Today I Met A Hero

 April 5th, ONE WEEK!

“The great teacher serves as a hero but never, ironically, as a lesson.” The Atlantic

Today I met a hero.

We got up this morning thinking we were going to visit an ordinary school in Brazil. Turned out, it was the most beautiful school I’ve ever seen. The architecture was exquisite. Everything about the school’s design was symbolic and purposeful. Just one example is that they have steps leading up to the school that symbolize the growth in the students’ education. We got a tour around the school from a man named Andre. He is the Brazilian equivalent of our AIG teachers. We were trying our hardest to understand his Portuguese, but thankfully we had our incredible translator and friend, Carolina, with us. Andre was a dressed in rugged jeans and a Harley-Davidson T-shirt that showed his arm tattoo. We made our way into his office. It was there that we realized that this man was no ordinary man. Andre began to tell us about all that he has done for his students, in the most inspiring and not boastful way. If you have ever seen Coach Carter, Remember the Titans, or Freedom Writers, you know what kind of teacher I’m talking about. Passion is written all over his face and body when he speaks about his students. He wants them to succeed… no matter what. He is known for being somewhat of a “rebel” in the Brazilian school system for this reason. For example, he is being sued right now for allowing MORE children into his AIG class than the allotted number. I’m being totally honest when I say that we all had tears in our eyes after listening to this man speak. What an inspiration for us all.

That's him! ^

            We also had a really neat experience visiting a local special needs school. Then we literally ran into a zoo, so obviously we had to see the baby Capybaras (you know, the HUGE rodent from another post??)! Here are some pictures! 

Alphabet

Classroom

Renaldi-inspired drawings from the students

Zoo adventures begin!

Capybara--- I somehow got a nickname from this animal... "Kathy-bara!" My friends think it's funny to introduce me to locals using this name :) The locals think it's rather hilarious too. 

A child from Finland and a peacock

"Aleluia"

Beautiful yellow!

Learned where flamingos get their pink from! 

            On another note… We made more friends last night!!! We met some incredible guys from here and got to explore the town a little more with them. We are beginning to feel like we’re from Brazil now! :)  Just kidding, but we are having SO much fun here!

We just went to dinner again with THE FAM at a REALLY nice authentic Brazilian restaurant. It was our last night with one person from our trip... Stephen. Let me tell you a little bit about Stephen. First of all, he's married to a wonderful woman named Susan. They have been OUR better half, OUR parents, for this trip! We are so thankful for them. They have taught us so much about life, love, and happiness. I couldn't help but become overwhelmed with emotion at dinner listening to the stories they told. So, THANK YOU to Susan and Stephen- we can't wait to hang with you when we get home! 

BOI NOITE

PS- We are headed to the Atlantic Rainforest tomorrow for a few days, so I'll get up with you all on Monday!