The first of the five new mini-apartments is finished, and the others aren’t far behind. Although all this building represents a significant strain on our finances, it is of course an important investment in the ICBIE’s future, and is a central part of our growth, permitting us to offer hospitality to more volunteers, social workers, and paying guests.
This is also a rare moment of peace at the ICBIE. Carnival has passed, Celeste and her friends have departed, Marlene has gone to visit her family in Belo Horizonte, Bogus is still in Italy, and Pietro announced that last Sunday, for the first time in four years, he was all alone! (He didn’t sound too upset about the solitude, either.)
On Monday a new volunteer arrived: yet another recruit from AOSR’s Bridge to Bahia Program. Annie Neumann graduated from AOSR last June, and she has worked in Rome for the last four or five months, in order to make an extended visit to Salvador, where she will remain well into April. She will be helping to get the new academic year up and rolling, besides teaching some English conversation courses and doing some cataloging in the library. We extend a warm ICBIE welcome to her and wish her a world of happiness during her stay.
