But, first, our group (which is a fantastic group!) has to make it through the ten hour flight to Sao Paulo.

Wednesday, April 30th
FINALLY! Settlement. We arrived last night and are staying in Sao Leopoldo, just outside of Porto Alegre. Our housing in charming! Though we have only been in the country for two days, there have been many obversations made. Here, in South Brazil, the only reason our group sticks out is because of our size. If we were to scatter in pairs or threes, we would blend right in. People are of all colors, which makes many of us easily become apart of the culture here, as we are comfortable and not necessarily turned to shock. Also, it is chilly at night! Apparently, we forget about how cold it gets back home.

All in all, this trip is already proving to be a great experience. The interpersonal atmosphere is warm compared to America, making us feel welcome and, well, not so foreign. We already have had one phenominal speaker who talked to us about sex and culture, which I believe sprouted critical thoughts in all of our heads about the subject.

America, though, is still with us. In the airports, the cartoon network and TNT channel were aired in Portuguese. Burger King and McDonalds are quite populated. Still, our group is continuously leanring with each new area we explore or person we meet. I suspect us all to be quite fluent in Portuguese by the time we arrive home!

Until my next internet encounter, good day!