FROM POLLY IN PORTO ALEGRE
A conundrum for January 19 and 20, 2013
Old beliefs turning upside down
New beliefs emerging
Like a sun setting, newly viewed, bursts rose red in western skies
While on Puerto Alegre's east facing shore, a new friendship blooms
How can this be, east is west? West becomes east?
Fellowship magic working to make change possible.
Monday, January 21, 2013
FROM POLLY IN PORTO ALEGRE
for Thursday and Friday, Jan 17 &18, a limerick for a change
There once were US fellows from CT and Mass
Who ventured to São Paulo but alas
ITD made them go separate ways
where they experienced fabulous days
with Brazilian fellow Fellows, en mass
Many sites to be seen
Women's Health, the main scene
they're looking and talking
Listening and walking
Will they ever return to where they've "been"?
for Thursday and Friday, Jan 17 &18, a limerick for a change
There once were US fellows from CT and Mass
Who ventured to São Paulo but alas
ITD made them go separate ways
where they experienced fabulous days
with Brazilian fellow Fellows, en mass
Many sites to be seen
Women's Health, the main scene
they're looking and talking
Listening and walking
Will they ever return to where they've "been"?
FROM HILDY IN BRASILIA
January 17
Today was extraordinary here in Brasilia. I went with Joana--a breast cancer survivor at 30 years old--to visit her plastic surgeon at the public hospital. Joana was inspired by her doctor to take the initiative and found an NGO that supports woman getting breast reconstruction following breast cancer surgery. This surgery has been by no means automatic. Far from it, I learned that the public hospital system here is very subject to political connections. The head of the hospital has been replaced several times in the past 3 years-- The doctors who have more political support are able to usurp surgical rooms, anesthesiologists and nurses so that the reconstruction surgeries are denied or delayed. As it is there are significant delays for women-- the surgeon we met with said he could do several reconstruction surgeries per week but some times he sits with nothing to do because there are no operating rooms. He was very discouraged after 28 years as a surgeon and was hoping to have an early retirement. I felt so frustrated for him dealing with the politics of this surgery and the anger many other surgeons show him who are happy to do as little surgery as possible. When we finished this visit, the doctor called us in to see the outcome of a breast reconstruction he had finished (the final surgery to create a nipple was yet to be performed). The woman was so happy and Joana showed the woman the results of her surgery and the elaborate tattoo of flowers on her breast that she had done. --When we left to head out of the hospital I was filled with tears and emotion How horrible to wast the talent of a great surgeon and also make women wait so long for a surgery that can restore their self esteem.
---I think about all of you and what an exceptional experience we are having. My love to you all.
January 17
Today was extraordinary here in Brasilia. I went with Joana--a breast cancer survivor at 30 years old--to visit her plastic surgeon at the public hospital. Joana was inspired by her doctor to take the initiative and found an NGO that supports woman getting breast reconstruction following breast cancer surgery. This surgery has been by no means automatic. Far from it, I learned that the public hospital system here is very subject to political connections. The head of the hospital has been replaced several times in the past 3 years-- The doctors who have more political support are able to usurp surgical rooms, anesthesiologists and nurses so that the reconstruction surgeries are denied or delayed. As it is there are significant delays for women-- the surgeon we met with said he could do several reconstruction surgeries per week but some times he sits with nothing to do because there are no operating rooms. He was very discouraged after 28 years as a surgeon and was hoping to have an early retirement. I felt so frustrated for him dealing with the politics of this surgery and the anger many other surgeons show him who are happy to do as little surgery as possible. When we finished this visit, the doctor called us in to see the outcome of a breast reconstruction he had finished (the final surgery to create a nipple was yet to be performed). The woman was so happy and Joana showed the woman the results of her surgery and the elaborate tattoo of flowers on her breast that she had done. --When we left to head out of the hospital I was filled with tears and emotion How horrible to wast the talent of a great surgeon and also make women wait so long for a surgery that can restore their self esteem.
---I think about all of you and what an exceptional experience we are having. My love to you all.
Thursday, January 17, 2013
FROM NOEL IN FLORIANOPOLIS
When I arrived yesterday and spent the evening wrestling with wifi and trying to make some sense of my exhaustion, I couldn't have predicted that today would be so wonderful.
The day before, in the office of AMUUC, Jurema had played a video for me from the Lacos de Amor campaign, which is a TV campaign promoting adoption. We saw one of the videos from the campaign, which featured a girl of around 10 and her adoptive parents. Even without understanding the Portuguese, I fully understood the ad. They had adopted her as a baby and had two elder sons. They love her and are so proud of her, and they can't imagine their lives without her. I admit tears were welling up in my eyes, it was very well done. Jurema had found an organization affiliated with this campaign and had made an appointment for us to meet during my stay.
Today, Jurema, Carlos and I drove down to a beach where Marni's family and Melissa have beach houses. They had agreed to meet with us there so they could learn about Freinds of Children and we could learn about GEAAFA and also about the adoption system in Brazil. They are the President and Vice President of GEAAFA, a volunteer organization that they started 3 years ago to help people with the adoption process. They give support for this sometimes long and bureaucratic process, and include support for after a baby is adopted, a time that is not recognized by the laws but is certainly a time of increased need for support.
We sat down at their table, Melissa's husband was there too, and various adults and children were walking through on their way to or from the beach. Marni mentioned that her daughter, who was adopted, was at the beach.
She also told us about her paid job, which is for a children's shelter. It is called CETE (Center of Education, Training and Hope). They have the capacity for 20 children, who arrive between the ages of 0 and 6. CETE takes care of them and tries to place them in adoptive homes. The concept of foster care is not used in Brazil. Children live in orphanages or are adopted. I couldn't get a full understanding of the different ways that children end up going into an orphanage. The only temporary placement for a child is with a prospective adoptive family, who has an opportunity to take the child temporarily before committing to the adoption.
During our conversation, Melissa's phone rang, and she quickly passed it along to her husband to answer, giving him paper to write anything down. We kept talking, and her husband returned to tell her something. She began screaming with joy, and everyone around also began to celebrate. She had just been told that she got a baby! It turns out that they had been waiting for two and a half years to come to the top of the list of adoptive parents. Melissa had survived ovarian cancer as a young woman and could not bear children, so they had been waiting. Today their dreams came true. Their baby is 45 days old, and perhaps not coincidentally, she has been at CETE nearly since she was born. Marni told Jurema that when the baby came in, another colleague of hers said she thought perhaps it was Melissa's baby. They joked about taking very good care of her for their friend, but they didn't say anything to Melissa because once before she had almost gotten a baby only to lose her to another waiting family; they didn't want to get her hopes up in case she really wasn't going to be next. But they did take a little bit of extra care to take many photos of her first 45 days, and to make sure all her paperwork was perfect and ready. Melissa excused herself to change and get ready to leave -- she was going to get her daughter this afternoon.
We talked a little more, and discovered that in fact Marni is the mother we had seen on the TV campaign the day before. No wonder she seemed familiar -- she is a celebrity! As we were leaving, Marni's daughter came back from the beach and was congratulating Melissa and her husband. What a treat to see her in real life, to know one small moment of their beautiful life together, and the continued happiness of their close friends and family. What a perfect morning. It's surreal to realize that as I write this, Melissa is surely home with her baby Emanuela now, on her first day of motherhood.
Of course, our meeting ended with many bejos and congratulations, and then we headed to a magnificent beach for a short visit. But nothing could top the morning!
I thought you all might like to hear about this spectacular day. Missing you all and sending love from Floripa.
When I arrived yesterday and spent the evening wrestling with wifi and trying to make some sense of my exhaustion, I couldn't have predicted that today would be so wonderful.
The day before, in the office of AMUUC, Jurema had played a video for me from the Lacos de Amor campaign, which is a TV campaign promoting adoption. We saw one of the videos from the campaign, which featured a girl of around 10 and her adoptive parents. Even without understanding the Portuguese, I fully understood the ad. They had adopted her as a baby and had two elder sons. They love her and are so proud of her, and they can't imagine their lives without her. I admit tears were welling up in my eyes, it was very well done. Jurema had found an organization affiliated with this campaign and had made an appointment for us to meet during my stay.
Today, Jurema, Carlos and I drove down to a beach where Marni's family and Melissa have beach houses. They had agreed to meet with us there so they could learn about Freinds of Children and we could learn about GEAAFA and also about the adoption system in Brazil. They are the President and Vice President of GEAAFA, a volunteer organization that they started 3 years ago to help people with the adoption process. They give support for this sometimes long and bureaucratic process, and include support for after a baby is adopted, a time that is not recognized by the laws but is certainly a time of increased need for support.
We sat down at their table, Melissa's husband was there too, and various adults and children were walking through on their way to or from the beach. Marni mentioned that her daughter, who was adopted, was at the beach.
She also told us about her paid job, which is for a children's shelter. It is called CETE (Center of Education, Training and Hope). They have the capacity for 20 children, who arrive between the ages of 0 and 6. CETE takes care of them and tries to place them in adoptive homes. The concept of foster care is not used in Brazil. Children live in orphanages or are adopted. I couldn't get a full understanding of the different ways that children end up going into an orphanage. The only temporary placement for a child is with a prospective adoptive family, who has an opportunity to take the child temporarily before committing to the adoption.
During our conversation, Melissa's phone rang, and she quickly passed it along to her husband to answer, giving him paper to write anything down. We kept talking, and her husband returned to tell her something. She began screaming with joy, and everyone around also began to celebrate. She had just been told that she got a baby! It turns out that they had been waiting for two and a half years to come to the top of the list of adoptive parents. Melissa had survived ovarian cancer as a young woman and could not bear children, so they had been waiting. Today their dreams came true. Their baby is 45 days old, and perhaps not coincidentally, she has been at CETE nearly since she was born. Marni told Jurema that when the baby came in, another colleague of hers said she thought perhaps it was Melissa's baby. They joked about taking very good care of her for their friend, but they didn't say anything to Melissa because once before she had almost gotten a baby only to lose her to another waiting family; they didn't want to get her hopes up in case she really wasn't going to be next. But they did take a little bit of extra care to take many photos of her first 45 days, and to make sure all her paperwork was perfect and ready. Melissa excused herself to change and get ready to leave -- she was going to get her daughter this afternoon.
We talked a little more, and discovered that in fact Marni is the mother we had seen on the TV campaign the day before. No wonder she seemed familiar -- she is a celebrity! As we were leaving, Marni's daughter came back from the beach and was congratulating Melissa and her husband. What a treat to see her in real life, to know one small moment of their beautiful life together, and the continued happiness of their close friends and family. What a perfect morning. It's surreal to realize that as I write this, Melissa is surely home with her baby Emanuela now, on her first day of motherhood.
Of course, our meeting ended with many bejos and congratulations, and then we headed to a magnificent beach for a short visit. But nothing could top the morning!
I thought you all might like to hear about this spectacular day. Missing you all and sending love from Floripa.
FROM POLLY
Another Haiku(sorta) for Tuesday, January 15, 2013
Numbers define BUT can and do fall short or long
We're 14 BUT Mr. Martinelli meets only 13
Bologna counts as half a kilo BUT has zero takers
One, two three mastered BUT one, two, three four came next
Five gathered for rehearsal BUT the other smarties "packed" it in
Five? Who was the fifth?...Numbers can fall short or long
Another Haiku(sorta) for Tuesday, January 15, 2013
Numbers define BUT can and do fall short or long
We're 14 BUT Mr. Martinelli meets only 13
Bologna counts as half a kilo BUT has zero takers
One, two three mastered BUT one, two, three four came next
Five gathered for rehearsal BUT the other smarties "packed" it in
Five? Who was the fifth?...Numbers can fall short or long
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)