Reflection

I wanted to wait to write a reflection until I told everyone close to me about my trip. Explaining my experience to others firsthand seems to help me reflect in a more meaningful way.

I guess I will start off my saying what I expected of the trip going into it. I expected it to be an amazing learning experience, both culturally and in terms of education. I expected the trip to be a lot of fun, slightly stressful, and to make me feel guilty and sad all at the same time. I expected to grow as an individual and as a problem-solver and analytic thinker. Sure, I learned about z-scores, weight/height, weight/age ratios and what not in class and I’m thankful for that, but I think that my Global Nutrition class discussions helped a lot in terms of fleshing out the details of a problem (be it nutrition-related or not) and allowed me to come in with the maturity to handle thinking about a multi-faceted problem. Without a doubt the trip lived up to and exceeded my expectations.

One moment I’d like to share only lasted a second or two, but it probably had the most effect on me. Earlier in the day at CREN my group listened to case studies of certain children and one of the girls, Vitoria, cried during the whole case study. I couldn’t help but feel bad for her and her situation that was explained by Paula. However, later on that day I was in the lobby when her mother came to pick her up. As her mother took her into her arms her cries became the biggest smile. It felt good seeing that and it made me really appreciate her mother’s sacrifice to leave her child for ten hours per day, five days a week at CREN in order to get healthier. This moment also made me feel hopeful for her future. It served as a bright moment as she was able to smile about a childhood that to most would be considered pretty crappy. I think all involved at CREN should be very proud of what they do and I hope these types of feel-good moments help get them through their difficult jobs.

I will end by saying that the class and the trip truly embody what I feel a college experience is about: an opportunity to bridge knowledge from research and the classroom and apply it to physical and social problems. I learned more in this method of immersive learning than I bet I could say from doing any other study abroad program.

Thanks for reading,

Cody

Last Days in Sao Paulo

Well I'm back in the U.S. after a whirlwind of the last couple days in Sao Paulo and I just wanted to explain more of what I did at a CREN satellite facility and my tour through an outpatient facility and community garden in the favela Vila Jaqui.

Outpatient Center for the Vila Jaqui Community

After going through all of the day to day functions at the main CREN facility we were given the opportunity to tour a new facility associated with CREN in another favela. Here, we were greeted by the director named Sonia. At the facility we were able to observe different classrooms of various ages ranging from one and a half year olds to eleven year olds. At the start of the tour we sat in on a music class of nine to eleven year olds. They sang us an awesome welcome song and performed a traditional brazilian dance. I got the impression that they used music instruction as a form of therapy and fun for the older kids.

Circle Time Activity with 4 yr. olds

Instruction with children on how to make a salad

View from outside at the center

This facility differed from the other CREN because it functioned as more of a community center. The community outreach aspect is crucial to solving social problems and aids in the building of relationships with kids, their parents and the community. This bond and trust allows for a greater ability to help solve nutrition and health problems.

Besides playing with the three year olds briefly during recess and visiting classrooms, I think I was most moved when we observed a small group of six or so women decorating graphic canvas bags with needlepoint. Sonia explained to us that the women were so excited to sell something beautiful in the market that they made. It was really cool to see the smiles on their faces and you could just feel that in this moment while they were doing crafts they were feeling great about themselves. Moreover, these types of activities with mothers serve a practical purpose. It allows for trust-building between educators and the mothers of the malnourished children, so that the goal of recovery can be reached and the children can reach their full potential.

The end of the week came up so fast it was unreal. On Friday we went back to the main CREN facility to recap our trip and say goodbyes. We were all able to shared our thoughts and emotions about the trip, which ended up being a very poignant and emotional talk (I will talk more about this in my reflection piece!)

After leaving the facility I think we all were happy, sad, incredibly grateful, and emotional spent all at the same time. We spent Saturday touring in the historic center and went to a market filled with fruit and meat. As a tourist I took advantage of the free sample policy with the same enthusiasm as a middle schooler in a mall food court! I was able to try buddha's hand, two sizes of dragonfruit, bananas de Sao Tome ( a red Amazonian banana that was orange inside and was sweeter than a typical banana), and a few other fruits I forget the name of. In the square we also visited a beautiful cathedral that was on the spot Sao Paulo was founded. It was a work of art with an intricate brazil wood interior and fantastic busts of religious figures.

I have to say this trip was a truly a unique experience, but I decided I'm going to let a few days go by that I could use to reflect on the trip before writing a final reflection..... until then I will let my thoughts marinate.

Working Days at CREN

The last two days have definitely been full days, but rewarding ones. After completing our pre-morning subway commute and cafe puro, we start each day at CREN. The first day I was put in a group with a few other students and we got to tour a favela nearby. After hearing all of the safety information ad nauseam I thought our last minute warning on safety would bother me, but that morning I was certainly eagerly listening.

 We toured with a social worker and a nutritionist from CREN who kept close and told us when we could take pictures. The roads here were narrow and offset (certainly not handicap accessible) and the rigged-up electricity above hung very close to my head. The homes were shoddy and small and water ran down the street in a stream, occasionally taking on a soapy appearance from shower run-off. Unfortunately we were not able to make any in home visits; however, we got to speak with one of the mothers of the children at CREN and what amazed me was her resilience. Despite the conditions in which she lived, herself and most others seemed to be happy people.



Day two at the center was also very interesting. A pediatrician named Paula handpicked five case studies of children (mostly 2-4 years old) and first read us their medical history and family background. Typically, one might think that the sole problem in the favelas is undernutrition and a good solution is just feed each child more. However, after hearing each unique case it became clear the the issue is incredibly complicated and each case needs to be handled delicately in its own way. Next, we were introduced to the children, who were all adorable. Some of the children were stunted, some wasted, and some were both. Additionally, some kids had parents who were addicts, some were orphaned, some were neglected, and some had parents that parented too much and this hurt the child. You're probably thinking how could over-parenting lead to childhood undernutrition? Well, the mother of one child who followed prenatal care to a "T" ended up over breastfeeding. The failure to introduce complementary foods (i.e. baby food) ended up hurting the child and led to undernutrition. I thought this was interesting and it really underscores the lack of education and traditional training in motherhood that is absent in so many young mothers in the favelas.

I also had a few more interesting foods including caqui, which turned out to be a persimmon; however, this was the best persimmon I've ever had and Brazilians typically eat it for sobremesa or dessert. Even better was picanha na grelhada, which is grilled picanha or a cut of meat from the rump of a cow. It was brought over mongolian bbq style and you could cook it to your own liking and add garlic, picante and farofa (manioc flour) to it. Salivating right now!

Ate logo!

Arrival in Sao Paulo / Day 1 and Day 2

So I decided to wait a day to blog again due to the fact that I only got one and a half hours of sleep on the red eye flight to Sao Paulo. Let me start by saying that the city is not picturesque by any postcard means; however, it has its charms and the people are wonderful so far. Today, we started the day with the best continental breakfast (American hotels take note) at our hotel. I included some pictures below, but some of the different food included a corn bread with fennel, which was awesome and the freshest watermelon juice I've ever had. Also, American coffee is like water after having Brazilian cafe.

(Brazilian breakfast: (clockwise from top left) Watermelon Juice, Coffee, Banana, Corn Bread with Fennel, Torrada with Abacaxi Jam, Kiwi, Mango Papaya, Eggs and Sausage)

After breakfast we were rushed off to our orientation at CREN for a couple of hours. The visit was used just to familiarize ourselves with the center and to talk about what we would be doing for the week. Milu,  the head of the center, introduced herself with a hug and a kiss on one cheek. She remarked that in Sao Paulo they kiss on one cheek, in Rio they kiss on both. She gave us a tour of the facility, which included meeting the children, nurses, psychologists and dietitians. We also sat for a Q & A where she talked about  what CREN was and how it services the communities in Sao Paulo. We were given the opportunity to ask questions, and I asked her about CREN's methods for evaluating their success and failures. She gave an informative answer about how they themselves were a little upset with their own recent self-evaluation and brought the team together to discuss ways to improve children's heights at the center. Malu seemed extremely genuine in her concern for the children and its seems they are very good about evaluating their program and coming up with solutions in order to improve upon it.

Introductions

Classroom Artwork

Children's plates with leftovers to be weighed and photographed for research and data collection. The meal was typical rice, beans, chicken and purple cabbage.

Upon leaving the center we visited the Japanese-influeunced section of Liberdade. Sao Paulo has the second highest concentration of Japanese next to Japan.

                                            (Japanese architecture in Liberdade, Sao Paulo)

Tchau,

Cody

Pre-Departure to Sao Paulo

The day is here! Tonight I will be on an arduous 12 hour flight to Sao Paulo, Brazil. As I sit here typing I am both nervous and excited (way more excited) to embark on my first trip out of the country and northern hemisphere. I'm so pumped to explore Brazil, put its nickname as a gastronomist's city to the test, and to interact with native paulistanos (an affectionate epithet for someone who hails from Sao Paulo). I'm also nervous...... only that I will forget something I need, so I'm in front of the computer with a concealable money pouch full of important documents strapped across my chest Rambo-style. Other than that I am going into this experience with an open mind, ready to soak in everything like a sponge.

Well, let me tell you a little about myself and my program. My name is Cody Magulak. I am a second degree student and senior with one more semester at Rutgers majoring in Nutrition-Dietetics Option. I am going to Sao Paulo as a supplement to a Global Nutrition class I took this past spring semester with Dr. Dan Hoffman. The class discusses macro/micronutrient deficiencies of the mother and fetus and how that effects future growth and propagates the "vicious cycle". The class also tackles issues of the politics of food aid (okay, that's it for the plug). My experience will last only a week, but it will be jam-packed. As part of the program I will be going to CREN ( Center for Nutrition and Recovery website: http://cren.org.br/unifesp/ ) most days to observe and work with the staff and children. Here I will learn how the center works with children from Sao Paulo's favelas recovering from stunting and wasting conditions due to malnutrition. At the center I will be able to interact with the children and their families participating in the program, which advocates for nutrition and health education for poor children and their families, who do not have access to healthy food.

This experience is sure to be an eye-opening adventure.

Stay tuned to my blog for my perspective on daily life in Sao Paulo, unique malnutrition issues that we do not see on a daily basis here in the U.S., and for pictures of weird fruit you probably have never seen before!

Tchau!