Last Day and Final Reflections

8/11/10 Cami

By the time 5:00 a.m had rolled around, each of us was awake putting finishing touches on getting our things together and placing our luggage by the door.

It hadn’t really hit me that we would really be leaving until I saw those four huge suitcases resting by the door and a formerly messy room now empty.

Seeing and greeting my host family that morning set the tone for what the rest of the day would be like. Each morning Sarah and I would be warmly greeted with a “Bom Dia” and an embracing hug and affectionate kiss on the cheek by our host father, Luiz. Although this morning was the same lovely routine, there was something different about it. It was that when I hugged him that morning, I never wanted to let go.

This feeling in my heart would occur time and time again throughout that morning and each time it got harder and harder to bring myself to actually let go. That last morning with our host families was the hardest and most painfully sad days of the trip. Who would have thought that after only knowing these families and players for a week that we would get so attached to them?


Sarah, Bruna, Mãe, Pai and I all drove to Minas Tênis Clube where we would meet the other girls to say our last goodbyes and catch our bus that would take us to the airport.

The car ride was painfully silent as I reflected on my amazing stay and experience with my wonderful new family. I kept repeating over and over to myself in my head, “I don’t want to leave, I don’t want to leave”. By the time I steadied my emotions enough to repeat it out loud, my voice became shaky. The heartbreaking look on Luiz’s face in the rear view mirror just about pushed me over the edge.

My host family had done so much for me and been so welcoming and loving towards two complete strangers (Sarah and I) that the thought of leaving was unbearable. By the time we made it to Minas it really hit home that it was time to go. At that point almost everyone was in tears. These girls and their families meant so much to all of us, it broke our hearts to have to say goodbye. I think I hugged my family members about twenty times in those last ten minutes, buying myself even just a little more time to be close to them.

Luiz, Patricia, Manuel, Luiza, and Bruna mean the world to me and I will never ever forget them. They have a special place in my heart.

It was still dark out by the time we boarded the bus finally giving into reality that we had a plane to catch. Not even the exciting thought of laying out on a beach in Rio could lift our spirits or brush away the tears still flowing down our cheeks from thoughts of leaving our wonderful host families. By this time in our trip no one wanted to get on another plane. Luckily, it was a short flight to our next destination, Rio de Janiero!

We met up with one of Dave’s friends, Leticia, who would be our tour guide for the day. We rode an intensely cold bus with air conditioning blaring the entire time. We traveled as far as we could go up the mountain before we had to switch to a train. The train would then take us to the Christ the Redeemer statue. If this trip has taught me anything, it’s that you take sleep whenever you can get it. Even if that means sleeping for 10 minutes on a train climbing uphill to the top of a mountain...

After a bazillion steps we reached the statue! Oh my, what a view it was! We were incredibly high up, you could see forever! The vista from the train ride was impressive but by the time we made it all the way to the top of the mountain and looked out, it was the most magnificent sight I have ever witnessed!


Unfortunately, it was hazy and overcast clouds were rolling in. And might I add that it was extremely cold and a tad windy way up there…But, nonetheless, the sight was breathtaking. After countless pictures from every angle and shortened photography lessons from Andrew, it was time to make our way back down the mountain. By this time, it had begun to rain. We haven’t had much luck with weather. I mean really, if we wanted rain and clouds we would have just stayed in Seattle...


The train ride back down became opportunity to catch up on some lost sleep as I believe some of the girls pulled all-nighters the night before and others only got a couple hours of sleep trying to enjoy every last second of their families’ company. Plus, the train stopped multiple times due to what I will call technical difficulties. I’m not really 100 percent positive on what actually went wrong because I was asleep.

Once we made it safely down the mountain in the train we switched over to our freezing cold bus, once again, and embarked on our drive to go find a Brazilian steakhouse! The meat was sooooooo good. After everyone had tried a little of everything and became stuffed to the brim, we headed out to go find one of our favorite deserts, frozen yogurt! Mmmm it was so yummy! After everyone had finished their frozen yogurt and were finished reciting lines from the YouTube video, “Can I have your number?”, we set off to the beach.

The sand was so fine and felt so good to walk on. But, of course, the weather wasn’t cooperating with us which made the tanning part a little bit harder than expected... Instead of catching some rays we admired the view and laughed at the wipe outs and feared for the surfers’ lives in the HUGE white crested waves. And yes, we are volleyball players and yes we were on a beach, so put two and two together...We played some beach volleyball!

Not the best games of our lives as half of us were so tired we couldn’t walk straight and the others were so tired we were delirious and laughing at just about everything. I’m pretty sure I fit into both categories. But, we still had a fun time goofing off. After relaxing on the beach in lounge chairs and bartering with vendors it was time to head out to the airport for our final leg of the trip, heading home.

Now, not only does each and every one of us miss our families in Brazil, we miss our families back in Washington. I think Rio was a nice transition that prepared everyone for the trip back home. We made it through security safe and sound but we did manage to temporarily lose Dave for a while. We had a few search parties set out for him and luckily he showed up a little before we started boarding.

When we arrived in Seattle, everyone was so anxious to shower, eat, and sleep in their own bathrooms, houses, and beds respectively.

In reflection of our trip I need to touch on a very important day. During our stay we spent a day at a special project school for poor children, the Curimim Project.

This day turned out to be a very meaningful day to not just the kids at the orphanage but to all of us girls. It was heartbreaking to learn that most of those children weren’t orphans, but instead, had parents who have gotten themselves in trouble with the law, drugs, dealing, and/or alcohol. It’s such a hard thing to hear about because we know these sweet little six or seven year olds don’t deserve to live this way.

All these children want is to love and be loved. One of the most touching events about this experience is that these children will come up to you as complete strangers and cling themselves to you. Hug you. Hold you. Touch you. Smile at you. We didn’t speak much Portuguese and they didn’t speak any English. But even with that language barrier we were able to communicate. Communicate through love.

Multiple little girls came up to me and fastened themselves to my hand and wrapped their arms around my legs.


And all I wanted to do was take them all in my arms and tell them how beautiful and sweet they were. I wanted to take them all home with me. These children serve as a wonderful example for all of us to follow.

We were all strangers to them but it didn’t matter. They shared joy, love, and kindness with us. They are in some of the toughest situations and yet they find happiness in everyday activities and in each other. I think I can speak for all of us when I say that leaving the orphanage at the end of the day was very, very tough. Saying goodbye is never easy but I will never forget the impact those children made on our hearts.

All the aspects of Brazil that we took part in were wonderful experiences and we all shared some everlasting memories. Thank you to everyone who played a role in making this trip one of the most truly amazing experiences I’ve ever been lucky enough to be a part of.


Until next year, Beijos!!

Final Days in Belo Horizonte

Melina 8/10/10

Monday morning was a depressing morning. We only had two days left with our host, my host sister left for the rest our time to play for her high school team out of town. It was so sad saying goodbye to Julia early; Kaitlin and I were almost in tears saying goodbye to her and our other new friends leaving, like Natalia.

The rest of us went to the Curimim children’s project. Then our team headed to the children’s project. It was heartbreaking to see all those little, deserving kids in those conditions. Even though we were sad, we still had a ton of fun playing with the kids. All the kids were so happy and that made us even sadder. None of us wanted to leave.

After the project we spent the rest of the day relaxing by the pool. It was fun tanning, swimming and playing with the football until we were told to stop. After the pool we went shopping for flip flops. There were so many different pairs to choose from. I only got one pair, but some people got up to six pairs!

Monday night Jade, Miah, Lara, Taylor, Kaitlin, and I had a movie night. We chose to watch a movie on Jade’s laptop, which would’ve been fine except that no one knew how to hook it up to the projector. It took a solid thirty minutes to figure out how to work it. It was well worth it though, the movie was really funny.

Tuesday was a good day. Kaitlin and I went to Minas early and got a manicure and pedicure for only 25 Reis! That’s only about 15 dollars in the U.S., which is really cheap. Then our team and a few of the Minas players we got to know went to Minas Country, another club of Minas in the hills above Belo Horizonte for a barbeque.

The food was delicious and the club was super pretty. They had a giant pool and slide which they opened for us. The water was really warm, and fun to play in, and the slide was also really fun.


My favorite part was the monkeys. We had talked about maybe seeing some beforehand and I really wanted to. They were so adorable! They were small with long tails and white faces. They made some weird sounds too. We got bananas and were actually able to feed them; it was one of the coolest experiences of my life. They aren’t afraid, and come right up to you and grab the piece of banana with their little hands. I made sure I took lots of pictures to bring back.

After the barbeque we went to Pastel’s for dinner. It’s probably the best restaurant in Belo Horizonte, their food is just amazing. The bill was really expensive but no matter how hard we tried our host refused to let us help pay. Then we all went to our homes to pack our stuff to leave for Rio the next day.

Before Kaitlin and I did though, we went shopping with our host parents. It was fun getting to see another mall in Brazil. They helped us pick out gifts for our parents and also bought us a few Brazil things of our own. We both felt bad though because the shirts were kind of expensive.

After shopping, we went home to pack. Our goal was to stay up all night too, but that didn’t really work out, so we ended up getting a good couple hours of sleep before meeting the rest of the team at Minas to board the bus to the airport.

Final Day of Copa Minas Tournament

Lara 8/8/10

Well, it seems that all the team names ran together; their names are “Amazing” or “Way Better than Us.” The games were pretty much all the same too. We tried as hard as we could but the outcome never ended in our favor. Our standings weren’t good enough to play in the final day of the tournament but we watched the ending games. The whole team cheered for both Minas teams in the finals but they both, came in a close second.


Saturday night we had a movie night with a few girls and their sisters at the house. We watched “Remember Me” and grew closer and closer with the girls here which will make it harder and harder to leave.


The closing ceremony the next day wasn’t that amazing because we weren’t good enough to gather awards. We just clapped when everyone else did and cheered on the Minas girls. Our team recognized a girl from the eldest Minas team who could have possibly been one of the most amazing hitters we have seen in a long time. She wasn’t that tall or muscular, just the look on her face would make anyone run or seriously fear her.


Some of the girls went out to Eddies. Those were the first hamburgers we had had since the United States. We all agree that hamburgers are better in the US but Brazil has everything else on us. It was Taylor’s “Birthday” and it was new to them how it just happens to be our birthday so often when we go out to eat. It wasn’t the only new thing we have all learned since we have been here.

After lunch I’m sure everyone slept and would have probably kept sleeping if we weren’t trying to do everything in such a small amount of time. Some girls went to a movie, movies here are in English with Portuguese subtitles so when the actor or actress was about to say the funny punch line, the Brazilians new before us and would start laughing, a little awkward I might say but people here still love movie nights with popcorn and dates just like Americans in the US.

Day 2 of Copa Minas Tournament

Kaitlin 8/6/10

This morning we had the opportunity to sleep in. Our first game was scheduled to begin at 11:30, so Dave had everyone arrive at Minas at 10:30. I woke up and had a typical Brazillian breakfast, with some American cereals tossed in as well. Once the meal was finished, Melina and I drove with Julia and her mother to Minas. The drive was, as always, very interesting. The driving style here is very different than ours in Washington. There are also a lot more people out and about in the streets. There is always a reminder of just how many people make their homes here in Belo Horizonte.

Our team had a total of three games today. Unlike a typical tournament in Washington where we might play multiple games in a row, three matches in one day seems a lot to the local teams here. All of the teams that we played were very good, and although we lost all of the matches, our team put up a very good fight. When we first began to play, the games were an hour behind. However, by the time that everyone had eaten lunch, things were almost caught up. Unlike yesterday, there was not a lot of time between each of our matches, but there was still a lot of time to hang around the club and watch the other teams play.

When our last game of the day was done, my host, Julia, took Melina and I out to eat Japanese food at a local restaurant. I happen to love Japanese food, and it was really interesting to see how many different kinds of food can be seen here in the city. The food was delicious, and we were joined by some of Julia's friends. Everyone is so friendly and so nice here. Whenever I am introduced to someone here, I never fail to feel as though I have been accepted, no questions asked. Hanging out with everyone from Minas is without a doubt one of the things I will miss most about Brazil. Sometimes I feel more comfortable around the girls here than I do with my friends at home.


Once everyone had eaten all of the Japanese food they could hold, some people went next door to a frozen yogurt place. I did not order any myself, but I had a taste of what Julia had. I have decided that it is better than regular ice cream (Ben and Jerry's being the exception of course!). When we had finished eating, we had to hurry home and get cleaned up for the party that our hosts were holding for their American guests. The night was so much fun! I am going to be so sad when I have to say goodbye to all of the girls and their up-beat lifestyle. Life in the small town of Monroe is going to seem all the more dull upon my arrival.

First Day of Tournament

Sarah 8/6/10

We woke up at 7 to try to get to the opening ceremonies. Cami and I were late as always and arrived around 8, which happened to be the same time that it started. Since we were late we were told we would have to sing our national anthem and I sound like a dying pig when I sing so I wasn’t excited. It took place in the main arena and on the bleachers there were signs with your club name on it and we all sat behind them.


Each team was called up one by one to line up on the court and carried their signs. Our national anthem started playing and I was so excited because I didn’t have to sing! Then the Brazil’s anthem played and it was special to hear all the teams singing along and that’s when it really hit home for me that I was in Brazil. Right after the opening ceremonies we played the Minas 18s team. They were amazing and since it was our first game together we were a little off our game and they beat us in two short games. We did play good and hard though. After our game, we went to the pool and laid in the sun. Also we got Gatorade which was a passion fruit flavor which they only have in Brazil.


Our next game we played Paraná Clube from the south of Brazil and it was the same story. We were still getting used to each other so we lost in two games. We did play very hard and gave it our all. After the second game, we went with our host families. We went shopping at this little boutique and Cami and I got bathing suit tops. We didn’t get bottoms because they were more than skimpy. After shopping we had dinner at our house and we had a chicken pot pie but better. We had so much of it, also some cheese bread that not joking I ate about 25 pieces of. Their food is amazing here!


After dinner Bruna, Cami and I all went into our room and made bracelets while listening to music. Then Bruna’s brother Manuel came home and he played his guitar for us! He was amazing! Then the whole family went to sleep then Cami and I stayed up till about four in the morning having a deep heart to heart. Was a good bonding night for us :) The whole day was so much fun meeting new people and learning their culture! I loved it!

P.S. I wrote most of this on a bus that was bouncing like no other so some of the grammar and spelling might not be very good.

Visit to Projecto Curimim

Today we had the privilege of visiting the Curimim Project school in Belo Horizonte. This project is a small school for some of Belo Horizonte's poorest children. Luiz Gustavo Lage, Director of Sports for Minas Tenis Clube, has taken an interest in supporting this amazing school. Through the efforts of Luiz and his generous friends, funding was raised for many improvements to the school.


We were able to visit the school today and meet the children, numbering over 300. The children learn life skills in addition to the basic education. They are able to learn to cook and work with computers due to the generous contributions of volunteers and donations from private individuals.


The girls of the WVBA International team brought gifts of clothes, shoes, and school supplies. They listened to their choir sing some songs and were able to play some volleyball with the children and after two hours, we had to leave, with much sadness, to return to the club.


We will post many of the great pictures we took today. Andrew brought his soft light and took some amazing photos of the children and our players interacting with them. If you would like to enjoy a sneak peak of twenty of the best images (including those posted here, click on this PDF slideshow (10 mb). For a more complete gallery of images, click here.


Luiz Gustavo holds one of the children of Curimim

Computer Back Online - Galleries Coming

My computer magically fixed itself and is now able to get wireless networks again. Three photo galleries have been posted so far and more are on the way.

The next round of journal entries will be forthcoming as early as today.