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Monthly Newsletter November 2009www.amsoc.com.br 
FORUM
A
fi
nal push is being made by organizersof AmSoc’s Christmas Angel Party onNov. 14 to draw in more cash donationsfor gifts and food, and volunteers to helpduring the event.The focus before the big day is primarilyfor more cash donations, which areneeded to buy prizes for all the gamesand extra food like pizza for the army of volunteers who will be hungry by day’s
In This IssueIn This Issue
American ootballcatching eyes in Brazil
 Page 10:
The Sao Paulo Stormwill play for the
fi
rst tackle footballchampionship of Brazil later thismonth, in a new league gainingpopularity throughout the country.
20 years or a dreamcome true
 Page 5:
Celebrate two decades of success for Vivenda da Criança onNov. 29, a successful children’scharity born from the ambition of one woman.
 Page 12:
Free money to attend U.S.universities is there for the taking –if you know where to look. AmSocmember Kristina Dooley wants tohelp.
College scholarshipsthere or the takingSao Paulo’s newestCorinthiana
 Page 16:
Sue Banman Sileci reportsfrom the other side – Corinthians’“dark, dirty fan community,”and says they’re more than justmisunderstood… They’re nice.
Last-minute eforts or Angel Partyunderway, your help needed
end. Whether they’re corporate donationsor private individuals who are feelinggenerous, more money will really makea difference.“We go to 25 de Março to buy trinketssuch as watches, bracelets and candy forthe games, but when you’re buying forover 200 kids it gets expensive,” PartyCoordinator Eileen Tasso said.Members interested in
Ex-pat community to come togetheror Thanksgiving Service on Nov. 24
T
he annual American SocietyThanksgiving Day Service will beheld this year on Nov. 24 at St. Paul’sAnglican Church. This free event, open tothe public and promoted as “Ecumenical”(meaning non-denominational), is bringinglocal ex-pat families together to remembertheir good fortune.“Nature” is the theme for this year’sservice, tying into the lessons NativeAmericans taught the English settlers abouthow to work in harmony with the Earth tosurvive harsh winters in Plymouth, Mass.An Eco-Fair organized by the GradedBoy Scouts will be on display at thechurch, and Gotas de Flor com Amor, anAmSoc-sponsored charity, plans to inserta bookmark made of recycled paper andplant seeds into each November issue of Forum, which AmSoc members can cutup and plant at home.The evening, lasting just under onehour, will include:A
fl
ag presentation by the U.S. Marine•Color Guard.Consul General Tom White’s reading•of President Obama’s Thanksgivingmessage to citizens abroad.Patriotic and holiday songs sung by•the crowd and Graded Elementary´sSchool Choir.Participation by Graded School’s•Brownie/Girl Scouts, Cub/BoyScouts, and the U.S. Veterans of Foreign Wars.Short scripture readings and•thoughts on Thanksgiving’s meaningby one of 
fi
ve local religious leaderswho will be on hand.And the announcement of this•year’s Erik Poliak Award-winnerfor outstanding community serv-ice. A reception will follow withfresh-baked turkey sandwiches andbrownies.
(Continued on page 6)(Continued on page 6)
The American Society of São Paulopromotes friendship by organizingsocial, cultural and athletic events forits diverse membership; encouragesintegration with the Brazilian society;and supports the American traditionsof education, philanthropy andvolunteerism.
Our Mission
By
Kim Beecheno
, staf writerBy
Bob Moser
, editor
 
SF•tb•yf if b
 
Name:
Debra Rush
Origin, timehere:
I grew up inColorado. Havebeen here sinceJuly 2008.
Profession:
In the U.S. I hada decorative vinyl business, now I’m ahousewife.
Why São Paulo?
My husband’s job brought us here.We’ve lived all over the U.S. but it’s our
fi
rst time living abroad.
Best thing so far:
Vacationing by the beach. We’ve alwayslived inland, so living near the coast isa treat for us. Itamambuca (beach) nearUbatuba is our favourite.
Early frustrations:
The language barrier is dif 
fi
cult andwe’ve had a couple of bad experienceswith crime.Have saudade for anything back home?:Mexican food! But the sushi here makesup for it.
Progress with Portuguese:
I call it survival Portuguese, but I’vegot a great tutor and that’s making adifference.
Favourite place to hang out:
I’ve got four kids and three of them livehere with us, so we probably know everymall in town!
Newcomerprofle
 
DICb
P
I
The President’s Corner
One of theobjectives in theAmerican Societyis help keep ourcultural heritageand traditionsstrong by sharingin celebrationsand holidays. Weespecially enjoyand value doing sotogether with ourBrazilian host community. Novemberthen is the month of one of the mostimportant holidays in the US calendar:Thanksgiving.The original Thanksgiving was notheld in November, but was most likelycelebrated in late September or earlyOctober. The term “Thanksgiving”was only applied to this celebrationduring the 19th century, sometimebefore Abraham Lincoln establishedit as a national holiday. The originalcelebration was however a time of giving thanks, and is said to be parttraditional English harvest festival andpart American Indian feast.Two thirds of the participants in thecelebration were native PokanoketsIndians, whom the Pilgrims said to be“very trustworthy, quick of apprehension,ripe-witted, and just,” according toEdward Winslow, an original member of the Plymouth colony. The festival wasa time of eating and drinking, centeredon offering thanks to God and to theIndians for having helped the Pilgrimssurvive a very dif 
fi
cult 11 months sincethe arrival of the Pilgrims to modern-dayCape Cod.Three-hundred-and-eighty-eight
 
isi
By
Tim Scott
, AmSoc president
Bob Moser
,
editor 
Kim Beecheno
,
staff writer 
141 Preview,
 
layout 
Ana Claudia Teixeira,
 
editorialassistant Forum
is printed by Intergraf.(www.intergraf.com.br)Views expressed in
Forum
donot necessarily re
fl
ect those of the American Society board of governors, members, or staff.
Forum
reserves the right to editcontent for brevity and/or clarity.
The American Society of São Paulo
Rua da Paz, 1431
n
04713-001 São Paulo, SPTel: (11) 5182-2074
n
Fax: (11) 5182-9155
forum@amsoc.com.br
Forum
is published monthly, withthe exception of January and July, by
   A   b  o  u   t
     F    o    r    u    m
FORUM
November
2 
years after the first celebration, andin the spirit of friendship and culturalheritage, the American Society will hostour traditional Thanksgiving celebrationat the St. Paul’s Anglican Churchon Tuesday, Nov. 24. People of allcitizenships and faiths are invited to thisecumenical event, which will feature achildren’s choir, community singing,and the presentation of AmSoc’s EricPoliak award, an annual award givenfor outstanding volunteerism.Another important holiday inNovember is the Brasilian Proclamaçãoda Republica, or Proclamation of theRepublic. The Proclamation of theRepublic Day is celebrated on Nov.15 and commemorates the day in 1889when Brazil’s second Emperor, DomPedro II, was deposed and the countryof Brazil was declared.Holidays that the U.S. and ourbeloved Brazilian host country sharehelp demonstrate our common values.While Brazil demanded the abolitionof slavery and independence fromcolonialism, the U.S. declared itsindependence with “Life, Liberty,and the Pursuit of Happiness.” TheThanksgiving experienced in 17thcentury Cape Cod, was also experiencedby the free and independent citizens of the newly formed Republica Federativado Brasil in the 19th century.My Thanksgiving wishes for youinclude a moment of overwhelminggratitude for the blessings in yourlife, a reminder of your freedom, andan opportunity for you to extend thegraceful hand of friendship to thosearound you.
 
The American Societyof São Paulo
2010 AmSoc Yearbook ofers reshsurvey o member tips
By
Bob Moser
, editor
The 2010 American Society of SãoPaulo Yearbook should hit members´doorsteps in the second week of thismonth. The 185 pages
fi
lled withcontacts and ex-pat advice representAmSoc´s biggest annual effort toconnect members with one another,and rake in a bulk of the organization´syearly revenue.Nearly 25 percent of AmSoc´smonetary support comes via businessads in the yearbook. It’s
fi
lled withinformation like emergency and publicagency phone numbers, descriptions of recommended churches, schools, socialor volunteer groups and much more.AmSoc would like to thank membersJason Bermingham, Sue Sileci andAlan Blau for their extensive effortsin developing a new member surveyon Sao Paulo that will be in this year’sdirectory. The new survey offers themost practical, useful information yetin the member yearbook regarding tips(from members for members) on whereto go for dinner, family activities,weekend road trips and more.A categorized listing of business ad-vertisers is included as well. Every busi-ness listed has paid to have an adver-tisement in the book. AmSoc stronglyencourages you to take advantage of all the services offered by businessesadvertising in this year’s directory.They’ve chosen to support the AmSoccommunity because they believe ourmembers are clients worth pursuing.Many are also businesses which keepcoming back to AmSoc because ourEx-pat community has become loyalcustomers over a long period of time,possibly because these businesses offerbilingual service. So before lookingblindly through the phone book foryour next doctor or caterer, put yourtrust in the business relationships thatAmSoc has built with advertisers in ourdirectory, and Forum newsletter.Of the 32 ads in this yearbook, newbusinesses include Maison Payott, abeauty parlor in Granja Julieta, AdvisorMedical Insurance, specializing in Ex-pat insurance needs, Audrey Clinic,which offers a variety of healthservices, and P.J. Clarke’s restaurantin Itaim. Don’t forget to check out thedirectory’s bookmark from the GrantHyatt Hotel, which features a listingof the best years for South Americanwines.It has become annual tradition for aBrazilian artist to donate a painting toAmSoc for use as the yearbook cover´s art.This year´s donation came from Brazilianartist Josinaldo Ferreira Barbosa.A native of Remanso, Bahia, Barbosais considered an international artist,having lived in Paris and displayedhis work around the world. But his artis genuinely Bahian, portraying thesimplistic beauty of his homeland, itspeople and villages, a main theme oftenbeing the Sao Francisco River.
Thanksgivingtrip to Rio sureto be a can’t-miss experience
The Thanksgiving weekend trip beingorganized for AmSoc Sao Paulo andRio de Janeiro members is comingsoon, and with just a few spots left youshould sign up now if interested.The trip price you’ll
fi
nd below
FORUM
3 
2009
includes round-trip airfare, charteredbus in Rio, three nights at the HotelSheraton, monitor for kids activitiesand Thanksgiving dinner. The proposeditinerary:
Thursday, Nov. 26 –
8:10 a.m.,Gol
fl
ight from Congonhas to SantosDumont; charter bus for our exclusiveuse for four days; check-in at SheratonHotel in Leblon (São Conrado);afternoon open or Barra Shopping;Thanksgiving dinner with AmSocRio members at the Marriott Hotel inCopacabana.
Friday, Nov. 27 –
Tennis and golf tournament with AmSoc Rio members;monitored activities at the pool for theyoungsters; for non-players: Joatingabeach cove (some climbing required)or an alternate shopping trip; dinner andshow.
Saturday, Nov. 28 –
Sightseeing fornewcomers or bus tour for veterans;dinner and activity with AmSoc Riomembers.
Sunday, Nov. 29 –
Relax at hotel poolor 10 a.m. trip to Ipanema Hippie Fair;hotel check-out; lunch at Porcao Rio´sin Flamengo and off to the airport for a5:20 p.m.
fl
ight back to São Paulo.
COSTS (per person)
Adults & youngsters over 18 is•R$1,422 including airfare, hotel(double occupancy), breakfast(3), charter bus for four days,Thanksgiving dinner and all feesand taxes for above-mentioned costs.All other meals, entertainment andincidentals are not included.Teenagers from 13 to 18 is R$995 (up•to two in same room with parents).Children under 13 is R$829 (up to•two in same room with parents).Children under 2 is R$45 (no•individual seat).Payment plans are available. Pleasecontact the AmSoc of 
fi
ce at 5182-2074and we will forward you an email witha travel form. Contact Alan Blau at9970-8727 for speci
fi
c trip questions.
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