I really enjoyed the campus and the students at the Pan Ammerican School when we visited there Tuesday. One major observation I made was that only 2 of the approximate 300 student body I saw was Afro- Brazilian- that is if they do not consider themselves white. This observation was quite mind- blowing because about 85% of Brazil is Afro brazilian, and 80% of the city of Salvador is Afro- Brazilian as well. I started thinking about why this is and the answer became clear: Brazil is both consciously and unconsciously racially unjust. This is a very sad reality because it means that the actual majority of Brazil’s populationis not nearly as priveleged as the minority, and every person in Brazil should be worth just as much as the other, regardless of their class or ethnicity. It should not be that we travel to a recreation center in the same city of the Pan American School and there are only Afro- Brazilian children who are impoverished, children not nearly as priveleged as the Pan American students, and they don’t even recieve sufficient support from the government to sustain. However, I am happy that provisions are being made to provide those poorer students in the favelas with a safe and secure place to socialize and be given more oppurtunites to rise from the positins that they are in. In the future, I hope that those Pan American students we met use the great potential and oppurtunities that they are blessed with to expose themsleves to the sad reality of people whom they are surrounded by, and hopefully have that new knwledge and understanding provoke them to try hard to make a change for better equality and oppurtunites for all in Brazil.

We entered the Terreiro mid-day.  We stepped over the threshold one by one and then, in a single-file line, circled a building that encompassed the evil spirits and stomped our foot three times on a stone to pacify them.  We then walked up the steps.  On the top step we stopped and Aunt Alia poured water on the ground and then we were allowed to enter.  We took our shoes off and went into an empty room.  Again, in single file, we went past the Saints’ room and clapped three times.  

The whole process was so sacred that I felt in the wrong if I breathed too loudly or clapped too loudly.  The intensity of welcoming a group into the house was almost shocking.  This ritual connects not only the believers and the spirits by sh owing that they’re open to them, but connects believers to previous believers of old. 

Brazil’s environmental institute- what did you take away from learning about Brazil and the environment, connect this to the USA.

One issue that I was really interested in would have to be today when in the rainforest we discussed how destroying vegetation around rivers and lakes could destroy them. I feel like this is important in keeping a smart balance between the environment and industrialization. It was said that companies such as Petro Brasil donate funding to different organizations that base their research on improving conditions in the environment. In Luena’s opinion, this isn’t looked upon as hypocritical because she feels that their obligated to give money back to what they’ve destroyed. This makes sense, but I have to disagree completely. I think that this is completely hypocritical because the companies are just trying to make themselves look good. When in reality, they’re wasting money trying to support intentions that almost completely contradict theirs, therefore nobody is making any progress whatsoever. But again, Luena did have a good point. Maybe one day their funding could lead to research that actually comes up with a way to equally balance the preservation of the environment with industrialization. America has many of these same problems. I remember Luena’s reference to the US navy and their funding for research that only would benefit them and their hypocrisy. I feel that if they followed the same concept of equalization then we could get really far as an economically sustainable market.
*Luena was one of our guides.

A)

As we entered favela Rocinha of Brazil our surroundings morphed. What had been sky scrapers and modern parks of Rio de Jeneiro were now trash strewn roads and small cament and brick homes. People had re-rooted electrical wires to their homes and (armed) men guarded the closed doors of “crack houses”. My uneducated eyes feasted on these marvels and these atrocities. The smells were what hit me though.

Areas reaked of garbage. With consisten trash heaps (on the sides of busteling streets) it was difficult to avoid the stench. Stinging my nostrils, I winced. Winced in pain for those who lived in Rocinha, those who walked these streets lacking hope.

To ones ear Rocinha sounded no different then any other city. Cars and morcycles wized by. Load speakers on cars amplified advertisements. The catchy tunes ringing in our ears. Children cried to their parents and and mothers yelled to their kids. Traditional city bussel stimulated our ears. Yet, Favela Rocinha was not a traditional city.

B)

Brazil maintains one of the most unequal wealth distrobutions in the world. The majority of its wealthy class locted in the south. And its’ impovershed (people) mainly in favelas in “central” Brazil, Rio de Jeneiro holding the largest of them, Rocinha. Rio’s downtown is beautiful and hosts many wealthy neighborhoods. However, the contrast between favela and “Rio-city” is disturbingly blaitant. Schools are uncommon entities and social services (electricity, running water, “safety”) are commonly non-existant in most favelas. People are forced to illegally provide these services for themselves. It’s difficult living in a favela like Rocinha and more difficult “getting out”. With education underemphasized, kids have no foundation of knowledge and are stuck surviving in the favela. This terrible loop is a saddening problem. A problem insubstantially being addressed.

C)

Seeing children who have little support is a new feeling. Many of these kids end up on the streets, and a new age of “gangsters” begins to develope. This must be stopped through productive and motivating education. People must know their value. Rio de Jeneiro (as a city) and Lula da Silva (as the president) must work to “catch these favelas up”. New schools, hospitals, electricity, running water, suege systems, it all must be created and made excessible for the people of the favelas. Because, with respect given, respect is taken. And self-responsibility and hope just might seep into those kids of the streets.

Jare is a religion because of many components. Some of these include, the connection with Gods, worshiping and praying, and the other state of mind or possession.

The start of my understanding of the religion began when i first arrived at the Temple of Terreiro and we had take our shoes off and walk around the shed that contained all the evil spirits within it, and them stomp our foot three times on the stone in the font of the shed. i realized and felt different once I stepped on the stone and a feeling of euphoria came upon me. When we went into the saint’s room, i saw all the status and figures of important and impact people on the religion. the room was calm, quiet, and collected, which is exactly how i began to fell once I entered the room. I could just see the rich history and tradition of the religion that surrounded you. Next, we talked to Gabriel about jare and what would happen next at  the event. We talked abut Possession and how different people would react differently to being possessed and then a little about the history of Jare in Brazil. This conversation opened my eyes even more i terms of knowledge and fundamental understanding of the religion.

The walk up, I was nervous and excited. up until this point, I had learned a lot about the religion but i was not given the opportunity to experience the possessions first hand from an outside perspective. This was going to be an unforgettable experience. It was dark, with lighting and drums filled the area’s sights and sounds. The leader of the presentation started the ceremony with shouts and talk. After a while, he began to shake violently, and suddenly it hit me, the power and existence of the religion.  I can say the connection between the Gods and people through possession makes Jare a religion because when it happens to people it connects them because they have experienced it. Seeing people possessed changed my view in religion n general because it allowed me to see first hand, through faith the power of your religion.

Roman Catholicism is a major religion and it is very similar to Jare. They are similar in the fact that they both pray and interact with God. This just builds upon the reasoning of Jare being a religion because it it holds similar traits to Roman Catholicism.

Pan America and Pierre Verger are two completely different schools, but can be similar in a few ways. Pan America is a more “priveleged” school. They have to wear uniform, and there is absolutely no Afro-Brazilians that attend that school which is kind of disappointing. I do like the fact that the students were really nice and welcoming, and that it was a bilingual school. In contrast, Pierre Verger consisted of Afro-Brazilian kids. It is more like an art school though. It was an after school program that focused on teaching the students things like Capoeira. They did not have to wear uniform either. One thing that I really didn’t like about the Pan America school was the fact that they have never been to a favela. What I don’t understand is how you can live so close to a favela and not go visit one. I know that its kind of scary to think about the fact that you could get killed going into one but how can you change that/ how can you help the people in the favelas if you don’t know what its like to live in one.