February 2018 FORUM

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February 2018 Take a (Boat) Ride to the Wild Side by Malcolm Macdonald, Campinas Chapter Leader End of December and beginning of January are the very busiest times for tourism. In Florianopolis, Santa Catarina state, it is no different. For this reason, when approached by some fellow AmSoc members for a suggestion of something to do without being 'one of the masses', we came up with the following plan. We took a boat trip across the Florianopolis famous lagoon (Lagoa da Conceição) to explore the wild side where the mountains drop straight into the water and no roads are possible. Only foot trails, small fishermen’s houses, and a few seafood shacks. AMSOC-CAMPINAS Campinas Chapter Leadership Team Chapter Leader Malcolm Macdonald campinas@amsoc.com.br Community Action CAC.campinas@amsoc.com.br Events Manu Moreno events.campinas@amsoc.com.br Marketing & Graphics Jennifer Licko marketing.campinas@amsoc.com.br Meeting up with the gang at the dock on the northeast coast of the lagoon is already quite a treat. The warm lagoon water is shallow for several hundred yards out from the beach. Little fish swim amongst your feet as you wade out whilst waiting for your crossing boat. When the boat arrives, it is no modern ferry, but a converted, handmade wooden fishing boat powered by a hand-cranked diesel engine. Though fully equipped with life preservers, one has quite a good feeling of what it must be like on a working boat as it chugs across the lagoon. Arriving at the opposite coast, life takes on a distinctly slower pace. Gone are the cars and the horns and the bustle of a capital city on vacation, and now chirping birds and insects intermingle with singing and local music. Stepping off the boat, we begin to climb, immediately passing a small local chapel used by fisherfolk. Behind the chapel is a footpath, which leads along the coast all the way to town, about 10 km away. First stop is the waterfall (cachoeira), which is a quite steep climb up the hill in the midst of pristine Atlantic Rainforest. After a while, a low stone dam can be spotted in a clearing, and a small waterfall cascades down damp, black rocks into the resulting pool. On a hot summer’s day, it's quite fantastic to clamber into the very cool water for a refreshing mineral water dip amid the trees. After this short refreshment, its back down the hill, onto the foot trail heading south to our destination restaurant. It’s only a 15-minute walk, but the surroundings are wonderful; tropical flowers and fruit trees, intermingled with local houses, mostly very simple, but some stand-out refurbishments nestled amongst them. Walking back down the hill to the Coração da Mãe restaurant (www. restaurantecoracaodemae.com.br), the smell of seafood starts taking hold of our senses. Arriving at our destination, we are offered a table under a web of vines and several cold beers and soft drinks appear for our party, as if by magic. We order from a fish- and shrimpheavy menu, and when the food arrives it covers the table and tastes of home cooking. Members of our party hailing from New Orleans find that the Shrimp Moqueca tastes surprisingly like home. Due to the cost and “hassle” of crossing the lagoon, the restaurant has no waiting list and is just full enough to be buzzing without being overcrowded. It is right on the beach, and the kids enjoy swimming and playing on the grounds. The adults chat and lounge on reclining chairs, sipping on caipirinhas and discussing ways and means of never recrossing the lagoon again… Life is good. § 8 The American Society of São Paulo FORUM Newsletter
AMSOC-CAMPINAS February 2018 Save the Date: CamSoc’s St. Patrick’s Day Event is Coming! by AmSoc Campinas Chapter Ladies and Gentlemen, fair warning for a special save the date. Saturday, the 17 th of March is St. Patrick’s Day, and also on that very day CamSoc is organizing the second edition of our most popular inaugural event. St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated in many parts of the world, especially by Irish communities and other English-speaking organizations. Many people wear an item of green clothing on the day. Parties featuring Irish food and drinks, which are dyed with green food coloring, are part of this celebration. It is a time when children can indulge in sweets, and adults can enjoy a pint or two of beer. Included in the ticket price will be an Irish menu, designed by the award-winning executive chef of the Hotel Vitoria in Campinas. This is the perfect opportunity to gather around a table of green chopp and Guinness (hopefully), to celebrate friendship and helping hands, and generally share the craic. We are hoping to see all of our close-knit Campinas Chapter there, and would like to take the opportunity to invite our fellow members from São Paulo to this event. It will be held at the Hotel Vitoria’s IFF Bar, which will close for the evening just for ticket holders. For our São Paulo members, lookout for updates in the coming weeks regarding possible group transport to and from the event, and a possible day trip to a local treasure. Why not make a getaway weekend out of this? Looking forward to seeing you all there. Ticket sales will begin soon. § American Society of São Paulo - Campinas Chapter presents St. Patrick s Day Party Saturday, March 17 IFF Bar at the Vitoria Hotel CAMPINAS doors open at 9:00 pm visit amsoc.com.br/campinas for more info Irish Food Live Irish Music Irish Dancers Irish Drink The American Society of São Paulo FORUM Newsletter 9
Page 1 and 2: February 2018 The American Society
Page 3 and 4: February 2018 Welcome To Our New Me
Page 5 and 6: Honoring the Givers continued from
Page 7: February 2018 Another Chance to Dan
Page 11 and 12: COMMUNITY ACTION COMMITTEE Gala Ret
Page 13 and 14: Our AmSoc Youth Sports Program (YSP
Page 15 and 16: MEMBER HIGHLIGHTS February 2018 In
Page 17 and 18: February 2018 The Biggest Thanksgiv
Page 19 and 20: February 2018 Explore Local & Natio

February 2018 FORUM

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