Yet another beautiful day at Aramitan has come to an end. Now, on top of a nice barbecue, the last games of snooker are being played and the nights long choir of insects has begun.
Santiago had great succes beginning the day with an "aprils fool" joke, convincing the english speaking part of the group that since it was the first of april the immigration control were going to visit Aramitan. Jaws fell and eyes opened.
From the outside the day has been very similar to many of the other days of work work manually mixing concrete, manually scraping windows and manually sanding walls. The manual labor has a social aspact but efficiant it is not...
On the inside this day has been challenging for me. Slowly some of the realities of Brazil are wakening in my consciousness and they are difficult to grasp. The poverty here is extreme and the corruption enormous. I try to imagine the life of my Brazilian friends here at Aramitan, which conditions they have grown up under, what have they experienced, what is their perception of the world and reality? We have a great time together even though the verbal communication is limited. For me a greater part of the joy we share is given by the Brazilian capacity to be grateful and enjoy every moment of the day.
Pete