Day 18 - My last day in Brazil

June 24 - My last day in Brazil

Sadly, today marked the time for me to say goodbye to Brazil, a country of beauty, friendly people, vibrant culture, and delicious food. I have felt so honored to be a part of this intercultural program in educational diplomacy through the U.S. Department of State. This experience has opened my eyes to the beauty of Brazil in so many ways. The culture, history, art, music, food, and people all come together to make Brazil a fascinating place begging to be further explored. I am so happy that I had the chance to be a visitor and teacher here. I have lived an experience unlike any other in my life and have found it to be one of the most enriching experiences in my life. I had the chance to meet countless outstanding people, engage in cross-cultural dialogue with educational and political leaders,   

work with a talented group of American and Brazilian educators, learn about comparative global education and best practices, see some of the most beautiful sights in South America, participate in fun cultural events, eat some of the most delicious food I have ever eaten, and most importantly, teach an excellent group of enthusiastic, inquisitive students. For all this I am most grateful. I can't wait to return to Brazil. Instead of saying goodbye to Brazil, I rather say, ate mais....or "see you later."

Signing off from Brazil. Until the next time...

Bom Viagem,

Peter Schmidt

Day 17- Salvador

Sadly today, June 23 rd. marked my last full day in Brazil. The morning started with a series of meetings to review our experience in Brazil and prepare us for the next steps as we finish our year-long fellowship in global education.  In the afternoon we went into town to take in some of the Festa Junina festivities and to finish up some last minute souvenir shopping. Preparations were also made for tomorrow's departure to the U.S.

Taking in the last of Brazil

Day - 16

This day marked the last day of our TGC/ILEP "summit" in Salvador. In the morning we had more meetings, including briefings from a U.S. Consulate agent, an alumni resources session, and more discussions with our Brazilian educator counterparts. The morning ended with a nice luncheon with all the American and Brazilian teachers. After lunch we said goodbye to our Brazilian teacher friends and regrouped with the American teachers.

Parting photo of all the ILEP/TGC teachers and program coordinators

The American TGC teachers (my group) ...this photo was taken at the embassy in Brasilia.

              After all our hard work, we were awarded with a free afternoon to go into town and the beach. We went as a big group to the beach near the lighthouse in town and enjoyed the afternoon in the sun. As evening fell we went out for a nice dinner as the sun set over the bay. It was a great way to end the day.

Day 15 - Salvador

Sunday, June 21 was a big day. Today both the Teachers for Global Classrooms (TGC) (American) teachers and the International Leaders in Education (ILEP) (Brazilian) host teachers and alumni came together for the first time ever in the history of our programs to work as a group to network, share ideas, provide research question assistance, and plan projects. The day was filled with both joint and break out sessions where we worked together to share ideas on how to connect our schools, students, and develop ways to bring a more global focus to our educational systems. The discussion was spirited and fruitful. It was great to hear different perspectives and meet our counterparts from all over the country of Brazil.

Brazilian and American teachers 

My partner American teacher from KY, myself and Eduardo, our host teacher.

Day 14 - Salvador

Today was our first full day in Salvador and the final leg of our "diplomatic-educational" visit to Brazil.  Today all the teachers in my program and I got a tour of the city of Salvador. Salvador was one of the earliest Portuguese settlements in Brazil and was Brazil's first capital before it moved to Rio de Janiero and then to Brasilia. The city has a rich Afro-Brazilian history and has a real mix of African and European culture. It is a very laid back town and full of history and charm. As luck would have it, the city was preparing for the Festa do Junina... an annual festival to commemorate all the patron saints of June- St. John, St. Francis, and St. Peter. The city was decorated with colorful flags, booths, and tents. The festival is a multiple day event and is a favorite of little children. We had a great day taking in all the sights.

Salvador lighthouse 

City Hall and square

Salvador port

Typical side street in town 

Typical public phone "booths" found throughout Brazil. The Brazilians call them "Big Ears."

Festa Junina Festivities

Day 13 - Salvador

Oi from Salvador, Brazil!  Today, Friday was a travel day. I flew from Rio de Janiero to Salvador. Salvador is a city on the Atlantic coast in the eastern part of Brazil in the state of Bahia. I arrived in  late afternoon and got settled into my hotel. Later in the evening, I met with my fellow American teachers who were also teaching in various parts of the country.  We met and talked about our teaching/school experiences and how awesome they were. Tomorrow we head out to explore the historic city of Salvador!

Salvador, Brazil by day...

Salvador, Brazil by night

Day 12 - Rio de Janiero

Bom dia! (Good morning!) Thursday sadly marked our last day of school in Nova Iguacu. In the morning we taught classes and said goodbye to the students and teachers at the bilingual school. I was a little sad to leave as the students and teachers were very nice and welcoming during my visit, I hope to return to the school someday in the future.

The afternoon marked our last visit to Rio de Janiero. We drove into the city, had a nice lunch at a Portuguese restaurant (in case you forgot...Brazil was settled by the Portuguese in 1500). I had a delicious linguica plate. After lunch we went up to Corcavado Mountain to visit the Christ the Redeemer statue who looks over the city of Rio de Janiero. The statue is an impressive work of art and engineering with some of the best views of the city. The view from the top was awesome. It felt like I was on top of the world....not a bad way to celebrate my birthday!

Christ the Reedemer at dusk

The city of Rio

Sunset over the mountains surrounding Rio.

Day 11 - Nova Iguacu

On Wednesday we spent the day at the CIEP Carlos Drummond de Andrade Bilingual High School. As a small gift from the school, I was given a student uniform polo shirt. Being a bilingual school, sponsored by the U.S. Consulate here in Rio, both countries are represented....U.S. and Brazil. After that we met with a fellow American at the school who is working with the State Department to establish curriculum and programming at the school. This school is very new...only two years old and is one of a kind in Brazil. The students and teachers are very engaged and excited about bilingual education. The school has been incredibly welcoming and inquisitive about American education. We have had a lot of fun talking with students and teaching lessons. 

 

My school uniform

The English Department

English class who enjoyed some USA bracelets that I brought.

Students learning about NH and Pinkerton!

For my students back home.... Remember the bookmarks you made before I left? I had given them to all the classes that I have taught this week. One of the classes was so thankful for the bookmarks that they wrote thank you letters back to you. I have the letters and will show you when we start school again in August. Some letters are addressed generally and some personally. The bookmarks were a big hit! Here is a pic of one of the English teachers with some of her students' thank you letters.

Later that night, we met with Eduardo (our awesome host teacher) and some of his family for dinner at a local restaurant. One of the program directors from the Teachers for Global Classrooms who was in town joined us as well. 

Day 10 - Nova Iguacu

Bom noite (Good evening) from Nova Iguacu. Today was another school day here in the city. We visited two schools today, E.M. Cyro Monteiro and E.M. Marcilio Dias. In the morning we taught about American culture at Cyro Monteiro, a middle school in Rio. At the school, we were treated to a live practice performance of the berimbau, a bow like instrument that originated in the Afro-Brazilian settlements in the state of Bahia. Following the mini-concert, the students put on a "stick "dance for us. It was very interesting.

The Berimbau 

Students practicing a dance

Teaching students about New Hampshire

In the evening, we joined our host teacher to teach some evening classes at E.M. Marcilio Dias School. Here we met a nice group of both high school and adult students and had a great time presenting and talking with them about America. Tomorrow we head again to the bilingual school in Nova Iguacu.

Day 9 - Nova Iguacu

Oi!  Today was a school day at CIEP 117 Carlos Drummond de Andrade High School in Nova Iguacu. Today I met with five classes at this bilingual school. The students at the school speak English very well and were very interested in learning about the United States. Most of the classes that I spoke with were sophomores. In class we talked about American culture and what life is like for American students. I prepared a PowerPoint to show them, but they were most interested in the PA yearbook that I brought with me. They were enthralled by the prom, football games, senior corn roast and other high school events. Events like the prom don't exist here, so that was of great interest to the students. After the lesson, I gave the students a bookmark that my students at Pinkerton had made prior to my trip to Brazil. The students here loved them and were most appreciative! The Brazil-USA bookmarks were a big hit! They wanted to me to thank all my students back home...so...Obrigado! (Portuguese for thank you) ...well done Astros!

 The school

 Teaching about the U.S.

The homemade USA-Brazil bookmarks were a big hit with the students and teacher!

Day 8 - Rio de Janiero

Today was a great day. The day started with a good breakfast followed by a visit to the famed Pao de Asucar (Sugarloaf) Mountian for a breathtaking view of the city and beaches. On the way to the mountain we had a nice driving tour of the city. When we arrived at Sugarloaf, we summitted the mountain in a gondola car to catch a bird's eye view of the city of Rio. After going up the mountain, we walked along the base of the mountain next to the ocean. Along the way we saw an odd monkey creature that reminded me of a cross between a squirrel and a monkey....see below. After that we had a nice dinner with another American teacher friend of Eduardo at Ipanmema Beach. 

 Sugarloaf Mountain

 The view from top

 

Christ the Redeemer statue 

"Oi! Tudo bom?"