Day 20: Sports and AIDS prevention and counseling
Today we went to the American School of Recife, and met up with
some kids who were in an English immersion program.
All of a sudden I see this boy wearing BYU clothes. Turns out,
he is Mormon and going to BYU in the fall. He was a sweetheart, really smart,
and just plain nice. I hope he has a fantastic time at BYU.
We had a tour of the campus and then went to an auditorium,
where the guidance counselor talked to the kids about the process of applying
to American universities.
Then it was our turn. We were supposed to present on American
sports. A few boys presented on some sports, but obviously I was in charge of
BASKETBALL. I tried to brainwash the kids into liking the HEAT, but because of
globalization and marketing, the kids only knew the Lakers. They asked really tough questions, but
luckily I am a genius and was able to answer all of them.
Right after our quick lesson on American sports, we went out
and played with the kids. We split into groups and all the cool kids played
basketball. There was one boy in particular who was really good at shot-blocking,
I want to call him Serge Ibaka.
The kids were fantastic to hang out and they all had really
good English. It was impressive. I spoke some Portuguese to them, and they said
that I shouldn’t be shy, but I still am.
Later that day we went to a Gay and Lesbian center. We went
there through the Non-Profit we have been working with, they wanted to show us
the different types of programs we could get involved with. A transsexual served
as lunch, and a drag queen greeted us at the door.
We later heard a 2 hour presentation on AIDS and the problem
it is causing in Brazil. Half the group went to CCJ to finishing painting, and
it was mostly the guys, which I was happy about because I don’t think they
would have liked the presentation. It was exhausting to listen to all the
details, most of us left feeling sick.
AIDS is very present in Brazil, whereas in the United
States, people get treated and we sweep it under the rug.
I was intrigued by the presentation but at the same time, it
was hard to listen to. We went home right after.
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