We all sit in anxious anticipation as, one by one, we leave for our different internship destinations. We have waited a long time for this day to come, but we are also sad to be leaving each other for a month or so. Our internship decisions were made when we were in Brasilia, and they all sounded like they should fit each person to their interests. Four people went to Pontal do Sul to either do marine animal research or tackle conservation and resource management issues. Two went to the Atlantic forest to do bird research, one went to Foz do Iguacu, and another went to a wildlife rehabilitation center. I decided to stay in Curitiba and take the environmental education internship where I would be able to teach school age children about the importance of gardening and composting. I felt this was a good match for me because I don't see myself going into research in the future and I thoroughly enjoy teaching others about environmental issues (take Recycle Kingsville Day for example).
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I believe there really are two parts to the internship section of the program. The first is what you get out of the internship, in other words, what we learned and how can we apply it to our lives in the future. I had no idea what to expect as I walked in to the first elementary campus that we work at, but once I saw the kids, I knew I was in the right place. Just to get an idea of where we work, here is a picture of our compost bins, a.k.a. our office.
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We also talked about weeding, watering and composting with the kids, although briefly. It was very encouraging to see how interested they were in the garden because that just makes it easier to reinforce the concepts later on. I and my work partner, Anderson, started planning games this week that we can play with the kids as well. Hopefully we will be able to implement these games in the coming weeks! I feel like if we keep working hard like we have been, the first part of the internship will be fulfilled.
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The second part of the internship, I feel, is how immersed you become in Brazilian culture. This will be different for everyone because of the varied internships, but in general I believe this is a very important factor. This month I am living with Bruno (the coordinator at my home base office), his brother and his cousin. They are very hospitable and respectful, and they love showing off their culture to me. This weekend I went to Bruno's hometown with him (Paranagua), which is only about two hours away from Curitiba, and met all of his crazy friends there! I felt as though I was with the kids again considering how amazed they got when I spoke English. We also had some fun slack lining, which is where you stretch a strap between two trees and try to walk across it. It was too much fun to even explain; you have to try it for yourself!
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Even though I could barely speak with his friends and his family, I felt as though I had already been part of his group for a long time. I have found that Brazilians are always welcoming and warm, beautiful inside and out. Just in this first week of the internship, I feel that I have learned more about what Brazil is really about. Now instead of just thinking about the rainforest when I picture Brazil, I will have a very different image. If it continues to go this way, I believe I will fulfill the second portion of the internship.
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The only frustrating thing I have found so far is the language barrier. I knew going in that it was going to rough, but the brain really can only take so much. At the end of the day, my mind has gone to mush with all the Portuguese I have been trying to learn and retain. But as long as I keep chipping away at the wall, I will soon break through, and this will be a glorious day!!
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And just as a last note, here is one more picture I took during a walk one day. I just liked the graffiti, but pay attention to the top right-hand corner:
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I believe there really are two parts to the internship section of the program. The first is what you get out of the internship, in other words, what we learned and how can we apply it to our lives in the future. I had no idea what to expect as I walked in to the first elementary campus that we work at, but once I saw the kids, I knew I was in the right place. Just to get an idea of where we work, here is a picture of our compost bins, a.k.a. our office.
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We all know that kids get excited with the smallest things, but I didn't expect the reaction that I got from them when I told them I was from the United States, and Texas to top it off. Their eyes got wide and it didn't take them long to come up with tons of questions to ask me. Unfortunately I couldn't answer them all because of the language barrier, but they were happy enough with knowing how to say their names in English. Once the excitement kind of died down, we were able to do a hands on lesson about the garden. They had already planted corn a few weeks back, so now each one of the students got to plant a bean seed.
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| Students asking for bean seeds |
We also talked about weeding, watering and composting with the kids, although briefly. It was very encouraging to see how interested they were in the garden because that just makes it easier to reinforce the concepts later on. I and my work partner, Anderson, started planning games this week that we can play with the kids as well. Hopefully we will be able to implement these games in the coming weeks! I feel like if we keep working hard like we have been, the first part of the internship will be fulfilled.
-
The second part of the internship, I feel, is how immersed you become in Brazilian culture. This will be different for everyone because of the varied internships, but in general I believe this is a very important factor. This month I am living with Bruno (the coordinator at my home base office), his brother and his cousin. They are very hospitable and respectful, and they love showing off their culture to me. This weekend I went to Bruno's hometown with him (Paranagua), which is only about two hours away from Curitiba, and met all of his crazy friends there! I felt as though I was with the kids again considering how amazed they got when I spoke English. We also had some fun slack lining, which is where you stretch a strap between two trees and try to walk across it. It was too much fun to even explain; you have to try it for yourself!
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| Slack lining in Paranagua |
Even though I could barely speak with his friends and his family, I felt as though I had already been part of his group for a long time. I have found that Brazilians are always welcoming and warm, beautiful inside and out. Just in this first week of the internship, I feel that I have learned more about what Brazil is really about. Now instead of just thinking about the rainforest when I picture Brazil, I will have a very different image. If it continues to go this way, I believe I will fulfill the second portion of the internship.
-
The only frustrating thing I have found so far is the language barrier. I knew going in that it was going to rough, but the brain really can only take so much. At the end of the day, my mind has gone to mush with all the Portuguese I have been trying to learn and retain. But as long as I keep chipping away at the wall, I will soon break through, and this will be a glorious day!!
-
And just as a last note, here is one more picture I took during a walk one day. I just liked the graffiti, but pay attention to the top right-hand corner:
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| "God is the unique way" |
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