It is so hard to put into words all that we have experienced, all the places we have traveled, all the wonderful people we have met and perhaps this is why I and the others have not written in our blog for so long.  GSE is an amazing experience on so many dimensions and to try to reflect it back with pictures and words, just doesn’t do it justice.  

I am extremely thankful to all who have made this possible for all of us.  From the beginning friendship  between Durval (DG for 4550) and Judy (DG for 5960) to the hundreds of connections and friendships we have made here in Brasil. Obrigada and Thank You!

Being greeted with lots of hugs and kisses when first meeting (and every encounter after that) certainly helps develop those instant friendships.  Please indulge me if when I return and lean in for a hug and a kiss, one on each cheek…I think this is a magical piece of the culture here.  All ages are not in the least bit reluctant to touch you while conversing, to stand with their arm around your shoulders.  I love to watch adolescents, especially the boys, embracing their parents and happily receiving their parents’ affection.  How can we adopt this community wide at home?  I know for sure that I will miss this part of Brasil a lot!

Language has been a barrier, I am well aware of that, but the Brasilians always meet us more than half way….working hard to recall the English they learned in school decades ago, learning other ways to express what they are thinking or feeling and so often Rotary has made sure we have had an interpreter.  Perhaps this has made me lazy and maybe I would have learned more language by now if I had not had an interpreter.   Our interpreters have often been an eager young teen who is so excited to be asked to do this for us and so he or she can practice their English.  They have been amazing young people that are so interested in us and wanting us to love their country (which we do very much).  Those friendships have been some of the most precious…tears from both sides come when we have to say “tchau”.   But, before we are even pulled out of the driveway they have requested to be our friend on Facebook.  It is not uncommon to find 20 or more requests when we leave a city.  I so appreciate Facebook.

In Itabuna we found a Rotary club very much embracing Rotary Youth Exchange…the YEO for the club was a man with a passion for YE, much like my own.  I know we could see in each other a kindred spirit that we shared together.  His club has 6 students going out next year and from the looks of it, many more wanting to go out in the future.  The day after we presented to their club, with lots of young folks present, we were asked to speak to their Interact/ Rotaract/ Rotex club…there were about 50 young people in attendance.  I thought it was a brilliant idea to combine all of them together even though their ages spanned about 10 years, they were all working on projects together and had a great organization.   This is an obvious encourager of the younger students to dream about their year abroad.   I only wish I could have stayed there longer to see more about their program.  They had a very blonde young man from Michigan as their inbound student….loving his time there.  I met one other inbound student, Michael from Florida, staying in Barriers with Zaneela, also a passionate advocate of Youth Exchange.  

I have really connected to this place…to the people and to all that Rotary stands for.  Rotary is alive and well in Brasil and because of that we have had privileges most travelers through this area would never have.   The Rotarians have generously given of their time, providing us with food in abundance, shelter fit for a queen and most of all their hearts.   Our suitcases are not any less full even though we have given our modest gifts away, more have been received.  

It is simply too hard to say how thankful I am….

Saudade,

Vicki