A lot of planning went into the EIP program and I just wanted to share some of the highlights.  Here's what the outline of the week looked like:

Sunday: 
Students arrive and check-in to the hotel



Monday:
Orientation
Baseball English class
Extreme Sports English class
Urban dance / hip hop class
Pizza party




Tuesday:
Soccer English class
Belém city tour
Education U.S.A. Advising presentation
Watch U.S.A. soccer game 
Boat trip on the river



Wednesday:
Basketball English class
American Football English class
Volunteer at Ronald McDonald house
Sports demonstrations (Baseball game, football game, parade with cheerleaders and marching band - it was amazing!)



Thursday:
Group presentations
Afternoon American BBQ (hamburgers, beans, potato salad, Coke, chips and s'mores)
Evening 4th of July musical celebration and closing ceremony



Friday:
Students depart



The coolest part of the week was getting to know all of the students.  For many of them, this was their first time to travel away from home and to fly in a plane.  The team leaders, who were previous participants, said that this program changed their lives completely and that the week would probably affect our students much more than we could understand.  I was impressed at the students' maturity and gratitude - many of them thanked me after my classes and showed an incredible amount of emotion when the week was over. 



The moments I remember were when students relayed their excitement about being able to talk with native speakers of English for the first time, about how they had never seen such technology like using keycards to open hotel doors before, that they wanted to be the kind of couple that Sean and I are and about how this was the coolest week they had ever had.  At UFPA, one of my biggest problems is attendance and enthusiasm for optional English activities and classes.  For me, it was incredible to have such an engaged, active, grateful and excited group of students to teach English to for an entire week.

My work at UFPA finished for the semester during the last week of June so for the past week Sean and I have been working with the U.S. Embassy in their English Immersion Program (EIP) which was held in our city this year.  We are very lucky to have one of the embassy's bi-national language and culture centers here which provides English classes, academic and study abroad advising for students interested in going to the States and American cultural events.  When I went to the bi-national center to ask if they needed volunteers at the beginning of the year, they asked me if Sean and I could help with the EIP in July.

Day one - orientation

The English Immersion Program is designed to encourage and support Brazilian youth, international relations and cultural diplomacy.  This year, we hosted 60 students from all over Brazil aged 15-18 for a week full of complete language and cultural immersion.  The students only spoke in English with us and with each other and we created a schedule jam packed with classes and cultural events - it was awesome!

Students showing off their nail art in preparation for the program

The program is very competitive and popular with students.  To be eligible, the students have to have a high level of English, get good grades, be involved with volunteer work in their community, attend a public school, be under a certain level of family income and show leadership skills.  My role during the week was one of three English teachers and Sean was the cultural coordinator.  This meant that I planned and taught five 2 hour long classes over the course of the week and Sean was a kind of jack of all trades (which included cooking the food for the 4th of July BBQ on the last day).  We were both also mentors to small groups to help them prepare for their presentations at the end of the week.

Waiting in the hotel for the students' arrival

The theme this year was American sports and the sports that the embassy wanted us to cover were: basketball, American football, soccer, baseball and extreme sports.  To be honest, the whole experience felt a bit like summer camp as we stayed in the hotel with the students and were with them 24/7.  It was a lot of fun but very tiring.  It's pretty cool how much we packed into one week and how close everyone became in such a short time.   I already wish I could help out with it next year!

Group photo for the 4th of July celebration

Sean and I just finished a very fun but also a very tiring week working with the U.S. embassy's "English Language and Culture Immersion Program" and arrived home to find a heavy care package from my college roommate and family.  What an awesome surprise and perfect timing!


The care package was stuffed completely full of candy, granola bars, baking mixes and other luxurious snack foods impossible to find here.  Honestly, I can't believe how much they managed to stuff in one of the international postal boxes.  It is going to make a lot of people happy as we are going to share some of the American goodies with our students and friends.  It came at just the right time too as we leave again tomorrow to help with an English Without Borders program in a neighboring state and have a lot of long and empty hours of travel before us.

Mary and Jay have consistently and generously spoiled us while abroad and we always appreciate it!  This past year, her brother in law started a program called "I Like Giving" and wrote a book with the same name.  The whole family encourages living generously and giving in new, unexpected and joyful ways.  It's true that being given something makes us want to give too and now we're thinking of ways to pass the giving on.  Thanks for thinking of us and going through all the paperwork to send some treats internationally!