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.