Finally some useful Portuguese

Every morning on my walk to work I do my Pimsleur audio lessons. People must think I'm crazy since I have to repeat what is said or respond in conversations. But who cares. Most people are either talking on their phones or singing along to music. We all look a bit crazy.

I've been waiting for the day when I learn the most valuable phrase in any language, and that day was today.

Onde fica o banheiro? (Where is the bathroom located)

Now I feel much better about things.

Why am I asking you for money?

Aside from helping Iracambi come up with a communications strategy while I'm down in Brazil, I'm also going to be tasked with bringing this strategy to life in some way. This could mean creating physical or digital materials for them, or throwing a party to get them PR for one of their science educations programs. I'm not sure at this point what the outcome will be (hopefully I'll be able to figure it out once I'm there). But that's where they money I raise will go. So if you're able to donate some money, I'd really appreciate it. I've tried to make it simple by putting a PayPal Donate button on the blog, but if you'd like to contribute in a different way, please just contact me and we can figure it out. And you can follow this blog to see exactly where your money is going and how much it's helping Iracambi. Thank you!

What I am doing

A bit of background on what I'll be doing in Brazil (at least what I think I'll be doing). Through TIE, I've been paired up with Iracambi, a research center and non-profit organization in Brazil's Atlantic Forest (Mata Atlântica). Their mission is to work with the community to make the conservation of the forest more attractive than its destruction.

When I tell people where I'm going they often ask, "Is that in the Amazon?" and this seems to be part of the problem the Atlantic Forest has. The Amazon Rainforest gets publicity. I remember studying it in school and learning about biodiversity and about it being the lungs of the earth. There are several movies that take place there (who could forget Sean Connery in Medicine Man). We all know that the Amazon is being destroyed due to deforestation - about 20% of it has been destroyed so far. But the Atlantic Forest is much more seriously threatened. 93% of the Atlantic Forest has already disappeared. And what remains are just patches of forest - not the large swathe of lush forest it used to be.

Iracambi is working to preserve the fragmented forest that remains, reforest where they can and educate the local and global community about sustainability and conservation. Part of their education initiative is to bring foreign student to their research center. In their hands-on, immersive programs students not only receive an education about the Atlantic Forest, they become advocates for it bringing information about its plight and about conservation in general home with them. And here's where I come in. My role will be to figure out how to properly communicate and fund Iracambi's science programs.

From my desk in my office in Manhattan, this seems like a pretty big ask. But I'm hoping that once I get myself to Brazil, find my way to Iracambi, see the Atlantic Forest for myself, listen to the students, staff and locals, I'll be able to help in some way.

What am I doing?

In October I'll be heading down to Brazil to spend a month in the Atlantic Forest. I'm not a biologist or a conservationist. I'm not an activist or entomologist. I'm an interactive producer in an agency in New York. It doesn't quite seem real.

I had heard about TIE from one of my coworkers. He had an amazing adventure in Malawi. The first time he told me about it it sounded like a great escape. I was stressed out at work, deep into a large website build, spending late nights in the office eating take-out and trying to keep my team, my vendors and my clients happy (and keep myself sane). I was looking at it like a vacation from my life. So I applied, but I wasn't ready and nothing came of it.

The next time I was able to apply for TIE, I went into it with a much better understanding of what the program was, what I could do for it and what it could do for me - personally as well as professionally. I applied not assuming I'd be chosen, but ready in case I was. And thank goodness, since now I'm heading to Brazil in a few months.

As for the feeling real part, that's in my hands now and I've got to get the ball rolling. I've started trying to learn Portuguese. I'm trying to come at it from multiple angles (since I'm not great at languages) - Pimsleur audio lessons for conversational skills, which I listen to on my walk to work and Rosetta Stone since everyone says it works. After a few weeks, I can tell someone my name, where I'm from and that the children have white pens (very helpful). I just booked an appointment with my doctor to get the vaccinations I need for the trip. And I've started planning a fundraiser, so I can raise money to help promote the program while I'm down there. More to come on that...

So, now it's getting real. Very real. And very exciting.