2011-09-13
Making the choice to take a gap year was a difficult decision filled with skepticism, second thoughts, and sometimes criticism from others. I wondered if I was straying too far from my path to follow my passion for music. Brazil seemed like a surreal and magical country filled with so many things I...
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2011-09-25
At first glance Salvador, Brazil is a huge developed metropolis, a beautiful modern city with all of the urban qualities that you would imagine a city in the United States to have. There are towering buildings, malls, public transport, tons of people, and, of course, traffic. But under this picturesque impression that Salvador could leave...
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2011-11-06
For my last blog post I wrote about the reality of poverty in Salvador and how one could get left with an impression that doesn’t reflect the reality. After later experiences, I am glad I titled the last post as “At First Glance” because soon after it was published, I would get handed my own...
Read More2012-02-04
After a while of getting settled into my new home and working with my supervisor when requested, I have found myself regularly volunteering at an organization called Bagunçaço. Bagunçaço is an after school project that is geared towards keeping at-risk youth off the streets, lowering the risk of being influenced by the negative aspects of their...
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2012-03-07
During my short time so far in Brazil I have been through many things that have left me with perspective. A quote that I recently heard, and am always coming to identify with more, is “From the hottest furnaces comes the finest steel”. Challenges have always been a part of everyday life and yield great...
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2011-07-05
My name is Tonino Peluso and I am an 18 year old high school graduate who has found the need to be a part of something bigger. I have grown up in Southwest Santa Rosa, California, my entire life, where there are opportunities to help and become involved with the community around every corner. Not...
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