Oh....The Places You'll Go!

It is truly a unique engineering program that understands that its graduates must not only be educated as engineering scholars...attention must also be paid to their development as well-rounded professionals, ready to make significant contributions to industry, their community, and their world.

On this trip, students were immersed for 10 days in a different culture.  They were able to see, up close, four modern and amazing pulp and paper manufacturing operations, including cloning technology for production of fast-growth eucalyptus trees.  They toured a university that had a paper program and was amazingly similar to NC State.  They saw and did things that they have never seen and done before.

So these young people are now different than before.  They are more aware of the global community.  They understand their own pulp and paper industry better, in the context of the global market.  They are better thinkers...better learners....and (we think) better engineers for having done this.

And that is EXACTLY the goal of the Paper International Experience!

A Heartfelt Thanks...to Our Sponsors and Supporters!

Most of the students who participated in this amazing journey could not have afforded to do so at full cost.  The generous donations from companies in the pulp and paper industry, campus programs, individuals, and PIE alumni made it possible for students to  reap the benefits of such a mind-broadening experience while paying only a portion of the cost.

To offer our personal thanks, we offer this short but sincere video.  Your generosity makes the PSE program continue to be one of the most unique and successful applied engineering programs in the country!

Safe at Home

Our flight back to Miami from Sao Paulo was about 8 hours...and, like the inbound flight, absolutely packed.  However, it went without incident.

We are all glad to be back on US soil.  We had a 4-hour layover before our flight to RDU, and most of the students promptly crashed on the airport floor.

10 days...seems to be a long time ago at this point!  The things we have seen!  The things we have done!

Last Day.....On the Beach

Well, it's not an international trip without at least one panic moment.  Dr. Byrd awoke Thursday morning to find an automated message from American Airlines indicating that our flight back to the US had been cancelled.  No explanation....no indication of how we would be re-booked....no help whatsoever.   After about four hours of great anxiety, we found that we had been re-booked to Miami through Sao Paulo, with a domestic flight from Rio to Sao Paulo.  (American Airlines...thanks for almost ruining our last day).

Thursday was our last day in Rio.  Our flight back to the US was at 8 pm, and we were scheduled to take a bus to the airport at 4 pm.  The problem is that our hotel checkout time was noon.  After a lot of begging and cajoling, we managed to get them to let us check out of two rooms at 2 pm.

Ipanema beach is probably one of the most celebrated beaches in the world.  So we wanted some time on it!  And oh, what a day it was.  Sunny, mild, absolutely no humidity, clear as a bell.  The beach was modestly populated, mainly by lots of people wearing as little as possible.  Thongs, bikinis, and speedos were in abundance.  We were constantly beseeched by vendors hawking everything from cheese grilled on the spot to colorful scarves to trinkets of all kinds.

Looking out across the water, to the small islands in the distance, with the sun so soft and bright...many of us were thinking, "man I could get use to this!"

What a nice, low-key way to end the trip!

At the last minute, we had a bit more anxiety.  Doug Kaminskas had been booked on a different trip code originally, because the travel agent had misspelled his name and we had to re-book his tickets.  Somehow, American had him re-scheduled to leave Rio the next day, instead of traveling with the group out of Sao Paulo.  After some animated discussions with the American counter at the Rio airport, we managed to get him on a flight on US Air from Rio to Charlotte.

Time to go home.

Ri-OHHHH...What a Way to End the Show!

Rio de Janeiro.  Wow!  This place is amazing!

To help the group enjoy the city more and learn more about it in the limited time available, we hired a tour company to supply us with a bus and a guide.  We woke up to a sunny, warm day and greeted our energetic tour guide, Ana Maria, in the lobby at 9 am.

The first part of the tour took us to Corcovado, the famous mountain with the giant statue of Jesus at the top -- known worldwide as a benchmark site for Rio.  We had to board a small shuttle tram to climb the steep mountain.  At the top...the view of the city was breathtaking.  Perfect weather, no crowds...we were a pretty giddy group!  On the way down, we were entertained by a small samba musical group on the tram. 

Ana Maria was clearly proud of her city, and it showed in her interesting and entertaining stories as we drove through the city.  She next took us to a giant cathedral in the middle of town -- an amazing, modern, pyramid-like structure completely open to the outside.  We then went to another "proper" churrascaria -- the Brazilian barbeque featuring an enormous salad bar, followed by meat served endlessly on skewers brought tableside.  (Some people commented that they may not be able to eat meat for a week back home).

The tour bus then took us to another mind-boggling mountain experience -- Sugar Loaf.  That is the highest peak in town, accessible only by the famous cable car ride (remember Agent 007's adventures on this in Moonraker?).  The top peak provided an even more amazing view of the city and its beaches.

Ana Maria got some of the students excited by telling them that her friend ran a hang gliding service for a reasonable price.  The trip starts on one of the mountain tops and ends on the beach.  We went to see some of them landing.  A few students, undaunted by the price, were insistent on doing it (parents..please don't hurt Dr. Byrd!).  However, we found out back at the hotel that we would not be permitted to check out late -- we had to be out at noon, so that situation prevented any hang gliding.

After this exhiliarating day, the students spent the evening in the local neighborhood.

What a day...what a way to end the show!

Day 8 -- University Visit...and Another Long Bus Ride

Well, it turned out that the nice students from the University of Vicosa had planned a social outing for us last night....but our 1:30 am arrival squashed that!

We were greeted this morning by a faculty member and one undergraduate student, and they directed us to the UFV campus.  It was yet another beautiful day (10 F, sunny, clear, perfect!), and we headed to the pulp and paper labs.  Dr. Jorge Colodette, a UFV professor who spent time at NCSU in the past, welcomed the students and introduced them to undergraduate and graduate students in the UFV program.  All students had a chance to introduce themselves and tell what they were working on or where they were going to work.

Given the very brief nature of our visit, we took a bus tour of the campus.  It actually has a lot in common with NCSU -- a land-grant history, plus programs in engineering, agriculture, plant science, food science, biological sciences, and forestry (and, of course...pulp and paper).

Dr. Colodette had arranged for a wonderful buffet lunch in town, and the students enjoyed amazing food on an outdoor patio. 

After lunch, the students heard a presentation from the UFV international office about the school and its history.

After a quick change into comfortable clothes, the students settled in for ANOTHER long bus ride -- this time 6 hours to Rio.  At least most of this trip was by daylight, and only the first three hours of it were on a two-lane road.  Halfway through the trip, we stopped at a convenience area and had the ONLY cost-effect meal of the entire trip....a $5 steak platter that was actually pretty darned good.

As we got closer to Rio, the students started to stir.  Our hotel turned out to be just off the main drag of Ipanema, a premium beach area just next to the famous Copa Cabana.   The hotel was pretty nice.  Once  checked in, the students headed out to explore bars and clubs in the neighborhood (a safe one).  By all accounts at breakfast the next morning, they apparently were succesful!

It's still hard to believe...we have a full day tomorrow in one of the largest and most exciting cities in the world!

Day 7 -- BIG Mill...and DEATH BUS 4000!

Woke up to a beatiful sunrise on the beach (and the sound of Mario and Garrett padding out to the beach for an early dip).  Had a nice little breakfast in the hotel -- man, are we going to miss having fresh tropical fruits and juices every morning!

Our final mill destination was the Fibria mill in the town of Aracruz.  This mill makes 7000 TONS PER DAY of eucalptus market pulp using three lines, making it the largest mill in the world.  We had a curvy 1.5-hour bus ride to the mill, which is located in a somewhat mountainous area.  We received a warm greeting from the General Manager of the facility (!) and a team of engineers and assistants. 

One complication -- we found out a few days ago that the bus company would only take cash, no cards (a familiar story, it seems).  Dr. Byrd had not brought that much cash with him..the plan was for him to get a cash advance on his company card and use it to pay the bus company.  But the small bank branch at the mill (it's so big it has two banks!) said "impossible.".  The bus company said it would cancel the rest of the trip if the money were not deposited by early afternoon.  So, in a panic mode, Dr. Byrd went with one of the mill employees to the bank in town, while the students continued their tour.  Of course, the bank in town also said "impossible."  After some frantic maneuvering, the situation was at long last resolved (thanks, Mrs. Martin!).

The mill is impressive..both in scale and operation and attitude!  Super clean and efficient.  The loading area had miles and miles of baled pulp waiting for shipment.  There are three lines.  Two lines each feed two pulp drying machine, while one newer line feeds a single machine.

After the tour, we boarded the bus for a trip we had been warned would be long and challening ride to Vicosa, on some tough roads.  (Vicosa, although a university town, has no airport...the nearest airport is 3.5 hours away!).  As we passed through Vitoria again, we stopped to drop Danny off...and there went our ONLY Portuguese speaker -- and our drive spoke no English.  Fun!!! 

We had not been warned nearly enough about this ride!  This ride was 100 % on a 2-lane road filled with trucks, bikes, donkey carts, and tiny, tiny villages with dozens of speed bumps.  The mountain-filled countryside did not permit us to see where we were going in the dark.  We stopped midway for a drive rest and a bit to eat....at the equivalent of a truck stop.  That was an interesting cultural experience!  Jailson said we had "3-4 hours to go" (using sign language, of course).  As it got later and later, and all we could see was flashes of the moon between mountains, we began to worry about our location.  There were absolutely no signs indicating a distance or direction to Vicosa! 

This reminded Dr. Byrd spookily of the terrifying bus ride the first PIE group took from Jinan to Beijing, after the plane ride had been canceled due to fog.  That overnight ride, which nobody will EVER forget, was affectionated deemed "Death Bus 3000."  Now, we have Death Bus 4000 in Brazil!

At about 1:20 in the morning, we finally rolled up to the Alfa hotel in downtown Vicosa, checked in, and collapsed.

Wow.

Day 6 -- Transition Day

On the prior evening (Saturday), the students, who had been  burned by evil taxi drivers on Friday night trying to find a good club, decided to take matters into their own hands.  The hotel's normal rear pavilion bar area was occuied by some type of wedding or other event.   So, even though the hotel cable car was NOT running down to the waterside lounge area, the students climbed down the steep steps to the waterside and started their own "Club PSE."  Dr. Byrd, concerned at hearing familiar guffawing from the venue far down by the water, made his own way down the treacherous steps to investigate.  He found the students in  a lively mood, with a lot of music and laughter.  The hotel did not seem to mind.  This was a nice, private bonding experience for the group!

Sunday was a day of transition, as we positioned ourselves for the final mill tour in Aracruz.  This required that we fly to the city of Vitoria.  Since there were no direct flights available from Salvador, we had to connect through Rio.  Once in the Rio airport, the students saw how beautiful and mountainous the surroudings were and suggested we just stay there for the rest of the trip, a concept quickly crushed by Dr. Byrd. 

The flights went without problems, and we met our final bus driver, Jailson, at the Vitoria airport.  Our bus drove up to the hotel i-- right on the beach!  The problem is that it was close to 5 pm, and the sun was setting fast.  Several students dashed out for a dip.  We decided that the hotel restaurant had the most cost-effective meal offering within walking distance, with a nice little Brazilian barbeque menu that many of us were getting way too accustomed to!

We ate together in the outdoor seating area, and it turned out to be one of the nicest meals of the trip -- and another great bonding experience.

Tomorrow comes with some apprenension...it is a visit to the Aracruz mill, followed by an 8-HOUR BUS RIDE to Vicosa.  Yikes!

Heavenly....Free Day In Salvador

Today was our only true free day for the trip.  Students were allowed to do whatever they wanted for the day.

We woke up to sun...and WOW.  Our hotel, while a little old and worn, was perfectly situated on a cliff over the bay.  A nice buffet breakfast was being served in the rear pavilion, next to the sweet little pool.  But the most amazing thing was the scary little cable car which ran down to a dock/recreation area on the water.  It could hold six persons at one time.  At the bottom, there was a wonderful little assortment of stuff...a bar, a wading pool, a swimming area in the ocean, snd a water slide. 

Some students slept in, while others were up fairly early.  Groups walked to local beaches, while others got some sun by the pool.  While there were intermittent showers, overall there was sun most of the day. 

Several of the guys in the group emerged from the hotel in newly-purchased Speedo-type bathing suits...much to the amusement (or horror) of the others.  For reasons of decency, none of these photos are included below.

In the late afternoon, many of the group plunged into the bay water for a refreshing dip.

A few brave folks took a taxi to the old part of town, at the heart of the city.  There were beautiful, multi-colored buildings, shops...and very, very aggressive panhandling and hustling.  It was a bit uncomfortable. 

Tomorrow, the movement starts again -- we have to get up to take a plane to the town of Vitoria, with a connection in Rio.  Our last mill tour is on Monday.

Day 4 -- Movement...Dissolving Pulp....Traffic....and WOW

This was a busy day.  The group had to get up early to depart from Sao Paulo on TAM Airlines, headed to Salvador -- a city on the southern coast of Brazil.  So it was a bus to the airport, a plane ride, and another bus to pick us up and drive us to the Bahia Specialty Pulp mill about one hour outside of Salvador.  We were anticipating traffic, lost reservations, and other disasters...but everything went smoothly. 

The tour company provided a guide, Roberto, for us at the Salvador airport.  On the ride to the mill, he told us some of the history of Salvador, as well as the enormous industrial complex that the mill is a part of -- the largest in South America.

Hospitality at the mill, as with the other mills we have visited, was outstanding.   Students were greeted with amazing goodies, including a variety of exotic juices and, of course, meat-filled pastries.  After an orientation to the mill and a review of dissolving pulp requirements and uses, the students had a nice tour of the facility.

The ride back to Salvador was awful.  We somehow timed our depature from the mill to coincide with normal commuting traffic, Friday afternoon traffic, and some weekend festival celebrating a local woman whose work with the poor had earned her the first stage of beatification.  A drive that should have taken one hour took 3.5...in bumper to bump stop and go traffic (including horses and mules).   The students were getting restless and hungy.  As we approached our hotel, the traffic came to a complete stop, due to some concert being held in the city center.  So it was almost 8 o'clock when we finally checked into the hotel.

It was hard to tell much about the hotel in the dark.  We could tell it was on the ocean (on the bay, actually), and we could tell it was perched up high on a cliff over the water.  It had a nice pavilion area out back, and a nice little pool.  The rooms...well....they were clean enough, but they looked like they had been decorated in the early 1970's -- orange curtains, orange striped trim, and orange bed covers. 

Our guide had suggested a traditional Brazilian barbeque place a bit outside of downtown, and he arranged for the restaurant to send a shuttle to pick us up at the hotel.  Traffic turned out to again be horrendous, so it was pretty late when we arrived at the restaurant.  But it was worth it....this place as enormous and loud, with a gigantic salad bar and endless skewers of grilled meats of all kinds.  Everybody ate until they could not move.

Another jam-packed day.  Another great day!

Day 3 -- Another Mill, Another Great Day

We had to get up early this morning to check out of the hotel in Campinas and drive 2 hours to Jacarei...home of a large market pulp mill run by Fibria.  This mill makes about 1.2 millions tons per year of eucalyptus market pulp, using 100 % plantation-grown trees cloned and planted by Fibria.

The students were a bit frowzy from their samba outing the night before, but they had a chance to catch up on sleep on the bus.   We started the mill visit by taking the bus up a rugged dirt road to a mountain top, to visit their tree nursery.  Again, the students were struck by technology and steps involved in producing uniform eucalyptus seedlings.  They were very amused by having to put on snake-protective leg garments (see below).

We then took the bus to the mill, which is enormous and modern.  Our hosts introduced us to the mill, stressing the environmental focus of the company.  This is one of the few mills using ozone for bleaching.

We took a driving tour of most of the mill, but we stopped to take a tour of the pulp drying machines.  The scale of the process was impressive.

After lunch, we boarded the bus again and drove 1.5 hours to Sao Paulo.  This is a huge and exciting city!  After dinner, the group split up in an attempt to take in the many things this city has to offer.  Some people went to the Mueseum of Sao Paolo, which had an impressive offering of old and modern masters,  Others went to chow down in Little Italy.

We have another early morning tomorrow....we get on a local airplane to travel to the city of Salvador.  Off the plane, we take a bus to visit another mill.  After that, however...it's 1.5 days of free time in the beach city of Salvador!

Day 2 -- Visit to IP Mill in Mogi Guacu

We woke up on Wednesday to a beautiful day in Campinas....sunny, crystal clear blue sky, and 70 F.  The Brazilian locals were wearing sweaters and leather jackets, commenting on what a cold day it was!

We took a bus to Mogi Guacu, about 45 minutes away, to visit an International Paper mill there.  This mill makes uncoated free sheet, using 100 % eucalyptus hardwood.  It was good for the students to see a mil that, although originally built in the 1960's, is stil considered one of the best from an operating efficiency standpoint.

We started out in the tree nursery, where we something that most of us had never had a chance to see...the process with which clonal hardwood seedlings are produced.  This is a fascinating process which, combined with the almost perfect weather, gives the Brazilian paper industry an incredible edge with regard to fiber costs.

After a nice lunch in the mill cafeteria, we took a walking tour of the mill.    Good stuff!

That night, we ate out at a local pizza place.  Clearly, we grossly underestimated how expensive this country is...food, drink, transportation, taxis...you name it, it is very costly here.  We have already blown our budget.

We then went out to a local popular bar with a live samba band.  The joint was hopping!  The students really got into the joyous spirit of the place.