Ronaldo Firmo's Diary
2008
Friday, February 1, 2008
My first name is Ronaldo, although my friends and even my parents call me by my middle name, which is Ivo. I don't know the reason for this. It has been like this ever since I was a child, so maybe Ivo is easier to say.
I'm currently with the global data & reporting team within the procurement group in GBS Poços de Caldas in Brazil after 10 years with the information technology (IT) team. This was not a big change, as my activities continue to be related to IT.
My peers and customers are in the USA, Europe, and Australia, with a few in Brazil. This gives me a multi-faceted approach to my job. I’ve been in Poços de Caldas for two and half years now, and it is a beautiful and cozy town. Its many parks and amazing landscape have made my and my family’s transition very comfortable. Besides, I'm only a two-hour drive from my hometown.
This is a quiet Friday night at the office, as I’m coming back from a business trip. My workmates have just gone home, but I decided to drop by my desk and enjoy the stillness of the place to read the tons of emails that piled up in my mailbox while I was out. This very night marks the beginning of Carnival in Brazil, which goes until Wednesday. That’s why the office is empty. Almost everybody has hit the road right after office hours to head toward their holiday destinations.
I usually browse the email subjects, looking for an interesting or important topic. Surprise—the first email I saw on the top of all the others read “2008 Alcoa Fellowship Program.” I was actually not thinking much about the subject. I decided to apply for the fellowship after seeing a woman from my plant come back from an expedition. It was the first time I applied, so I tried not to have great expectations about it. I just thought to myself, “Well, let’s put off the anxiety for once.” I opened the email, and the first word was “Congratulations.” That certainly meant a yes. I had been accepted to the Sustainable Southern Belize program. I was surprised and happy.
I could not wait to get home to tell the great news to my wife. I called her right away, and, funny enough, she didn’t know exactly where Belize was. To tell the truth, I didn’t have the faintest idea either.
All this reminds me of the outdoor lab classes in my college days, when my buddies and I would venture out into the local woods to camp. Time now has come for the real thing—truly exciting. Next step is to download whatever information I can about that tiny country in Central America and get acquainted with the project itself. I just hope the time to pack it up and head to Belize comes soon.
Fact #1: Belize is the only official English-speaking country in Central America, although Spanish is used in informal conversations. It was known as British Honduras until 1973 and is home to several important ancient ruin sites—reminders of the great Mayan civilization.
|
 |
Earthwatch Institute
Learn more about this international nonprofit, which supports scientific field research worldwide.
 go
Sustainable Southern Belize
Learn more about the expedition and its scientists.
go
|
