Catch A Wave-The Beach Boys

Saturday was a long day, but a great day!  The bus ride from Teresina to Luis Corriea took longer than expected (this isn’t unusual in Brazil.)  We arrived at our destination at 5:30 AM and were up and ready to visit a school by 8:00AM!  It started out as quite the party bus as there were a number of teachers from CCL and there was all kinds of music and dancing, though many of us slept most of the way.  Alex had arranged this trip for the CCL staff to correspond with Tami and I’s visit.  The trip was a reward for the teachers for their work on a cultural week the school hosted, as well as the opportunity to visit their sister school in Parnaíba.  A trip to the beach for a weekend sounds like a great professional development opportunity to me!

Our first stop Saturday morning was the CCL in Parnaíba.  We couldn’t stay long in classes because students were taking assessments.  It is the end of their first semester and students are completing final exams before their break for the month of July.  Despite a quick trip, we had some great interactions with students and teachers.  Some of the advanced students explained that they choose to attend CCL on top of their regular schooling or job because learning a second language provides them with better job opportunities.  One student also shared that she felt it was necessary because many journals and periodicals are written in English, if she is to have access to the best information in her field, it is imperative she learn English.

Once we left CCL, the fun began as we spent a beach day at the beaches around Luis Correia.  Everyone settled in at Carlitu’s Barraca under a thatched roof and we had a great time getting to know the teachers of CCL.  Centro Cultural de Linguas is a school dedicated to teaching languages.  They offer English, Spanish, French and Portuguese.  Students attend CCL in addition to their regular school or job and the students’ ages range from high school to adult.  The school is part of the public education system; therefore, it is free to anyone who wishes to attend.  There are 22 teachers at the school and English classes make up the majority of the program with 10 English teachers.  On this weekend trip about half of the CCL teachers were able to come and we had a blast getting to know Zilmar, Gildo, Daniel, Rildon, Remédios, Estella, Marcos, and Marcelo.

with the assistance principal at CCL

The beaches in Brazil are beautiful.  The sand is light, the water is turquoise, and the weather is perfect with hot sun and a slight breeze.  In northeastern Brazil, people don’t sit around at the beach the way we might be used to in the U.S.  No one brings a towel or lounge chair and sets up camp wherever they want.  Rather, there are little huts, restaurants and bars along the beach and you hang out there in the ubiquitous plastic tables and chairs.  You order some drinks, have some seafood, go in the water when you feel like, and always come back to your table and chairs.  What they say about Brazilian swimsuits is true, they are tiny.  However, self-conscious American that I am, I was expecting to feel uncomfortable and awkward and instead found myself feeling great.  Rather than everyone judging everyone else, as they would in the U.S., I felt no one judged anyone making everyone feel more comfortable.  Wear whatever you want and it’s good and you’ll look great-that seems to be the attitude and I can attest, it’s much better for people’s self-esteem.  By the end of the weekend I was thinking maybe I can even wear a Brazilian bikini in Rio…maybe :)

The beach bum crew

Enjoying the sunshine and waves

blue waves

About to eat crabs

fish lunch

nice view

 new CCL friends

sunset during the soccer game

After an afternoon at the beach, we headed down the road to watch the soccer game where I am happy to report, Brazil continued their winning streak with an exciting game against Italy.  Brazil won 4-2 which means they will play Uruguay in the semi-finals this Wednesday.

delicious dinner in Barra

After some showers and rest, (I took a nap in a hammock on the porch-it was massa!) we headed out for dinner.  We drove a ways down the beach to another beach called Barra (pronounced Baha) and ordered dinner around 11:30.  This may seem ridiculously late to Americans, but it’s pretty normal for Brazilians.  By the end of the drive back, we were all beat.