18/7

Today once again we went to Old Recife, but I didn't expect us to visit the places which we did there. We were honored to be able to visit a restored synagogue which is now used as a Museum. It told a little of the history of the building, how it had been later used by Catholics as a religious building and lost its true identity for over three hundred years. The people knew that there was a synagogue on the street but didn't know the exact location until they found the nikvah, or source of water for a purification bath.
Another interesting thing is that Jews keep track of the years with the creation of the earth, and not BC and AD like a lot of other people. So, if I heard the guide right, the current year is 5725.

Another place that we also visited was the Capela Dourada, or "Golden Chapel" which was a very ornate Catholic church. There is a gold coat which covers the chapel, hence where it got its name. This chapel uses the Baroque Style, which, within the decorations and details uses things such as native Brazilian fruits.

17/7

Today we visited a fort in Natal called Fortaleza dos Reis Magos or Fort Wise Kings. It was used as a signal station for airplanes during World War II. Another cool thing is that when the Dutch attacked it a long time ago in  1633, there was a siege for 4 days, and then surrender when its Portuguese commander was killed. Sometimes I have a hard time fathoming how such a little building covering such a large piece of land can accomplish its task. I also noted that the doorways were a lot smaller back in that time period. Okay, not that they were smaller back then, they're the same size that they are right now. What I meant is that I guess as the human race has developed, we have gradually become taller.

Too bad I wasn't there to fend off the Dutch!!

Actually, the Dutch did a lot of things to help advance the Northeastern society of Brazil, especially Recife!! When you a brown or black-skinned person with green or blue eyes, it's safe to assume that that's because of the Dutch!!!

16/7

Today was the day in which I got the most sun in a long time. I guess that's not really saying much in and of itself, but it was a lot in my opinion. We went to a beach called Ginipapu and tried unsuccessfully to body surf but succeeded in jumping around aimlessly in the waves and getting gradually taken down the coastline.

Another really awesome thing that we did was go dune buggying in the sand dunes at this beach. We concluded the day by playing soccer on the beach and then going to a pizzaria where waiters come around and offer you various types of pizza. Quite the day!!

Thanks for reading!!

15/7

Today we went to church in Joao Pessoa. Marcos, the bus driver actually decided to come with us! It was a great honor to have him there. Anyway, afterwards before leaving the city, we visited a couple places, including a really cool Cathedral where we took a tour and learned about its history. A really neat location is the monument for most eastern part of the continent where we took the picture below. It was a lot of fun!

After this we got on the bus with Marcos and went to Natal, another city in Rio Grand do Norte. The trip was a little over two hours, but it passed by really fast! Once we arrived in Natal, Vanessa told us that our room reservations had been given away, and we ALL believed her! Then she was like, “April Fools!”, which was a great relief because a lot of us were pretty dang tired. So right now we’re in air conditioned rooms, with windows out looking the beach which is less than 100 yards away. I’ve never been a beach person, but I’ve been having a great time just playing soccer and whatnot. Stay in tune to see how sunburned I get!!

Thanks for reading!!

12/7

Today, Vanessa let us take a break to get our energy back. In my opinion it was needed. Not just for my physical body, but also to be able to take in all that we had seen on the Sertao. They were mostly simple people, but they seemed to have their values set straight. I wonder how many other encounters they will have with foreigners in their lifetime. I hope that we left a good impression.

I feel now like I'm truly growing a respect for the North-easterners of Brasil, especially the Sertanejos. Ivan(on the right) his father Jose and his brother Paulo all seemed to be so optimistic and humble. They respect the environment and the harsh conditions which it offers, and don't exploit the few resources which are around. It's important that, no matter what your circumstances, you give it your all. I think that these guys are a great example of this!

Thanks for reading!!

11/7

 It was the last day in the Sertao for us, but you could definitely say that we took advantage of it. We entered into the back country and visited a group of teenagers who used resources from the Sertao to make products in order to finance the building of a Catholic church for the Sertanejos. I bought two bracelets, after conferring with some girls to make sure that they were manly colors. After this, we went even farther into the back country where we met a man named Fabio who took us up to some cliff caves with drawings from men thousands of years ago. 

 

After this we basically got on the bus and started our trek back home. Going to the Sertao taught me a lot about persistence, resourcefulness, and being happy with what you have. My respect for the Sertanejo is immeasurable, and I hope that, given my circumstances, I can emulate the attitude of these people when I return to the US where opportunity is ample and I don't have to worry about things like having enough water.

Thanks for reading!!!

10/7

WE got into the bus today having no idea where we were going, only knowing that we were going to visit a family which lived on the Sertao. Upon arriving, we met Ivan and Paulo, two brothers who ran the farm along with their 60+ year old father Jose(Portuguese for Joseph ;)  I observed Jose for just a couple minutes(how he moved, his attitude) and could literally see the menino(young boy) he was about 50 years ago. It was really interesting to see people who had been given so little be so happy and optimistic about their circumstances. The Sertao right now is going through one of the worst droughts within the last 30 years. When we asked Ivan about the drought, he said that concentrate on their work and use what they have to upkeep the farm. He told that sometimes they don’t even know that they’re in a drought because they’ve learned to adapt to it by using water sparingly and being resourceful. We visited another family which primarily made rapadura, or blocks of sugar. We got to eat a lot of fruit which they grew. Both families were  extremely happy and we learned a lot from them. What a great day in the Sertao!!!