Saúde!

Saúde in Portuguese means "health" - it's also what we say when raising a glass in cheer. I've been thinking a lot about health since arriving here because I'm pretty sure I'm already about three pounds heavier than when I got on the plane in Madison. It's hard not to stuff yourself when delicious food is all around you and our hosts and new friends insist on setting more in front of us all the time! I'm not used to anything more than coffee for breakfast, but here it's bread, fruit, cheese, cold meat, and pastries as typical choices. Then the big meal happens during lunchtime, where typically rice and pinto beans are served along with a meat, salad, and fruit plus a few more options, and ending with dessert. Because Brasilians don't eat a big supper, lunch is the big meal of the day. There's been a snack in the afternoon typically and another meal around 9 pm, but much smaller. Despite all our exploring, we've spent a lot of time sitting and standing in place so far.

In related news: today's vocational visit for many of us was at the Sorocaba hospital. Denise and I (Melissa) took a tour through the various rooms. There were sharp differences between what we saw in the US and how things were set up here. For example, there was 1 big room for people will all types of illnesses - not a department that specialized in a specific illness. The physicians need to be trained to handle many specialties. In the paid insurance areas, people were sometimes in their own room and sometimes had to share a room, but in the government insured rooms, there were often multiple beds with very little space between them and no privacy. One of the maternity rooms had 4 brand new mothers in it, with about 3 feet of space between the beds, and the babies stayed with them. I don't know how any of them got any sleep. Also in the government-insured building, there were beds in the hallway- and not just temporarily. There were signs with the patient's name taped above the bed in the hall - this was where they would remain until discharged. It was very, very sad. Hopefully Denise adds some of her thoughts about it.

So, as we continue the voyage, we'll need to remember to find ways to stay healthy! Saúde