Wonderland

With so many pre-planned activities to fit into four short days, two of which included travelling, I had very little spare time whilst at the hotel. In fact I only had a couple of hours one afternoon when the guide said to me, do what you want. The only problem was, what could I do? There I was in a hotel in the middle of the Amazonian rain forest, with the nearest town being two hours boat ride away, I was literally surrounded by just trees and rivers. Luckily for me I have a great love of nature, and in particular photographing it, so it was decided, I would take a long walk along the miles of walkways that stood above the river.

With camera in hand I soon found myself snapping away, unable to stop as every turn I made, the view changed. Yes I was just photographing the trees and the river, and yes you might think how many pictures can one person take of the same trees and the same river, but each time I turned around it was like stepping into a new place, I felt like Alice in Wonderland.

With the river 10 metres higher than in the dry season there were some trees almost completely submerged in the water, only the top green branches appearing to float on the water. Other trees of 40 metres or more in height stood tall and proud, their wide trunks clearly visible and touchable, their branches out of reach, swaying in stark contrast to the blue sky.

It wasn't just the trees that changed but the river too. The river Negro's appearance is like its name suggests, it is very dark, almost black. However due to the reflection of the trees on the water its appearance changed regularly. At times it appeared green, the vivacity of the leaves clearly visible. When the trees stood high above the river, clustered together, the shady water below appeared red in colour, a scarlet red. And where there were no trees the water's surface only reflected the blue sky, not a cloud in sight.

Beauty is more than just skin deep

I have always believed it, beauty is not just what we see on the outside, but what is at the core. Proof of this could be seen at the small native village I visited whilst in the Amazon. The village was only reachable by boat, a long narrow boat that sails close to the water. As we reached the shore, and the small dock, I could see a row of small wooden houses perched on the shore, one in particular stood out. It was painted white with a burnt orange roof and was the school for all the children not only in the community where it stood, but also for the many children who lived in isolated houses along the river.

The school has one teacher who teaches 4 classes of different aged children. Each morning this teacher boards the school boat, donated by the hotel in which I stayed, and travels to the various houses located on the vast waters edge to collect the students. At the end of the day this process is repeated as she takes them home. It is not an easy life for her, she works long hours, determined to create an educated, sustainable life for both her children and the children of others in the community for many years to come.

As we were told the history of the school and how it began from nothing I began to think of my own experience here in Brazil, and my efforts to create a new conductive group, which will hopefully grow into a school one day. Although Educação Condutiva - Com Amor started with nothing, the one thing it did have was enough money to get it started. This small school did not have this luxury, and the teacher and creator of the school fought for everything that stands there today. Small donations have helped her school grow from a small wooden structure, barely big enough to house 6 children, to a painted school house that is now providing an education for over 20 children.

I am a teacher, a teacher of conductive education, a conductor, and standing outside that small school in the Amazon, full of emotion, I knew I could not leave that beautiful place without also leaving a small donation.

Amazonian sunrise

I was lucky to be awarded a penthouse room, at the top of one of the eight towers of the Amazonian hotel in which I stayed. The room was circular with a balcony running all the way around it, making it possible to see both the sunrise and sunset, each day. On the second day I woke early as the sun rose, and promptly left my bed to sit on the balcony and watch. The birds sung as the sky turned from a scarlet red to burnt orange. There was a strong breeze as the parrots greeted one another, and the small monkeys ran along the wooden walkways that connected the all the towers.

The actual rise of the sun from its first appearance of peeping over the horizon, to the full view of its beauty as it rose in the sky was very quick, a matter of minutes. A vibrant orange ball creeping higher and higher into the blue sky above. I could have sat there everyday watching the marvelous sight, without ever getting bored, as each day it is the same sun rising, but its appearance differs as do my thoughts.

I am back

When I first considered starting a Blog my initial concern was that I would not find the time to regularly update it due to other commitments. Unfortunately in the last two months this has been the case and I have not placed one single post. When I am not working I spend time preparing for lessons, writing reports, training the staff that work with me, alongside doing the chores of daily life. Any spare time I have I try to catch up with loved ones and friends in England and around the world, and I also enjoying following the blogs of a few people within conductive education. It turns out that I spend more time following the Blogs of others than updating my own, and I am not alone in this as I discovered whilst talking to another conductor last night. Through a chat on Skype I established that she was updating her own Blog, whilst reading others, at almost 1 o'clock in the morning! As a result of our short conversation I have now been prompted to again start updating my own Blog.

When I last wrote I began to tell of my adventures in the Amazon describing the first night I arrived, but in fact this was only the beginning of a very long, full packed 4 days and 4 nights. Over the next few weeks I plan to try and place a post a day to complete my Amazonian story, then I can begin on others I have. Just to give you a taster of what is to come, below is the itinerary of my days in the Amazon.

Day 1: Arrival, crocodile hunting.
Day 2: Sunrise, visit to native village, exploring the hotel, piranha fishing, Indian ritual.
Day 3: Jungle trek, swimming with pink dolphins, native house.
Day 4: Sunrise, going home.