Sugarcane Fields Forever

Since my return from Rio, I have spent my remaining days in a place called Jaboticabal, the city where Carol and her family are from. Jaboticabal is a cute, small city surrounded by farms, about four hours from Sao Paulo city. Carol´s parents (Cristina and "Junior") own two sugarcane plantations nearby. I spent the weekend visiting their farms, enjoying the scenery and trying sugarcane for the first time! Its a pretty amazing plant, it is where we get our sugar, and it can also produce juice, fuel, and a few types of alcohol. There are a couple of larger farms nearby which are run entirely on sugarcane. They use the plant for energy without the need for electricity. They even make cars in Brazil which run on Alcool, a fuel derived from sugarcane. Driving through this area, all you see are fields of sugarcane everywhere you look! I liked the farms, they are a peaceful break from the cities. Here are scenes of Jaboticabal, the family farm, and sugarcane: This weekend I met the woman who was my equivalent here in Brazil in regards to Carol´s exchange program in the US. She worked with Carol on this side during the application process, while I worked with her during her exchange in Massachusetts. Monica is the coordinators name; she is also the director of a language school here in Jaboticabal. I was unknowingly committed to visiting this school and meeting students, teachers, etc. I was not looking forward to this, and almost even backed out at the last minute. I´ve been tired lately and missing home, and volunteering in place with people I did not know at a time I did not commit to was one of the last things I wanted to do. I went anyway, figuring it wouldn´t last very long. Monica showed me around the school and afterward had me join one of her English language classes. As soon as I met the class and started talking to them, I started to cheer up. These people were so happy to have a native English speaker to talk to, and my visit to their class was a special occasion. I ended up having a blast and got really into it - writing and drawing pictures on the board to teach them more vocabulary and illustrate points I was trying to make. They were so thankful for my help, and stayed after the class was over just to thank me and talk some more. One woman even gave me a gift of cookies! I was so touched. It reminded me of why I am here traveling in the first place - to make real human connections, to not only see the sights but to meet the people who live in these countries and get a picture of what life is like in different parts of the world. When I began my journey in Peru, I was living and working with local people, and I really enjoyed meeting new friends and experiencing a different way of life. As I continued through the months, I got caught up in seeing the sights and felt farther and farther away from the local culture as I moved. I am very glad I had this experience in Brazil to cap off my journey and keep me focused on what really makes these countries and cultures unique and special. Tomorrow evening I will board the plane for home! I can´t believe three months is already over. Sometimes Peru and Bolivia seem like ages ago, yet hanging out at the Gulu Gulu Cafe in Lynn seems like yesterday. Overall I am excited to go home. What is the first thing I am going to do, you ask? Eat Thai food at Max´s place!!! There´s more to come.... Joan