Boa Vinda!

The inbound team from Brazil arrived on Sunday, April 12. It has been a great pleasure getting to know the team (Eloni, Tiago, Pablo, Rodrigo, and Everton) over the last few weeks.

One of my most memorable experience was the Folsom Dinner meeting. In our quest to expand our Brazilian Portuguese, we asked our new friends to translate various English words: earrings = brinca and ring = anel. Thelema came up with a neat way to remember "ring" -- ring on nail ("anel"). Brilliant!!

After much conversation, my bladder needed a break. I asked for directions to the restroom, in Portuguese of course, to which they replied esquerdo -- the right. My Spanish should have registered "red flag" but no, I continued walking to the right until I heard "LEFT." Lesson #1: Learn the basic important words: LEFT, RIGHT, YES, NO...and Lesson #2: Be cautious of handsome looking Brazilian men.

Fortunately, returning to the table was much easier. More learning, laughing, and promises of partying in Sao Marcos. At some point (I don't recollect how we arrived at that point), one of the guys shared a tongue twister with us. Here it is -- guess what it is? HINT: see diagram.



Ah...it was a great evening with great company and wonderful memories to whet our appetite even more. Oh, and there was another tongue twister...no drawings, though. And, no translation.

Tchau!

Visa Trip and Presentation Decision

I picked up our visas on Thursday, April 16th. The trip via Amtrak was uneventful other than late due to a train in front of ours breaking down and we sat for 45 minutes. At the Brasilian Consulate in SF, I took a numbered ticket and started the wait. Lo and Behold, the missionary who delayed Kaleb and I the previous week for over an hour was back and in front of me. I thought I would be there all morning. I thought if God really wanted him in Brasil his paperwork would be filled out properly. But again he had failed to do it properly. Not sure what he was up to but the Brasilians were not sure it was religion. Thankfully, once a Brasilian nationals window opened they called for pick up. I jumped to the window and gave the woman my receipt. She disappeared for a few minutes, came back and asked for my written authorizations to pick up the other 4 visas. I did not have them but casually mentioned the woman serving the next window have given me the receipt and said to bring it back.
Skeptically, the current window person went and pulled the visas. I could reach out and touch them but alas she held them back. She then asked the other woman who stuck her head around the partition; she recognized me and actually mentioned a funny line I had shared with her. "Let him have what he needs, I remember he and his friend (Kaleb)". One small step in international diplomacy.

The entire team enjoyed meeting the inbound team. We have been at 2 events with them. They are charming, English is very good and the outbound team is already clamoring for more of their time. Our first full day in Brasil will be spent at the grape juice processing plant owned by the family of one the team members, Rodrigo. The world is becoming smaller every step we take.

Our presentation is coming together quite well and we look forward to seeing all you Rotarians in Monterrey. The entire team including alternates will there with you.

Ate logo (until then)

Jim Eaton

Family Night April 03, 2009

Oi!

We gave our first presentation in front of the GSE Committee as well as our friends and families. We began the evening with a wonderful buffet dinner at Viento's Restaurant. We had the opportunity to meet those near and dear to the hearts of our team members as well as those from the committee we had not yet met.

We received much appreciated feedback regarding our presentation. Our goal is to show our new friends in Rio Grande do Sul how much alike we really are. We spoke of ourselves in our broken Portugese (mine has a Spanish accent, by the way) and spoke of our region in English.

It was really good to be able to give our presentation for the first time in front of so many people who care about us! It was also the night where it really became a reality for some of us that this adventure is upon us. We are counting down the days until we say ate lago to our comfort zones for just a little while.

Thank you to everyone who was there to support us as well as those who were not able to make it. Trish, I will think of you and smile each time I see the slide of our farm animals :)

Obrigada!

Visa run to San Francisco on 4/8/2009

Oi,

So,Jim and I had a lovely trip to the Brazilian consulate this morning. We made great time to the city and found parking across the street.

We headed straight to the post office and grabbed Thelema's money orders then we were off to the consulate, where the real fun began.

Notes were posted everywhere saying the system was down and you could either wait or come back tomorrow. We opted to wait just to ask a few questions. Around 11am a gentleman came into the lobby and told us that we needed to fill out the old paper applications like the one Monica had submitted and in the event that they could not access the system they would submit the other application.

Jim and I began feverishly filling out our applications then Ge's and Thelema's. Monica's was done. Small problem, we didn't know half of the personal info they were asking for. We tried to make contact with Ge and Thelema but to no avail. So we faked it.

The moment we were waiting for was finally here, the nice lady not the grouchy one started calling out numbers....195,196.....203,204,205....that's us we were first. Problem, we hadn't finished faking, I mean filling out the applications. Jim and I ran from the window back to our seats and finished our task. We returned to the window and handed over Jim's application, good, then mine almost good, Jim had glued a picture in the wrong spot. No big deal. Then Monica's, easy right she had already filled it out ? Wrong, they needed hers submitted electronically as well. I left the consulate and ventured off to Kinkos to fill out Monica's electronic application. Jim remained and turned in the other two applications. Then met me at Kinkos after a stroll around the block. I printed the receipt and we headed back to the Brazilian consulate.

We politely proceeded to the nice lady's window, not the grouchy one. All of our visa applications were grouped together and we said our goodbye's to our new best friends that we had made in the waiting room.

We were off, mission completed we went back to the car and it was still there- always a good sign. We headed for the exit and met our next challenge. I handed over the ticket to the parking attendant who gave us payment options which included first born son (sorry Aaron) one good kidney (thanks Jim) and one pint of O+( I covered that seeing how Jim had just forked over a kidney).

The happy ending is that we should have our visa in about five working days. Jim will be picking them up for us next week.

Kaleb