As we pulled into the graveled drive in the early evening the children were painting the wall that bordered the drive in beautiful, bright colours. It had been over three years since I had last been at Aramitan, and I was eager to see the changes that had taken place since then. After a guided tour of the house, I could see that the developments to the interior and exterior of the building were vast. I was extremely impressed with all the tiling and plastering that had been done, the creation of a new kitchen, a classroom, the construction that was in progress on the volunteer’s quarters, and the architectural developments on the front lawn. As we moved down into the cultural area, I quickly spied the newly functioning washing machine, and I remembered past work camps where we had stood over sinks elbow deep in soapy water hand washing our clothes, but this would not be the case at this workcamp!!
As the evening commenced people gathered for the Sarau, and after a lovely shared meal, a wide variety of performances took place on the newly erected stage in the cultural center. The Brazilian music played on into the night and the dancing commenced.
The next morning was Sunday and we had the day free to participate in different activities, outings were taking place in the city, in Embu-Guacu or at Aramitan. A group of us spent a warm balmy day at Aramitan reading, talking, going for walks and getting some of the basic necessities from the supermarket for the following day’s meals. Late that night a group of us gathered in the kitchen and talked over cups of tea. I felt very happy to be back at Aramitan, to see the wonderful transformations, to take part in the current projects and to hear about the ambitious plans for the future!
Coral, New Zealand
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