Brazil 2015 Immersion LE
2 cancelled flights, 7 delays and 65 hours later we arrived in São Paulo, Brazil without the slightest idea of what was to come. Luggage-less and in oufits we had been wearing for 4 days now, we pulled up to the Holy Cross Brothers´ residence in Campinas at 4 AM. What we soon would experience were experiences far beyond what we would´ve imagined at the time. The next morning we walked down the street to CECOIA. From the moment we walked in, the kids were nothing but full of excitement and welcoming. As we were all very tired from minimal sleep and a lot of travel, the kids energy fueled us. In their celebration of Festa Junina they preformed a beauiful dance in plaid shirts and boots replicating country style.
We played numerous games with the kids througout the day including musical chairs, soccer, a fishing game and others. While the language barrier was difficult, as all of us speak english, there were kids from Notre Dame to help us communicate with the children. Even though many of us were unable to understand each others´ laguage, we were able to connect through music, dance and games.
In our time here we also went to the Santa Clara Parish with some Notre Dame students. At the parish we ate lunch and snacks together. We also visited sick people in the surrounding community. On the bus ride back from the parish we sang together with the CND students. The next morning we all went to a
school to play with kids before they had to go to school. I helped cut stars and played a bat game with the kids. It was really cool to see how we could connect with the kids through activities regardless of the fact that we spoke different languages.
Later in the afternoon, with Notre Dame students, we went to an elderly home where we met and played BINGO with the residents. The elderly were very excited and honored that we had come from the United States and wanted to play games with them. The next day (Saturday) we arrived at Festa Junina. The festival was an amazig experience overall. My favorite part was the food, especially the churros and pastels. It was ineresting to see a large celebration unlike any sort of celebration we have in the United States. It was very fun and I am grateful that we were able to attend the festival.