You're probably starting to think that all we do is holiday, party and practise aikido, so perhaps it's time to write a little about the project that inspired us to come here in the first place.
First, a little background. Ação Harmonia (Action Harmony) is an NGO set up 5 years ago "offering new perspectives and new options to children and young people living in environments marked by poverty and violence". Specifically, there are about 36 kids from the favela, Jardim Jaquelini who are lucky enough to attend a care facility for children and adolescents called Casa de Criança (literally, house of child). The kids are split into two groups and aikido classes are run every Friday, one class for each group. Açao Harmonia also provides dogi's and even transport for some of the older students to train at the Harmonia Dojo. Many local yudansha have volunteered in the past 5 years, some from other aikido clubs. Last year Ação Harmonia recieved its first international volunteer, Mark Walsh from Aiki-the UK and now...well here we are. Our first day was a mixed aikido/capoeira class with Columbian Capoeira teacher Michael Nino showing the kids some games. Michael does the same work with kids from slums in Colombia. See blog post: 10 de Março de 2007 - Capoeira @ Harmonia Dojo
Gabby: I guess I need to say, first up, that we had no experience with kids classes, and little with kids generally, and really had no idea what to expect. A kids class had started up at our aikido club a few months before we left but hadn't taken off while we were still in Brisbane. And, honestly, it's cool. I can handle 2 x 1hr of playtime every Friday with these kids.
Paul: yeah, we have only been doing these classes for about 5 weeks now so we are only starting to see how it all works. we have about 20 or so kids in each class and I can only remember about 5 names so far. They are not part of the English speaking Brasilian population that we've had so much contact with, so our portuguese ability is stretched.
Gabby: I think Paul is doing amazingly well wih his Portuguese with the kids! I am usually reduced to hand signals, body language and miming.
Paul: hmm, i dont think i'm doing great. I think we are both reduced to hand signals most of the time but also there is usually one other Brasilian volunteer who either takes most of the class or can translate for us. From this point on though, it looks like we will be doing more stuff, leading class more etc.
Gabby: The class has an establshed dojo feel - the older, more experienced students setting the example and generally playing the senior student role in the class. I was amazed the first time we arrived, and every other time subsequently, that they are all in their gi's, sitting in a line in seiza when we arrive. When we were late once a senior student had already started the class and was taking them through some warm ups. Speaking of warm-ups, Bueno Sensei seems to have an original, fun way to practise any useful warm up, making it a game or a co-operative exercise. For example, backward ukemi practise (rock and stand) he may have one group tightly bunched in the centre (a mountain) and the rest in a circle around (the waves). The "rock" makes a crashing sound, as they push the "waves" backwards who make a wave-like swooshing sound as they practise backward ukemi. The kids love it.
Paul: One thing that seems like it could be tricky is the age difference of the kids. I think the youngest are around 6 or 7 and the oldest are around 13. I think the 6 yr olds have enough of the aikido after a short time but 13 yr olds dont always want to play kids games. Bueno seems to be able to keep everyone interested for the whole class and it may just be a matter of experience. Like I said, its only our 4th week or something so we'll see how we go.
Gabby: Ah yeah I think that's why the older kids are invited to train at the dojo on Saturday mornings. Also Sensei gives them more instuction and more advanced techniques during the kids class.
Gabby: The most obvious lesson for me so far, especially regarding kids in this situation who may have violence in their lives, is that co-operative exercises & games, that promote self-confidence and give them an alternative way to deal with conflict - this is the important stuff - not "technique". But maybe also for regular Australian kids....I remember teaching my last aikido class in Australia & we invited the kids class to join in with the adults to play some games. One game I initiated - seiza soccor - which I've played before in an adult class, didn't work so well with the kids, the kids got very competitive and one in particular was obviously very upset when the game was over that they didn't "score". Competitiveness is viewed as a normal part of growing up but I wonder now if there isn't too much emphasis on it.
Paul: One thing that I've learnt is that if you are showing them a picture of a kangaroo or platypus or kookaburra or whatever and you're asking them if they know what it is, you have to cover up the big letters that say "Laughing Kookaburra" or they can just read it and make you think they have an intimate knowledge of Australian fauna.
Gabby: kids smarter than Paul hehe
Gabby: Another lovely technique Bueno Sensei uses is, after an aikido technique has been practised in pairs, we all come back to the circle and then he picks a student to come out (with an uke) and both of them demonstrates the technique. The method of picking the student isn't rank ordered or who performs the best, but the one with the best posture. So now the kids are practising beautiful seiza position, without knowing they are, because they want to be the next one picked.
Gabby: OKay so maybe it's not rocket science and a thousand other aikido teachers who teach kids use these methods, but it has honestly opened my mind a little further, to the potential that aikido can have to enrich people's lives. You just gotta take the principles and apply them in the right way.
I should've known there would be trouble when Marcos came into the dojo and his first words were "Gabrielle, I need to drink a beer...*knowing nod*...I need to drink a beer". So after a thoroughly enjoyable class (Ryotetori techniques followed by some grading practise), Fredri, who is a professional musician, suggested we go to a bar in Vila Madalena for some beer & some chorinha samba.
The bar, Feira Moderna, is behind a trendy shop that sells small Brasilian...things from Bahia and cool clothes (including a crazy-colourful shirt that made me think of Andrew Sunter). Behind the shop is a simple room with a bar, the band, and a small dance floor. Behind this, where all the tables are, is a gorgeous garden area, half covered with jasmine covered lattice and the other half with a stone water feature.
The band is playing chorinho samba and soon the place is full of trendy, beautiful young Brasilians drinking, smoking and dancing.
I look around - Paul is drinking beer (some things do change!), Fredji is teaching Renata how to dance samba, Sensei is talking animatedly to two stunning young women (it turns out that he knew one of them, but tthe man's got charisma!). Sensei's son, DannyBoy, arrives and heads straight to the band. He's 16, a cool dude, his plan is to be a professional musician, and this is the second time I've seen him so wrapped in the musicians he's almost hugging them. (See below) Sensei's other son Danilo (DannyMan) arrives, I dance with Sensei, Marcos and Renata are pashing, Fredri has disappeared, Sensei's on the dancefloor and Paul is still sitting, still drinking beer, looking very tired.
Well atleast, that's how I remember the night.
We get to Sensei's at about 2am, feeling elated from the night and, personally, feeling dread about getting up at 6am for a class at Amana-Key. Sensei obviously doesn't share this dread as he tells me that to get up at 6am after a long night of drinking is "balance". He has said on more than one occassion that he feels he doesn't control his life, that life is pushing him from behind. Paul's theory is that Sensei's life is pushing him, and his energy is pushing us.
Sensei is up at 6, leaves for class and kindly lets us sleep...until 8. Then we're up, no time for breakfast (or more importantly, coffee) and off to Casa de Criança for the Friday morning kids class. Needless to say I'm feeling like shit, but this is Brazil baby!
This is my first attempt at a blog post as I have a particularly slack arse sometimes. I think its fair to say, and so does Gabby because she says it, that I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for her organising etc. But I am here and it is good.
It's been a month now that we've been here so we are reasonably settled in. This is my first time overseas and the culture shock took a while to disipate but now it has I feel pretty at home. Brasil is a crazy and I like it. I feel safe where we are though I think you still need to be sensible about where you go and when. I could see how the craziness of this district could be interpreted as unsafe, especially for people (like me) who are used to richer areas without visible homelesness and busy street culture. And I also cant discount the possibility that I am maybe being a naive, young guy in a new town but I know there is a difference between feeling comfortable and feeling complacent.
We have been doing classes at the favela where the project with the kids works from and again my first impressions are different to my ideas of what it would be. We haven't been there enough times to form many opinions and we don't really know of the internal workings of the place, but I think you would be hard pressed to call it a slum. To me it just seems like a fairly poor area skirting the city. The favelas seem to come in a range of conditions and Josè has said it would be difficult to run this project in one that is extremely poor. There needs to be a degree of existing structure to be able to run classes and obviously aikido classes exist on a different level of needs after shelter, sanitation, food etc.
Other impressions of whats going on?...Hmmm, I guess it is hard to describe of my impressions of Brasil without mentioning cheese. Unless you already come from a crazy cheese wonderland, Brasil has more cheese than you will know what to do with and there is only so much you can eat. Really, the food here is generally quite good. I am a vegetarian (lacto-ovo, so i eat dairy and eggs) and contrary to what I was told, I survive suprisingly well. I'm not sure how I will go outside of Sao Paulo but here there is much for me to eat. I'm not sure how easy it would be for a vegan though. I'm pretty sure everyone always says that about being vegan but seriously, cheese here is omnipresent. Like Jesus.
The aikido here is very good too. It is soft and effective. Feel free to interpret that any way you choose. We generally do alot of it and I find it can be hard to manage my energy levels. But Brasil is an easy place to relax in and, like aikido, if you're not relaxed, you're probably not doing it right. Well, thats my opinion anyway...man. As far as stereotyping cultures go, Brasilians dollop out wads of hospitality like it was cheese. Many people we meet tell us that if we need anything they would enjoy helping us out and that they should take us to the beach soon. Then we say that it's really nice to meet you too, and feel somewhat inadequate. We get on well with everyone at the dojo and spend much of our free time hanging out with them. There are some good restaurants and bars around the place and its good to have access to local knowledge. There is a night club next door that seems to specialise in playing shit music really loudly and we are yet to try it out. Although this is my first time out of Australia, I have the feeling that this type of tacky club is the same the world over. But Brasil, as someone else has said, is a microcosm of the world. Lots of extremes, lots of diversity, good stuff, bad stuff, nightclubs and cheese.
On Thursday we received a visit from a Capoeira teacher from Colombia. His name is Michael Nino and he was visiting specifically to see the work Bueno Sensei is doing with the kids from Jardim Jaquelini as he is doing the same type of NGO work at home using capoeira (instead of aikido). He was invited to teach some Capoeria at the Harmonia dojo on Thursday night.
I haven't said much about the work Bueno Sensei is doing here so now is probably a good time. It consists of three parts:
Harmonia Dojo - "The Body"
Açáo Harmonia - "The Heart"
Corporate Aikido - "The Mind"
* Harmonia Dojo is the aikido dojo where I train and live.
* Ação Harmonia is the NGO created to help and support 'Casa de Criança' - a centre in the favela Jardim Jaquelini where kids can spend time, get fed, do numerous activities while their parents are working. This keeps them off the streets and away from non-desireable activities as well as giving them a positive focus. But more about this later.
* Bueno Sensei also runs Corporate Aikido Classes regularly for two large companies as well as one-off workshops.
On Friday I went to a meeting with Bueno Sensei and his graphic designer, Luis to discuss creating a website to combine all three under one banner "Harmonia Brazil".
Michael Nino runs an NGO in Colombia and helps over 300 kids. He also the head of a Capoeira school of over 400 students. His dedication to the NGO and to Capoeira is obvious. Class fees are rediculously low for regular students (about US$1 a month!) and some of his senior students have been employed by him to work with the children as a full time job. An article about Michael and his work in Colombia http://www.zenpeacemakers.org/pm/colombia.htm
So Thursday night we practised a little aikido then Michael took us through a short beginners Capoeira class - some games and capoeira interspersed with stretches and breathing exercises. The games were co-operative rather than competitive and very fun. I could see how well this would work with the NGO kids, just as well as Bueno's aiki games for kids. We played, we laughed, we looked like gumbies (well I did) and it was awesome fun.
