The Project is Complete!

Our finished garden! 

So all of our hard work has finally paid off! After two weeks of digging, pulling weeds, laying mortar and planting things the garden is finally done. When we first signed up for this trip we had a different service in mind, but when we arrived the school came to us and hoped that  we would address another important need that they have. 

Next to the school is a set of stairs that lead into a neighborhood where many of the students live who attend this institute. Known for its drug activity and connections, the rocks next to the stairs provide a place for junkies to smoke crack and cause trouble. So we decided to clean the area up, add a garden and try to bring a sense of community into the area. Once our project began word spread like wild fire and people over the hills in the next neighborhood over knew of our goal to beautify the area and they we so supportive. We also had so many neighbors and on lookers praise our attempt to create unity and hopefully safety for the many people who use the stairs everyday. We know that our small project will not save the world, or even change the conditions that people have to live in - however we hope that we will make just a small difference in the association of the area we created. No longer will it belong to the druggies but to the children of the neighborhood, who will have a safe stairwell to use while traveling to school. We also hope that Joao XXIII will keep up the project and they are going to use it as a continuing education site to educate the students on service learning (which is apparently only an American thing) on the importance of giving back, sustainability and bettering the Earth. 

We have an interview with a local newspaper tomorrow to report our progress, inspiration and hope for the future. We are all excited and nervous (bc again, Portuguese is hard) but also cannot wait to see what our hard work does for the school and the children. On Monday we are going to the local Steel Mill, then having ribbon cutting ceremony for the garden. I am so excited and ecstatic about our progress. I will keep you updated in the internet allows, lol. Otherwise Happy Father's Day! 

Tchau, Tchua

Alexis

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Through out our project our group has become very close with each other as well as the student and faculty of the institute. They have been so kind to us and let us leave our mark on their campus, so that they can remember us and consider their school to be our home as well. Ry'van is our local artist and painted our Mercer emblem on their stair well. Go Bears!

Kayla, is a transfer student from UGA, who joined our trip as a stranger and has become a wonderful friend and a professional mortar-er. On Friday she single handedly laid three rows of cinder blocks and was in charge of the patch work  of the all as well as aiding in our plant placement and anti-thief strategy.

 Laura has been a great friend of mine for 4 years and is a fellow Alpha Gamma Delta. A new graduate of Mercer, she is completing her master degree in Environmental Engineering at Mercer - so she will not leave me yet. She has been such a great help in making this project come to fruition. With her know how and upbeat attitude she kept us going through the hot times! (but seriously, Brazil's winter is so freaking hot!)

 James and Kelly demonstrate team work here people. Kelly is so wonderful and is basically the best rock finder ever. (She has mad skill)

Shout out to Kelly - who is my roommate and has been a great friend, confidant and jokester on the trip.

Nick with the thumbs up because he basically just smashed a huge rock into little bits using a pick axe. That is how we roll in Brazil!