2018-06-07
During Re-entry training, we talked a lot about telling our story. We discussed how people might not know what questions to ask, or might just want a short, generic answer without really understanding, or how people might not be interested at all. So what struck me most while doing my Capstone was how interested...
Read More2018-06-07
This was the first journal entry I wrote upon arriving in Brazil; my first time sitting on a Brazilian beach, my first attempts to ground myself in the place and actually understand that after endless orientation we’d actually made it to country! September: I am sitting on the beach, underneath an almost full moon (it’s...
Read More2018-06-07
I left for Brazil 8 months ago without any clear idea of what to expect. Of course I had hidden expectations going in, but now that I have lived there for an extended time, it has become weirdly difficult to put myself back into my head space of the end of August to remember what...
Read More2018-06-07
Some vocabulary essential to getting through the first couple months in Brazil: Esperar! — This means to wait, and I used it ALL THE TIME with my host sister. Ficar Presa/o — This means to be stuck. This could apply to a child in the mango tree or me as I sit on the ground...
Read More2017-11-23
The other day, my host father asked me what I talked about all day. I could only laugh, because I had no idea how to begin explaining the conversations I have most days. However, it is a little bit easier in English, so here is a random list of some conversations I’ve had in the...
Read More2017-09-24
Hello all! I have been told that I am very behind on the blog, so here are Sophie’s updates in one long swoop. On my host family: They’re the cutest! I have a mom (Lorena), dad (Vicente), a little sister (Dainara), and a younger brother (Manuel). Also a very cuddly and patient cat named Memo....
Read More2017-09-01
I have now been away from home for two weeks. However, it feels like it’s been much longer. These weeks of orientation have been packed with seminars, discussions, and group bonding activities, without giving us fellows very much time to breathe. The working theory is that our leaders were trying to keep us busy enough...
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