The I.C.B.I.E. Blog

For the last few days, in the minds of Ribeira residents, the term “O presidente” no longer referred to ICBIE President Pietro Gallina, because it was usurped by someone who bears a striking resemblance to him, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.  Today at 4 PM Lula was scheduled to visit our neighborhood to inaugurate a new fishing port,  the Terminal Pesqueiro da Ribeira, which was built by Bahia Pesca and the Secretaria Especial de Aqüicultura e Pesca (Seap), in order to give the local fishermen a new dock to benefit the commercialization and distribution of their catches.  He also announced the launch of an innovative national project to stimulate small-scale fishing.

For the last few days, workmen have been busy building a giant stage in Largo da Ribeira, where the president gave his speech, and there has been a massive effort to spruce up the area for this important visit.  Yesterday afternoon, and again last night at midnight, a giant water truck parked right in front of the ICBIE, and two workmen operated an impressively large hose that gushed a high-powered spray onto the sidewalks, leaving them sparkling and clean.  This morning, city workers were everywhere, repairing holes in the street and painting the curbs a dazzling white, while crews collected garbage and raked the beach.

By 3PM, hundreds of buses had parked all along the seafront, bringing fishermen from all over the state of Bahia; Pietro got dressed up to look sufficiently presidential; then a bank of dark clouds appeared and there was a fierce downpour; we waited for Lula to pass by, and he never came, so when it got dark we wandered down to the square and heard the speeches from the back of the throng.  That’s as close as we got to “o presidente,” but it was good enough to make it a special day!  And at least the neighborhood is all clean and repainted…

Last night, Louise Audette’s English courses arrived at the finish line, and we had a diploma ceremony, followed by a reception with proud parents and friends.  These events are always emotionally charged moments, because our visiting instructors forge such deep friendships with our students, and saying good-bye isn’t easy.  For Louise, this was her very first visit to Brazil, and her experience here was so incredibly rich, thanks to the enthusiastic response to her lively teaching and the impressive progress made by the students.

As the course ended, the students wrote short, but very poetic messages to Louise, to thank her for her generous work at the ICBIE.  Here is one example:

Tudo começou por um querer
Que depois de um pouco de tempo
Sem ter como perceberse tranformou
que jamais vamos esquecer

It all began with a wish
That after a bit of time
Without feeling it at all, transformed
Into something that we’ll never forget

For the record, here is a complete list of Louise’s wonderful English students:

Beginning English

English Conversation

Pietro’s extraordinary culinary skills are exploited by all his friends.  Everywhere he goes, he inevitably gets locked in a kitchen, and this makes him a most welcome guest in any house.  During the Salvador Graffita tour, Salvador City Councilman Tucunaré was so impressed with Pietro’s recipe for Abbacchio alla scottadita (roast lamb), that he was determined to put him to the test when he returned home, so he drove all the way to his country village to procure a baby goat, which he brought to the ICBIE two days ago, and we hastily organized a big lunch (because there was an awful lot to eat).

Yesterday morning Pietro took off on his motorbike and scoured the city in the search of fresh rosemary, and then he set to work in the kitchen, assisted by Lu, to perform his wizardry.  Tucunaré brought his colleague Dea to join with Paranaguá, Marlene, Julio, Marcella, Giovanna, Louise and Roy for the feast.

As usual, the revelry was accompanied by a bit of serious ICBIE business, and this time the subject was the upcoming International Encounter of Graffiti Artists, set for mid-September, and we wanted some suggestions from Tucunaré, even though the city government is unable to directly participate in the event, due to the restrictions imposed by the impending municipal elections in October.

Yesterday afternoon, the ICBIE  crew (Pietro, Marlene, Roy, Julio, Val, Giovanna and Bogus) got together for an intense brainstorming session, ironing out the calendar of events for the coming semester.   Such advance planning is particularly important, as we often have to contact people on different continents and make travel arrangements, as well as the ordinary administration duties.

Here is a list of the major events that we have planned:

• The third ICBIE Cineforum, to be held every Wednesday starting August 6th.  The first six films will be international classics, while the rest of the cycle (running until December) will feature Italian cinema, as a supplement for our Italian courses.
• A Workshop for the Elaboration of Cultural Projects, an initiative of the Bahia State Government under the supervision of the Cultural Foundation of the State of Bahia, with eighteen sessions held in fifteen different locations around the state.  The ICBIE will host the final workshop on August 30 and 31.
• The first annual International Meeting of Graffiti Artists, to be held from 13-20 September, with the patronage of the Italian Institute of Culture in Rio, The Italian Consulate in Salvador and various private sponsors, with foreign artists from France, Spain, Switzerland, and Chile, as well as Brazilians from Rio, Sao Paulo and Salvador.
• The first annual ICBIE Photography Competition, open to local shutterbugs. (Date to be announced)
• An event to celebrate the sixtieth anniversary of the Italian Constitution. (Date to be announced)
• An exposition of the works of Italian artist Guido Daniele. (Date to be announced)

In addition, we will be persuing the following fundraising initiatives:

• A Pianoforte for the Favela, a subscription drive to buy a concert grand piano.
• The ICBIE Theater Project, to raise money for the construction of our theater.
• Promotion of D’Artagnan Exhibitions in Amsterdam and Frankfurt, scheduled for May and June, 2009.

Finally, here is a full list of the official ICBIE course offerings for the second semester, beginning August 23rd.

Computer Science

• Beginning Course in Information Technology
• Computer Maintenance and Configuration
• Computer Graphics
• 3D Modeling

Italian Language - Italian I, II, III and IV

Basic English Language

Art Courses

• Drawing and Design
• Serigraphy (silkscreening, for making T-shirts, sweatshirts, etc.)

Hapkido (different levels for different ages)

The unprecedented richness of this calendar of events and courses will offer a wonderful range of opportunities for the local community—and will keep everyone at the ICBIE very busy!

Cosa c’è di nuovo all’ICBIE? É tornato Julio… dall’Europa, ed é tornato senza capelli!!! Sembra non essere piú quello di prima, ma allo stesso tempo …é sempre lo stesso!! È  cresciuto, dice lui stesso, ha imparato cose incredibili, e si sente in ogni parola…ha imparato persino il gusto di mettersi ai fornelli e preparare cenette per i suoi amici. Lo vedete nelle foto a preparare un tipico piatto bahiano per me, Marcos e Louise.

Ha riportato nell’ICBIE la confusione che mancava….e subito si é messo all’opera, con tante buone idee, per i suoi lavori futuri e per cosa fare per la sua amata Bahia, e la sua amata Ribeira. Le vie di Ribeira hanno giá un nuovo graffito, di cui vedete le foto, organizzato espressamente dai suoi amici per celebrare il suo ritorno. D’altronde, quando era partito ci eravamo salutati con un graffito, e tutta la festa e la simpatia che intorno alla realizzazione di un graffito girano…e cosí ci siamo salutati al ritorno.  Allora un ben tornato a Julio, e, come direbbe lui… W IL BRASILE, W BAHIA, W RIBEIRA!

What’s new at the ICBIE?  Julio has returned… from Europe, and he came back with a really short haircut!!!  He looks like a different person, but he’s also… just the same!!  He has grown, he says so himself, and has learned incredible things that you can sense in every word he speaks… he even learned how to cook, to prepare meals for his friends.  You can see him in the photos, making a typical Bahian dish for Marcos, Louise and me.  He has brought a necessary dash of craziness to the ICBIE… and he got right to work, full of new ideas regarding projects to help his beloved Bahia and Ribeira.  The streets of Ribeira already have a new mural, as you can see in the photos, and it was specially designed by his friends to celebrate his return.  Just as we saluted him with a mural before his departure, which became the focal point for all the celebration and comraderie that revolved around it, this work marked his return.  So welcome back, Julio, and, as he would say, up with Brazil, up with Bahia and up with Ribeira!

Giovanna

Today’s gorgeous sunny weather was a perfect backdrop for the third tap of the 2008 Bahia Rowing Championship and once again, the Rowing Federation of Bahia used the ICBIE as the site for its luncheon party, seeing as we are located across the street from the judges’ box.  Sponsored by the Bahia State Government, the City of Salvador and various private organizations, this  is the largest nautical sporting event in Bahia, and by offering our hospitality, we will receive in return their support for other ICBIE cultural initiatives.

Not only did the ICBIE host the Rowing Federation’s party, but our back courtyard provided the Brazilian Mounted Police horses a quiet and shady place to relax!

When it came time to award the prizes for the winning teams, Roy Zimmerman was called to present the medals, and to our surprise, one of the trophies bore the name of ICBIE President Pietro Gallina!

Yesterday, after more than ten months of intense collaboration, conducted exclusively by means of emails and telephone calls, the directors of the ICBIE and Rhythm of Hope were finally able to meet face to face.  Phillip Wagner had just come to Salvador from Indiana, and one of his first priorities was to meet with Pietro Gallina, to discuss the many projects that the two organizations have developed during the past year.  Phillip was accompanied by his wonderful assistant Puneet Rau, while Pietro was able to rely upon the support of his wife Marlene and ICBIE Honorary President Roy Zimmerman (who also recently arrived from Rome, Italy).

Keeping with the venerable ICBIE tradition, the heart of the discussion took place over a sumptuous banquet of pasta and fish (prepared by Pietro and our wonderful Lu while Roy took Phillip and Puneet on a tour of the ICBIE facilities).  Among the many issues that were raised, we talked about the status of our joint application to Engineers Without Boarders for the construction of our theater, and also the plans for opening a Rhythm of Hope office within the ICBIE compound.

Of course, direct personal contact permitted us to hash out all the details of these complex projects; the meeting was viewed as a complete success and we are looking forward to many future get togethers during the coming weeks, as long as Phillip and Roy remain in Brazil.

Phillip Wagner

All´ICBIE si pensa proprio a tutti!!!! E stamattina (sabato 12 luglio) il nostro mitico Augusto istruttore di Hapkido ha deliziato i nostri simpatici ospiti, gli allegri e romanissimi parenti di Pietro, con una divertente lezione di ginnastica!!!!

Alla lezione hanno partecipato, inoltre,  la mitica ed instancabile Marlene, la nostra fantastica professoressa di inglese ed i genitori di Augusto.

Guardare per credere cosa riesce a fare l´ICBIE!!!

Un caro saluto a tutti

Marcella

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At the ICBIE, Activities for All Ages

At the ICBIE, they really think of everyone.  So this morning (Saturday, July 12) our legendary Hapkido instructor Augusto delighted our jolly guests, Pietro’s cheerful and oh-so-Roman relatives, with a lively session of gymnastics.

In addition, the fabled and unflagging Marlene, our fantastic English teacher and Augusto’s parents also took part.

Look at the pictures to see what the ICBIE manages to do!!!

Warm greetings to all,

Marcella

Enthusiastic new teachers add a big jolt of precious energy that keeps the ICBIE community motivated.  Educators who come from affluent countries get swept into the simple pleasures of the happy Ribeira locals, and they cannot fathom the delight of our Bahians, when they gather for a new course with them.   The arrival of Louise Audette has set off an explosion of excitement that has infected everyone; even Marlene says “Louise è fantastica!”  And to prove her point, she sent some more pictures of this week’s English lessons.

OK - This is the first time that I have been to Brazil and I have the greatest classes of people - so very diverse, young 14 and old 61. Students and teachers, mothers and fathers, all together speaking English. There are about 10 to 15 students in each of my two basic classes each night - Monday thru Thursday 5:30-7 and 7:30-9 but we never finish on time - we keep going and going, losing track of the time, and most are not shy and shout when I shout and ask so many questions! I have told them that when they enter my room only the English language is spoken and then I bounce in the other room and tell them that that is the place that they can speak Portuguese! They laugh with me! They chant with me and they are trying so very hard. In a way I envy them and give them so much credit, I never learned another language out of school. My third class is Friday and Saturday for conversation - It was fun the first night I read and they read a story about murder and they had to figure out from many interviews by the inspector, who was the murderer? There was a lot of discussion and questions and opinions, and mixed into the story were the past tenses of many irregular verbs! It was a good beginning and a great time. I have about 8 - 10 in that class.