Farewell Colegio Santa Ursula Brazil

Oh the tears that we shed saying goodbye to our friends at our Brazilian sister school! On Friday, the elementary school students prepared a wonderful goodbye assembly for us. The children dressed in traditional Brazilian colors and costumes and performed traditional Brazilian songs as a fond farewell to our delegation. They also sang "What a wonderful world" in English. We could not help but cry as it was so very sweet and so touching! They even had a teeny tiny Texas Cowboy and a teeny tiny Carmen Miranda in our honor. The children sang beautifully, asked us questions about Dallas and then hugged each of us warmly at the end of the performances. They made it very hard to say goodbye!! Thank you for a beautiful send-off!!

Last night in Lima

Last night our Peru delegation was able to reunite after a couple of unexpected days of school closings. All of the host families the chaperones and our delegates came together for a night of festivity and celebration. The group attended a dinner show of traditional Peruvian song and dance. The food, laughter and entertainment were abundant. Although our delegation had some challenges in terms of changes of schedule, the visit to Lima and to Colegio Santa Ursula was a huge success thanks to the warm hospitality of our hosts. Muchas Gracias!!

Farewell Beijing

Our China delegation is now on the way back to Dallas but the memories of life and friends and Beijing will last a lifetime. On Friday, the students at Huaxia held a "farewell party" which included student performances, singing together and laughing about the fun memories made over recent days. It was a lovely way to bid farewell to Beijing Huaxia Girls' School.

Our Dallas students enjoyed one last Saturday with their host families. The families took them to many wonderful places and also invited them to some spectacular farewell meals. This was definitely a life-changing experience for our students and we can't thank our dear friends at Huaxia enough for their fantastic hospitality! We  already miss you and are waiting for you in Texas!

Portinari museum visit & Chocolate factory

On Thursday afternoon, our Brazil delegation visited the home of the famous Brazilian artist, Cândido Portinari. Portinari was one of the most important Brazilian painters as well as a prominent and influential practitioner of the neo-realism style in painting. His home, located about an hour from Ribeirao Preto, is now a museum. It is a very special place because it gives an insight into the painter's life and worldview.

After the visit to the museum, our delegation stopped by a local chocolate factory and store in Ribeirao Preto. The students learned all about the process of making and selling chocolate from Lea, the owner of the factory. The tour ended with free samples of chocolate and it was Oh so delicious!!

Final School Day in Vannes

Our final day at the school in Vannes was packed once again. The students and teachers met early in the amphitheater to complete final preparations for the presentation about Ursuline, Dallas, Texas and the USA. Gifts were given to the school, Manuel Krzyzosiak, and Véronique Gobin. The students did a wonderful job of explaining their lives back in Dallas. The French students especially enjoyed the videos of Intramurals, the cheerleader stunts, and the Lip Dub. The teachers in Vannes enjoyed seeing the short video about graduation – they have actually been thinking about marking the completion of studies for their own students with some type of ceremony. Congratulations go out to our own students for representing Ursuline Academy of Dallas so well.

The students and teachers also participated in a French as a Second Language class during which a French culture contest was played. The French teachers at UA will be pleased to know that all of the students were able to score higher than the team of Mrs. Holmes and Mr. Poellot (without Mrs. Lavault they lost their edge!). The students were fascinated with the automatic coffee vending machine we discovered outside the classroom – unfortunately, one of these will not fit in the luggage for the return trip. The rest of the afternoon was spent in classes with the host sisters as we all prepare to say au revoir to the school and our new friends.

Free time in Lima

As many of you may have heard, Peru is currently experiencing record rainfall and dangerous floods and mudslides in areas outside of Lima. While our delegation has, thankfully, not been in the affected areas, our schedule has been impacted by the closing of Lima schools by the government. Our delegation's excursion to see the Nazca lines also had to be cancelled as many highways are not safe for travel right now.

So, with temperatures also at record highs in Lima, what are our students doing? Making the best of a challenging situation, of course!  We have been checking in with our delegates who have been home from school with their host sisters and they have told us that they are well and that they are enjoying the relaxed pace of life these past couple of days. Some have shopped in local markets, visited beaches, seen movies or explored other tourist attractions in Lima such as the Abtao Submarine museum. All have reported eating well and enjoying time with host families.

Our chaperones are also enjoying spending time with their faculty friends from Colegio Santa Ursula. They have visited some lovely places including the exquisite Museo Larco (the Larco Museum) which houses countless Peruvian artifacts and ancient treasures.  

Even though our students are not going to leave Lima, our delegation will be getting together this weekend for a dinner show and party. It will be a very festive evening for all and we look forward to seeing the photos!