Phase II – Part 2: The Students

The best part of the program is your interaction and connections you start to build with the students.  The coach/student relationship is not like a teacher/student relationship in the US.  First of all teachers in Brazil have a sense of connection with their students as many teachers are rather close to their students and have a vested interest in the well-being of their students.  They also have a closer relationship with parents.  I cannot say this happens in a larger city but in Joinville I felt this connection and type of relationship as very important to the success of the student.  Many of the students were friends with their teachers on Facebook as well as friends with other staff and school administers.   The teachers are still highly professional and hold their students accountable for their work but I believe there is a strong investment in the student because of this connection

As a coach we are not a teacher and not a peer, we are somewhere in between.  We build connections with the students but through fun student driven activities and engagement on their level.  Through the process we utilize the students are more engaged in learning.  Each week we challenge the students through project based activities using topics that interest them. Topics like heroes and hopes & dreams that inspire them and help them explore who they are but also that challenge them to express themselves more in English. 

Though I was not assigned to a specific group of students to coach, as I was the Team Coordinator, I did get to interact with all the students and spent many hours learning, singing, dancing, laughing and exploring together.  These students opened their hearts to me and I will never forget the incredible month I spent with each of them.  Prior to coming to Brazil I thought it was going to be difficult to relate to a 16 or 17 year old as I was not sure I had anything in common.  I quickly realized that when you open yourself up and let the child within come out to play that you have nothing to worry about and loads of fun.

Phase II - Part 1: Packing, Travel & Experience

Packing- that sometimes dreadful chore you must do before traveling where you do not know what to bring but you know that you want to keep it light and yet you end up packing 50 pds worth of stuff anyway.   Of course I was given a list of suggested items to bring, some of it seemed unnecessary and some seemed like common sense to me.  But I was going to be in Brazil for a month where the average temperature in Joinville for this time of year was 60 degrees.  That seemed rather cool and yet rather warm.  So I packed a light jacket and a raincoat and an umbrella.  I also packed a few outfits to wear, quick drying pants as I was going to a semi-tropical climate and apparently it rained a lot in Joinville in July.  I also brought enough socks and underwear to last me most of the month in case we had no access to laundry.  I also packed a kite, books, my yoga mat and plenty of tampons as I know most foreign countries either do not have them or they are really expensive.  I am not sure of the exact weight of my bags but they were heavy.  Thank goodness that when you fly to Brazil you get 2 bags at 70 pounds each on the plane so there were no overweight charges for me.

Travel Day- I was excited and nervous all wrapped into one.  I am thrilled to be meeting members of my team during the several layovers I had, I was nervous about traveling to a new country and figuring out where I needed to be when in an airport that I did not know and had know idea how to even ask in Portuguese. I honestly did not learn any Portuguese prior to leaving the country- Ha!   I was also really excited to experience Brazil.  So far the students and our local contacts all seemed wonderful and my team was really geared up and ready to go.

It was a long travel day though.  I left Denver at like 1:30 pm in the afternoon on a Saturday and arrived in Joinville at like 5:00 pm the next day.  I flew from Denver to Atlanta, Atlanta to São Paulo, São Paulo to Florianopolis and took a bus from Florianopolis to Joinville where we checked into a different hotel from the one we were told.   At that point I did not care what hotel I was at as long as I had a place to sleep I was happy.

The first few days- The first days in a new country sometimes are a struggle for me as I am getting used to how things work, new foods, new smells, and not understanding most of what people are saying since it is all in another language.  Plus you add being jetlagged on top of that!   No wonder my emotions seemed to be a little high.  I was feeling vulnerable, a little lost, excited, overwhelmed and eager to enjoy as much as I could.  As I reflect back on that time I also recognize how I wanted the comforts of home, I was feeling culture shock and I was surprised by it.

Joinville is an amazing city, nestled in between mountains with a thick German feel to the landscape and architecture.  I was not sure if I was in Brazil or in Europe but the view from my hotel window was amazing and it gave me a lot of peace at times just to look out and soak it all in.  I struggled to eat vegan though as most meals were meat and cheese and they put both in everything.  I could not live off of salads the entire month but I am was frustrated at times when I felt like I could not eat and supply my body with the nutrition it needed.  Once I figured out where the grocery store was and had access to a kitchen I was good to go on making sure I had enough to eat and plenty of good protein. 

Phase I - Lets Hurry up and Wait (The Brazilian Way)

After the leaders training we jumped right into selecting our Fellows through an application and interview process.  I wanted a team that was going to be flexible, adaptable and supportive as well as operate as one unit yet bring their diversity into the mix. Most importantly I wanted a team that was going to impact the students and embrace this new experience.  We were going to create a lot of this together as we were the first Global Leaders site to launch and this was sort of a pilot to see if the model worked.  The pressure was on to put a fantastic team together and yet I had never experienced the program to know how to select a great Fellow for it.  I had to trust what knowledge I had and in my international experiences.  I just jumped right in and thought -  here goes nothing!

The interviewing process was not hard, except for a few interviews I did parked on the side of the road in my car, on skype over my phone.  Dang Denver traffic just did not allow me to run to a meeting and get back in time between interviews and one fellow was calling in from Asia and up at like 3 am to make this interview happen.  I just did not want to miss her and I am glad I didn’t as she turned out to be an awesome Fellow on my team. I would soon learn that Denver traffic was like a joy ride compared to traffic in Brazil.

From there we started Phase I of the program: 8 weeks of distance learning through Facebook and Google Hangout with the Brazilian students.  It was a totally new experience doing assignments and building relationships through social media but over the course of 8 weeks it truly worked.    We had many laughs, many awkward pauses, technology that froze and friendships that were starting to form.

One of my favorite moments of the 8 weeks was the 2-day weekend workshop where my entire team came together in Denver to learn more about the program, expectations of our 4 weeks in Brazil and start building our team. It was a fun weekend of many games, laughter, conversation, lesson planning and eating.  Meeting the team for the first time I was surprised with how tall or short Fellows were as our Google Hangouts everyone seemed to be the same height. :P   I felt ready for Brazil and I was excited to be traveling with such a diverse group of people for 4 weeks and yet I still felt nervous as I was not entirely sure what to expect.

The fast moving train

I jumped on board of a fast moving train with US-Brazil Connect.  The organization is like an infant learning to walk but one of those happy infants that never really cries and is eager to learn and grow with the support of anyone offering.  The first weekend of training with all the other Team Leads I was both excited to be part of this journey but also slightly scared of it.  I looked around the room and was overwhelmed by the leadership that was present.  These leaders had such diverse backgrounds and life experiences and showed such confidence that I felt somewhat intimated by them.  I was thrilled to learn from all of them and add value based on my own experiences and it confirmed I was in the right place. 

I recall having a fear about being vegan and sharing this with all of them.  I recently had decided to be vegan based on many years of health issues. As I wandered down this new path I was not as support by family and friends as I thought I would be.  I was often ridiculed for the decision or people feared I would push it on them.   I was shocked by the responses I received.  I recognize now that I was not confident in my decision and wanted to feel confident it was the correct choice.  I was looking for evidence from family and friends as well as from other sources outside of me when all I needed really was to believe in myself.  Being vegan is important to my journey to Rio which you will se unfold through the process.

To my surprise that weekend I receive a ton of support from everyone around me being vegan, which again confirmed I was in the right place.  These were my people, they respected the decisions I made for me and I respected the decision they made for them.  What I have loved about US-Brazil Connect is the values they stand for: building creative partnerships on all levels of the organization and supporting each other in creating the best program through its individuals as well as creating an environment of appreciation.  At this time in my life I was truly realizing the power of appreciation and how your experience of life changes through gratitude. 

For some time I have been on a journey to find a sense of community, a place where I can thrive being who I am and a space where I can still stumble and fall on my way to being the best person I can be.  US-Brazil Connect has provided me this place and these opportunities, which I am truly grateful for.

It all Started with One Email

This journey begun in February of 2013 when I received an email through YNPN (Young Nonprofit Professional Network) Denver list serve that US-Brazil Connect was looking for Team Coordinators to work with American fellows coaching English to Brazilian high school students which included a one month trip to Brazil.  Normally I deleted these types of emails from the list serve as I had a job but I had a few friends looking for inspiring work with nonprofits and therefore I was keeping a closer eye to the jobs that were being posted. I forwarded this opportunity onto them and thought nothing of it for myself.  The next few days that followed I started to get the itch… you know the travel bug itch.  The passion I have for international education and going aboard on a project like was calling me on a deep level and I answered the call.

I took a look at the position, looked at my scheduled and said, “I think I can make this work.”  June and July are slow months for me as most of my fundraising events take place in the Spring and Fall.  I called a few clients to chat with them about this opportunity and all of them said I had to do it.  My clients know me well.  J

I applied, got an interview with Meg and was thrilled when she called to offer me the position.  I did not even have to think about it…I just said yes without really knowing if I could financially make it work.  I knew I was meant to do this and I knew the universe would take care of me in the end.  I had a full-out dance party in my apartment by myself to celebrate when I got offer over the phone from Meg.  I just could not contain myself.  I was going to Brazil!  A country that was not on my bucket list but would soon change my world, I just did not know it yet.