Maureen writes:  We are in the final stretch of student teaching abroad! In 2 weeks from today we will be back in Massachusetts! For me it is bittersweet. I have met some of the nicest people who have given me good information. However, I am also ready to go home and see my family and friends. Today marks 99 days until the summer Olympics opening ceremony. You can definitely feel the excitement in the air and at school! At school the students (and teachers) got a nice treat. The Olympic torch was at school and the students got to hold it and so did the teachers. It is something I will remember for the rest of my life! Seems like we have been here during a very historic time here in Rio. I have attached some pictures of the class,the torch itself, and myself holding it. If anyone is interested in exploring this beautiful city and they want to see the Olympics ,you won’t need a visa and I highly suggest coming to see this city.

This week in the upper school I am working on making a lesson plan for 2 of his classes of freshmen. I am giving them a social studies review lesson on American imperialism (interesting their ‘take’ on America!). Today we collaborated and made a lesson plan which will be interactive and engaging. Next week my teacher will be out for 3 days as he is traveling with the softball team so I will be taking over for a couple days next week. This past weekend the school had Thursday and Friday off because of a holiday, Maureen and I decided to travel 3 hours to an island called Ilha grande. The weather was beautiful and the views were absolutely amazing. We decided to stay one night and we enjoyed the beautiful beach and sunset. I am glad we traveled although we wish someone who spoke the language came with us because of the language barrier (not many Brazilians speak English). Overall it was a interesting experience to say the least. It was nice that our bed and breakfast had its own beach and we got to listen to the waves crash ashore and it was really cool outside, something we are not used to when sleeping at our host mom’s apartment. It was a nice change to get away from the city. This weekend we plan to do some more adventure seeking which I’m excited about. 

Yesterday we went to the famous Jesus statue. We went pretty early around 8:30 because we heard it gets really crowded throughout the day. the ticket for an adult is R68,00. Maureen and I both walked to the train station because it is a 15 minute walk from where we live. The train to the top of the mountain leaves every 20 minutes. We got on about 9 and it took 20 minutes to get to the top. On the train you go through the forest and are able to see some wild life and beautiful views. When we got up there you had to continue going up a couple flight of stairs. We stopped and got something to eat on the mountain and began taking photos of our view. It was quite spectacular! The statue itself is amazing. Just being up there is an experience of a lifetime. There were a lot of tourists which kind of made it difficult to take pictures of you and the Christo, however, we did take some beautiful pictures while we were up there. You are able to see the ocean, the whole city of Rio, other mountain ranges, the marina, and many other beautiful sites. We were up there for about an hour and after we looked around in the souvenir shops that were located on the mountain. When we got back on ground we walked down the street to this huge market that consists of fresh veggies, fruits, typical Brazilian drinks and foods, jewelry, clothes, accessories and many more. It is a tradition in Laranjeiras (the neighborhood where we live) that this market happens every Saturday. It was quite the market! Today Maureen’s sister is coming in from Boston so we plan on meeting up with her and her boyfriend and are ready to enjoy another fun week with them here in Rio!

flowers at the market

This week I’ve been in a new setting in the upper school in the resource room. The teacher is a fellow American from NYC, he has 8 years of experience in special education. The room is small, he has 12 students total. One of his classes has only about 8 students at the most. He is really nice and easy going and already has me working with the students on a program called power reading. The students are awesome they have no problem asking me questions and letting me work with them. This past weekend we went to the beach and went out with Rosana’s friend to a restaurant in Gavea. We also attended a Christian church with Rosana’s roommate, it was very interesting but extremely long, 2 and a half hours! It was the first time we took the public bus somewhere. We went to a beautiful Marina on Sunday that had beautiful boats and views we walked a little and ended up at a fair with traditional Brazilian foods and music. I am looking forward to this weekend because I believe we are going to the Christo! Yesterday I went to a shopping mall in Botafoga which has 4 floors and is a beautiful mall with very nice stores.

This week I’ve been in a new setting in the upper school in the resource room. The teacher is a fellow American from NYC, he has 8 years of experience in special education. The room is small, he has 12 students total. One of his classes has only about 8 students at the most. He is really nice and easy going and already has me working with the students on a program called power reading. The students are awesome they have no problem asking me questions and letting me work with them. This past weekend we went to the beach and went out with Rosana’s friend to a restaurant in Gavea. We also attended a Christian church with Rosana’s roommate, it was very interesting but extremely long, 2 and a half hours! It was the first time we took the public bus somewhere. We went to a beautiful Marina on Sunday that had beautiful boats and views we walked a little and ended up at a fair with traditional Brazilian foods and music. I am looking forward to this weekend because I believe we are going to the Christo! Yesterday I went to a shopping mall in Botafoga which has 4 floors and is a beautiful mall with very nice stores.

This past weekend on Saturday we went to the school for their international day where all nationalities come together in celebration. There were performances put on by the students and there were many booths of all the different cultures. It was really fun and interesting to be apart of. Later we went shopping at a mall and went to different stores, and tried on clothes with our host mom. It was a lot of fun! Later that night we went to a samba. There was music, drinks and dancing. It was very different but we had so much fun we went with our host mom, her niece, and her roommate. On Sunday we went to the Botanica Garden, which is a famous garden here in Brazil, so much to see and the sites were breathtaking. This week in school I am starting to co-teach with my teacher on lessons regarding medieval China and Japan. Today the middle school principal is coming to observe my teaching. Next week I start in the upper school in their resource room. (Special Ed). Today when we were walking into the school we saw 2 monkeys in the trees! It was so fascinating, I thoug it was a great start to our day! The weather has been extremely hot and without an A/C at the house it gets really miserable. But we have been trying to make the best of that situation. We take taxis everywhere and we go to the grocery store once a week to buy food, because the breakfast they offer at the school in the morning is just bread, cheese and slices of fruit. It is getting expensive so I am trying to budget my funds more. Overall, it has been an awesome experience teaching here in Brazil!

On Sunday Mckenzie and I went to the Botanical Garden and it’s so beautiful. I will attach some pictures from this fun filled weekend!