Nature and Cities

He was crying. Well, not just crying, but hysterically crying. His arms would occasionally rise in the air as a signal to me to pick him up. When I catered to his request, the sobbing would die down momentarily. The second I took him to sit down, the tears would begin to flow again. With sore arms, I picked him up again and walked around the dull concrete room that is his home. At nearly one years old, Zaqueu has never seen nature. He has left the orphanage only for a visit to the hospital for his bi-monthly checkup.

Something caught my eye. Something not dull, not gray. Green. A little plant in the kitchen. I walked over with Zaqueu in my arms. Be gentle I said, realizing after that he does not understand English. I took my free hand and gently touched a leaf. I was unsure how he would react. Most objects in his sight end up in his mouth or broken. But, the tears stopped immediately. A smile took over his face and giggles began to fill the air. He copied me and began to touch a leaf. He then proceeded to look at the ceiling. He pointed and giggled even more! I tilted my head back to see what he was enjoying. It was completely amazing. He saw a plant growing off the side of the roof. He had made the connection that what he was touching was the same thing above him. I know that this is something so simple, but for an inner-city child that has never been exposed to nature, this was a revelation.

I took him a few feet over from the plant to show him some of the weeds that were growing on the construction site up the stairs. He was shocked and excited. Then he heard chirping. He looked around. Curious. Anxious. Enthusiastic. He saw birds. I pointed and laughed with him. He moved his head with them as they walked and flew. After they had departed the site, I put Zaqueu down, and did not hear him cry again that day.

Today, I wanted to experiment and see if he would react the same way to the plant, even though he was not crying. I picked him up and brought him over to the plant. He immediately began to touch it gently and have the same exact smile and giggle. We then walked back over to the construction site. He found a gecko sitting on the stairs, basking in the sun. He became serious. He was pointing and observing its every move once the gecko became aware of our presence. He was completely amazed. As was I.

All of this makes me think. I understand that Zaqueu is living in an orphanage and food, clothing and shelter are the main priorities of the home. But it may go deeper than that. Based on the recent genre of books I have recently been reading (Environmental Psychology, more specifically involving children), I have come to believe that the most important resource for education, development, and free time may be nature.

I have also been thinking about Salvador as a larger version of the orphanage in which I volunteer. As a whole, this city has very few parks and natural spaces for recreation. Forget playing fields (there are probably ten soccer fields made of dirt in the entire city), but parks and green areas are scarce in this brick and concrete metropolis. This flaw in urban design shows in the community. High crime rates, high unemployment rates, and poverty is obvious in Salvador.  It is fact that parks and green spaces impact development in children, and having more of these places would increase the popularity of education. It is true that the government pays citizens of Salvador R$180 per month to send their children to school, but for everyone, the bribe isn't worth it. So, I ask myself the question, and continue to actively inquire: What are the implications and correlations between the scarcity of recreational green spaces, and poverty and high crime rates in Salvador?

More interestingly, let me tell you about what has been going on with me! This week flew by. Working at the orphanage is still completely exhausting, but has become more and more enjoyable as the children get more comfortable with me. I am a bit nervous for next week when it is just Eric and myself. Tomorrow, we are taking the older kids on a trip to the local zoo! Although I hate zoos for moral reasons, I will enjoy being able to show the kids animals and nature. They seem like they need to get out of the house. For all I know, they haven't left in weeks because it is summer and they are not in school.

On Wednesday, there was a slight incident, but thankfully, nobody got hurt. The group of volunteers that work at a different site were on their way home. While they were sitting in traffic, a man tried to cut off the volunteer van. The driver would not let him in. The driver pulled up next to an open window and pointed a gun in the face of one of the female volunteers. The driver let the man in without hesitation. Although this story is very frightening, we all recognized that this type of situation could happen in any city. So, don't be worried! We are all very cautious about everything we do while in public places.

Today, I spent the afternoon shopping in Pelourinho with Lindsay. We had a lot of fun together! I even bought a cute headband! Plans for this weekend are still up in the air. If anything, Mary and I might do an Island Tour for a day and visit two islands. Most of our group, seven people, are leaving on Saturday. Although I wish they were all staying for longer, I am excited for the adventures to come next week!

Check my Facebook again for more photographs from a tour from the other day of the favelas and some other cool places!

PHOTOGRAPHS HERE!