Tuesday, June 23, 2015

Our final full day in Brazil concluded with some great reflections on our experience and a celebration of Festa Junina! I will certainly miss this beautiful country, this amazing TGC experience, and the friends I've made here:)

A enormous thank-you to Liberato for his expertise and patience with our group of crazy Americans!

Bonfim Church in Salvador

The Brazilian wish ribbons tied to the fence of Bonfim 

Briana, my blessing!

Wandering around Salvador's Old Town during Festa Junina

Monday, June 22, 2015

We concluded our TGC/ILEP networking event today with some great educational resources from the state department and our international colleagues. Briana and I gave our final thank you to Will, who has undoubtedly changed both of our lives and teaching! An afternoon at the Praia Porto da Barra beach was a relaxing way to enjoy the beautiful geography and culture of Bahia. 

Thank you again to our gracious host!

Some TGC-ers hanging on the beach 

Sunday, June 21, 2015

What a great day at the TGC/ILEP (International Leaders in Education Program) Networking event! It was great to reconnect with Will- even though it's only been 2 days since we left Sao Paulo- and collaborate with other Brazilian educators. More great teaching ideas to come tomorrow!

An end to a long day of collaboration with the ILEP-ers

Our in-country consultant and amazing tour guide, Liberato 

Saturday, June 20, 2015- Salvador, Bahia

We've arrived in Salvador in the state of Bahia, a beautiful city with a diverse and rich social history, for the final leg of our trip. We toured this eclectic city today and got a taste of Bahia's traditions, culture, and regional cuisine! More photos to come...

Bahia Lighthouse

                                                  The view from our hotel in Salvador

Festa Junina in Old Town Salvador, Bahia

Sao Francisco Church and Convent

Sao Francisco Church and Convent

Old Town Salvador, Bahia

Thursday, June 18, 2015- Leaving Sao Paulo

Our last day in Sao Paulo was bittersweet! We were treated to several goodbye meals and celebrations from students and staff at Dom Jose, including delicious feijoada (a traditional Brazilian stew made with beans and pork) with seasoned rice, greens, and yucca flour. Students treated us to a performance of a traditional folklore dance to celebrate Festa Junina, an event which marks the end of summer and the beginning of Brazilian harvest.

Briana and I were proud to present Will, our host teacher, and his school with certificates of honor for their support of the TGC teacher exchange program. 

After a tour of downtown Ribeirao Pires, we continued the Festa Junina celebration at Will's family's home! I feel beyond honored and privileged to have spent my field experience with this wonderful family and an amazing educator:) 

Ribeirao Pires

Wednesday, June 17, 2015

Today we had the opportunity to observe a few other teachers and classes at Dom Jose Gaspar. We were excited to see some amazing instructional strategies, including peer evaluations, differentiated texts, and cross-curricular instructions in high school math and Portuguese classes.

Our afternoon trip to the seaside city of Santos was completely beautiful. The city has a significant relevance to the economy of Brazil and is home to the Bolsa do Cafe, Brazil's historic coffee exchange. The museum was rich with information regarding the export of coffee from Brazil's plantations to the port city of Santos to the international market.

Bolsa do Cafe Museum 

Bolsa do Cafe Museum

We took a beautiful cable car ride up to the top of Monte Serrat to visit a chapel that will celebrate it's 400th anniversary this year. The views of Santos were breathtaking!

Bananas

Gorgeous views of Santos, Sao Paulo, on the Atlantic coast

Our history-teacher-tour-guide with Will and Amanda

The day concluded with some drinks and delicious Brazilian food by the water, but only after Briana and I got our hands on some new Santos Futebol Clube jerseys. We are the proud new fans of the Brazilian soccer team that created Pele and Neymar and promised to support the FC in the States!

Monday, June 15, 2015- Dom Jose Gaspar School in Ribeirao Pires, Sao Paulo

Our first day with students! Such a wonderful experience with Will's energetic students at Dom Jose Gaspar in Ribeirao Pires, Sao Paulo. Briana and I played some games with grade 12 English language students today and learned much about Brazilian teens. I recommend "Never Have I Ever" to get students sharing their experiences and interests in English, and a "Pairs" game on notecards-- each student gets a notecard and they have to find the other student with the correct pair (ie. Father and Mae.) We asked students to explain the English/Portuguese connection between the words to get them speaking!

Grade 8 English language students with Fabio

This guy was wearing a Boston Celtics hat! Sweet!

Briana having a collaborative session with Daniela, one of Gaspar's math teachers

Grade 12 students! 

The neighborhood of Ribeirao Pires

Brazil's best educators:)

Will's students, as well as some 8th graders we met, were so excited to practice their English and ask questions of us! They mostly wondered what Briana and I, American students, and our country thought of them... we responded with our honest thoughts: "Brazilian students are welcoming and energetic, and Sao Paulo is a beautiful city!"

Briana with Abby and her buddy... regular "students" around Dom Jose Gaspar 

Gaspar's amazing staff in the teacher's lounge:) 

We've been obsessed with the delicious and nutritional lunches in Brazilian schools: homemade noodle soup with chicken today. Nothing like the frozen meals served to most American students.