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

As the ICBIE story unfolds, its legacy deepens through the many people who have helped us over the years.  Nothing gives us more pleasure than to see young and idealistic people, who have worked with us in Ribeira, build upon the skills that they honed at the ICBIE, as they confront, with redoubled energy, other challenging realities in the Third World.

Only one year ago, our wonderful volunteer Claire was just getting ready to begin her big adventure in Brazil, after a long mentoring by Phillip Wagner of Rhythm of Hope, who sent her our way.  As a young college student, her experience at the ICBIE  was a life-changing experience, and she has remained close to our community.  But she was determined to continue her adventures, and for the last five months, she has been working in Mozambique (where she has continued to improve her Portuguese).

She has a beautiful blog where she recounts her new experiences, in her inimitable way, in both English and Portuguese:

http://clairdelune.travelblog.fr/

After a lot of planning and preparation by our Roman team, last Saturday night ICBIE Europe kicked off the first of a series of events on the beach at Capocotta, just down the coast road from Ostia.  Working in collaboration with the bar-restaurant Porto di Enea, we’ll be offering a rich calendar of Brazilian nights all summer long.  For the first event, we called upon a wonderful capoeira group, Porto da Barra, and their lively performance is already posted on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zd4IXkhnfkk.

Our ever-faithful DJAmião provided his fail-safe mixes of Bahian dance music while Loona, Roberto and Paolo mixed capirinhas and sold handicrafts from Salvador, showing that even without Marcella (who is in Ribeira) and Monica (on maternity leave), our Roman team is as dynamic as ever!

Next Saturday we’ll be back on the beach with our friends from Akuna Matata, with their frenzied samba rhythms.  Come join us!

Pietro é tornato!!!!

(English translation below)

Finalmente il nostro Presidente é di nuovo a Salvador!!! e come accoglierlo se non con una gustosa spaghettata preparata dai nostri ospiti Vittorio e Giuseppina? La serata di sabato é stata l’occasione, oltre che per festeggiare l’arrivo di Pietro, anche per salutare proprio Vittorio e Giuseppina e Stefano (dell’ARCI Reggio Emilia) in partenza il giorno successivo e per dare il benvenuto alle nostre affezzionate amiche Maddalena ed Elisa che per qualche giorno sono state a Salvador un pó come turiste ed un pó come sempre per dare il loro supporto all’Istituto. Con Giuseppina sabato scorso abbiamo dato una simpatica lezione di italiano con le allieve del livello intermedio incentrata sull’interscambio con gli alunni italiani di Giuseppina che insegna in una scuola elementare a Roma. Gli alunni italiani hanno mandato delle cartoline agli amici brasiliani e sabato dopo averle lette tutti insieme in classe abbiamo pensato di rispondere e di preparare anche dei disegni da inviare in Italia. Grazie Giuseppina per averci dato la possibilitá di questo interscambio culturale e linguistico tra allievi. Speriamo che il contatto sia duraturo e fruttuoso per entrambi.

Maddalena ed Elisa prima di prendere il loro volo per Recife, mercoledi sera hanno coinvolto gli allievi di italiano nella preparazione, e soprattutto degustazione, di una favolosa pizza italiana!!!!

E intanto continuano incessantemente i lavori di riforma e rinnovo dell’istituto grazie agli instancabili Richard e Ricardo e supportati anche da Augusto…abbattendo un muro adesso la sala Haipkido ha acquistato molto piú spazio che potrá essere sfruttato anche per il nostro cineforum e per i nostri numerosi eventi che abbiamo sempre voglia di continuare ad organizzare!!!!

Insomma…l’ICBIE ha sempre il vento in poppa!!!!!!

Un abbraccio da Ribeira

Marcella

Finally our president is back in Salvador!!!  and what better way to welcome him than a tasty spaghetti dinner, prepared by our guests Vittorio and Giuseppina?  Saturday evening was the right momento to both celebrate the arrival of Pietro and to salute Vittorio and Giuseppina, and Stefano (from ARCI in Reggio Emilia), who were leaving the next day, and also to welcome our affectionate friends Maddalena and Elisa who were passing through Salvador for a few days, mixing tourism with their usual help and support at the Institute.  Last Saturday with Giuseppina we gave a fun Italian lession to the girls in the intermediate level, concentrating on an exchange with the Italian students that Giuseppina teaches in a Rome elementary school.  The Italian students sent postcards to their new Brazilian friends and on Saturday, after reading them all together, we decided to answer them and make some drawings to send to Italy.  Thanks to Giuseppina for organizing this cultural and linguistic exchange between our students.  We hope that the contact is lasting and productive for kids on both sides.

Before they took off on their flight to Recife, on Wednesday evening Maddalena and Elisa led the Italian students in the preparation and above all, in the tasting of, a fabulous Italian pizza!!!!

In the meantime, work goes on incessantly on the restructuring and rennovation of the Institute, thanks to the tireless efforts of Richard and Ricardo, assisted even by Augusto… tearing down a wall so that now the Hapkido room has a lot more space and it can also be used for our cineforum and for the numerous events that we always have the energy to organize!!!!

In short, the ICBIE is always going full throttle!!!!!

A hug from Ribeira

Marcella