Updating y'all.

I'm back from a week long rural visit. 

Right when we stepped off the bus, we were all shocked by the beauty of the different greens, the coolness of banana trees that shaded us, the smell of simplicity, and the sound of harmony. I found myself in, where the Human Development Index declared as the "least developed" area in Sao Paulo, Barra do Turvo.. meaning one of the poorest areas in the state. 

Shortly after, I saw something flying through the sky! It was Pedro.. on the zipline. (Best entrance award goes to P-man.) Pedro is one agroforester in a co-op of 120 families. Agroforesters work with the land rather than against it. They help the land stay beautiful and healthy while still being able to utilize it for the benefits of people. Pedro oriented us around and explained his goal: to live in harmony with nature. He tells us how people have come into the land of Barro de Turvo and made the community "think like they're poor, therefore, they act like they're poor, and they become poor." The idea of declaring what is poor, legitimizing bodies of knowledge, and the quality of life resonated with me. 

Pedro talks about the birth of Jesus, saying it is seen as a poor place - a manger. Yet, he believes it's one of the riches place, especially for a farmer. He related that to the land is lived in. He said he "didn't understand why they're poor when the land is so rich" and asks "How can we be poor in a place like this?" 

During our week, we also visit two other neighbors forest, hiked to plant heart of palm trees, had fresh sugar cane, played with kittens, learned capoeira (brazilian martial arts), visit a Quilombo (a community of slave descendants), compared other realities to what I know as reality, and much much more. 

So, please, take a small glimpse of this magical land I experienced. These pictures do not suffice, but perhaps the peace that radiates through the pictures can explain.

Agrofloresta means agroforestry.

This is a picture of Pedro and I. We couldn't communicate very well with out a translator, though we still managed to share stories of our families and laughed with each other.
"Tudo posso naquele que me Fortalece.." means I can do all through Him who gives me strength. It's great because that quote is referring to Jesus in the Bible. Yet, there's a Jewish start at end, implying cooperation and living together in peace. 

We had to take this small boat made of concrete across this river, zipline our backpacks over, in order to get to the place we were staying at (Pedro's place.) Each day, we had to cross 30 students over and back. 

This is a site of a house Pedro is building out of wood, the mortar is made from manure and grass.  He emphasized renewable sources. He wanted to make a house that could be reused but also unharmful to the earth if destroyed. He truly respected life and nature.

I joke around about feeling like a POS (piece of sh*t) after seeing all the hard work agroforesters do... but actually feeling worst than shi*t, because manure here can do a lot. It can help fertilize soil, help build a house. But actually. 

Pedro and his wife, Maria. This picture shows their honest emotions.

Second agroforester - climbing a heart of palm tree. 

Do I need a caption for this? 

Class in the forest. I dig it. 

This water mills powers a family electricity, such as their refrigerator and lights. 

This picture makes me excited to have my own family and my husband look at our child that way. That's the girl's father smilin'. Yup. 

Capoeira is a Brazilian martial arts and dance. It has a fascinating history because it grew from survival. The slaves brought it from Africa and had to hide their martial arts in the form of dance. The moves and energy truly encompasses the history. 

These vine leaves are used in the community to make a tea that helps with infections. 

Theme of the week: Harmonia (Harmony)

Besides this rural vist - What else have I been doing in Brazil?  

Sambadrome in Sao Paulo during the Carnaval. It is a huge competition with the samba schools. We were there from 11pm - 430 am. 

The largest bookstore in Latin America.

Guaruja Beach 

Attempted to hike the tallest peak in Sao Paulo, Picos dos Marins. However, did not make it to the top after 4 hours of traveling by bus and car, but had a nice hike and picnic. 

The highest peak. Imagine standing at the top - you'd be the tallest in one of the most populous cities. 

Rolling hills...

Basically, I've been spending a lot of money (thank you, Mom and Dad!) Some free things I've been doing in Brazil:

Watching this awesome video my family made:

Listening to music, check this link out: 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Us-TVg40ExM

Going on my dad's awesome blog periodically:

http://www.doanfamily.us/

Reading, I just finished Blue Like Jazz by Don Miller. HIGHLY recommend it. 

I've been meeting a ton of new people, dreaming of my family, trusting strangers, getting bug bites, appreciating Sneha for her awesome photos, laughing, finding quietness, and trying to remember to say thanks for every day. 

I'll add more headings later,

Lynn

As a woman, there are some decisions you have to make in life.

For one, do you want to have children? And what if there are complications with the birth of your child? One of the topics we have been focusing on is Women's health. Why? Because Brazil has the highest rate of cesarean sections in the world and it's been increasing more as it's being accepted into the culture. 

"The World Health Organization recommends a c-section rate of between 5 and 15 percent, as the process could put the mother and the baby at risk. In Brazil, however, between 2002 and 2009 the rate was almost three times as much as the upper limit (44 percent), and went up to 52 percent in 2010, according to figures published by UNICEF"  

If Doctors know the risk of C-sections, what other factors contribute to this high rate? The convenience and profitability for doctors; instead of waiting for mothers to go through labor, it's so much easier just to check into surgery and out for the day. Also, women can plan the exact day and time of their children, especially if they believe in astrology. This rate can reflect a lot about a country.

We began exploring this topic by a guest lecture who spoke about the legal situation of women's health in Brazil. This is really interesting because... Brazil has the highest numbers of Catholics in the world. Their constitution declares a separation of church and state, yet, there is a huge role of the religious beliefs in the law. For instance, abortion is illegal. There are special cases where legal abortions are given; rape, incest, or to risk of mothers life. Yet, like most illegal things, they are still done. 

That day, the guest lecture played a video that churned my stomach and left my eyes stinging. It was a story of a woman with an anencephalic fetus in Brazil. This means her male fetus was missing part of his brain. The woman was religious and wanted to have a son. But, with the condition, her son would have passed away immediately after birth. (It's important to consider this because usually when I hear the term 'abortion', I get the notion that the mother does not want to have the child, in this case.. the child was planned for.) Well, after being rejected of a legal abortion, she applied for it again and was successfully able to receive her abortion. 

I distinctly remember a member of the Brazilian Supreme Court saying: 
"I do not understand how there is a human in her stomach, yet it is not alive.." 

There was no warning for the emotions I felt and the images that I had to see while watching this video. I saw the dead fetus in her arms, her swollen eyes filled with tears, the short coffin carried in the funeral, and the father burying his son..This all was very heavy on my heart. It got me to question what is 'life' and the value of it to me, what would I do in the woman's situation, and how do I pick myself back up after watching that? 

We went on a ten minute break after that session and I decided to read my devotion of the day and listen to music. My ipod played Hillsong - Soon (Click here to listen) and tears poured and I continued to have enormous pain deep with in me; feelings of guilt because I had life in me... and others didn't. Soon, I felt much better and my spirit felt lifted. It was no coincidence that I read Romans 9, starting with "I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart." (2) and continued to read about God's sovereignty. I discovered that God's sovereign choices do not need to be questioned and that I don't have to feel guilty for the life I live, because I was given it for a purpose. 

The deeper we dive into these health issues, the more I find myself emotionally unprepared. Isn't ironic that as I'm growing and learning, I feel like a new born being exposed to the disparities and inequalities around the world? Before this program, we were told that we may not have the workload similar to a university (as far as assignments and exams). But we will have to work hard emotionally and mentally. I didn't take it seriously, but now I can understand what that means...


Besides that one guest lecture and regular classes, we've had many other activities and speakers including:
- 3 guest lectures 
- 2 Non-governmental organization (NGO) visits
- 1 Panel on Birthing Experiences 
- 1 Visit to a Public Hospital 
- 2 Film Screenings 

This is a photo of me in Washington, DC. The day we left to Brazil, I did not have the chance to post it yet. But I'm genuinely smiling. Though studying public health can be emotionally taxing, I will end each day smiling because I will learn so much by discovering and crossing these emotional boundaries. 

Packing for my one week trip to a rural town, Barra do Turvo, 
Lynn 


"There is something inside of me, sort of contagious, deadly, dangerous.. It's called LIFE, a vibrant and terrifying mystery.." - Hebert Daniel 

National TV can't miss you when you're traveling in a group of 30 foreigners.

Click the link down there and listen (in portuguese) to them talk about us, Gringos (foreigners.) 

Also, notice how they highlight my roommate, Bethany, american shoes - Chacos! Hahaha. Chris translated some parts and apparently they said, "You can tell their Americans by the way they don't move their feet when they dance." 

I was on TV too (for a second), if you're wondering. Check out the video at ~ 1:45! 

Estrangeiros participam do carnaval de São Paulo (Click me!)

There I am... Bahaha!

Foreigner,
Lynn



UPDATE: 

Today, a friendly Brazilian boy I met last weekend messaged me on facebook saying this:

"I saw you on TV! It was beautiful! ... XOXO and good carnival!" 

Laughing,
Lynn

A typical day in Brazil... using photos!

There is no typical day! Every day is truly different, here's a glimpse of one day. 

Arrived to "Survival Portuguese classes" at 8:30 AM, this day, we had Person of the Day (POD) introduce our schedule and a fun exercise before we start class. Then we had group presentations on each different neighborhoods that we visited. It was an emotional experience for some. A few groups went to the biggest slums in Brazil.Then we had a synthesis of what we had learned in our first week of Brazil, we talked about our assumptions and lessons learned.
My assumption: not being able to communicate with people and build relationships due to language barrier. Lesson: You can communicate through emotions, laughter, your body, and even silence.

Lunch time! I went to a small venue and practiced speaking Portuguese. This day, I had lunch with Sneha outside of the medical campus. She's hilarious. She also took these amazing photos. With her amazing camera. (Hint hint, Dad!)

For my Community Health class, our professor had us all draw "Body Maps". What do I embody? It was truly a hard time for me. I love these thought provoking exercises, but sometimes it can be too forced. In the end, I decided that I really wanted my body to be simple. For one, I knew that my hands on my body would be holding other hands. It symbolizes my enjoyment of companionship, relationships, and intimacy. Then I realize, my hands symbolize much more and I wanted to focus my time on it. I have my grandmothers hands (or dad's) To me, it represents my dad's hard work and how much I want to become a good parent. It also symbolizes privilege  Some are born with no hands. Hands are very useful. It represents my love for rock climbing and being active. It symbolizes my flaws too. I have nails that are growing strange bumps on them. That's because I was not eating healthy and needed more nutrition. My hands are something I don't really like. It displays my insecurities. So much more, but anyways..  The green on my chest represents an electrical interpretation of my heart beat. What my heat beats for (or what I want) is a heart, home, and cross. I couldn't think of much else. But I think it symbolizes my want to de-attach my spirit from the world. For Jesus says in Luke, "What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet lose or forfeit his very self." (Luke 9:25)

By the end the class, we were all tired and cranky. But we weren't done with the day. We were scheduled for "Community Building". That usually means doing check ups on how our group is functioning. Well.. instead, we had our Trustee Fellow, Sarah, say, "We have a suprise! Follow me!" So we walked a few blocks, up the 21st floor of an apartment building, to see the entire 360 view of Sau Paulo. It was gorgeous!

The city is very populated and extends forever. 

That wasn't the only part of the suprise.. we still had an activity to do! And it had to do with fruit!

We had to compete in our groups to name all the exotic fruits in Portuguese...

Then eat it! (That's a a Guava fruit.)

Now... some random pictures of me, a potato, and some cool friends. 

Tami

Caio 

Sneha


And since we're on the topic of cool people, here's a collage of the Doan Family. 

Later babes, 
Lynn 

Fotos de quem eu estou vivendo com no Brasil

My City.. 

My City, São Paulo, taken from the roof top of an apartment building. 

(Photos of who I am living with in Brazil)

Bethany (on the left) is in my program. Beth is my host mom. 

Beth, Bethany, and I 

Now a photo shoot of Beth and Chris (he is studying abroad also, from Univ of Pittsburg, but different program. He also speaks Portuguese really well.)

Smile! Sorria! 

Look cold! Olhe fria! 

Look scared! Olhe com medo!

I forgot what this one was.. 

One of the two dogs that lives with Beth. His name is Peechi. He's tiny and his anger issues. 

Today, we've been listening to Brazilian music all morning!
Beth has been tanning & Bethany and I are relaxing, journaling, and reading.
We're getting ready to go to samba rehearsals for Carneval and block parties tonight!

Viva, 

Lynn