Caroline: Reflecting on Sao Paulo

This past summer, I spent eight weeks in São Paulo, Brazil teaching English to elementary school children. I lived and immersed myself in a country I had never been to, had no knowledge of the official language, and only knew simple facts about through books. This internship was introduced to me by AIESEC, an international organization that matches interns up with opportunities abroad. 

Throughout my time in São Paulo, I lived with a host family—a 22-year-old Brazilian college student named Thais and her mother. During my stay, they introduced me to their extended family as well, and it was wonderful to be a part of a typical Brazilian household. Every Saturday, we went over to Thais’ grandparents’ home for dinner and ate the Brazilian national dish, called feijoada. Now one of my favorite dishes! In addition to feijoada, I was able to try so many other authentic Brazilian foods and exotic fruits. Eating is one of my favorite activities and is one of the best ways, I believe, people can immerse themselves into a culture.

Feijoada- yum yum!

For my internship, I worked at an elementary school called Colégio Mirassol. The faculty members were welcoming and the students were extremely friendly and enthusiastic. I worked with two English professors who taught various English levels to 2^nd through 9^th graders. Everyday, I went to class with them to lead grammar lectures, have conversations, and share my knowledge about American culture with them. However, despite the fact that I was their teacher, I ended up learning as much from them as they did with me. During recess and snack time, some of the students from the 6^th grade class were my teacher as well. Two girls in particular, Camille and Victoria taught me basic Portuguese, while we were having a conversation in English. Just as I had hoped to be a great influence and share my culture and language with these girls and their fellow classmates, these children made a big impact on me. They taught me not only their culture and language, but also their value for having a community and family.

Although my first day at work went well, transportation to and from there was not so easy. My schedule consisted of getting to and leaving work during rush hour, and at these times, being in the subway felt like being packed in a can of sardines. It was crowded and busy and quite frankly, really nerve-racking for a foreigner with so little knowledge of the country she was in. Nonetheless, despite difficulties such as these, I was able to adapt to the daily routines that simply helped give me the full experience of living in São Paulo. I was actually able to experience what it was like to live as a local.

My internship was a wonderful life experience. It was my first extended stay abroad, and further, my first time by myself abroad. 

Caroline is a Senior in Jonathan Edwards College.