The team
John Mottram, Rotary team leader, a Police Superintendent from Staffordshire
Karen Wright, an NHS Manager
Keryn Clarke, director of Cannock Gates
Dinah Skrine, a countryside officer for Staffordshire Moorlands Council
and me - Robin Bennett - IT Manager at Midlands Electricity.
Our exchange was with Parana, an area in Southern Brazil.  

We had prepared for our 4-week trip for almost a year, learning Portuguese being the priority (with Dinah being completely fluent by the end of the trip). We travelled long distances with the help of our driver, Osmar, including making a trip to see the Foz du Iguacu (the Iguacu Falls) - a natural wonder of the world so incredible that 3 countries lay claim to owning it!

I returned to the same area the following year with my wife to visit a children's project with donations of money, computers and books, and one day I hope to take my own children to Brazil to meet some of the families who had made such an impact on me. 11 years on and I'm still in touch with some of the team members and many of the families I stayed with.  The experience was genuinely life-changing for me as an individual in a number of ways, and I'm sure it had a similar impact on the rest of the team too.

Robin