G.T.B (Goodwill and Thrills in Brazil) GSE Brazil District 7680: All in a day!

05-Apr

Today was a day of surprises. Although we were provided with a general itinerary before arriving, we often do not have the details of a given day until it is unfolding. This element of surprise has added to our experience and we are constantly amazed and touched by the efforts of our host clubs to coordinate our site visits.
We began our day with the owner of a manufacturing plant (and Rotarian) taking us to one of his three operations. The company we learned about is called Pioneiro, and provides 3 services - production of car batteries, production of exhausts for cars, and battery recycling. We learned about the battery recycling operation and toured the plant. The experience exceeded our expectations. We are finding that the tours we go on are very much behind the scenes. There was no exception here!

Batteries for recycling

Broken down for lead extraction

Recycled lead. One bar is used to produce 6 new batteries.

Next we went to the town of Treze Tillias (Thirteen Tillias - a type of tree). This town was established in 1933 by the Austrian Minister of Agriculture. Italians and Germans also settled here and the European influence is quite evident in the architecture. We toured the town in a decorated open-air bus and stopped at a brewery and a sculpture studio before going on to a radio station for a live interview! This was a surprise and a seriously cool experience. Tropical 98.1 FM reaches 40 surrounding cities. We received a DVD of the recording, and some pictures have been posted to their website here: http://www.tropicalfm99.com.br/site/noticias_interna.php?id_noticia=4653
We finished up at Incotril Foods, where we sampled tasty local snacks like guava jelly and cheese, Beijino, and quail eggs. Tonight three clubs will gather to receive our second presentation.