Hey everyone, things have changed a bit since my last update but nothing that dramatic or exciting!
Centro Cultural - we moved out of the school, which is awesome, because we can actually "go to work" and have a bit more privacy and time to ourselves. However, there are now five of us in a 3 room apartment so it's quite squishy and uncomfortable. Other than that, little progress has been acheived, we haven't been doing much marketing because we haven't had the time and the disorganised nature of work hasn't allowed this, but with the arrival of new workers hopefully we can change this. I am going to spend at least one day a week being one of those annoying people in the street who tries to chat to you and gives you a pamphlet and a speech etc etc.
I have also talked on the radio twice! I think I am close to becoming quite famous here! Next time I am going to give you all the internet link so you can hear my beautiful voice on the airwaves!
The orphanage:
Even more kids have arrived, but more workers have come too. Things seem to be a bit more chilled right now. We had a big "Saint John" party last week, which is quite a common thing in Brazil. Everyone dresses up like country bumpkins and eats traditional food and does a silly traditional dance in a huge group. My partner was one of the adolescent girls from Casa and it was quite fun! Unfortunately I was working most of the night in one of those fishing game things (where the kids have to catch a plastic fish and then get a prize) so I didn't get to take many photos.
My relationship with the kids is improving, but it's still difficult because I only spend one day a week there and it's hard to develop trust in such a short time. Still, some of them are really cute and fun, they have such a wide range of personalities, from the emotionally closed who pretty much want nothing to do with you, to those who always ask for attention. A couple of weeks ago one of the boys was down for the entire day. He barely spoke or ate or anything, and went to bed early, when he came down for dinner, I asked him what was wrong, he started talking about his Mum and why she hasn't come to get him and how the authorities should have never taken him away and all he wants is to see her or hear her voice and he basically just cried in my arms for about 2 hours. I tried getting him to eat, reading him a story and doing colouring in but nothing could cheer him up, meanwhile another boy was going around proudly announcing "today my father visited me and he gave me heaps and heaps of chocolate!".
In general:
I still don't have a social life outside the NGO, I'm considering becoming an evangelical just so I have people to hang out with. Who knows, maybe yelling at God really is the best way to spend a Sunday.
Also, people's behaviour here is starting to get on my nerves. It's strange because people are quite friendly and easy going, but at the same time quite rude and simply annoying. Students are always coming late, not turning off their phones, coming in and out of the room, etc etc I feel like an old Mum nagging them.
I only have three months here, for some reason I'm no longer feeling very excited about being in Rio, it's really expensive and despite being a really beautiful city it's lost most of its novelty for me.
Sometimes I want to abandon the Centro Cultural and either go and travel or do something more fun or go and live at the orphanage, which is by no means a piece of cake but will probably be much more gratifying. However I feel that if I leave this project the English program will more or less come to a complete stop for the next few months - and I don't think that will be very nice!
I hope things get better, maybe I will make some cool friends and everything will change!
Tristan
