Laura´s First Blog
Hello All,
I´am so sorry I haven´t been writing, just Joe has been doing such a good job! I´am a little lost for things to tell you as I have been doing everything with Joe. Although I shall give you a recap of everything so far. I must ask you all to excuse me but this is the first time I have ever done a blog, and Joe has just kindly shown me how to do one.
I views from the convent are amazing. Christ is staring down at you from the top of his mountain and we look on across the vast amount of flat (and favelas) that make up most of Rio. Even at night you can see Christ looking out across Rio watching everything down below.
I must thank Beth she has been fantastic. Truly a second Mother! Which was great for me as I was feeling very Home sick in the first couple of weeks (well first three weeks!!!). You see I haven´t really been away from home by myself for so long. It was a little scary at first.
The first time we heard there was trouble in the favelas I was a little shocked that everyone was so calm and used to it when all the shooting was happening so nearby. We were into our second week when we heard the first gun shots. We were all still in bed as it was 6 o´clock in the morning when they started. A country girl like myself thought the local gamekeeper was out with his gun, until I opened my eyes and spotted I was no longer at home.
Three or Four weeks have now passed and the fighting is still going on. It has even spread into other favelas all over Rio and even into the city itself.
I will promise to keep writing the blog, emailing, and updating all pictures and news on
March 31st, 2009 at 01:11 pm
Hi Laura!
Congrats on the first blog, looking forward to more!
I may be Joe’s friend from home, but it’s certainly nice to hear the story from a different perspective! Joe usually just tells us about the food he ate… so it’s great to hear your story.
By the sounds of it both of you seem to have settled in (eventually!) and are clearly excelling at the english teaching, given the number of newcomers flocking to see you! Keep it up!
Jake
x
March 31st, 2009 at 02:54 pm
well done !!!
missing you but soooooo envious
sounds like you are all doing a great job
keep up the writing
Dad
March 31st, 2009 at 08:55 pm
Hi Laura
Great to read your 1st blog..hopefully you will be raring to go again now..with your next…and for all the ‘girls’ reading..you can tell us all the ‘girly’ things we are dying to know (well some of us are!) Like.. does Joseph look clean shaven and is he doing his washing and what about his clothes..do they look ironed…but most of all..and we have resisted asking this for 6 weeks..but as it is my wedding anniversary today I am going to be really ‘mumsy’ and ask…can you see if his ears are clean for me?! Well who else could I ask? And Jake and John are really dying to know!
Meanwhile, I think you are VERY brave for taking that big but fantastic opportunity to experience Rio and the wonderful projects and many congrats on your photo and the ‘article’ in the Longridge News! Lovely!
Continue to share all your gifts, skills and talents with one and all!
And enjoy!
Many Blessings
Rose
April 2nd, 2009 at 06:56 am
Laura, I am very happy with your comment, especially the part that says I have been a second mother to you! Thanks for the compliment, but it has not been a difficult task, because is very easy and good to be with you. You are a wonderful young woman and courageous. I have seen how confident you have become every day and I know that is not easy being in a country so distant from home, with language and culture so different.
As soon as Laura arrived, we lived very tense period in the project, as drug’s dealers and police were starting a war, which may occur in Rio’s poor communities. But this time the attacks against the traffickers were more aggressive and many people involved in trafficking died. Such private wars (as occur inside of the slums) affect our children and adolescents, not only because they live in areas of danger, but also because some of them have relatives involved in trafficking.
At the beginning of this last war, a 20 years old boy who was studying last year in our night course died, which left us very shaken. He had started his “work” in traffic for 3 months (because this is often an option to work or to get respect from the aggression suffered by their own families or by the State, represented by the corrupt police) and he had not the chance to repent or pay for his crime in prison because he was killed with gunfires in the heart. He was loved by colleagues in the course because his solidarity, and it seems strange to say that about someone that goes into the life of the contravention, but the fact is that young people who are killed, usually are the most foolish, naïve, and that more exposes themselves to danger. The final balance of the two weeks of war was more or less than 10 deaths and 20 prisoners, despite local newspapers reported only two deaths, one being a criminal with a important position in trafficking.
To have an idea of the seriousness of the situation, according to the search “Child Trafficking, a Case Study of Children in Organized Armed Violence in Rio” in 2002 by COAV (English acronym for ‘Children and young people in Organized Armed Violence ‘), the number of children’s deaths is more in Rio than in some regions of conflict. In the war between Jews and Palestinians, for example, 467 children were killed between 1987 and 2001, while the number of children victims of violence in Rio was 3937 in the same period.
Some of our children had their homes invaded by police who broke everything that was within throwing things through windows, looking for drugs and weapons.
The institution is very close to the communities that were hit by the violent clash, but the place where we are is safe and we only sighted in the distance and heard the shooting. The news comes through the children and also monitors who live in communities. My main concern in relation to Joe and Laura was explaining what was happening and make them realize that they were completely safe. Now everything is calm again, but until when?
Yet all, we still on our firm intention to give these children and adolescents an alternative of life different from that offered by drug trafficking and in our fight the work of our volunteers has been very important.
I would like to say that everyone likes a lot of Joe and Laura and the girls love to be near Laura, playing and toying their long hair.
Rose, congratulations for you wedding anniversary and the precious child you have.
Love from we all
April 2nd, 2009 at 10:29 am
Laura, I must say that I was feeling very anxious when you mentioned about the shooting in your blog, as you know your safety is the utmost priority for all of us. I felt reassured by Beth that although the centre is not too far away from where some of the trouble has been taking place that you are safe in the centre. Of course I have been to Rio many times myself and I am always aware of the troubles relating to drug trafficking etc but I must say that I have never experienced any danger to my self or to any of the many groups and volunteers that I have taken to Rio.
Of course the reason why we are sending volunteers like you is to help the children and families from the local communities to find away out of the poverty and voilence that afflicts them. The teaching that you do and the relationships that you develop will have a lasting impact on the lives of many children and their families. Through your efforts and the hard work of Beth and the staff involved in the programme many children will have an opportunity to change their lives for the better.
We must always remember that what is happening in some parts of Rio is no reflection on Brazil as a whole. Because of what is happening in Rio some people may conclude that the rest of Brazil is like that - nothing could be further from the truth. I remember when I first asked Rosalba’s dad for her hand in marriage (Rosalba, my wife is Brazilian) her father, Sr Brandim, asked me where we would live and I informed him that we would return to live in the UK. He suddenly looked very anxious and said: Jose, will Rosalba be safe in that violent country? I was taken back by what he had said and asked why he thought the UK was violent. He said that the TV news was always reporting the violence that takes place across the UK every Saturday at football matches (this was in the 1980’s) and on Saturday nights on the streets of our major towns and cities. I assured him that although violence was an unfortunate part of life in the UK most of the country was perfectly safe and very pleasant. How easy it is to go from the specific to the general - because it is like X in one place in a country we assume that it is like that in the rest!
Keep up the good work Laura and give Jose a big abraco from me
Kind regards,
Joe H
April 4th, 2009 at 03:07 pm
Hi Laura, I thoroughly enjoyed reading your post, especially your description of the views from the centre dominated by the statue of Christ. In 2010 I hope to visit Rio with Joe’s group and your account has really excited me.
I get homesick after three days so I very much admire your courage in going so far from home for so long !
It sounds as though you have settled into the routines of the centre and are enjoying your experience.
Well done…I think it is a fantastic thing you are doing and you can be really proud of your achievements.
Enjoy the rest of your stay,
Regards,
Margaret Smith and all at St Mary’s School