An Endless Summer in Brazil
Wednesday, March 2, 2005
By: Anthony Almonte

Experimenter recalls his summer of growth

Philadelphia Community EIL Scholarship Recipient
An Experimenter to Brazil, Summer 2004

This summer I had the opportunity to travel to a land which I knew little about, Brazil.  When I told my parents and friends that I was going to Brazil, many of them asked me the same question, “Why did you choose Brazil?  You can’t speak Portuguese.”  My reply was plain and simple; “I want to see the rainforest.”  While in Brazil not only did I get to see the rainforest; I got to meet a new world of warm, caring people and many species of animals that I had never seen.  It seemed like an endless summer of memorable experiences.

It was my first time traveling to Brazil.  I was very curious about this huge South American country, and I didn’t know how the people would be.  I didn’t know much about their culture or habits.  That’s what motivated me to learn as much as possible while I was there and give them a look inside my life and culture. 

Alewaá, our EIL group leader, made sure that we stayed on top of things.  If we needed to wake up at six in the morning, she would make sure we were ready by five in the morning.  What I liked the most about her was that we could talk to her about anything.  If there was a problem that we were going through, she would not give up until it was fixed.

My first week in Brazil was marvelous. A two-hour bus ride from the airport to the hostel gave me the opportunity to get to know the other experimenters.  We joked, laughed, and slept on the bus.  The local representatives told us that the bus was going to be our second home.  When we arrived at the hostel, I was surprised by the friendliness of the people.  They took us in as if we were their family. Some of the other guests were American, so I didn’t waste any time on asking them about Rio de Janeiro.  They revealed little about the city.  They told me that soon I would see what a great city it was. 

While in Rio, we went to Ipanema, one of the best beaches I have visited.  The sand was crystalline white with a touch of umber.  The water was deep green with powerful waves.  When I called my mother and told her about it, she was envious.  Then we took Capoeira lessons.  The fluid movements and acrobatic stunts that the instructors performed stunned me.  All of us made a big circle and practiced along with the instructors.  After we finished, they gave us a warm farewell. 

After Rio de Janeiro, we explored Brazilian ecology up close and personal.  We went to Isle do Bananal, a scientific research facility on an island.  Our first activity was to load the boat with our luggage.  I got to see many species of fish and birds.  Andre, our local representative at Isle do Bananal taught me different birdcalls.  The next day, we fished for piranhas.  I never imagined myself fishing piranhas but there I was.  When I caught my first piranha I jumped and bragged, out of excitement.  After I caught the tenth piranha, I lost that feeling.  Andre later told me that they were not very hard to catch.  He also told me a common saying in Brazil, “It is very hard to die of hunger in Brazil because there are many fish.”  Our group helped researchers at the institute on the Bananal Island and it felt great to be a part of preserving this special place.

The next week we traveled to our home stay in Tacquaruçu, a small village in the remote Brazilian state of Tocantins. I did many activities such as horseback riding, peeling sugarcanes, planting trees, repelling, and bathing in waterfalls.  I lived with my host brother along with his sister and mother.   We spent a lot of time getting to know each other. 

Almost everyday, around eleven in the morning, I would ride on a mule around the town.  I thought to myself, “I can’t ride a horse in the streets of Philadelphia or Baltimore but in Brazil I can.”  At night we would go out to the town plaza and talk about the people of Brazil.  He told me anyone could be Brazilian because there are Brazilians that look Japanese, African, Native Indian, and Caucasian.  I was surprised to learn that Brazil is the most culturally diverse country in the world.  I also learned from him that being Brazilian is having the ability to speak Portuguese and feeling proud of the Brazilian heritage.   As the last days approached, we began a reforestation project, which included planting more than a dozen trees.  I thought to myself, “I gained so many things from my host brother in this corner of Brazil and now the least I could do is preserve it, so that in the future someone who visits Tacquaruçu might also gain something.”

After the homestay, we did countless activities at many different sites.  We visited:  a macaw preserve and a Caiman feeding site; Curitiba, an example of superb urban planning; Blue Lake cave, known for its electrifyingly blue water; an Brazilian Indian reservation, where we learned about their lives through dance; and many other places.  Animals, history, nature, and culture all were woven into a web of memorable experiences.  Many of the people that see my pictures see all of these elements.  I, on the other hand, relive the exact moment that I took each picture, keeping the knowledge and the experiences vivid in my imagination. 

The program to Brazil may be over now.  To me though, the trip never ended, because I keep every memory alive.  It truly was an endless summer. Thank you for making this important experience possible.