I hardly got any sleep last night! I asked my professor, Raúl, if I could do some extra credit work by writing a news story on each speaker we had come speak to our class. Definitely a lot more difficult than I thought!
I was also super frustrated with my computer uploading videos for my media packages! I don’t know what it is but for some reason my computer has been freaking out lately. I think it has to do something with how moist my room gets because of the humidity.
Emily, Dan and I finally finished the first season of Summer Heights High. Emily has never seen the show before so Dan and I decided that we had to have her watch it with us. I have to say that my favorite character in the show is Jonah, the troubled year 8 student who is obsessed with break dancing.
Enough about that though, let’s talk Brazil! I’m seriously obsessed with being here and don’t want to go back to the U.S. Luckily, Janice, Laura and I are going to Rio on Saturday. I’m so happy I extended my trip.
Raúl, his friend Renato, an ear, nose and throat doctor and our entire class went to a really nice restaurant last night called ROXY. The food was absolutely amazing! The places Raúl takes our class to eat are really good. It’s when we go out searching for restaurants on our own when the food is typically borderline horrible. Renato is very handsome and polite. He did his residency at Harvard. I was sad that I was sitting at the opposite end of the table because he seemed like a really interesting person to talk to.
Renato gave us a ride to a bar that our class went to for some drinks. This bar had some of the most interesting illustrations of people I’ve ever seen on the wall. I took a bunch of pictures because I thought the paintings of people were really funny. Our cab driver home was insane, but that’s nothing new.
Today, a journalism student by the name of Diego came to our class today to interview us and get to know a little more about why we were in Belém for a story he was writing. He was really kind and his English was very clear. I could understand everything he was saying.
Next, we went to the mall to have lunch and shop around. Janice, Emily, Carla and I separated from the group and went across the street to another mall. They had some really cute stuff in this area. I got three dresses for Rio, which is something I needed because I’m running out of clothes.
After eating lunch and some shopping, we all piled back into the van and made our way to the Instituto de Desenvolvimento Econômico, Social a Ambiental do Pará, also known as IDESP.
Our speaker was a researcher for the company named Peter Mann de Toledo. His lecture was about landscape changes and sustainable development in the state of Pará. This research institution focuses on important issues of the state such as social, economic and environmental development.
After the lecture I was so confused as to what Toledo was trying to explain to us. After writing a story about it I understand what he is saying. Groups such as farmers and loggers run a piece of land that they do not own legally. IDESP’s job is to go to these areas and take samples by measuring the soil content, take satellite photos of the area and come up with a proposal as to how to make Pará a more sustainable state. Once all this information is gathered, ISPEC takes their proposal to the government where they discuss how to come to a solution in making the land more sustainable. “The more informed we are, the better decisions we make,” said Toledo.
IDESP does nothing other than research on how to make the land more sustainable. This company is run by the government so I find it reassuring that they work hand-in-hand in order to come up with a solution on how to stop deforestation of the rainforest. There is also a new law coming into play on taxing the farmers who are using land illegally. Not only are these farmers going to have to pay the people they purchased the land from illegally, but they are also going to have to pay taxes to the government in order to keep the land.
I hope this law gets approved because the fact that the rainforest is becoming so devastated due to these farmers is really disappointing. It seems as though Pará will achieve their goal in making the land more sustainable. “We must re-think production,” explain Toledo. He’s right. If they don’t, the state of Pará is never going to make the transition from a developing country to a developed country.
After the speaker we came back to the hotel, again. I’m super stressed out that I’m not going to get all my work done because I want to go out with everyone and experience everything, but I also have so much work to do because I really want an “A” in this class. I’m working really, really hard though so hopefully my work will pay off.
Well I must be off to go write more papers and do more research. I’m really hungry and can’t wait to go to dinner tonight. I think we’re going to an Italian restaurant that Raúl recommended we go, so it’ll probably be good food again. Check out my news story on IDESP later tonight or tomorrow.
Peace out.
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