Das Wochenende

Damit Leute die uns am Wochende besuchen kommen auch mitarbeiten können, arbeiten wir immer von Dienstag bis Samstag. Diesen Samstag waren wir durch einige Besucher verstärkt, eine Gruppe ging das Haus der Familie weiterbauen, andere blieben in Aramitan. Bis ein heftiger Herbstregen einsetzte, konnte an beiden Orten einiges geschafft werden, dann wurde das Wochenende aber herbeigezwungen. 

An den freien Tagen ging jeder so seiner Wege: Manche machten sich auf, das Zentrum Sao Paulos zu erkunden, andere besuchten einen Kunstmarkt... Ausruhen von der anstrengenden Arbeit war ebenfalls eine beliebte Option. 

Bis Juli vergangenen Jahres hatte ich für ein Jahr im Viertel Horizonte Azul, was nicht weit weg von Aramitan liegt, als Freiwilliger im Projekt Monte Azul gearbeitet. Am Sonntag zog ich los, um am Montag Christina und Jessica ein wenig zu zeigen, wo ich im vergangenen Jahr, bevor ich zu YIP ging, gelebt und gearbeitet hatte. Später am Montag gingen die beiden nach Sao Paulo, ich machte mich auf den Weg, verschiedene Freunde und Familien aus alten Zeiten wiederzusehen. Und irgendwie war dann der Tag der Geschichen: Mädchen schwanger mit 13, andere mit 16 von Drogenabhängigem, dann ein Familienvater, der früher im Projekt gearbeitet hat und seine Familienverantwortung vergisst... Und alles in der Nachbarschaft, Menschen die man kennt. In Sao Paulo ist vieles verrückt und leider oft im negativen Sinne. Aber die Brasilianer nehmen es nicht immer so auf. Das Leben sei ganz gut in Brasilien sagte und ein Ladenbesitzer in Horizonte Azul, "nur ein wenig unorganisiert". Das Unorganisation so viele Probleme mit sich zieht, kann ich schwer nachvollziehen. "Manchmal habe ich den Eindruck, die Menschen denken einfach nicht nach" sagt mir eine Freundin. Das klingt mir schon eher plausibel und ist simpel und einfach.

Die Arbeit hier ist ebenfalls simpel und tut gut: Erde schaufeln, Steine schleppen, Räume streichen... einen schönen Ort entstehen lassen, mit den Händen in der Hand. "Creating hope and trust for the future" lautet der Wahlspruch von Aramitan. Interkulturelle, gemeinsame Arbeit, verschiedene Denkweisen an einem Ort wirken zu lassen, öffnet Räume. So ist es sehr spannend mit internationelen Jungen Leuten und jungen Brasilianern an einer Vision zu arbeiten, gemeinsam für eine bessere Zukunft und Fettecken im Denken. Ein Aspekt von Workcamp eben.

Christoph

Friday the evening

The Panelafro was a colorful event of brazilian-african culture, dances, songs and capoeira. Once a month, the community gets together - young, old, foreign or local - to celbrate and learn about the rich heritage of Brazil. Sorrounded by the sizzling of smells and tapioca pastries being fried, we joined the circular dances trying to shave our hips to the fast rythms of the drums. We came back home with new volunteers from Horizonte Azul and we were surprised to find connections of friends in common: The roommate of a dear friend of mine, the sister of a girl a year above in school, or even the girlfriend of a friend of a friend. It reminded me once more how small the world is; if a boy from Japan was able to find a connection with a girl to Peru through a hungarian boy whilst in Brazil... Imagine how much initiatives and awareness can bloom!

Thats the thing about Aramitan; it is a place where youth from different backgrounds can meet, work together, enjoy a game of footbal, finding communalities and differences. It is a place where existential questions arise, and where your values can be put into pratise. Under a vibrant sun, immensed in a mozaic of cultures- we lay out bricks that are building our vision.

Joana Bettochi-Barrow

Hoje, nos fomos acordados pelo Peter com seu violao, pois nos tinhamos um longo dia para trabalhar e se divertir. Tomamos o cafe da manha e desta vez nao fomos trabalhar o Aramitan mas sim ajudar uma familia carente que precisa de ajuda.
Assim que nos partimos, quase todos os voluntarios foram a traseira do camihao, e como sempre muita bagunca e divertimento. Assim que nos chegamos na casa desta familia, eu pude perceber que eles precisavam de muita ajuda, havia muito trabalho e assim todos os voluntarios se ocupavam com seus devores.
Na hora do almoco, houve churrasco com pao e salada, assim todos puderam saciar a fome. Apos do almoco, fomos ao lago para ir ver as belezas da natureza e tambem nadar. Alguns volutarios bricavam na agua, outros nem se quer entraram. De volta ao trabalho, tinhamos que termiar o trabalho da casa da familia, e assim terminamos as tres e meia.
Depois houve uma partida de futebol etre os brasileiros e os gringos mas como sempre no final, os brasileiros acabaram vencedo, com muita sorte, por 4:2. Enfim voltamos para o Aramitan e como sempre muita diversao no camihaozinho, ja quase no final, o trem estava parado onde nos iriamos passar, so que desta vez por baixo dele. Muitos dos voluntarios sairam corredo por baixo dele. Muitos dos voluntarios sairam correndo para a Aramitan para tomar baho. Hoje, tera uma festa, chamado Panelafro, com todos os joves do Aramitan, Mote Azul e Horizote Azul.
Douglas G. de Silva

Today we woke up with more singing by Pete, it reminded me of Kindergarten. I and some other YIP participants taught the rest a song we learned with Slava back in Sweden. It sounded good and lifted the morning.

I started with building a new compost spot with Christoph and Henning. The day got hotter. By lunch I was full of cement, dust and sweat along with everyone else, which made all of us very hungry.

The day continued to get harder with work, mixing more cement and then more. This was fun as our Brazilian friends were singing, laughing and making jokes which sounded that they should be funny. We all laughed and sweated more.

Having a shower at the end of the day and washing all the dirt off was satisfactory and then to sit down and eat surprisingly not rice and beans but PASTA!

Now the mosquitos are out and the crickets are playing their tune.

Soon to bed... mmmm sleep!

Jessica Collins

25.3.: The second workcamp gets started!

Most of us woke up by the sound of a guitar playing and Pete saying RISE AND SHINE! We ate breakfast, sang a song, played a name game and then got an introduction to what the day would look like, here in Aramitan.

Now I am sitting on the balcony whatching the sun set, a bit tired after a day of working in the hot sun.

The previous workcamp did a great job and we are continuing with the building of the volunteer house which they started from scatch.

The vibe of the few days before has been a bit weird, we did not really know what to do with ourselves, but today everything started for real and now we are really hungry!!

I think everyone worked and Brazilians seem to do it quite naturally, they work, hang out, work a little more...

This week is stuffed with things to do and today was only the starting point, so I will need my beauty sleep with the mosquitos!

Good Night!

Salbjörg

Mit etwas Verspaetung der letzte Eintrag...

Friday, the 13th

Friday the 13th was our last working day and it was a good one. We worked at the family’s place again and we had lots of fun with the kids during the day. We played simple finger games and put flowers in our hair, even the communication got better and better.
Of course we did some work, too. Pola and I called build the walls from the new house. I love this job, makes so much fun, especially with Pola. On a self-constructed platform we gave our best, always Gerson in the background shouting: “Mais massa” or “Mais aqua”. It was fun.
The kids helped again to carry those heavy buckets with concrete up the hill. Strong, little fellows. At the end of the day all six of them got a little good-bye gift from us.Back at Aramitan we had a very long and very deep reflection roundabout all the things which happened the last three weeks, what jobs we have done, what activities we arranged and what everybody felt and thought about the whole programme. It was very good to see what a great group we became. Those people who stayed the entire three weeks got really a connection between each other. To some Brazilians I didn’t say even one word, but still in the end we played and danced together, and somehow it was working.
It was a mind-changing experience and I can just recommend it to everybody. Do it!

Quinta-feira, 12.03.2009

Después de una noche de despedidas, en la que compartimos sentimientos, experiencias e ideas, nos fuimos a dormir con una gran tormenta. A eso de las 6.00 hs, nos fuimos levantando todos, los japoneses se preparaban para irse y nosotros para desayunar y partir a Horizonte Azul, uno de los núcleos de Monte Azul.
Después de desayunar despedimos a los japoneses con abrazos, cantos, todos llenos de alegría, por haber compartido cuatro días con esta cultura que aunque muy lejana a la nuestra, nos hallamos muy cercanos y hasta iguales.
A las 7.30 estábamos partiendo a Horizonte Azul. Cuando llegamos nos contaron que es uno de los tres núcleos de Monte Azul, que se fundo en 1984. Hoy el lugar cuenta con jardines de infantes, maternales,, juguetería, carpintería, centro ambulatorio y una gran huerta biodinámica que abastece Monte Azul y recibe voluntarios de todo el mundo.
Esta organización tiene orientación antroposofica, que a su vez capacita a su personal para un mayor conocimiento. Catalina