It’s so Hard to Say Goodbye

Today, our last day with our host teacher and at our host school, we had a roundtable discussion and reflection on our week together. We began our discussion with students sharing their views of Americans/foreigners prior to our arrival, and their views today. Although some of the students have had interaction with Americans and foreigners in the past, some have had little or absolutely no contact with Americans and foreigners. Their impression prior to our visit is that all Americans are wealthy, successful, and blond. After an engaging week of interaction between our host school students and us, the Brazilian students realized that this is not the case. Adrian and I shared both our personal experiences in the states, as well as the common experiences of our urban students—most of whom are poor and working class students of color [black and Latin Caribbean’s in the Bronx, and primarily immigrants and children of immigrants at my school in South LA]. The students realized that not all Americans are ‘rico,’ or rich.

After our rich discussion on our common misconceptions of each other, we proceeded with our final question and answer session about American history, culture, and society. The Brazilian students were especially interested in the lives of their young counterparts in the states. Other themes that arose on several occasions included the environment, cultural and political imperialism, history, and food. The Brazilian students were especially interested in our own personal conceptions of Brazil, and how our experiences in Serra and Brazil in general have impacted said conceptions.