Fulbright, UEL, and ETA

Friday marked my three-month anniversary in Londrina. I can hardly believe it. Some days I feel like the time is flying by and some days it seems to move excruciatingly slowly.  Since it's already been three months, it's about time I explained exactly what I'm doing here (I do more than visit natural wonders of the world and jump around on trampolines, I swear!). So let me explain how I ended up here and what I'm up to.

My ticket to Brazil came as a Fulbright grant, for which I applied when I was still in Peru (waaay back in October 2010). The Fulbright program, which is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, provides grants for U.S. citizens to study, teach, and research in other countries, and brings non-U.S. citizens to the U.S. to do the same. The goal is to "increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries."  Oh, I realized that I've been remiss in stating that this blog "is not an official Department of State website, and that the views and information presented are my own and do not represent the Fulbright Program or the Department of State." There. It's officially not official. As if that needed clearing up.

So, based on my education, experience, and interest in teaching, I applied to Fulbright´s English Teaching Assistant  (ETA) program. In anticipation of certain upcoming world events (Brazil will host the World Cup in 2014 and the summer Olympics in 2016), Brazil is making a strong effort to expand the teaching and learning of English. Brazil is hosting one of the largest number of ETAs of all Fulbright countries this year - there are 30 of us and we've been assigned to work at various state and federal universities throughout the country.

While I had to specifiy Brazil as my country of choice during the application process, where exactly I would be placed in the country was up to the Fulbright Commission in Brazil. My destiny was the Universidade Estadual de Londrina (State University of Londrina), also known as UEL (pronounced 'well'). The majority of students come from within the state of Paraná.  UEL is large - roughly 20,000 students in all. I would compare it to UMass Amherst in size, quality of teaching, and general feel (although UEL has a prettier campus). One big difference between universities here and in the U.S. is that instead of taking the SAT once and filling out various college applications, students in Brazil have to take a separate university entrance exam for each school they are applying to. They also have to take the exam specific to the area they want to study (e.g. English, Biology, Law, etc.) in order to be accepted. Here are some pics of the school itself. 

The main walkway. It takes about 10 minutes to walk briskly from one side of campus to the other.

The Central Library

This is the building where the LEM Department has its office. 

Rachel and Lucas, two of the English professors and good friends of mine.

Institutional meals....Yum. I eat in the UEL cafeteria (the "University Restaurant") a couple of times a week. A meal costs R$3.60 or about $2USD. They always serve rice and beans, the meat and the salad change daily. 

As a Fulbright ETA, I have a part-time gig (a whopping 20 hours a week - yes, be jealous), working with the foreign language department (LEM – linguas extrangeiras e modernas), in  various ways. One of the biggest challenges so far has been figuring out exactly what and how to best support the learning of English and the exchange of cultural knowledge. As Fulbrighters, we aren't given many guidelines, which has been both a blessing and a curse. It took a lot of time to figure out how to best apply my specific skills and knowledge in a way that will also be beneficial to the students and teachers at UEL. 


My current schedule looks something like this. I'm a TA for a few different classes; this semester I worked with 1st and 2st year oral comprehension classes; next semester I'll work with Literature, Writing, and Post-graduate courses. I also teach two classes, a Digital Storytelling workshop for the 3rd and 4th year students and a Basic English class to low-level, first-year students. I also give monthly lectures on "current issues in the U.S." and lead extracurricular activities such as a Book Club and a Drama Club. Details on these in Part Two!


So, what do I do with those other twenty hours that I'm not officially "working"? I study Portuguese! I take salsa classes! I read books! I train for half marathons! I do all of those things that you wish you could do if you didn't work 40 hours a week. Yeah, sorry....


A few photos from the most recent monthly discussion. The topic was Immigration in the U.S.  Good stuff.

Small group discussion

A very short lecture and then a whole group discussion 

Thanks for the close up, Francielli!

Foz do Iguaçu

The last weekend in April, I traveled to see one of the new Seven Wonders of Nature - Foz do Iguaçu, or Iguazu Waterfall. Iguaçu is the second largest waterfall in the world, after Victoria Falls in Africa. They are located at the border of three countries - Brazil, Argentina, and Paraguay. I've never been to Niagara Falls, but I've heard that if you've seen Iguazu first, you won't be very impressed.

I took an overnight bus to Iguazu where I met three other girls from the Fulbright program. We are all living in different cities - Christina lives in São Jose do Rio Preto about 6 hours north of Londrina, Cynthia in Curitiba, the capital of Paraná state and about 4 hours from me, and Chelsea flew all the way down from Northeastern Brasil. Yep, so we were LC³. It was the first time we were all together since our orientation in São Paulo. We then traveled over to the town of Puerto Iguazu on the Argentinian side, where we had a reservation at Garden Stone Hostel (thanks for the great recommendation, Eliza!). After dropping our stuff at the hostel, we decided to go out and explore the town. The only issue was it was POURING. I'm not talking raining hard, I'm talking relentless, torrential downpour. Luckily, we had bought plastic ponchos from a guy at the bus station who had seen a good sales opportunity when four foreign travelers, blurry-eyed from overnight bus travel and confused about how to get from the Brasil side to the Argentina side, asked him for directions. I have to say, it was the best 2 bucks I've ever spent.

Heading into town, we stumbled upon a half indoor, half outdoor market with wooden stalls that sold olives, cheese, sausage, olive oil, etc. They also sold food - homemade empanadas, among other delicious goodies. We ended up spending a good four or five hours here, consuming endless empanadas and cervezas and sharing stories about life in Brasil. I have to say, that afternoon was one of my best moments here yet. We went out to do some shopping around the town (3 of the 4 of us ended up buying the same fleece in different colors - that heavy rain brought with it a frio that no one was prepared for). Where did we end up for dinner? Yep, back at our favorite market.


The next day dawned sunny and bright - perfect day for the park! The falls are actually a series of waterfalls and they can be viewed from two parks, one on the Argentina side and one on the Brazilian side. The Argentinian side has many more trails and viewing points, and we spent the entire day there. A long trail leads you into the park and we were itching with anticipation as we got closer to the falls that we would hear but not yet see. As we caught our first glimpse of the falls, Chelsea and I grabbed each other in excitement. It is truly an impressive sight. We walked along almost every trail and hit every viewing point of the falls. I was amazed at how close you can get! We also took a boat ride that gets you close to the bottom of the falls (and pretty wet!). Along the top section of the falls you can walk out to a point where the water comes together (they call it the Garganta del Diablo, the Devil's Throat) and rushes down one hole. The viewing platform is built so that you can stand on the very edge of the drop off. What a rush! Words truly don't do it justice, so check out the pictures and videos that I took in the slideshow below or on Picasa. We topped off the great day with an amazing dinner at a restaurant "La Vaca Enamorada," where the incredibly friendly owner took a liking to us.

Chelsea and Cynthia had an early bus back the next day, but Christina and I walked to the area called "Tres Fronteras," a place where two rivers connect and you can see Brasil, Argentina, and Paraguay on different shores. It was pretty cool! On the way back, before catching a bus back to Londrina, I had my first authentic mate in Argentina - a type of tea that Argentina is known for. It was three quick days, but definitely an unforgettable trip!



The full effect:

Flashback to Easter...

Ok, after a month+ break from the blog, I'm back to it! There is lots to catch up on. First, we'll flashback to early April. I spent Easter with my roommate's family in her small hometown of Manduri about three hours from Londrina, in the state of Sao Paulo. While I knew that Londrina is surrounded by farms and countryside, it was the first time I ventured out of the city and into the land of caipiras (country folk). On Thursday night we caught a ride with Bárbara's friend, João, who is from a nearby town and has a car. We arrived to Manduri around midnight, and I was expecting to say hi to the family and go straight to bed. But when we arrived, everyone was fully awake, dressed, and ready to go. I was surprised to hear that we were going out for pizza at midnight! But I guess it's not unusual in Brazil. So I found myself at 1:00am in a pizza place (we ate at this restaurant two more times while I was there), surrounded by people who all seemed to know us (ah, small town life). By the next day, word had gone 'round town that "there was an American(!) staying at their house." It was funny to be the talk of the town.

Breakfast with the family
(minus one brother)

Bárbara's family was extremely welcoming to me. Her father is a biology teacher and her mom is, in addition to a wonderful artist, the Brazilian Martha Stuart. Bárabar's two younger brothers still live at home and are in school. As I mentioned in a previous post, Bárbara spent to years in Westwood, MA as an au pair. During that time her Mom came to visit for about a month and they traveled all over New England. They even went to Vermont! It was fun to hear about their experience (her mom LOVED Dunkin Donuts muffins!) and reminisce with them about some of my favorite places.




We spent Friday relaxing and preparing for an all-day family affair of eating and drinking. Bárbara's mom is an excellent cook and prepared two delicious dishes, one of fish and the other of shrimp. They were both delicious. At a relative's house I also tried bacalhau, a traditional dish served on holidays that is made of dried salted cod (ew), potatoes, eggs, peppers, olives. It was only 11:00am and I reeeeally wasn't in the mood to try it, but I wanted to be a polite guest and so choked it down. The rest of the day was spent at their house, chatting with friends and relatives, and of course, eating and drinking.

Beautiful lake where we went for the nature walk.

The following day, I went on a nature walk with Bárbara and her father, a high school biology teacher. It was local park with a lovely pond for swimming and boating, a picnic/bbq area, and some nice trails running through the woods. Her father was a great guide, filled with lots of interesting facts and tidbits of information. The weather, as you can see, was absolutely perfect. That night I went to another churrasco (bbq party) and met many of Bárabara's childhood friends. Everyone was extremely patient with my faltering Portuguese - I still can't get over how nice everyone is here.

Instant friends!

The Easter tradition in Brazil, instead of Easter baskets, are gigantic chocolate eggs, filled with more chocolate inside. Parents hide these and the kids search for them. Bárbara's parents had bought each of us an egg (and some for the cousins who live next door). It made me feel like a kid again to be searching their yard for my pink colored egg. It was wonderful to get out of the city for a weekend, and to spend it in such a relaxing place. While I missed Easter with my own family yet again (although we did have a group Skype!), it was nice to be able to spend it with my Brazilian family. (Side note: They just came to Londrina for Mother's Day, and Bárbara's mom stocked our freezer with food that she had prepared for us. Everything came in two's - one for Bárbara and one for me. How nice is that?!)

Here's a slideshow of the whole weekend.

Couch Surfing Londrina

Last weekend was filled with activities, as I hung out with a new group of friends that I met through Couch Surfing. For those that aren’t familiar with Couch Surfing, it’s an online network of people that are willing to host travelers that are visiting their city. Basically, if you are travelling to Londrina (or Cusco, Peru, or anywhere in the world), and you have a profile on the site, you can look up members living in that city who are willing to host you for free. More than being just a free place to stay, your host will show you an insider’s perspective of the city, helping you feel like less of a tourist.

Like a lot of people, at first I was a bit skeptical of the whole concept. Who would want to sleep on a strangers couch and/or allow strangers to sleep on their couch? It’s probably not something I would do if I were traveling or living by myself. What I like about it is that you can decide your level of participation. For example, if you’re not so comfortable hosting people, you can say, “sorry, I don’t have a couch, but I’m happy to meet you for coffee and give you some tips on things to see while you’re here.”

I was first exposed to the group while living in Cusco. During my last few months there, my roommate Kasia and I hosted a few people - a group of crazy Argentinians, a very sweet Canadian couple, and two Japanese girls who had just embarked on a year-long, round-the-world trip, starting in South America (and who made us sushi!). After meeting couch surfers in multiple countries, I’ve realized that it’s more of a community than anything else. Everyone that I’ve met has been polite, kind, and respectful. They like to travel, meet new people, get out and enjoy a variety of activities. I’ve realized that to buy into the Couch Surfing concept, you need to believe that people are fundamentally good and trustworthy. It can be a rare thing to find these days.

When I got to Londrina, I looked up the Londrina Couch Surfing community, figuring it would be a way to meet new people. They were busy organizing what is called an “Invasion,” when one city hosts couch surfers from other cities for a weekend of activities. I had arrived just in time. Note: a number of the group members speak some level of English, but mainly they speak in Portuguese. It has been a fantastic way for me to practice!

Last Friday evening, the weekend kicked off with a happy hour at BarZera overlooking Lake Igapó. The bar had a huge patio with nice lounge areas and a lovely view of the city. It kind of felt like a roof-deck bar in DC, but with a better view. I had no idea such a swanky place existed in Londrina! Of course, then I had to explain to the group what swanky meant, and it became the word of the weekend.

Saturday I attended my first authentic Brazilian barbeque! It was held at a chácara (small farm) outside of Londrina. The “farm” isn’t really anything except a piece of land with a small guest house, patio, pool, and bbq set up, used for nothing other than having churrasco (barbeque). The day was, like most days, sunny and warm, and we spent the afternoon grilling assorted meats, drinking caipirinhas, and playing in the pool. Some people continued the party later that night at a bar, but by then I had had my fill of caipirinhas and practicing Portuguese for one day.

Sunday afternoon was tranquilo, spent relaxing in the park on the shore of Lake Igapó. It was a truly idyllic place to spend a Sunday afternoon, watching people as they enjoyed Sunday walks along the lake. There were even some jet skis out on the lake.

I’m excited to have found this group of friends and look forward to more activities with them. 

JUMP!

I have a new hobby here in Brazil. A couple of weeks ago, I was exposed to the Brazilian phenomenon known as JUMP. What is JUMP, you ask? JUMP is an aerobics class found at most gyms here in Londrina. Each person in the class gets his or her own personal trampoline (ok yeah, HER own trampoline). Next, envision Richard Simmons-like aerobics moves, but while bouncing. It is truly a sight to behold. There was, of course, American club music playing at top volume as seems to be the preferred musical choice in most places in Londrina. Is it fun? Oh, yes. Did I feel ridiculous while doing it? Double yes. Is it challenging? Yes, particularly for coordination-challenged people like me. Is it a good work out? The next day I felt muscles in my calves that I never knew I had.  It’s no TBC at the Glover Park WSC with Cara Cain, but it’s a fun way to get the blood pumping.

That class made me reminisce about my last international gym experience. In Peru I took a “Full Body” class (why would they bother to call it something in Spanish anyway?) where the hardcore female firefighter instructor would scream “SIGUUUUUEEEEE!!!!” (Keep goiiinnnngggg!) at the top of her lungs as I frantically, spastically punched and kicked at the air, trying not to trip over the step in front of me. And I learned the hard way not to take an aerobic dance class with a bunch of Latinas. Not exactly a boost to the self esteem first thing in the morning.

Luckily, Brazil has JUMP. You have to watch this video to fully understand the JUMP experience. And picture me bouncing away on my trampoline, grinning like a fool.

Sunday Market

On Sundays there is a really great market a few blocks from my house. Last week my friend Vinny, who is a student at UEL, showed me around. You can buy all sorts of fruits, vegetables, meats, coffee, spices, rices, beans, flowers, and on and on...The produce is so much cheaper here than in the U.S. It makes for great smoothies and juice (in my new blender!). One of my favorite combinations is papaya and banana. Maybe one of these days I´ll expand my "cooking" skills beyond what I can make in a blender. Until then - lots of smoothies!

So many fruits!

Rice and beans - a Brazilian staple

Coffee - a Lauren staple

Funky lookin´ fruits...

that were super sweet and delicious!

Fresh coconuts!

A faceless Vinny and his coconut.

What does that funky-looking fruit look like inside?

ah ha!

You eat the white flesh, which is very sweet, and spit out the big black seeds. A yummy treat! 

New digs...

Me and Vera in the pool

After spending nearly two weeks at Vera´s beautiful house (and pool!) in the suburbs, last week I moved into an apartment in the city center. I´m one block off the main drag and a short walk to the downtown shopping area. The apartment was offered to me by one of the other English professors whose relative had just moved out. It worked out perfectly because the place came completely furnished (not the most modern choice of furnishings, but I can´t complain). I´m quite grateful for not having to buy anything, except a blender - a totally worthwhile investment.

My roommate is a 26-year old Brazilian girl who teaches English at one of the language centers here. She learned English while working in the U.S. for two years as an au pair in Westwood, MA, which is only 20 minutes from where I grew up. Talk about a coincidence! She works a lot and studies at a university outside of Londrina, so unfortunately we don´t see much of each other.

Here are a few snaps of the new place. We don´t have internet at home yet, which is why I´m behind in my blogging.

View from a window

View from another window

Where I keep my clothes

Where I sleep

Like I said, not exactly modern funiture, but it works!

Bárbara making rice

 My favorite part of the apartment might be the laundry area. Call me crazy. But after a year of washing my clothes mostly by hand and then having to wait three days for them to dry (in Cusco), I am SO PUMPED about our washing machine! I am even more excited about this neat-o drying rack that lowers from the ceiling. You hang up your wet clothes and then raise the rack so it´s out of the way. The best part is that the clothes dry in an hour or two! It´s amazing! Bárbara, my roommate, thinks I´m crazy and that the novelty of doing laundry will wear off after a few more times. We´ll see!