Riding the Bus in Campo Grande

So since I am in a new city, it is my duty as a traveler to explore. I have Fridays off so I decided to explorer downtown Campo Grande on my first day off. My mode of transportation of course is the bus. Before deciding to take the bus to explore I tried to ask people different questions about getting downtown and about downtown in general. No one knew what bus I had to take because most people in the hospital drive or have a motorcycle. One person told me to take one of the blue buses from the bus stop in front of the hospital to the bus terminal and then take one of the red buses from there because they all go downtown. This information was helpful but not very helpful. Most of the buses are either blue or red and some red buses do not go downtown.

I had a breakthrough when the secretary of the Hospital Director told me that one of the hospital drivers could take me downtown Friday morning and that he could tell me how to get back to the hospital. Friday came and we were on our way to downtown, when I asked him about getting back to the Hospital. It took a while for him to answer the question only to have him tell me he didn't know. His suggestion was that I ask the people downtown and they would tell me how to get back to the hospital. I thought to myself, "Great, I'm going to get lost downtown, and it's too late to go back to the hospital."

When we got downtown, the driver dropped me off on one of the main roads and I started exploring. Downtown Campo Grade reminded me a lot of Anapolis in Goias. There were a lot clothing stores and several Latin American type diners. I don't know if I mentioned this before but in Brazil the favorite snack is something called pastel pronounced pasteu. When I was originally invited to have some I thought it would be sweet because the equivalent in English pastry, which is usually sweet. Here, pastel is flat rectanglur shaped deep fried pastry which is stuffed usually with cheese and/or meat/vegetable. It can be found in any and every Brazilian city or town. In downtown Campo Grande there are a lot of these diners that sell pastel.


I walked around the downtown area just exploring. I bought myself some lunch and drank coconut water and then decided it was time to head back to the hospital. I was not quite sure of how to get back to the hospital or where to get the bus but I decided to walk to a park where I had seen several buses parked. As I walked to the park I noticed that several buses passed by me with signs that said they were going to Aereo Rancho. I also remembered seeing a bus terminal near the hospital with the name Aereo Rancho Terminal. I, therefore, assumed that that was the bus I was suppose to take to get back to the hospital. The only problem was that I could not find the bus stop for that bus. I decided to stick to the original plan of walking to the park. When I got to the parked I asked someone who was selling bus passes what bus to take and he directed me to one of the bus stops.


My bus came and I took it feeling proud of getting on the right bus and going home. The thing is I was on the right bus but I was going in the wrong direction. I didn't know this until the bus got its final stop and I realized I was not in Aereo Rancho. I got off the bus with the other passengers and decided to get some information. I was told to take the same bus line to the final stop. I was upset because it had already taken almost an hr to get to that station and I had to get back on the bus. It would take me an hour to get back to the place I had originally taken the bus and possibly another hour back to the hospital. On top of that I would have pay another fare.


The bus I taken to the station had already left so I had to wait for another one. When another one finally came, I noticed that everyone rushed on the bus as soon as the bus rider and conductor exited to, I guess, use the bathroom or get a drink. I was wondering why no one was paying the fare. Then it dawned on me that once you were in the bus station you could get bus transfers for free. I didn't have to pay another fare because it was counted as a transfer. When I finally got to the final stop in the other direction it was over an hour later and I had to take another bus to get to the hospital but that bus ride was only 10 minutes.


Even though I got lost, I learned about the bus system in Campo Grande. While I was waiting for the bus, I saw a bus that went to the shopping/mall so next week I'll be going to the mall. Thanks for reading!

I am Living in a Hospital!

I'm really living in a hospital! Check out my room! Here I am testing out my bed. I also have a ready supply of extra oxygen above my bed if ever I need it. Cool uh?

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As you can see, I am not sick. Anyways let me explain why I am living in a hospital.

Here goes....

I have embarked on a new adventure here in Brazil. This new adventure is an answer to many prayers. Even though I loved being at IABC I was feeling bored and for a while unhappy. God answered my prayers right about the time I was at widst end. I am now going to be a traveling teacher. I will be traveling over the Central East Region of Brazil. This region includes the states of Goias, where I originally was, Mato Grosso, Mato Grosso do Sul, Tocantins and the Federal District-Brasilia. I will spend a month at a time in the capital of each of these states . I am excited about this new adventure, because I will get to see more of Brazil. It’s also kind of sad to leave IABC because there has been home.

My first stop is Campo Grande in the state Mato Grosso do Sul (MS). Ok the translation of name of the state is funny. It is translated Thick Brush of the South, not to be confused the state Mato Grosso, which is translated thick bush. The funny thing about these names is that IABC is more of a mato or bush than where I am now.

Given that I will only be here for only a month, I was given a room in the Adventist Hospital of Pênfigo in Campo Grande. When I first learnt I would be staying in a hospital for a month I was somewhat uncomfortable. But what could I do? The first night I was laying in bed and I was thinking to myself, “I wonder how many people died on this bed” and “Did the last person who was in this bed die?” Luckily, I was very tired because I was traveling all day so I went to bed soon after to stop my imagination from running away with me.

The next day I realized that it was not too bad being here. The hospital has a lot of acreage and has many different fruit trees so I get to walk around and explore. On my second day here, I found a june plum tree. This is a fruit that we also have in Jamaica. It is shaped like a large oblong egg and is usually yellowish-green. The seed is somewhat strange because it has sprickles so you have to be careful when you eating the meat of the fruit closest to the seed. We usually have them in the summer. I haven’t eaten a june plum in probably 4/5 years, so seeing a tree with almost ripe ones is a big treat for me. There is also a family atmosphere here because the hospital is surrounded with houses for staff. Many of the staff members have children, so children are always riding around on bicycles.

Another positive thing about being here is the fact that the hospital has the Health Living Spa. This spa is for people who want to improve their lifestyle. It has a gym, massage therapists, pool and other spa amenities and I get access to them, so I guess it not too bad to be staying in the hospital. I also get to eat at the spa which has great food, so I don’t have to eat hospital food. Overall I am happy to be here and the good thing about being in a hospital is that if I do get sick I can be treated in my own room. I start teaching in a few days so I will share more of my adventures and thank you for reading!

The Education System

The new school year in Brazil is starting. At IABC, it started the first week of February. I did not have any students so I helped out with English classes in the school. This experience was a learning experience not only into the educational system but also in the how a boarding school functions.

Students at IABC besides belonging to different grade levels fall into two categories, the bolsistas and the regular paying students. The bolsistas (scholarship recipients) are students who pay their way through school by working at the school in different capacities. Some work in the kitchen, laundry, administrative office, other work as teachers’ assistants, IT personnel, gardeners, janitors among other jobs. They came back to school two weeks before the other students, in order to help prepare the school for new school year. From what I have noticed, though, there are more student workers than actually actual IABC staff.

There are different levels of bolsistas and the level determines the length of the work day. There are many students who would like to become bolsistas but there are only a few spaces because the school needs a specific number of students to pay the tuition to meet the demands of the school. The process is therefore very competitive. The students’ grades are very important and past behavior weigh a lot in the selection process. As a result of working for the school, bolsistas are called on to set an example for other students. Bad behavior or bad grades are grounds for losing their bolsa or scholarship.

I spent all of first week of school helping the school’s English teacher with his classes and I had first hand knowledge into the day-to-day operations of the school. The first very obvious difference between schools here and those in the US/Jamaica is the time schedule. Schools here are either in the morning or the evening for all levels. IABC has classes in the morning. Classes start at 7am and end at 12:30pm. Teachers, however, are expected to be there earlier. There are sometimes classes in the evening for students with difficulties but for an extra fee.

The school system is divided in three levels: our equivalent of Kindergarten, elementary/middle school (1-9) and high school (1-3). I was helping to teach middle school grades 6 to 9 and high school grades 1 to 3. Given that it was the first week of classes and there were several new students, the students had to introduce themselves. During this process, I was surprised at the age differences and the classroom behavior. In many classes the age disparity was as much as 4 years. As you know I love to ask questions, so I wanted to know why the ages differed so much in each grade level. I was told that students sometimes changed several schools during the school year and did not bring up to date school records. As a result, they are placed in specific classes. Also sometimes students are forced to repeat different grade levels because they did not do well in the classes.

The classroom behavior was another shock. IABC is a coed school and off course there will be couples. Given that this was situation, I thought the teachers and school would have rules about how students are to interact with each other in class. Well maybe there are rules, but since it was only the first week they have not been enforced. Anyways in several class couples were sitting together, hugging each other, holding hands and whispering and talking to each other rather than paying attention. I felt like the students here have less respect for the teachers within the classroom. They see their teachers more as friends rather than as an authority figure.

I hope I am not giving the impression the school system here is terrible. There are positives and negatives as in any country also I was only in the classroom for a week so my impressions may be skewed. The good thing though is that the teachers have realized that some of the students are disrespectful and that this is obviously something that has to be improved. The school just hired a new person who is in charge of discipline so they are trying to improve the situation. I must say I admire, the work ethic being developed in the students through the bolsas (scholarships). These students learn to value their education. Many of the bolsistas who have administrative positions gain valuable work experience. One cool thing I learnt about Adventist Education in Brazil is that all the schools in the country have the same uniform. So if a student has to move to another school in another area, they can use their old uniform.

Unfortunately, I was only able to help out in the school for a week. I am leaving IABC for a several months to work on a special project. I will tell you more about this project in upcoming blog posts.

The Aliança de Compromisso

I discovered a very interesting custom in Brazil that I just have to share. It has to do with the tradition of having a dating ring. The aliança do compromisso is a ring that couples wears to show that they are in a relationship. It doesn’t mean the couple are engaged but rather that they are dating. This ring is a normal band without a stone so it looks like a wedding band. Interesting isn’t it?

My first real experience here with this tradition was with the students at IABC. So just imagine, I am in a school with teenagers most of whom are wearing rings which look like wedding bands. It is also obvious that the ones with the rings were in a relationship with someone. In my head I was wondering if in Brazil kids could get married before they finished high school. Then, I am thinking that the school was crazy for having married teenagers for boarding students. Teenage pregnancy and young and inexperienced parents came to mind. My imagination was getting away with me.

After observing that male students sat on one side of the church and female students sat on the other and that some unmarried teachers had the same type of ring, I realized that the rings didn’t mean the couples were married but rather they were dating. This was later confirmed when I was able to speak enough Portuguese to inquire about the tradition.

There is however a scheme to the whole ring situation. A silver band signifies that the couples are only dating. A gold band on the right hand means they are engaged while a gold band on the left hand means the couples are married. Brazilians don’t usually wear engagement rings like there is in the US. Most couples only have a wedding band.

I was curious to know if persons had to buy these rings at specific jewelry stores or if they were available most places. According my friends, the rings are available at many jewelry stores and are somewhat inexpensive. But it costs more to have have the rings engraved. That’s another tradition. The rings can also be engraved with the couple’s names.

I guess in a sense this tradition has its purpose, for a single person looking for someone, he/she can know without asking if another person is single by the absence of a ring. The ring makes the dating process get off the ground easily. This tradition also generates a lot of income for jewelers. On the other side, it seems like quite a lot of trouble for dating especially if the persons are young and likely not to get married.

Ok, since I am on the topic of rings I must share another interesting discovery I made about Brazilian weddings. Unfortunately, I was not able attend my friend’s wedding because it was in the South of Brazil which is several days away. I did however learn a lot about Brazilian weddings which I must share.

In weddings I am accustomed to, the couple chooses bridesmaids and groomsmen and they are usually dress alike. In Brazil, they do not have this type of tradition. Here, the equivalent of bridesmaids and groomsmen are godmothers and godfathers for the wedding. The couple chooses usually several persons to stand up for them. Sometimes these persons are married to each other but regardless these persons are paired with another person because they walk in the wedding in pairs like bridesmaids and groomsmen.

These godparents don’t just walk in the wedding they have a very important role. They are expected to contribute a very large and expensive gift to the couple. One would think a large gift would be an appliance or some money. Not here! The gift is usually a piece of furniture. They buy the couple either a bedroom set, furnish the entire kitchen with small appliances, a refrigerator, a stove, a dining room table or a living room set. Basically, when a person is asked to be a padrino/madrino of a wedding they know they have to contribute very expensive gift. It is also considered an honor because they are blessing the union.

I have to lift my hat to Brazilians for this custom because when a couple gets married they basically go home to a furnished house, because at the cha bar they get the small appliances and at the wedding they get the bigger stuff. All the couple has to worry about is the wedding, but some of the cost is offset by the tradition of giving money to the couple at the reception. It looks like here is the place to get married. You’ll get everything you’ll need to start your new life!