Day 25 – Wednesday June 2

Today I meet with the Director of Culture for the City of Campos. Marcele went along as my interpreter and boy was I glad she was there. He did not know any English and well I do not know any Portuguese. He seemed very passionate about his work and the cultural history of Campos. He was very excited about new projects and frustrated over projects he wanted to do but couldn’t. He shared with me 2 books on Campos and a CD of Samba music from who brought the samba to Campos. During the tour of the building gave me a platter made by one of the clay pottery students. I thought it was pretty cool and hope I can get back home without breaking it. Also during the tour we came across a reporter who interviewed me about my visit. I am famous you know. TV shows, newspaper articles, hanging out with famous an actress, what’s next? From there it was off to lunch and to meet back up with the group. Them it was off to a recreation center. I tried to find the director or programmer, but they all seemed to be off for the day. The tour was nice and so was the facility. They offered many different sports and activities to a large range of ages. We were asked to have our pictures taken with the gymnastics group and being the good celebrities that we are, click away. Our last stop was at a school operated by one of our host families. They did some very neat dance routines for us and even greeted us in the streets with a band. Very cool! I love the excitement on the kids’ faces when we walk into their school. They seem so happy to have us and really enjoyed showing us their dance. Tonight is my last night with Andre, Marcelle & Yasmin. Tomorrow night I will stay with Nicole and her host family. So, I will enjoy the night with my family and will see you all soon. See Ya, See Ya!!!

Day 24 – Tuesday June 1

First off, today is Lenae’s birthday. So, Happy Birthday Lenae! Love you! Today we headed out to ‘Distrito Industrial – Superporto de Acu, ‘ basically a huge port and industrial site. It is in the early stages of construction and is looking to be completed over the next 20 years. As with several events before we defeat logic as we saw it. We left Campos and headed north to a small town where we were to meet up with some folks from a Rotary club that was taking us to see the port. During out trip we passed a sign that showed the port being down this road to the right. We drove for another 20 minutes and meet our people along side of the road in a small town. They jumped in their own van and we followed. At this time I thought maybe there was a short drive to the port and that the road we passed earlier was simply a route you would take directly from Campos. We proceeded to turn around and head back in the direction we came from. 5 minutes, 10, 15, 20 and we finally turn on the road we had passed on our way to meet them. Why did we not meet them closer to the only route to the port you ask?” Because that would make sense!” Why would we meet them somewhere close by when we can drive an extra 45 minutes to get to the same place. OK, off my soapbox. We arrived to the port entrance or at least the construction entrance. The port people sent us down this long dirt road to a building in the middle of nowhere. We were greeted warmly with a snack spread that could have been lunch. And yes, they had a dessert. Yum, I say, YUM! We got a brief overview and then went and learned about the companies and the project being built. After that we loaded onto a coach bus and head to the construction site. The only thing really in place was the concrete company and 2/3 of the pier, or dock or bridge, whatever you want to call it. I guess it is really a combination of all 3. Anyways, when finished, it will be nearly 2.5 miles long, straight out into the ocean. The main reason being the depth of the water. It was a neat tour and the workers would all stop and wave to us as we drove by. Guess they thought we were some high dollar investors. We were treated as such because lunch was once again, AWESOME! I ate too much, but not enough dessert. Ice cream with caramel and a strawberry sauce. I had 2 servings and was thinking about 3, but it was all gone. So now we load up and head back Campos, no detour this time. Now it is time to spend some time with my host family. Birthday gathering for Andre’s Grandmother. Happy Birthday Lenae! Have a good night. See ya!