by Elaine Thompson of the Winnipeg-Charleswood club
 
Two hectic weeks of the Rotary Friendship Exchange between District 5550 and 4600 have ended. On March 27th four of the eight participants left Rio de Janeiro to return to Regina, Saskatoon and Brandon. Two others have flown from Rio to visit a former exchange student in Brasilia for a few days. Ed & I are still in Barra Mansa, relaxing, helping our host (Terry McIntyre) with his computer, going for walks (Ed with Terry, me with Terry's wife Zezé), attending still more Rotary meetings – and experiencing some Brazilian foods that we missed out on when we were in Brazil five years ago
 
 
  •          Canjica is a delicious breakfast food that starts off with cooking white corn, with some cinnamon and cloves in a pressure cooker for 30-40 minutes.
  •          Paçoca is a yummy dish made with a blender using roasted peanuts, manioc flour, sugar and a tiny bit of salt. I've been sprinkling it on bananas, papaya, buttered buns, yogurt, whatever!!!
We've attended Rotary meetings in Valença, Vassouras, Mendes, two in Volta Redonda, one in Angra dos Reis, and three so far since we've arrived in Barra Mansa (two in Barra Mansa, one in Resende). That's nine meetings in two weeks!
 
I have taken over 900 pictures/videos of people, places, plants, flowering shrubs, trees, insects, animals & birds (mostly in a zoo), scenery, churches, steel mill operations, historical sites, cobblestone streets (called paralelepipedo - try saying that in a hurry!)...... I have no idea how many more images and videos Ed has taken with his camera.
 

Today (Thursday) we will be driven by our hosts Terry & Zezé McKintyre to Taubaté where we will spend the night with Rotarians Orville and Bete Kairalla Riemma, friends of Terry & Zezé's. These friends have indicated that they will then drive us out to the town of our resort, Campos do Jordao to arrive there around the resort's 4 PM check-in time.

Everyone who hears that we are going to Campos do Jordao tells us what a very beautiful place it is. There, we hope to be able to rent a car so that we can explore the surrounding area with former Rotary exchange students Livia Zamarian and Isadora Oliveira. Livia and Isadora will arrive at the resort around the same time we do on Friday to stay with us for the weekend. Neither one of them has been to Campos do Jordao before. We are also anticipating some visits from our Brazilian Rotary Friendship Exchange hosts.