A Day in the Life of a High School Administrator: Never Can Say Goodbye-The Jackson Five

It's hard to believe that our time is Teresina has come to a close. I can't believe how fast the time went. Twelve days seemed a long time to stay in one city and before I knew it, it was time for us to pack up and head on to Salvador where we would meet up with the rest of the TGC teachers to debrief. I think Tami summed up our feelings perfectly as she created her own word, Hapadness. It's a combination of happy and sad, happy for all of the times we shared, how much we learned and the people we met, sad to leave our new friends and a city we have really enjoyed.

Alex and his mom

Our final day was a busy one (what else is new?) We started off with a trip to the Department of Education where we met with the coordinator of a new program to send students abroad. The program, set to start in 2014, will train 1500 public school kids in languages and world issues. There will be an application process and then several hundred of the students will study abroad for one semester (five months) paid for by the state government. This program is paid for entirely by the state, a pretty big commitment to global education and outreach by Piauí. I think this really shows Brazil's determination to connect with the rest of the world, and I was very impressed that the state government would develop such a program. I only wish my own state would develop something similar as global education and travel are so important for one's personal development.

Trying a candied lime, everywhere you go, someone gives a small gift

After a quick stop at a local craft market, we headed to Alex's mom's house for lunch. This was the best meal I have had in Brazil. Alex's sister cooked us a homemade lunch of rice and beans, roasted vegetables, beef, and, of course, farofa. It was absolutely delicious! It was fun to meet Alex's mom and sister, family is so important in Brazil. Sadly, we couldn't stay longer as we had an appointment at the federal university.

We rushed across town to the federal university to meet with a conversational English class. This class is voluntary for any student that wants to work on their English. Remember, the federal universities are the best universities so the students here are all high achievers and hard workers (and also good test takers since that's what determines their acceptance.) This class was primarily comprised of students studying to become English teachers and our discussion with them was truly inspiring.

Great shirt for a future English teacher

We had an interview at a local newspaper and then headed to CCL to do some planning with Alex...or so we thought. In actuality the teachers at CCL threw us a going away party. It was so fun and great to spend time with everyone one last night. Everyone was so generous and we got our own CCL shirts and mugs commemorating our visit, and other amazing gifts. We learned a Portuguese phrase, até logo, which means "see you later." This is our motto because we hope to see everyone again, and it's our initials-Alex, Tami, Erica = até