Fotos Fotos!

Mirror Selfie!

Sunny days were rare for a while and the kids
were really excited to be outside 

I'm pretty sure they make up a new rule every time they want to get
rid of another card but UNO is the favorite game.

I tried my best to get him to smile

Bathroom pictures

Centro Franciscano

I wish I had a good excuse for not posting sooner, I was sick for a while but the best thing that I can think of is that I've been busy falling absolutely in love with my job. I work at Centro Franciscano Pedro Chaves Barcellos helping teach kids English, doing art projects, and most importantly tying lots of shoes. Since the kids only go to school for half the day here, places like Centro are for them to be and participate in all the electives that they don't teach at school while they are there. Centro is run primarily by the four nuns that live on campus, one is the director, one the music teacher, one the art teacher and I have yet to see the fourth but I do know she exists. There are no religious classes but we do sing some sort of prayer every day before the kids eat, and it took me a while to realize that they weren't singing the same song every day considering I still am not completely sure what they're saying.

Group 2 with Their Eagle Art Projects

Gustavo and Luis

I spend the majority of my time with Group 1 which are the youngest kids from ages 6-10. The entire program has 3 groups up to ages 15 but so far it's easiest for me to work with the little kids because the older kids have more discussions that are harder to keep up with whereas the little ones are easy to help with the activities they do. As far as instant gratification, dance class is the most fun for me to watch, there isn't a lot of talking I just have to keep their shoes tied and some of the music is even in English! I do most of my talking with the kids during snack time where the cooks make all sorts of food. In the middle of the week, the food is smaller like a hot dog but on Mondays and Fridays, they get an entire meal normally with dessert in case they aren't able to eat a lot at home over the weekend. Other than dance, the kids participate in music, technology (which is just an hour of them getting computer time to play games), P.E., and art. I'm trying my best to learn all the songs they sing but since that isn't going as well as one would hope I mainly clap and hum. I play more of a supervising role in P.E. after being fought over my first week only for them to find out they didn't really want me on their soccer team anyways. I couldn't bring myself to knock over the kids like they were knocking over each other to get the ball so now I just watch. During art if we have a project I help with the things they aren't allowed to use like big scissors and the hot glue gun, and if it's a free day where nothing is planned I draw lots and lots and lots of flowers for them to color in.

Kids playing Simon Says in P.E.

I've started some great relationships with the kids, they are all so sweet and always want hugs and to give kisses on the cheek. I can't wait until my university Portuguese classes are over and I'll be able to go to work every day of the week!



Eu amo meu trabhalo! (I love my job)

Casa en Alvorada

I have been living in Alvorada for a week now and since I was finally allowed to wash the dishes the other night, I feel like I'm finally a part of the family. I live with my host mother Marines and her daughter Taina who is 20 and will turn 21 on the 17th of October so I'm super excited for our joint birthday party. I absolutely love having an older sister and I am now also an aunt to my niece Elena who is 3 and my nephew Thales who is 7 months. They live upstairs with their parents so they're around the house quite a lot and I even got woken up one morning by Elena who told me that it was time to wake up because "the whole world was awake but me".


Alvorada is one of the suburbs of Porto Alegre, the nearest big city. Because it's winter, the house is always freezing and I sleep with 5 blankets but I know it's going to be so nice to come inside to the cold when it gets hot in the summer. The food is so so so good, I have abandoned my gluten-free lifestyle for my new favorite breakfast - white bread with Doce de Leite. For lunch and dinner, we always have beans with either rice, pasta, or polenta and some sort of meat or vegetable to go with it.

I live close to the main road and I walk there in the morning to catch my bus to go to work. So far the bus system has been hard to master but thanks to my new favorite app, I know the bus times and I can follow along on my phone with where I am on the route so that I don't get lost.
I haven't done many touristy activities yet, I mainly hang out with the family or Taina and her friends who make cake spontaneously when they're bored which I think is the greatest thing on the planet. Today for Dia dos Pais (Fathers Day) we had a barbecue with all of her family who are all so nice but speak so fast especially when arguing over soccer teams. I cannot say enough how good the food is but I hope some of these pictures can do it justice.
Tomorrow starts my first full week at my host project and I hope to get comfortable enough to start taking pictures to share!

Se está sintiendo cada vez más en casa! (It's feeling more and more like home)

Finalmente Aqui

I arrived at the airport in Porto Alegre over 24 hours of traveling later to be welcomed by my in- country coordinator Anne, and the other two volunteers Suzanna and Steffan. We all got into the car, headed to a house out in the countryside headed towards the house where we would have our arrival camp. At the house I took a much needed shower and fell asleep only to be woken up for dinner which was delicious, not sure exactly what I was eating but I do know it was good, and right back to bed where I remember nothing for the next 11 hours. a cow made a noise that scared Suzanna half to death but I’m just glad that it wasn’t me who woke her up.

Friday morning I woke up to breakfast already being eaten and Eduardo , the ICYE Brazil President joining us for the day to show us around. First we went to see some of the lakes around the countryside where I learned that fences and signs do not have much influence over anything, and that capybaras (the huge guinea pig) can swim! From there we drove to a hike to a small sand formation that reminded me almost exactly of a mini Zion and southern Utah. The rocks were all sand and difficult to climb but we scrambled to the top and the view was beautiful.



Lastly on our tour we went to an ecological reserve where the main purpose of the workers is to preserve the swamp deer whose population is endangered in Rio Grande do Sul. There we climbed to the top of the observation deck and could see all the way to Porto Alegre, and to the edge of the mountains on the other side.

After lunch Eduardo left with Suzanna and Steffan and I went through some ICYE information and guidelines before doing an art project about our expectations of what the year ahead will look like. Mine was supposed to be in the shape of Brazil, but I’m not convinced. Before dinner we took a walk around the neighborhood, followed by many dogs, and passed a bar looking to sell a sheep that was 70 kilos, and I only know this because those words were written all over the side of the outside wall. Dinner was amazing as usual, so far I have not been hungry once, and we finished the night with card games and some jamaica (hibiscus) tea. Tomorrow I will meet my host family and on Wednesday I find out my project placement where I will be working for the next year!

É bom estar finalmente aqui! (It’s good to be finally here)

Brasil aqui eu venho!

Even though my last three days in Asheville felt like seconds more than hours, I realized this morning that even if I had all the time in the world it wouldn't have felt like enough - and then it means I wouldn't ever leave. So after many tears (knowing there will be many more to come) I am sitting at my gate in the Atlanta airport trying to think of what in the world I can do with my 7 hour layover in Orlando. So much love to all of you. 

Brasil aquie eu venho! (Brazil here I come!)

Consulado-Geral do Brasil em Atlanta

And the journey begins.
Early morning at the Brazilian Consulate with my mom and a cup of Starbucks coffee. Almost done with my visa application and will receive the final copy in my passport soon! T-20 days and I'm off. Probably should start packing :)

United Planet and ICYE Brazil

After realizing my heart wasn't in applying to college, and that staying home for another year would drive everyone in my house crazy, I started looking for other options after high school. I found a program called United Planet and looking through my host country options I settled on Brazil which can offer me new experiences as far as language and culture, while still being in the South American environment I love. So far I'm looking forward to the culture more than the language - my Spanish isn't as close to Portuguese as I thought.
For my senior project on the importance of bilingual education, I interned at a local bilingual preschool and continued to work there throughout the summer. This set up such a great foundation for the work I will be doing in Brazil, my host project will be in a school where I help out in English classrooms and anywhere else I can. I'm so grateful for all the support from my friends and family during this process, much love to you all.
T-21 days and counting!

ICYE Brazil Website
United Planet Website