Bom Dia! Mercer On Mission to Brazil: Finding a Pomegranate tree and a dead guy in 48 hours

The Favelas where the children who attend the institute live

So........ yesterday on our way home from the institute yesterday we found an unconscious man laying on the street with no shoes and a torn book bag that had it been raided. One of the boys on our trip did not see him on the ground because it was so dark and walked into him - which startled us - but he did not move. It was not until the local ambulance came to pick up him that we realized that he was dead. Suspected to be an overdose on cocaine, it really created a reaction in our group for multiple reasons; firstly because he was picked up less than 2 blocks from the school, secondly due to the fact that before we saw Brazil as this idealized place where the children are loving and want to teach you their language and lifestyle - well this is a part of what they deal with everyday. Drug users accost the children when they walk down the favela steps as well as ask them questions as to why there are Americans in their part of town. Now don't get me wrong, I feel completely safe with our group and at the school - but it is the acknowledge of this harsh reality that frightens me. That is what happened yesterday, however today was so much better and did not involve a dead guy.
Today we began our service project to build a garden for sustainability of the institute as well as beautify the landscape so that moral of the people rises - discouraging drug users who frequent the area. So lots and lots of weed pulling, plowing and collecting of trash (SO MUCH TRASH!) then we discovered a tree by the area that is produces pomegranates in the summer time (December here) and it had little green fruits on it already growing for this year. The kids loved seeing our reaction to the tree because to them it is normal, just like the mango trees that line the campus of the school. However we were able to shock and amaze them with the introduction to Football today. James, one of my classmates, brought along his football and showed the kids what an Foot-chi ball de American looked like - and taught them how to throw a spiral and catch a pass. They were tackling each other by the end of the class intermission like they had been playing it for years. These children are able to pick up things so quickly, on our first day they had just put up basketball hoops and they had no idea how to use them, then Ry'van, a Mercer woman's basketball player, taught them the basics through demonstration and pointing in about 30 minutes they were passing, shooting and making lay ups. The children are so amazing and are so adorable - they are so interested in where we are from and our lives that they often talk over each other in multiple groups trying to get their questions answered, but none of us speak portuguese that well or that quickly so they just keep asking and asking hoping we will understand. The teachers at this institute as also so wonderful and even though they don't speak english, they include us in classes and try to get us involved in activities and games. Today was so exhausting but so much fun, pretty much like everyday so far. I cannot wait for tomorrow, especially since we do not have to pull anymore weeds! Below are some pictures and a video of the percussion class we were able to sit in on and then participate in! So much fun! Well, that is all for tonight and until tomorrow!
Alexis