Final day in Arapongas

Tomorrow we meet at Luis Octavio and Nalini's home at 6:00 am (ugh!) to catch our morning flight from Londrina to Sao Paulo Congonhas and into Rio's domestic airport. That means tonight is packing and getting to bed early.

Today's activities in Arapongas mirrored a day from four years ago for Justin and me; new for Floyd. Our first stop was at the showroom and factory for a local furniture manufacturer,Calibri. They are quite large and the furniture they manufacture is somewhere between IKEA and Sauder in quality. They ship worldwide with their largest markets in Latin America, Africa, the Middle East, some to Asia but not yet to the US.

After that we went to CONEX, a furniture exporting company run by Luis Octavio's son, Raja. They represent nine furniture companies who market together for the worldwide market.

After lunch at Luis Octavio's house we visited the Creche, a day care center founded 38 years ago by the wives of local Rotarians. You could probably find more information if you looked back at the 2006 posts. Since public transportation was not running today, there were only 15 children instead of the usual 60-70. They accept children as young as six months and they can stay until they start school at 5 years of age. It's neat project and kids are all happy and healthy. The kids all sang us a song before going to play. I think this is the project that Floyd, Justin, and I will contribute to in gratitude for all that Nalini, Luis Octavio and his wife, and local Rotarians have done for us.

The final stops of the day were for "caldo de canha", fresh juice from sugar cane, drunk either straight or with lemon or pineapple juice. What I had to drink will hold me for a while.

Sunday in Parana

Lazy day. To bed after 1:00; got up for 9:00 am breakfast. Went with Luis Hebrique to the market to purchase steak and sausage for the churrasco. Interesting to see the makret with all likds of things from good foodstuffs, to pets, hardware, knock-off good from Paraguay, you name it.

After the churrasco with Luis Henrique's parents we went for a long walk around the Arapongas lake park. Beautiful temperatues and sky. a Life is Good moment when you think to realize that we;re really here.

Tonight played a table game Rush Hour, which uses logic to solve problems. Kind of fun. Dinner (pizza and wine) with luis; rothre and his sister.

A highlight of th evening is that Rita allowed me to select one of her painting to bring home. It's a watercolor of flowers--quite nice. To bed by 11:00 pm.

Saturday in Parana

Our group had various plans. Justin had made plans to visit with Dimas Zaia and his family Londrina. Luis henrique took Justin and me with him andAnaCarolina to her Suzuki pianolesson at the school in Londrina. Spoke there with the sisters,one of whom, Paula, is a sister inouse nearly the convent there.

We then went to Dimas's house, actually the 18th and 19th floors of the apartment building, Dimas and his family lived on the east side of New York for two years in the early 1990s where their daughters were 3-5 and 4-6. The daughters have both participated in the Rotary Youth Eschange (Laura to Belgium and Sophia to Winnipeg) and speak perfect English. Spend hours there over pasta and fish, several fresh fruits for dessert, and some libation

The evening ended with a dinner at the house of Luis Octovio and Nalini, a churrasquerria starting off with Luis Octovio's special caipirinha (four spoons of sugare,the juice andpulp of four slices of a rip line, and add caschasa to taste. By the time you learn that it's not really Brazilian lemonade, it;s too late. Please of stead ad sausage before the rest of the meal. Wine flowed, ask Floyd about the broken glasses.

Friday in Parana

Long day today. Six of us (Floyd, Justin, Doug, Justin's host Luis Carlos, Doug's host Luis Enrique, and Nalini hired a bus to take a two-plus hours trip to Cambara,the site of Rotary Vilas, a project of the Cambara Rotary Club and funded by the developer of the Bourbon Hotel chain here in Brazil.

The project contains 80 small two-room villas desinged for single women and their children and contains a school sponsored by the prefecture. They plan to add grades 5 and 6 plus a gymnasium. The kids do not have good supervision after their morning classes and get into trouble. No Boys and Girls Club here yet. After meeting the adminstrators and kids, we took up a collection amon the three of us and presented $100 Reais, about 60.00US as seed money for program for their PTO. We see it as program with a lot of potential to develop young lives in desparate situations.

Lunch as at a local Oriental restaurant. Got home in th evening in time for dinner and for me (Doug) long conversations about the economy, politics, business, and more.

Thursday in Parana

Today was mostly a "down day" and Nalini took Floyd, Justin,and me into Londrina (half hour from Arapongas). We had lunch at the Mall (expensive) and looked around there before heading downtown to stores that were more of our style. Visited the jewelry store of the Rotary Foundation chair (Floyd bought some things). Once downtown, one of the first orders of business was for each of guys to get a real shoeshine on the pedestrian mall. the kids are part of a program where they go to school inthe morning, shine shoes in the afternoon (average perhaps 5 per day) and get breakfast and lunch. They are required to go to a meeting and to church on Sunday. Justin got the $2 shine while Floyd and I got the $6 shine (we're not as cheap as Justin!). Justin said it was the bestshine he'd ever gotten.

Then went to a downtown counterpart of the Shipshewana flea market with lots of knock-offs. I bought a pair of Brazilian shoes for 80.00 Reais, under $50 US. Seem pretty nice. Then stopped fo a pastry before heading back to Arapongas. Dinner in the homes tonight. Doug transferred to anew family, Luis Enrique and Rota Quessado and their 9-year-old daught Ana Carolina. Pizza for dinner. stayed up talking until after 11:00pm. Luis would be watching Fox New Channel if he lived inthe US! Weather had been great, though dry.

Return to Parana scope for

Four years later, Justin Brugger and Doug Risser returned to Parana, Brazil, along with D6540 Past Distrct Governor Floyd Lancia, from September 1-7, 2010.

The visit came from a desire to reconnect with Brazilian friends as well as to view a new project, an endoscopy scope for a cleft palette surgical program in Londrina. Nalini da Costa from Arapongas graciously made all our arrangements including for hosting in homes, visits to projects, and social time. When we chose the date, we did not realize that much of Brazil would be closed down for a long holiday week with Brazilian Independence Day on Tuesday, September 7.

We flew down to Brazil from Fort Wayne to Atlanta to Sao Paulo on Delta and connected to TAM into Londrina where Nalini and a friend met us and took us to her home to rest shower and then proceed that evening to a meeting of the Arapongas Rotary Club. We were honored guests and presented there with a certifiace signed by all the club members of both the Arapongas Rotary Club and the Rotary Club Beixa Flor. We also did the formal exchange of club banners. Perhaps Justin can post pictures.

Watch for updates.

Recruiting for Korea November 2009

Are you or do you know a person between 25 and 40 years of age who would benefit from spending one month in Seoul, Korea, in late 2009? If so, please invite him or her to consider applying. Information is available onthe District 6540 website at www.rotary6540.org under Group Study Exchange. Forms are available under the download files.

To be considered, the applicant must live or work in northern Indiana, not be an immediate family member of a Rotarian, be in their job for at least two years, be in goodhealth, and have permission of his/her employer to participate in all aspects of the program. Almost all expenses are paid by Rotary Foundation and Rotarians in northern Indiana and Korea. Contact me for more information!

Doug

Northern Indiana GSE update

Last year’s Group Study Exchange was with District 9410 from Australia. Our team was led by Rotarian Kay Schwob from Huntington with team members from Bluffton, Chesterton, Merrillville, and Fort Wayne Downtown. At least two of those team members have joined Rotary.

Our current exchange will be with District 2430 in central Turkey with their team in our district from April 11 to May 9, 2009. They will be hosted by Crown Point, South Bend Downtown, Kendallville, and with Monticello and Rensselaer sharing hosting for the final week. The hosting clubs met on November 8 to select cooperating clubs and to start planning the itinerary. D6540 Rotarians will have an opportunity to hear their presentation at District Conference in May and are invited to attend the farewell banquet on Friday evening, May 8 in the Rensselaer area.

Our outbound team will be led by Rotarian David Mann of the Wabash Club. His team composed of Katy Silliman, Kurtis Hilgeford, Vivian Yamoah, and Sarah Aubrey will be in Turkey from May 9 to June 7, 2009. Team members were nominated by the Fort Wayne Downtown Club, South Bend, and Anthony Wayne. They will have their first orientation meeting on November 15.

Next Rotary year will be a big one for our district and the help of D6540 Rotarians is sought as we plan two exchanges, one with Seoul, Korea, and a second one with Guanajuato, Mexico. The Korea exchange will be a traditional exchange with our team in Korea from around November 11 to December 9, 2009. Recruiting team members for that program will begin in January 2009. The visiting Korea team will be in northern Indiana in April and May 2010. Former GSE team leader Dick Conklin from the Fort Wayne Downtown Rotary Club chairs the team selection committee and Linda Reyes-Popovich from the Valpo Club chairs the inbound hosting committee.

Our second exchange with Guanajuato, Mexico, will be a special focus exchange with an emphasis on the arts. That exchange will be in the spring of 2010 and promotion for that team will start in late summer of 2009.

Group Study Exchange is the premier inter-cultural educational program for young professionals and is an excellent way for Rotarians to build goodwill and better understanding among cultures that leads to a more peaceful world. GSE exposes Rotary to non-Rotarian young professionals who often go on to join and serve Rotary during their lives. A number of Rotary leaders had their first exposure to Rotary through GSE.

Program and international travel costs are paid by The Rotary Foundation. Our district pays some of the expense for our outbound team including the team uniform and attendance at our district conference. Our exchange partner district is responsible for all hosting of our team while in their district including internal transportation, all meals, all lodging, and activities. Clubs within our district will be providing similar arrangements for our visiting teams.

Team members are young professionals between 25 and 40 years of age who live or work in our district. They cannot be a Rotarian or immediate family member of a Rotarian. There is almost no monetary cost to participate other than for gifts, a passport and visa if required, and costs of getting to and from the airport. More information on Group Study Exchange is available online at http://www.rotary.org/en/serviceandfellowship/Fellowship/GroupStudyExchange/Pages/ridefault.aspx

More information is available from D6540 GSE Chairman Doug Risser at DRisser@aol.com.

GSE 2007

District 6540 will cooperate with the Rotary District 4920 in Buenos Aires, Argentina during April and May 2007.

Current plans call for the Northern Indiana GSE Team to depart on April 7 and return home on May 5, at the same time the Argentines will come to Indiana.

Applications for team members are due by October 21 with interviews and team selection on November 4.

For information, please contact me, Doug Risser, at (800) 635-0963 at Menno Travel Service in Goshen, Indiana.

The Argentine team will be hosted by four host "hub" Rotary Clubs. They are (in order) Huntington, Logansport, Elkhart, and Angola. Both teams will participate in the District 6540 Conference May 18-19.

My wife, Sharon, and I will be visiting Buenos Aires in February and hope to visit with our host GSE committee while there. We are hosting an escorted cruise program with Orient Lines on their "Best of South America" cruise and have added two additional nights in Buenos Aires at the start. Details on the trip are available on the Menno Travel website at www.mennotrav.com. We would love to have Rotarians join us on the trip.

If northern Indiana Rotary Clubs would like 2006 GSE team members to present a program on GSE, we would love to do so!

Sunday June 4

Well, as Lisa said, we got home on Wednesday afternoon after the long overnight flight home from Rio to Miami to Indianapolis, including about 5 hours in Miami Airport.

After a full month, now it seems to have gone so fast.

The memories we will cherish the longest will be the people we met along the way, in Arapongas, Astorga, Apucarana, and Londrina.

Many of you know Fernanda, who participated in the exchange from Brazil to Northern Indiana and who also hosted Kirsten in Londrina. Guess she had an accident and injured her foot enough to require surgery. Fernanda, if you read this, know that we are thinking of you!

As Lisa said, we enjoyed our evening and day in Rio de Janeiro. Met up with Roz and her friend, JoAnn, for dinner at one of the street restauratns in Copacabana that Monday night. Tuesday morning we spent some time ont he beach as you can see from Lisa's picture. That afternoon we hired aprivate car and took in Corcovado with the Christ statue that looks over Rio. Hope someone shares their photos.

We purchased our hotel, the Rio Othon Palace, from Sky Auction for about $100 a night and lucked out with rooms on a high floor (27th out of 30) with great views down Copacabana Beach. Fantastic location and great for people watching, especially outside Help Disco late at night.

Next year's GSE program from District 6450 (northern Indiana) will go to Buenos Aires, Argentina. We are looking for team members. If you know a professional between the ages of 25 and 40 who can get away for about five week, have them contact me, Doug Risser, at DRisser@aol.com or contact a Rotary member.

Thanks for following along with our exploits.

From Lisa ... Dragging at work

Hi everyone! Just taking a quick break from the sifting thru hundreds of work email. We are back in Indiana. Well all but Roz, who is still soaking up the sun on Rio's beaches. It took over 24 hours to get home, and I got to my house last night around 6:30. I am EXHAUSTED. And missing Brasil already. Here is a pic of me & Justin on Copacabana beach, drinking Skol at about 11:30am on our last day. Rio is pure heaven, and I intend to spend more time there soon. I have 16 rolls of film to develop, so don't quit looking at the blog just because we're back. I anticipate that we will all be posting some fun pics within the next week or so. Although I miss all our friends in Brazil (and coffee time! where is coffee time???), I am glad to be home. More later when I have more time to write!