Day 3 in Sao Paulo

I have to say that today was the most powerful day....by far

We started the day late, so I had a chance to sleep in. We began by visiting the Rotary project called CAAPI Ipiranga, a skills center where teens and young adults from the favelas receive job training.

Right off the top, we had a discussion with the directors of the program. Amongst the things we learned were the cost of the project ($480K annually), how funds are raised (donations, grants, the usual), the requirements for entrance to the program (lack of both parents in the household, being well below the poverty threshold, etc), the requirements to remain in the program (grades, behavior, waiting lists), the relationships the program builds with local companies to create jobs that are available for the kids upon completion of the program, and how the program is operated.











We then met had a chance to meet the kids. They are from the Heliopolis, the largest favela in Latin America. We were asked to present to them.

For all of our presentations, we have a Power Point show with slides that speak a bit about ourselves: our professions, our education, our objectives for the trip, and our hobbies. Well, my "hobby" slide says I love to make hip hop music. Pointing this out led to one of the most powerful moments I've ever experienced in my life:

One of the kids came up to the front of the room and stood next to me and asked me to rap over his beat box. Never one to shy away from a performance, I spit the first verse from my song, "Imagine." The kid knew to beat box 16 bars, so when he was done, I freestyled (acapella) something along the lines of: "Sun I'm freestyling, no necesito una caneta (pen)/mando mi amor de Los Angeles a todas las favelas." When I said that, the kids got up and started screaming and applauding. I had never felt so much love before. It was just a moment I will never forget.

Had I know this was going to happen, I would have gotten a video. Unfortunately, it was soooo impromptu. I'm still buzzing off of this moment.

Just a few minutes after, we had to say goodbye.









Next up, it was time to take a ride through the favela of Heliopolis, with a police escort, riding in a squad car. If you know me well, you know I'm not a big fan of cops. Well, these particular ones made me feel comfortable from the outset by joking around and putting me in handcuffs.










Then, it was time to ride around Heliopolis:











The look on the locals' faces upon seeing me and Mindy in the backseat of a police car taking pictures of the favela was one I could never describe. LOL.

We found out that 5 minutes after we drove through Heliopolis, a police officer was shot very close to the area we were in. Jokingly, the police officers asked if we wanted to see the scene of the crime. We said thanks, but no thanks. :)

After the ride through the favela, we visited the police station in charge of Heliopolis. After meeting the administrative police officers, we saw a jail cell and felt like pretending that we were inmates.














The cell was all tagged up, here are some pics:













(By the way, there is TONS of graffiti in Sao Paulo. Most of it the nasty, territorial gang tagging similar to what you would see in the gang-ridden neighborhoods of Los Angeles. However, there are lots of areas with beautiful, artistic, graffiti representative of the hip-hop culture in Sao Paulo)

After serving our time we had a 2 hour long conversation with the chief of the station, the vice commander of the district, and a community organizer. We compared gangs in Sao Paulo vs those in the US, spoke about the differences in the justice system: who goes to trial, juvenile vs. adult punishment, problems facing police, etc. To say the least, it was a very interesting and worthwhile conversation.











Amongst some of the more interesting things we saw in the station: seized gambling machines, seized motorcycles and guns, former prison cells that were turned into community centers, offices that served as administration AND detention centers...interesting stuff...

Also, despite working the streets as uniformed officers, many policemen are highly educated, with graduate degrees in fields ranging from civil engineering to law to social sciences. As much as I wanted to ask about police corruption in Sao Paulo, I thought maybe it wouldn't be such a good idea. Especially, since we were being treated so well.

Then it was on with our day. We had to present to the Rotary Club of Anchieta. The meeting was held at an upscale restaurant named Churrascaria Novilho de Prata. Here are some highlights:

A picture of me presenting.












My team receiving a flag and goodies from the President of this Club.














I am going to be sooo fat when I get back (these are all different parts of a cow):












Dinner began with a large salad and sushi bar. Then all the tables were served orders of french fries, rice, and mini-empanadas (cheese, meat, etc.). Finally, the waiters began coming around with colossal slices of meat. You are given a flyer that lists pictures of the slabs of meat and identifies what part of a cow they were from. It seemed like the waiters were never going to run out of meat.

We hung around to schmooze with the Rotarians. Another great club.

So, to wrap up, it was quite a day. We really got to experience the dichotomy that is Sao Paulo. On one hand, there are outreach programs to help the children of the favelas. On the other, there are favelas that really need a lot of help. On one hand, there are corrupt police running rampant. On the other, there are policemen, like the ones we met, who TRULY care about improving the community. On one hand, the Rotary Club does TONS to help the city, some projects having more success than others. On the other, who knows how much money they spent on dinner.

A drive or walk through the city will demonstrate a picture of crumbling edifices and shanty homes juxtaposed with luxurious skyscrapers and mansions, sometimes no more than 100 feet apart. Homeless children wander through the streets of the favelas and upper class areas alike. During their evening commute, the wealthy pass through favelas residing in between work and home. There is a sizeable population who chooses to bulletproof their windows. The very wealthy sometimes come in to the city via helicopter to avoid the chaos.

Now, I know that social disparity is present all around world. But having never seen it occur in such extremities, it is difficult to digest. Who knows what is ahead of me, but I am certain that I will return to the US a different person that I left it.

Now I am off to bed. Tomorrow: a recital by an orchestra made up of children from the favela, followed by a lunchtime Rotary club presentation, and a soccer game in the evening. Good night!