Thank you all for reading and commenting on this blog. I've updated previous posts to include more photos-Churrascaria, Piranhas, and Sao Francisco Canyons. I've also added the final days of the program phase II, in Maceio.
I have only 2 more weeks with my students, giving assignments online. But I know I will always be connected with them. I am so excited to see where they go after high school.
In February, the top 5% of students from our site, 5 students, will come to Denver. I plan to go see them, even if none are my students. I hope to remain connected to the program as well.
As part of my fellowship responsibilities, I need to raise $500 for the future fellows fund. This fund helps provide travel scholarships so that coaches can go to Brazil. This program changed me as much as it changed the students, and I want as many other Americans to have the opportunity as possible!
Please check out my fundraising page here:
https://wwcoloradogives.org/USBCEmilyGalas
Every little bit helps. As cliche as that is, it's true!
Thanks again for reading, I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did <3
Emily
Friday, August 21, 2015
Leaving Brazil
Compared to a school day, we actually got to sleep in! Which I did, and enjoyed it. I predicted not being able to sleep on the ride home (I was mostly right), so I needed all the sleep I could get before we left for the airport.
At breakfast, I gave the team their postcards, and of course we had hugs all around. 5 of us were going to the airport together, with 4 of us on the same flight to Rio.
We got checked in at the airport with no problem, I even got to check my little suitcase, that I was planning to carry on, for free!! Then we had to wait a few hours, because we left early enough for one coach to catch a flight before the rest of us.
The students had planned to meet us at the airport, but time was getting short and they weren't there!! We found out that first the bus was late, then it had a flat tire to change at the school, THEN it broke down on the highway on the way to the airport. I was so nervous that I wouldn't see my students the last time! They ended up shuttling in vans from the school. They got there about 45 minutes before we had to go through security.
They gave me a box full of pictures of the team:
There was a note under the lid. It reads: Hey Em!! We would like to thanks you for all. You are some important to us, thank you for change our lifes, we are sure that now we are diferent people, in this program we don't learn only english, we learn to have patience , to have more love, to know to wait! Thank you for all Emily, you will be in our heart forever! We love you <3 <3.
And cue the tears.
Here are the pictures that they included:
Also, Matheus Lira, the tall one in the photo above, gave me these earrings!
So beautiful!
The only problem with this box, is that I had already checked my bags, so I had to carry it with me all the way to Omaha. It fit in my backpack kinda, but made it uncomfortable to wear. Still, they were so sweet that I will always cherish it!
Security was insane...in how simple it was. Put your bag on the x-ray belt, then walk through the metal detector. No getting undressed, no taking out the laptop, nothing. I felt like, "is that all?" I was crying still, and the students were cheering for us the whole way through.
The plane ride from Maceio to Rio was about 3 hours. I sat next to a couple from Rio who were vacationing in Maceio. He spoke English, "More or less" and I spoke Portuguese "More or less" so we got on a bit...they asked me a question that was interesting, "When people are in university, do they also work, or do they only go to school?" I explained that most people have to work to afford school, since it was so expensive in the U.S. I explained internships too. They were nice.
In Rio, we had a few hours to kill, 4 or 5 I think. There was an airline rep. who led us through the airport. She was great. We ate at a chicken place in the airport. I had to be careful because I didn't take money out the whole trip. I only used the stipend we were given for meals. I saved a lot by eating cereal in my room for lunch, or sleeping through it! But when I got to the airport, I had like R$17.00 left-not much for the inflated cost of airport food. After dinner, I had like R$.90, so less than one real (Brazilian dollar) left. I took a coin to give to my brother and gave the rest to Paul, who was staying in Rio for 6 more weeks! We saw Paul off, then headed to our terminal. Elena and Jacob were heading to Houston, then Denver. But I had to go Atlanta-Omaha. Luckily our gates were close, so we hung out in the terminal for a bit.
When I got to my terminal, I sat to wait for a bit. It was so nice to hear unaccented American English! I sat by a woman who was from D.C. and worked in Rio for a week. Let me tell you, a week in Brazil is NOT worth the length of the flight there. I was talking about my ear-water troubles, and she gave me brilliant advice about what she does: take an ear cleaning/rinsing kit with you! DUH. I will do this next time I travel internationally, because it never fails that I get an ear ache when I go.
On the plane from Rio to Atlanta, (about 9 hours of flying), I sat in the middle of the middle seat-so I had a man on either side of me and the aisle next to them. One was a man from Rio going to Dallas for work, he didn't have confidence in his English speak it with me, so I got a last chance to speak Portuguese. On the other side was a gut from Oklahoma City who had been on a mission trip. They both said it would be OK if I slept on their shoulder. I didn't take them up on it.
I watched a few movies and tried, to sleep but didn't really. I didn't expect to, like I said. I had to get up and walk around at one point because my legs felt all tingly which freaked me out! I was OK in the end.
So, I landed in Atlanta and had to go through customs. It was crazy busy! So many lines to stand in, most which I didn't know why. Still, mad props to the Atlanta airport staff, they did a great job! It was so hot in there, I wasn't expecting to be so sweaty inside buildings once I got back too the U.S. My shirt was actually wet to the touch under my backpack-so gross!! And so smelly.
I got through customs with no problem, which was nice. Then we had to check our bags again and go through security-the serious one this time. There was a man behind me from somewhere in Africa-I couldn't glimpse is passport well, I only saw the "African Republic of..." part. Anyway, we were next in line and I noticed he was wearing a belt AND had stuff in his pocket. I gave him a heads up and he was really appreciative.
I had a couple hours there before I left for Omaha at like 9 a.m. I don't remember what I did, hah!
When I finally got to Omaha, Scott and I had a movie-like reunion. I literally RAN to hug him. I couldn't let go of him, which made it hard to pick up my luggage :P After the airport, we went straight to Jimmy's Egg so I could get real American breakfast-pancakes, bacon, and so much FREE WATER! Although I have to admit, the tap water tasted super bad after a month of only bottled water. I got over it after a couple days, though.
Rhodey was so happy to see me of course! I still have 6 more weeks of work with the kids-ending the last week of August.
At breakfast, I gave the team their postcards, and of course we had hugs all around. 5 of us were going to the airport together, with 4 of us on the same flight to Rio.
We got checked in at the airport with no problem, I even got to check my little suitcase, that I was planning to carry on, for free!! Then we had to wait a few hours, because we left early enough for one coach to catch a flight before the rest of us.
The students had planned to meet us at the airport, but time was getting short and they weren't there!! We found out that first the bus was late, then it had a flat tire to change at the school, THEN it broke down on the highway on the way to the airport. I was so nervous that I wouldn't see my students the last time! They ended up shuttling in vans from the school. They got there about 45 minutes before we had to go through security.
They gave me a box full of pictures of the team:
There was a note under the lid. It reads: Hey Em!! We would like to thanks you for all. You are some important to us, thank you for change our lifes, we are sure that now we are diferent people, in this program we don't learn only english, we learn to have patience , to have more love, to know to wait! Thank you for all Emily, you will be in our heart forever! We love you <3 <3.
And cue the tears.
Here are the pictures that they included:
| On the field trip to the nature preserve and in our class room. |
Also, Matheus Lira, the tall one in the photo above, gave me these earrings!
The only problem with this box, is that I had already checked my bags, so I had to carry it with me all the way to Omaha. It fit in my backpack kinda, but made it uncomfortable to wear. Still, they were so sweet that I will always cherish it!
Security was insane...in how simple it was. Put your bag on the x-ray belt, then walk through the metal detector. No getting undressed, no taking out the laptop, nothing. I felt like, "is that all?" I was crying still, and the students were cheering for us the whole way through.
The plane ride from Maceio to Rio was about 3 hours. I sat next to a couple from Rio who were vacationing in Maceio. He spoke English, "More or less" and I spoke Portuguese "More or less" so we got on a bit...they asked me a question that was interesting, "When people are in university, do they also work, or do they only go to school?" I explained that most people have to work to afford school, since it was so expensive in the U.S. I explained internships too. They were nice.
In Rio, we had a few hours to kill, 4 or 5 I think. There was an airline rep. who led us through the airport. She was great. We ate at a chicken place in the airport. I had to be careful because I didn't take money out the whole trip. I only used the stipend we were given for meals. I saved a lot by eating cereal in my room for lunch, or sleeping through it! But when I got to the airport, I had like R$17.00 left-not much for the inflated cost of airport food. After dinner, I had like R$.90, so less than one real (Brazilian dollar) left. I took a coin to give to my brother and gave the rest to Paul, who was staying in Rio for 6 more weeks! We saw Paul off, then headed to our terminal. Elena and Jacob were heading to Houston, then Denver. But I had to go Atlanta-Omaha. Luckily our gates were close, so we hung out in the terminal for a bit.
When I got to my terminal, I sat to wait for a bit. It was so nice to hear unaccented American English! I sat by a woman who was from D.C. and worked in Rio for a week. Let me tell you, a week in Brazil is NOT worth the length of the flight there. I was talking about my ear-water troubles, and she gave me brilliant advice about what she does: take an ear cleaning/rinsing kit with you! DUH. I will do this next time I travel internationally, because it never fails that I get an ear ache when I go.
On the plane from Rio to Atlanta, (about 9 hours of flying), I sat in the middle of the middle seat-so I had a man on either side of me and the aisle next to them. One was a man from Rio going to Dallas for work, he didn't have confidence in his English speak it with me, so I got a last chance to speak Portuguese. On the other side was a gut from Oklahoma City who had been on a mission trip. They both said it would be OK if I slept on their shoulder. I didn't take them up on it.
I watched a few movies and tried, to sleep but didn't really. I didn't expect to, like I said. I had to get up and walk around at one point because my legs felt all tingly which freaked me out! I was OK in the end.
So, I landed in Atlanta and had to go through customs. It was crazy busy! So many lines to stand in, most which I didn't know why. Still, mad props to the Atlanta airport staff, they did a great job! It was so hot in there, I wasn't expecting to be so sweaty inside buildings once I got back too the U.S. My shirt was actually wet to the touch under my backpack-so gross!! And so smelly.
I got through customs with no problem, which was nice. Then we had to check our bags again and go through security-the serious one this time. There was a man behind me from somewhere in Africa-I couldn't glimpse is passport well, I only saw the "African Republic of..." part. Anyway, we were next in line and I noticed he was wearing a belt AND had stuff in his pocket. I gave him a heads up and he was really appreciative.
I had a couple hours there before I left for Omaha at like 9 a.m. I don't remember what I did, hah!
When I finally got to Omaha, Scott and I had a movie-like reunion. I literally RAN to hug him. I couldn't let go of him, which made it hard to pick up my luggage :P After the airport, we went straight to Jimmy's Egg so I could get real American breakfast-pancakes, bacon, and so much FREE WATER! Although I have to admit, the tap water tasted super bad after a month of only bottled water. I got over it after a couple days, though.
Rhodey was so happy to see me of course! I still have 6 more weeks of work with the kids-ending the last week of August.
Last day of School
On the last day of school, which I termed "Friday, Cry-day", everyone was emotional. We had the first hour of class with our PBG, our Facebook group that we were closest with. We took so many pictures and signed each other shirts. One of my students gave me a flower crown that she made with fake flowers. More hugs than I thought I could handle. We also had to take down the decorations in the classroom, leaving it barren once more. We picked a song for the karaoke at the end of the morning- "1000 miles" by Vanessa Carlton.
My kids made a video slide show of the program too, which they showed me in class. They are so sweet!
The second hour, we had our CSG, so for me I had 15 different kids. They helped take down the rest of the decorations. We had tied ribbon to some pipes on the ceiling, so those had to come down. Something that blew me away: a student pulled a BOX CUTTER out of his pocket so nonchalantly and handed it to the tall kid who was cutting the ribbons for us. I asked him why he had it, and he answered me like it was the most obvious thing, "to sharpen pencils." I told him that in the U.S. he would have been kicked out of school for that, and classrooms have pencil sharpeners in them. They were very surprised by that!
The final 2 hours was a karaoke/dance party. We of course had to dance the Cha-Cha Slide one more time! We taught it to them earlier in the program because the words of the song tell you how to do the dance, so it was listening exercise. All the teams did their cheers again, and all did karaoke. We coaches danced too, at the front for them. There was a dance circle of course.
The Wednesday before, we had a talent show. These kids were amazing! Playing guitar and singing, showing art they had made, and one kids did capoiera, which is like dance-fighting that the slaves did on sugar cane plantations. Very popular in the Northeast region where sugar cane was grown.Wikipedia page about Capoeira, with a video!
Anyway, back to the last day. More kids playing guitar, like I said, basically a music party at the end. Everyone signing shirts. I had kids that I didn't know asking me to sign, so I just wrote "Emily" with a heart. They only had to learn 9 of the coaching teaming, but we had 96 students total!! They were all very sweet of course.
Finally, the time was there, 12:00 p.m., noon. The End of the program. So many group hugs with Team Greyhounds, then hugging each one again and again. I didn't cry, and I was worried they would think I was heartless or didn't love them enough! After, we jumped in our van to make a get-away. Rip the bandaid off fast, I guess.
Then time for packing! I also wrote a Nebraska or Omaha post card for each of my team members, so I wrote those to give at breakfast the next day.
My kids made a video slide show of the program too, which they showed me in class. They are so sweet!
The second hour, we had our CSG, so for me I had 15 different kids. They helped take down the rest of the decorations. We had tied ribbon to some pipes on the ceiling, so those had to come down. Something that blew me away: a student pulled a BOX CUTTER out of his pocket so nonchalantly and handed it to the tall kid who was cutting the ribbons for us. I asked him why he had it, and he answered me like it was the most obvious thing, "to sharpen pencils." I told him that in the U.S. he would have been kicked out of school for that, and classrooms have pencil sharpeners in them. They were very surprised by that!
The final 2 hours was a karaoke/dance party. We of course had to dance the Cha-Cha Slide one more time! We taught it to them earlier in the program because the words of the song tell you how to do the dance, so it was listening exercise. All the teams did their cheers again, and all did karaoke. We coaches danced too, at the front for them. There was a dance circle of course.
The Wednesday before, we had a talent show. These kids were amazing! Playing guitar and singing, showing art they had made, and one kids did capoiera, which is like dance-fighting that the slaves did on sugar cane plantations. Very popular in the Northeast region where sugar cane was grown.Wikipedia page about Capoeira, with a video!
Anyway, back to the last day. More kids playing guitar, like I said, basically a music party at the end. Everyone signing shirts. I had kids that I didn't know asking me to sign, so I just wrote "Emily" with a heart. They only had to learn 9 of the coaching teaming, but we had 96 students total!! They were all very sweet of course.
Finally, the time was there, 12:00 p.m., noon. The End of the program. So many group hugs with Team Greyhounds, then hugging each one again and again. I didn't cry, and I was worried they would think I was heartless or didn't love them enough! After, we jumped in our van to make a get-away. Rip the bandaid off fast, I guess.
Then time for packing! I also wrote a Nebraska or Omaha post card for each of my team members, so I wrote those to give at breakfast the next day.
Closing Ceremony- Thursday July 16
Much like the opening ceremony, we sat through many speeches from important people-or rather, their secretaries or representatives, because as Important People, they couldn't join us. Then we had speeches from 5 students-one of them was my Julia, I was so proud! Our Team Coordinator and the coach who was at the site last year also spoke. Then there was a video summary of the program. A funny thing happened in the video-they spelled my team's name wrong!! It was GreyRounds, because in Portuguese the "r" would make an "h" sound in that instance. I asked them to change it afterwards.
Then came the part I was so anxiously awaiting! Time for the final skits from the teams. Mine was the best, and other coaches said so too! A few of the teams didn't do the assignment and made videos for the coaches, or sang them a song. My students did their skit on "societal change" which was the theme of week 4. It was so great. Let me explain it, I don't have a video.
We made a pyramid of poverty, in which the students tried to identify the root cause of poverty in Brazil. In the end, they decided it was corruption. Each student was one of the causes, and the stood in a line facing the audience, standing like dominoes. Below is the script we typed in class. Instead of sitting, they stood in front.
So all the causes of poverty stacked up, then corruption pushed the first one down, education, and they toppled to the stage floor. Education comes in and saves the day! Then we played the final verse of "Imagine" and sang along. It was so great.
I was also bursting with pride of my students because they were so well-behaved! They were much quieter than the other groups during the speeches-though not totally silent.
Something of a cultural difference here: my students observed that Americans get upset when you don't listen to what they are saying. Talking while the teacher was talking was common for them. I feel that in American schools, sitting quietly and not interrupting are really emphasize, which they don't seem to be in Brazil. SO having the quietest team during the speeches was really quite an accomplishment!
Then came the part I was so anxiously awaiting! Time for the final skits from the teams. Mine was the best, and other coaches said so too! A few of the teams didn't do the assignment and made videos for the coaches, or sang them a song. My students did their skit on "societal change" which was the theme of week 4. It was so great. Let me explain it, I don't have a video.
We made a pyramid of poverty, in which the students tried to identify the root cause of poverty in Brazil. In the end, they decided it was corruption. Each student was one of the causes, and the stood in a line facing the audience, standing like dominoes. Below is the script we typed in class. Instead of sitting, they stood in front.
Pyramid of poverty
NATHALIA: I´m sick.
LARISSA: Why are you sick?
NATHALIA: I´m sick because I´m hungry. (PEDRO sits on NATHALIA)
LARISSA: Why are you hungry?
PEDRO: I´m hungry because I´m poor. (LIRA sits on PEDRO)
ISA: Why are you poor?
LIRA: I´m poor because I don´t have a job. (PAULINO sits on LIRA)
ISA: Why don´t you have a job?
PAULINO: I don´t have a job because I can´t read or write. (ISA sits on LIRA)
MESSIAS: Why can´t you read or write?
JOÃO: I can´t read or write because I don´t have an education. (LARISSA sits on ISA)
MESSIAS: Why don´t you have education?
LOUISE: I don´t have education because corruption takes the money away. (CAMILA pushes everyone down)
CAMILA: I am so rich, I have the biggest house and best cars, the people are ignorant and can never defeat me!
JULIA: Education can save you all. When you are educated, you can make better choices.
REBHECA: Use your education to vote for better leaders!
I can have a job, I can eat, I can be healthy, I can read!
(Then, they all beat up corruption.)
(play “Imagine” by John Lennon)
I was also bursting with pride of my students because they were so well-behaved! They were much quieter than the other groups during the speeches-though not totally silent.
Something of a cultural difference here: my students observed that Americans get upset when you don't listen to what they are saying. Talking while the teacher was talking was common for them. I feel that in American schools, sitting quietly and not interrupting are really emphasize, which they don't seem to be in Brazil. SO having the quietest team during the speeches was really quite an accomplishment!
Wednesday, August 12, 2015
I was a Featured Fellow on the group's Facebook page
Today we begin with the reflections of US-Brazil Connect
Global Leader Fellow Emily Galas. Enjoy her reflections about her
experiences in coaching and the lessons learned by receiving the love of
her students. Thank you Emily for sharing your story.
"When I was accepted to the Global Leaders Fellows Program, I did not believe it at first. And to be honest, the more I learned about the teaching responsibilities of a Fellow, the more apprehensive I became. I do not have an education background, have never taken an education class or managed a group of teenagers! My team coordinator and education specialist assured me, “You were selected because of your skills and abilities. They know you can do it, and so do we.”
I studied Latin America in college, even taking a special course on Brazil. But no amount of reading could have prepared me for what I just experienced there. It might seem daunting to spend a month working and living so closely with a group of strangers, especially considering I was preparing to graduate from university as we were preparing. But when our team met at our hotel in Macieó, we were hardly strangers because of our Google hangouts and Facebook assignments. Our introductory weekend workshop in Denver gave us the chance to physically meet these people we had only met virtually, and to know them even better. We openly discussed our collective expectations and fears for the time abroad, but our varied backgrounds, team building exercises and time together prepared us to support each other.
When I arrived in Brazil, I was so nervous to meet my students. I was terrified that I would not live up to their expectations. All they knew about me was from video chats and Facebook posts. What if they don’t like me in real life? What if I can’t handle being in front of a class, with 24 expectant and eager eyes on me!?! As I learned more about the USBC model, I learned that the class isn’t about me. It was a group-led class, with me being integrated into the group, not directly leading it. Unlike a traditional teacher role, I’m not at the front the whole time.
It was a privilege to be a coach to all of them. Between transportation and time at school, they could spend 12 hours a day or more away from home. Considering other responsibilities, like homework or family, my students had very full days. Even so, their love greeted us every day. No matter how many buses they took to get there, or how wet they go in the rain, they entered class with smiles every morning.
I learned so much from my students, perhaps even more than they learned from me. They sacrificed their entire winter break to spend weekdays with us, learning English from native speakers. The amount of love and affection I received from my students and the community, I hope to share that same outpouring with others. I was also struck by the optimism of the Brazilians I came across. Many of my students viewed corruption as a huge problem looming over Brazil, but saw themselves as part of the solution. One student wants to be an officer in the national police, fighting corruption within the force. Another aspires to be a judge, pursuing corrupt politicians. This hope in the midst of other issues within Brazil somehow reinforces their faith and hope a way that Americans cannot readily comprehend.
Now that I have returned home, I feel a little colder and it’s not from the air conditioning. I didn’t know it was possible to grow to love a group of strangers so deeply in only a month, but that’s exactly what happened. I sincerely hope to return to Brazil and visit my students again. I may have a growing case of Brazil Fever….
"When I was accepted to the Global Leaders Fellows Program, I did not believe it at first. And to be honest, the more I learned about the teaching responsibilities of a Fellow, the more apprehensive I became. I do not have an education background, have never taken an education class or managed a group of teenagers! My team coordinator and education specialist assured me, “You were selected because of your skills and abilities. They know you can do it, and so do we.”
I studied Latin America in college, even taking a special course on Brazil. But no amount of reading could have prepared me for what I just experienced there. It might seem daunting to spend a month working and living so closely with a group of strangers, especially considering I was preparing to graduate from university as we were preparing. But when our team met at our hotel in Macieó, we were hardly strangers because of our Google hangouts and Facebook assignments. Our introductory weekend workshop in Denver gave us the chance to physically meet these people we had only met virtually, and to know them even better. We openly discussed our collective expectations and fears for the time abroad, but our varied backgrounds, team building exercises and time together prepared us to support each other.
When I arrived in Brazil, I was so nervous to meet my students. I was terrified that I would not live up to their expectations. All they knew about me was from video chats and Facebook posts. What if they don’t like me in real life? What if I can’t handle being in front of a class, with 24 expectant and eager eyes on me!?! As I learned more about the USBC model, I learned that the class isn’t about me. It was a group-led class, with me being integrated into the group, not directly leading it. Unlike a traditional teacher role, I’m not at the front the whole time.
It was a privilege to be a coach to all of them. Between transportation and time at school, they could spend 12 hours a day or more away from home. Considering other responsibilities, like homework or family, my students had very full days. Even so, their love greeted us every day. No matter how many buses they took to get there, or how wet they go in the rain, they entered class with smiles every morning.
I learned so much from my students, perhaps even more than they learned from me. They sacrificed their entire winter break to spend weekdays with us, learning English from native speakers. The amount of love and affection I received from my students and the community, I hope to share that same outpouring with others. I was also struck by the optimism of the Brazilians I came across. Many of my students viewed corruption as a huge problem looming over Brazil, but saw themselves as part of the solution. One student wants to be an officer in the national police, fighting corruption within the force. Another aspires to be a judge, pursuing corrupt politicians. This hope in the midst of other issues within Brazil somehow reinforces their faith and hope a way that Americans cannot readily comprehend.
Now that I have returned home, I feel a little colder and it’s not from the air conditioning. I didn’t know it was possible to grow to love a group of strangers so deeply in only a month, but that’s exactly what happened. I sincerely hope to return to Brazil and visit my students again. I may have a growing case of Brazil Fever….
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