Belem Experiences

During the first few days in Belem we have met with four of the six Rotary clubs, making brief presentations and getting to know their membership. The largest club is North Belem with nearly 40 members. The remaining club memberships are numbered in the teens. All Belem clubs meet in the same location, which is on the 12th floor of a building, which is owned by Rotary. Their staff prepare all Rotary meals and their office secretary keeps every club's attendance records.

Belem is a large city with nearly 2 million population and serves as a port of entry to the Amazon region. The city was established in 1617 as a Portuguese settlement at the mouth of the Amazon River. The Jesuits had an early presence in the education and religious catecism of the Brazilian natives. The early settlement was comprised of a fluvial defensive fort, church and administrative center, which later served as a hospital. The city center is located on a small river penninsula, the older buildings are located on the waterfront, while as the city developed it migrated inland. The metropolitan area now expands well beyond this initial penninsula.

We have spent the first days exploring the city, touring their beautiful cathedral, basilica, fort and waterfront park, which includes an aviary, naval museum and live butterfly exhibit. We also toured a museum of sacred art, jewelry and native artisan centers. Pottery from the Marajo Island, similar to Navajo art, is prevalent in this community.

We also toured the Federal Rural University of Para, which has several programs in forestry, agriculture, environmental sciences, fishery, land conservation, botany, veterinary medicine and life sciences.

The upcoming weekend will include a trip to the Atlantic coastal city of Salinopolis, where the GSE team will stay overnight at the vacation home of a Rotarian family.

Week 3 Begins in Belem

Our flight from Santarem to Belem was spectacular and allowed us to experience the vast beauty of the Amazon basin. The river is still in it's rising phase, which will culminate at the end of June. There are areas where it appears to be a flood zone with no defined river, while other times the river is more defined with banks, as it meanders gently toward the Atlantic Ocean. As we approached Belem the river was joined by a number of tributaries and widened to an expanse, where one cannot discern the sea from the river. Fluvial islands and forest are laced with channels of water.

Our team was greeted at the airport in Belem by the District 4720 Governor, Lourenco, Governor-elect Geraldo and representatives from the six Rotary clubs in the city. After a group picture each team member was assigned to a host, who took the GSE Team members to their respective homes. We convened at 7:00 p.m. at the downtown Rotary meeting place, which is shared by all clubs, to meet with the East Belem Rotary Club. Our team made its presentation and then dispersed back to their respective host locations.

The schedule for the week is still being finalized and some confusion remains about the next day's gathering. I'm certain we will work everything out in the end. This experience will be the team's first challenge for individual survival within the Brazilian culture, without ready access to their personal translator.