Salvador is beautiful. As we are in our last week in Brazil, there was not better place to end our journey. Here I was able to taste, feel, see, smell the rich history of the country and its diversity. Brazil has a long history of slavery, Portuguese Imperialism, and even many Confederates moved to Brazil after the Civil War. It is a mosaic of color and global influence. It was dressed in its funnest finery for the festival of St. James. And, then it was time to go. Eighteen days. I've connected with teachers and as the year progresses we will connect our students in a variety of ways. We'll investigate a different culture through song and literature, we'll examine each other's perspectives, we'll communicate via the majic of internet, and perphaps students will act in some way that impacts the future of humanity and the planet.
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My travel partner and I lost count of how many pieces of banana cake we consumed in Nova Campina. It's an upside down cake made with bananas grown right in Nova Campina.
A beautiful weekend with Brazilian BBQ and a trip up the mountain with several teachers from the Nova Campina school. A pic nic up top and a family dinner provided a relaxing weekend before we went to see students. It's beautiful and not much unlike Georgia. Lush green pastures, agriculture, and most interesting--red clay. Students often asked what students were like in the U.S. They are the same. Different language, different places on the planet, same drama, same love of music, dance, love, fun. We face similar challenges in keeping students engaged and in school. Brazil offers many more paths for education that we do right now in the States. Federal Institutes offer flexible hours and vocational training although they are located primarily in large city centers. Places like Itapeva and Nova Campina do not have as many options. Technology is available and the teachers work to provide every opportunity for their students to dream, plan, prepare, and reach those dreams. Many students dream of coming to America. A little over a two hour flight from Brasilia to Sao Paulo then a three hour car ride saw us safely to Itapeva. As was the case all throughout Brazil, we received a warm welcome with, of course, local food. On our last day before heading north to Salvador, we visited a fabulous school in Itapeva. We met an English teacher who used American songs to teach students the language. They played guitars, sang, danced, and created posters with lyrics for other students to see. This school had a student who was hearing impaired, so they got together with the staff and began teaching sign language. The chorus sang a song while signing. It was quite beautiful. We visited several classrooms and saw science fair projects and how the students are learning about environmental issues so crucial to their country. We observed a theatre class performing shadow plays. Finally, we sat on a panel for the student body. Select students had prepared thoughtful questions to ask us about schools and students in America and did so in English. While we are accustomed to people everywhere speaking English that is not the case in Brazil, especially outside city centers. English Language learning is mandated by law, and the United States does a great deal to support that effort. Organizations through the US State Department design and distribute lesson plans, materials, and even video games for students of all levels.
We visited many schools, and received warm welcomes at all of them. Students in Brasil are big fans of the United States and our pop culture although they have a vibrant and beloved culture of their own. They celebrate both. I'm not certain I have done Brasilia justice, so I'm going to add a bit here. There is no denying the communist influence in the architecture and the planning of Brasilia. The buildings are all stark and geometric. Starkly geometric. The monuments don't really harken to grandure as much as utiliarianism and an effort to be unlike anything from the past. A new era, so to speak. There were definitely some design flaws. In particular, the city was built to accommodate about a half a million people; there are three million living in and around Brasilia now. That has caused serious issues with infrastructure and transporation from the outlying communities that sprung up out of necessity. While many things struck me about Brasilia, I must say that it was the monument that paid tribute to the works who built it that stayed with me. That is the souvenir I brought back from Brasilia--a small replica of this monument. It sits proudly in my classroom. See below for more images of Brasilia. The more you travel, the more you realize we are all more alike than different. In the Southeastern United States, we express our love through food. "Help your plate!" "Don't you want some more?" "Let me fix you something!" In Nova Campina, it is the same. My new friends are so happy to share their lives and culture with me; I feel right at home. Every school we visited offered café, hot chocolate, banana cake. When we had a break--more food. And, what is so wonderful is that the teachers and many of the students' parents cooked food for us. Cakes and cakes and cakes. Chicken pie, rice and beans, and more cake. Traditional Brazilian dishes--homemade---and more cake. Did I mention that we had cake? All made with love. I have eaten everything offered to me not only out of politeness, but out of a hope that all the meals will allow Brazil to get inside me and stay a while.
This is a traditional Brazilian BBQ. A skillfully made charcoal fire in a deep brick pit holds different levels if skewers and racks. On the right is grilled garlic bread, chicken wings, lamb on a stick, and sausage. On the left is beef and sausage. What is so fabulous about Brazilian BBQ is the simplicity of flavors and spices. The beef with that succulent layer of fat is only seasoned with salt. A special salt that is extremely course, much chunkier than typical Kosher salt. The sausage is also seasoned very little, if any. The lamb has some garlic and parsley. The chicken wings were marinated in a little lemon, garlic, onion. This feast was served with what we would call potato salad and an interesting dish of fried cassava flour with chunks of meat. the American who went up a mountainThe school in Nova Campina is open to the community on Saturdays. Students who work and cannot attend school during regular weekday hours have classes on Saturday. The grounds are open for games and adult education. So, when we arrived early Saturday morning, the school was alive with activity. And, we were off. A school bus filled with new friends excited to explore a new region of Nova Campina that Julian--the Geography teacher--discovered. I wrote a bit about our fearless bus driver in the previous entry. The views were stunning, and the clouds were so close as if you could reach out and touch them.
This is the biggest bad a** driver there is when it comes to driving a school bus two hours up curvy mountain dirt roads--logging roads really, with cliffs on one side sometimes, jungle on either side most of the time. She is the WOMAN! She is also a gracious host. After our excursion to the top of Nova Campina, she invited us into her home for refreshments. This included wonderful Brazilian coffee, cassava, and homemade cheese.
I saw a natural Brazil today. No concrete. No steel. No cars. No buildings. No billboards. Just nature as far as the eye could see. Crystal clear and cool waterfalls. Lush vegetation enveloped us as we made our own path through the forests. I got to sit and reflect high atop a cliff rock facing, and the wonderful people of the school packed us a delicious picnic of chicken pie, sandwiches, sweet bread. It was a fabulous day immersed in Brazilian culture with my new friends. |
Jayme Holaway HicksMs. Hicks is a 12th grade Language Arts and Advanced Placement teacher at Peachtree Ridge High School in Suwanee, Georgia. Archives
October 2015
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