Dallas Presentation in Brazil

Today was a very important day for our Brazil delegation because it was the day when we gave our Dallas presentation to the high school students. There was a special assembly in the morning and, once again, talented students from Colegio Santa Ursula sang for us. Then, it was our turn to share all about ourselves, our city and our school. We gave our presentation in English because the students and teachers were excited to have the opportunity to listen to English and to ask questions in English. The students were extremely attentive to our presentation and were particularly interested in our school schedule and in our long history of soccer championships.  It was especially nice to be able to share a little more about ourselves with this wonderful school community that has embraced us so warmly.

Sharing all about Texas

Our soccer players talked about UA's tradition of Soccer and our new field 

Museo Casa Portinari

Yesterday afternoon we went on our first cultural excursion outside of Ribeirao Preto. We traveled by bus for about an hour to a town called Brodowski. This lovely town was the home of one of Brazil's most famous and important 20th Century painters, Candido Portinari.

Portinari was the son of Italian Immigrants who were devout Catholics. He studied art in Rio de Janeiro and spent much of his young adulthood in Europe where he was influenced by and met artists such as Pablo Picasso and the Mexican muralist, Diego Rivera. His art often depicts scenes of Brzilian poverty or religious themes in a Brazilian environment. Today, Portinari's family home is a museum and that is where we went to learn more about his life and his art. Not only did we learn a lot, we also expereiced much of the local culture and made many new friends - It was a fantastic experience!

Sr. Helenice and Ana Paula, High School coordinator

Ms. Nipp and Maria Livia, PE faculty - they are old friends as Maria Livia visited Dallas last Fall

Portinari's distinct yellow and cobalt-colored house and rose garden

We saw so many beautiful flowers!

On the steps of the  Church of Saint Anthony just across from Portinari's home

Inside the Church and in front of the painting of Saint Anthony which was painted by Portinari 

A Portinari Museum selfie! 

The gardens were gorgeous and full of flowers

The Church of St. Anthony which was restored by Portinari in gratitude for his safe travel from Europe 

These talented local musicians wanted to serenade the beautiful American girls

We enjoyed the Brazilian country music which reminded many of us of Mariachi music 

We are making friends and fans everywhere we go! 

Loving Life in Brazil

It's hard to believe that we have been here in Brazil less than 2 days because we are all feeling so happy and at home. Today was extraordinary in a million different ways. Early in the day, we enjoyed time at school and our students attended classes as well as their first "recess." We also enjoyed a special welcome assembly in our honor with the 8th grade. Students sang and danced for us and then invited us to say a few words about ourselves and about UA Dallas. The 8th graders were extremely curious and asked us several questions including "Why would you have a school only for girls?" (You may recall that all Ursuline schools in Brazil are co-ed). This question led to an extremely animated exchange of ideas as you can well imagine.

Ola! Good Morning!

Recess with new friends

A Song to welcome us :) 

We are working on our Samba skills - must continue to practice! 

The Assembly in the School Auditorium 

Soon we were off to lunch at a near-by typical  Brazilian buffet restaurant where we had yet another awesome meal and delicious Brazilian coffee. Parents, if for any reason you are wondering if the teachers are wide awake on this delegation, fear not - we have each consumed at least the equivalent of 10 double espressos since we arrived and no one shows any sign of slowing down - We are all super alert!

Enjoying fresh salads with our buffet lunch

Brazilian desserts - so fantastic! 

Que delicioso! 

Teachers with their first coffee break at school (of course, we had already consumed our breakfast coffee) 

Mrs. Clark and Ms. Francis enjoying a cafezihno (a little coffee) after lunch

Would anyone like a coffee? - you get the picture :) 

And after lunch, while we were waiting to leave on a little field trip to a museum, we asked our students "What are your favorite things about Brazil so far?" Our UA delegates  responded: "the food", "my host family", "that amazing chocolate dessert" (aka "Brigadeiro"), "the DJ and music during recess" and "being celebrities."  Indeed, our students are extremely popular and all of the students here are very, very interested in meeting them and learning about their lives in the USA. Our  students also mentioned that they already feel very close to their families here and that they have many things in common with their Brazilian host sisters!

Ciao from Brazil!! 

Ola from Brazil !!

Good Evening from Brazil where our cheerful delegation arrived this morning after a long night of transcontinental travel. It has been a wonderful day and already we have had some adventures and have experienced so much! First, we were surprised to have an all-male Ursuline delegation (teachers and students) meet us at the airport in Sao Paulo (wow - that was a first - thanks so much for welcoming us and for being so helpful with our many suitcases and bags!). Then, we took a 4-5 hour bus trip to Ribeirao Preto where our sister school is located. All of the host families were there waiting for us with posters, smiles and open arms. It was exciting to meet and for many to re-connect with their Brazilian sisters!

And what a reception we were given by Colegio Santa Ursula! We were served delicious typical Brazilian snacks and desserts and we all received a very thoughtful gift including an Ursuline Brazil back-pack, water "bag" (not bottle) and Brazilian chocolates - not to mention the special World Cup commemorative issue Guarana, a popular Brazilian soft drink! We were overwhelmed and overjoyed at the reception!

Now, we are all resting for a full day of classes tomorrow - It is exciting to think that we will soon experience a school day in the life of our Brazilian sisters (and brothers!). But for now, we are resting with our host families and are looking forward to telling you more in the days ahead!

We have arrived!!

Ola Sao Paulo!!

The Welcome Wagon :) Luis (white shirt) will come to Dallas this year and Felipe (far right) visited us last year 

New and old friends unite! 

A welcome hug for each of us from Principal, Sr. Helenice 

Host family welcome

Kristen's family and friends 

So happy to be together at last! 

Lali's family 

Valerie and her new sister

Brigadeiro - the greatest chocolate dessert in the history of Ursuline schools 

Maggie and her many Brazilian treasures

New sisters! 

A word of Welcome from Sr. Helenice 

Brazil bound!

Our UA travelers to Peru and to England have now returned to us in Dallas, forever changed and enhanced by their recent experiences abroad. But, before we wrap up all of the summer delegations, we have one more adventure. In just a few short days, our Brazil delegation (14 students and 3 teachers) will be departing for Sao Paulo, Brazil to visit our sister school, Colegio Santa Ursula, in Ribeirao Preto. With all of the recent World Cup excitement and with the upcoming Olympics, Brazil is exactly where we want to be. Follow along with us here to see what we learn and experience in the land of Samba, soccer and surprises!

 

The Museum of Archaeology in Lima

The learning and adventure continues for our Peru delegation. Today in Lima, our group visited the Museum of Archaeology and learned more about the food, clothing and history of the ancient civilizations of Peru. Every day is a new thrill  and we are so grateful to our sister school for planning this marvelous experience for us! 

Back in Lima

 Our Peru delegation has now returned to Lima and has sent us the news below:

Today we toured Colonial Lima.  We visited the Cathedral of St. Francis of Assisi and visited the catacombs that are underneath the Church.  We also walked around the central plaza and were able to see the changing of the guards at the presidential palace.  

Later in the afternoon, we toured the Museum of Peruvian Gastronomy which showcases the different culinary regions of Peru. Of course, that made us really hungry so we were very ready to enjoy our wonderful lunch of roasted chicken and ice cream!  It was delicious and just added more wonderful memories to an already fantastic day in Lima!  

Weekend in Peru

We had  great weekend full of fun and exploration in Southern Peru!  Our group traveled in a bus and so we were able to stop in many exciting places along the way to the Ica region.  On of our first stops was "the man in the mountain".  If you look closely at our photo, you can see his profile! 

 

 

Along the way, we also learned how to make Tejas, a delicious traditional candy in Peru.  Here we are posed with the granddaughter of Rosalina, the women who invented them!  

 

 

On Sunday we headed to the Nazca lines and were able to see the ancient aqueducts that the ancient Nazca civilization used to irrigate their farmland (around 2000 years ago!).  You can see how green the vegetation is behind us as a result of the still working aqueducts. Another highlight of the trip was learning how to make a ceramic pot using the methods of the ancient civilizations.  We all enjoyed getting our hands dirty and learning the different techniques!  

 

 

 

Today was our last day in Paracas.  Since the weather was good, we were able to visit the Islas Ballestas (the Ballestas Islands, known as the "Galapagos" of Peru!).  On the islands, we saw many different birds including pelicans and penguins as well as Sea Lions. It was another thrill of a fantastic weekend!