ORIENTATION
Anyway, we had orientation in Sao Paulo where presenters explained our role for the Fulbright Program. First, if you don't know about Fulbright, it's an organization through the US State Department that sends Americans overseas to conduct research at universities or to be English Teaching Assistants (ETAs). There are many other facets of the program that I won't delve into, though! The main mission for Fulbright is to foster positive relationships and mutual understanding between people from different countries. So while we're helping with English, we're also serving as cultural ambassadors on a 'micro' level through our interactions with the local community, the professors, and our students.
During orientation, we learned about Ingles Sem Fronteiras (English Without Borders), the program that we are going to help with. This program provides free English courses at colleges and aims to create a more multicultural campus. Some people who take the ISF courses want to study abroad in an English-speaking country, some want to learn English to improve their job prospects, and others just want to learn more about American culture. We'll be assisting in these courses and we'll also develop workshops for conversation, cultural activities, etc.
We also had workshops on safety, teaching strategies, and mental health. I was glad the staff addressed mental health- culture shock can be tough and it's so important to look after yourself. (I actually wrote a huge blog post about this issue; maybe I'll find the courage to upload it later!). While some moments are wonderful, other times you just have to embrace the suck, because there will inevitably be difficult moments.
During orientation, I also got to meet my three awesome co-ETAS: Connor, Irma, and Kelsey. I'm excited to work with them and it seems like we mesh well together! Since our backgrounds and personalities are quite different, we each have something unique to bring to the table. I also got to meet some of the other 116 ETAS, and it was a bit crazy having us all packed into the same room! I loved meeting everyone but engaging in the same small talk questions all day ("Where are you from? What did you major in?) proved to be exhausting. One ETA introduced herself and stated, "I'm sick of all these boring questions. So hi! What's your spirit animal and why?"
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| Our Rio Grande do Sul Group! |
BEM-VINDO A PELOTAS!
So we arrived in Pelotas, a city in the southern state of Rio Grande do Sul. Brazil is a very diverse country and so Pelotas doesn't live up to the stereotype of bikini-clad women at a tropical beach (we don't really have a beach fit for swimming and it gets really cold in the winter!). So the crash course on Pelotas: 1) They are famous for their sweet pastries called doces,,2) It's a city of about 300,000 people 3) It's known for it's openness towards the gay community and 4) there are cobblestone streets everywhere, which is kind of neat!
We stayed in a hotel for a week while we hit the ground running looking for housing. Finding housing was a stressful challenge for most of us. We didn't know where to look so we scoured Facebook and other websites, shooting off messages in crappy Portuguese into the abyss of the internet black hole. It probably didn't help that my first time looking for housing was in a different country, either! Some of the places that we visited were just a tad sketchy. One guy tried to play up his 'rustic' (apparently a synonym for 'crappy but large') house over the internet and only told me when I visited that his grandparents lived there and that there was no kitchen. Ah, silly me for not asking the important questions! Anyway, I lucked out and found a pensionato, which is like a student dorm. So I live in a house with three Brazilians who attend the university and one 37-year old American outlier who is doing a Masters program. The place has its quirks but my housemates are super friendly and incredibly patient with my toddler-like Portuguese!
I've had some adventures already, like getting trapped in the laundry room because the door automatically locks upon closing (now I know!). The wind also blew my locked room door shut which forced me to run outside, stick a broomstick through my window bars, and retrieve my keys Mac-Gyver style. (I feel like I have a Darwin award in the works).
OS PROFESSORES
The professors that we have met with Ingles Sem Fronteiras have been nothing but amazing! They all have gone out of their way to help us find housing, take us to different Brazilian restaurants, and help us look for things that we need for our new places. (So thanks Mariana, Zelia, Nai, and everyone else! MUITA obrigada!). They done an excellent job of making us feel welcomed in Pelotas and introducing us to the culture. But I've been touched by all of the Brazilians that I've come across- they have been so kind and patient when I've had obvious difficulties communicating. No one has told me to go back to my country or buck up and speak Portuguese better, so that's some food for thought!
Anyway, thanks to the ISF professors, I've had some great experiences. So far I've:
- Tried lots of Brazilian goodies, all of which seem to be fried. I've also tried launches (ginormous sandwiches), which aren't fried but are probably equally as bad for you!
- Attempted to play soccer with one of the professor's teams, and I only missed the ball when trying to kick like twice...
- Got my identification number from the government- thanks to Mariana for helping us navigate that bureaucratic maze!
- Went to my first Brazilian party and nossa! I have never seen so many people packed into a club! Apparently they don't turn on the air conditioning because they want to incentive people to buy more cold beer. It was a fun time but it felt like a sauna! I didn't really dance but I loved people watching. I saw a lot of PDA but to ficar with someone - which is a confusing word but I think it means making out in this context - is socially acceptable here. Apparently it's common to go to a bar, ficar with someone and not even catch his name. I'm not sure if it's the same in the states because rural Ohio isn't big on the club scene...
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| With professors: Zelia and our 'mom', Mariana! Fellow ETAs Irma and Kelsey on the right! |
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| Before my first Brazilian party.... |
E AGORA? (AND NOW?)
When you're caught up in the hustle and bustle of a new country, it can be easy to lose your focus. I looked over my application essays to remember why I did the program in the first place! I wanted to learn about a new country, experience Brazilian music, and get an inside glimpse of the educational system. I'm trying to clarify how this program can help me grow both personally and professionally. At first, I wanted to learn teaching strategies and gain experience that I could translate to teaching Spanish in the states. Now, my career plans are a little hazy, which isn't abnormal among a lot of liberal-arts-geared Fulbrighters! I'm not sure whether I'll teach, get my graduate degree in speech pathology, or do something completely unrelated! I need a little time to reflect, read What Color is Your Parachute, and clarify what I want out of my professional life. But I have realized that it's perfectly okay that life isn't as linear as I've anticipated. You'll get to where you need to be as long as you keep moving forward, and some of the best experiences in life are in those zig-zag places that you find yourself in by accident. I know of so many people for just 'fell into' the perfect job or relationship, and I'm slowly learning that it's good to be prepared, but you can't plan everything. Embrace uncertainty and let life surprise you.
But while I'm reflecting on my goals, I want to think of what I can GIVE instead of thinking about what I'm going to get from the experience. Brazilians have been so generous with me already and I want to make sure that I give back, too. It's like a bank account of good deeds; I've gotten so many deposits but I want to make sure to pass on that kindness so that I leave Brazil with a balance of zero (without having taken more than I've given). I have to admit that sometimes I get stuck ruminating on selfish thoughts, on worries about my future, and at times I get so introspective that I miss the big picture. I'm trying to learn to have faith, to look outside myself more, and to trust that all the pieces will fall into place when you're trying to add kindness to the world.
TEACHING AND PROJECTS?
Tomorrow we are meeting the professors so that we can start assisting in class, and I"m excited! We are also required to do 25 hours of a 'project' but this can be loosely interpreted: anything from dancing to volunteering to participating in clubs counts! So some of my goals are to:
- Take a Portuguese class at the university. Your language determines how well you can integrate yourself into the culture, so it's really important for me to become conversationally proficient.
- Investigate volunteer opportunities to work with children with special needs. However, a working knowledge of Portuguese is needed for this, probably! That's why getting the language down is the first priority.
- Do something with Brazilian music....
- See if I can volunteer with Education USA, an organization that helps international students go to college in the US. They appreciate having Fulbrighters helping them!
- Push myself out of my comfort zone. Take up soccer? Jitsu? Sing karaoke? We'll see!
Well gente, this is super long and I'm heading to bed! Sorry if this turned into superfluous word vomit- the first weeks are always overwhelming!
