MORE MAFRA / RIO NEGRO

MAFRA/ RIO NEGRO
DATE: Monday, April 15, 2013
LOCATION: Mafra / Rio Negro


Today was a slow paced and beautiful day for all of us. We didn't have to worry about getting up early and running to an event this morning. So some of us used the extra time to catch up on sleep, to read, and even exercise (which has been difficult to do on this trip). At 11:45 a.m, we all meet downstairs in the hotel lobby and were whisked away by our respective host for lunch. Emily, Nora, and I got the pleasure of being hosted for lunch by the Mattos family, along with their exchange student, Ella. Their house was "muito bonito". They had a separate living space, detached from the house, and that's were we had lunch. The family also had two dogs and a talking parrot (which when partnered with the neighbors parrot began to have a full on conversation with each other). On the menu this afternoon, the typical churaasco meats such as beef, pork, chicken, and even lamb, along with vegetable sides. We danced to bossa nova and samba music while cooking and I even got a chance to make my first capaherina (those who speak Portuguese, please feel free to correct my spelling), which is the drink of choice down here. Mr. Mattos also made sure to show me his Sports Club International collection (his favorite soccer team).

The Mattos Family along with Ella, Emile, and I (Nora's taking the picture)

After a delightful lunch, our entire team met up and visited one of the co-operative bank called Sicoob. The bank was formed over 25 years ago by a group of farmers who wanted to pull their resources together and provide services for their community. Today, Sicoob is the 6th largest bank in Brazil and offers an array of services to it's customers.

Once we finished our site visit to Sicoob, we were let lose to shop for the remainder of the afternoon. Let's just say that we all did our part to help the local economy of Mafra. After shopping and relaxing in our hotel room for a bit, we all walked across the street, to a local pizzeria and had dinner with the Rotarians from Mafra and Rio Negro. We all enjoyed the food and company at dinner. Overall, it was slow paced and beautiful day.

Everyone is full from the pizza

From left to right: Mr. Mattos, Erin, Karen, Ella, and Emile

The Mattos Family and Me (wearing Mr. Mattos' favorite teams jersey)