Sorocaba with Eugenio and friends

People travel for a myriad of reason. Many seek to see what is in the world, its highs and lows, its wonders and splendors and everything in between. For me, far more impressive than the things we have seen have been the people we have met and the stories we have uncovered.

In front a historic train near the city center of Sorocaba

Leaving Florianópolis I, along with the other three vagabonds in our group, found ourselves surprisingly sad, as if we were leaving behing lifelong friends. We pushed onto Sorocaba, a large suburb resting just outside the urban sprawl of Sao Paulo and were warmly received by Eugenio Rocha and his family. Our paths cross today because more than 25 years he and my father were friends while serving a religious mission together in northern Brazil.

Getting to know Eugenio, Fernanda, his wife, and his two beautiful daughters, Julia and Giovana, was an absolute pleasure. Despite humble means, we were treated like kings for two straight days. They fed us more than we could eat in a week, we drank Guaraná by the liter and were shown all the best spots in town.

Friday night the partying continued with music, dancing and even more food at a local Festa Junhina (literally translated, "June Party") to kick of the first day of June. The sounds of samba reverberated off the walls late into the night, far later than our green gringo legs could handle. We tried our hand at dancing but our obvious failures only reinforced any stereotypes about the grace of the anglo-saxon race on the dance-floor.

Dancing like white boys.

Tired from food and fun we were ready to call it an early night when Fernanda motioned for us to follow. Completely unaware of what would happen next we soon found ourselves behind the scenes of the festival's main stage. Our looks of confusion must have been hysterical for anyone watching as we were led like sheep in front of thousands of screaming fans.

Explaining our trip to a crazy Brazilian crowd.

Apparently, she had mentioned a little bit about our journey and someone important took a liking to the idea. We quickly realized they wanted us to talk about our blog and documentary to the whole crowd! By this time we were quaking in our boots (well, at least Derek since he was the only one expected to speak). We were able to stammer out a few muttered words before yelling out and enthusiastic "Brasil!", which was met with an uproar from the crowd. Our fifteen minutes of fame lasted a little bit longer when a group of teenage girls asked us to pose for a photo. This must be how Justin Bieber feels.

On stage singing a song we didn't know.

The following day the Rochas took us on brief tour of the city. On one stop we passed the office of a local newspaper which got our wheels spinning once again. Still feeling invincible from the night before we calmly strolled into their main office, told a journalist about our endeavors and were given an interview on the spot. She spent an hour with us asking us about what we had seen, what we had learned and how our perspective had changed as a result of the people we have met. Hopefully the story will be printed in the next few days.

Speaking with Andrea, a reporter at Cruzeiro do Sul

We left Sorocaba Saturday night feeling like rockstars thanks to the generosity of Eugenio and his family. There have been very few occasions where I have felt an outpouring of pure love like we did over those two days. Getting to know Eugenio gave me a glimpse in the power of hope. In one of our discussion he revealed a little about his youth,  one that was marked by drug abuse and misfortune. His desire to change compelled him to quit "cold turkey" which left him in bed for nearly two years. After going to hell and back he dedicated himself to painting in order save enough money for a two year LDS mission of service and sacrifice where he touched hundreds of lives. Eugenio's example stands as a brilliant ray of hope in a world suffocated by moral decadence and egoism. I am grateful for the way that he and his family touched my own life.


 More adventures to come soon, including our one day in the city of Carnaval.

-Porter

Eugenio grooving to some Samba.

Getting ready to stuff our faces. Again.

Outside the local newspaper, Cruzeiro Do Sul

The Rochas got us all gifts to remember their homeland. 

Viva Brasil!!!

Enjoying a refreshing coconut for breakfast on the street.