May 13th

Today we returned to Cubatao and visited two companies. We visited Petrobras and carbocloro. We took a bus tour of the facilities at Petrobras first. There we saw only a small glimpse of the nearly 6 square kilometer facility. Petrobras is the 8th largest petroleum company in the world and helps produce and refine much of Brazil's oil. The entire refinery was strewn with pipes carrying liquids such as water and petroleum. There was also an entire waste management facility much like the one we witnessed about a week ago in Mongungua, only on a much larger scale and with waste from the plant itself. We saw many of the oil towers that burn the extra gas such as methane at the top of the tower so as to reduce the amount of pollution. The facilities were huge and the amount of machinery and manpower needed to operate the plant was astounding. Engineering of all disciplines, mechanical, civil, chemical, bio, etc. must be applied here in order to keep the company running smoothly.

After the tour we had one of the spokespersons there give us a presentation on the company. The presentation told a lot about the history of Petrobras and showed a lot of graphs and data about the world's need for energy. There was a lot of emphasis on the fact that Petrobras is leaning away from just being an oil company and is now becoming an energy company. They plan to increase the amount of natural gas they produce, research and implement more alternative energies such as solar and wind power, and are constantly keeping the environment in mind. The information presented to us really opened my eyes to see how much energy the United States uses and how much it produces. We are the leaders of consumption, yet we produce very little energy ourselves. It seems like we need to diversify our energy grid just like Brazil and Petrobras seems to be doing now.

We then went to another company visit, carbocloro, one of Brazil's leading chlorine gas producers. Chlorine gas is used to clean water for drinking, soaps, shampoos, and other cleaning products. This company visit was sort of a surprise for all of us since the Cosipa steel mill currently has many of its employees on strike due to wage negotiations. The tour of the facilities of carbocloro was pretty interesting. We all had to wear safety goggles, hard hats, and have an emergency respirator (just in case). We walked around the facilities and saw many wildlife preserves on the work site. The attention they pay to the environment is astounding in Brazil. They keep animals found in the wild who need rehabilitation at the facility and nurse them back to health. We toured around the zoo section a little bit, and then we started looking at the bigger machinery. The amount of pipes, tubes, and gas/liquid containers were impressive. The only problem was that I could not hear our tour guide very well and I did not get a real clear picture of what all the machinery did. Nonetheless we were able to see much of the plant and afterwards we had a nice conversation with our tour guide about the differences between America and Brazil.

After carbocloro, we once again visited the favellas in Cubatao, but this time we actually entered them. We had a news crew follow us around as we walked through the slums of Cubatao. Words really can't describe my experience walking through the slums. These slums/communities are built by people who can't afford to pay property tax and don't have other options. These communities have nearly no safety measures, no plumbing or sanitation, and use stolen electricity and cable. One shouldn't be quick to judge though, most of these people have jobs but just can't afford to live elsewhere. They have families to feed and sometimes this is the only thing they can do. The government is offering housing to some of them, but many are reluctant to leave since, even though they live in desolate conditions, it's still the home they grew up in, raised their kids in, etc. The kids in the slums were all very friendly and excited that we showed up, but many of the adults seemed resentful. The kids may look up to the luxury that we have and see that as a goal, while the adults may despise us because we're able to waltz through their town and leave and go home to luxury.

The sights we saw there is something that you won't see in America. Their water source, a small river, is also where they defecate and throw their trash in. The smells of certain portions of the favella was comparable to the waste water treatment plant. During our visit in the slums we met a radio newscaster who interviewed a few of us, as well as some teachers who spoke very good english. We conversed, laughed, and talked about the issues facing everyone there. After experiencing the slums for myself, I can see why the Brazilian government is so active in relocating these people. These living conditions are really not up to standard and no one deserves to live in their own filth. However, despite the unsanitary conditions and the poverty, the people their still make the best of things. They really are people just like us, and I applaud the Brazilian government for seeing that as well...

Damn, today was real tiring. It was hot as hell, but I learned a lot and experienced poverty firsthand. It reminded me a lot of my trip to the Philippines a few years ago. They too have villages like the ones I saw today and it really is hard to imagine living like that. Makes you really appreciate what you have, but for me at least it makes me want to do something about it. Whether it will be through charity or somehow through my future work, I want to be able to improve the lives of these people. Anyway, that's it for today. Tomorrow we tour a military facility. Exciting! Thanks for reading!