One of the things that's very unique about the English Without Borders program at UFPA is the creativity. It's very common for us to have class outside in one of the university gardens or under the gazebo along the river. Last week, Sean, Ken and I went on a field trip with Professor Allana's class. We took a boat ride across the river to nearby Combo Island where we went on a hike and had lunch, all while practicing English, of course.
The island was beautiful and even on our short hike we were able to see snakes, a giant tarantula and huge and very old trees. For lunch we had shrimp, fried fish, rice, salad and açai. Here in Pará, açai is not eaten like it is in Bahia (as ice cream with granola, honey and bananas). Instead, it is eaten like a thick warm soup with puffed pieces of manioc flour. Let's just say it takes some getting used to as it has a very raw and natural flavor (I have to dump sugar in mine in order to choke it down).
It was a really fun afternoon and one that I hope can be repeated with more teachers and different classes. We are in the last week of the semester and things are definitely feeling crazy. Next week Sean and I are working with the Brazilian Youth Ambassador program in conjunction with the U.S. Embassy and then after that we have July off to relax and travel a bit. As we approach the warmest time of the year, I am preparing for the hottest summer vacation that I've ever had in my life!
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