The CSC Brazil 17 community visit took place on Friday 21 March. All 12 of us (the United Nations - from Germany, Switzerland, Slovakia, Hungary, Turkey, USA, South Africa, Singapore, China, and Ireland) visited the Alda Façanha State Professional School in the town of Aquiraz , about 45 minutes from Fortaleza.
The school is relatively new - about 3 years old - and is one of around one hundred new schools that the government of Ceará have opened around the state to train students aged 14 - 17 in vocational studies for their first job.
We were visiting to school to learn about the local culture and customs, to tell the the students about each of our countries, and to speak with them about our professions. We knew the students were keen to meet us, as originally we were going to see 6 classes in pairs. However, when the other students heard about the visit, they insisted that we visited all classes, so instead, the plan was for us to visit 2 classes for an hour each - a total of 24 classes. To facilitate the visit, the students had manage to find 12 translators and also 24 televisions for our presentations.
But nothing prepared us for the welcome we received - we were treated like rock stars. First, the red carpet was rolled out -
Then, we met the school principal and teachers, and had a tour of the facilities, including the school hall where the students play football against the teachers once a week:
The school is open from 7am until 4:30pm, and provides it's students with 3 meals a day, free of charge. Their are no tuition fees for the school. This facilitates students from less well off areas attending.
After the tour, we went to the assembly hall, where we were introduced by the principal and by Fabiana (our local representative from Pyxera Global, the organization arranging our CSC engagement). We had a great welcome from the students -
We then introduced ourselves - a great cheer from the students after each introduction. Then, the students gave a wonderful musical performance -
Finally, it was off to the classrooms.
The first class that I visited gave a very enthusiastic presentation on the culture and crafts of Aquiraz and Ceará -
They presented me with a colourful piece of local lacework, and then asked me many questions about Ireland. I even showed a couple of short videos about the country. Finally, I had a photo with the class -
Then, it was onto the next class. They did a fantastic demonstration of the local dances, including the Forró style popular in North East Brazil. Then, lots of questions about Ireland, about how I got started in my job, about my impressions of Brazil. I did my best to answer in a mix of my (very poor) Portuguese and English, ably assisted by the translator, Helder, who spoke very good English.
Finally, a photo with the class -
A picture of me and the translator, Helder. He works with a local group involved in rehabilitating recovering drug addicts.
Then, it was off for more photos - the students took literally hundreds on their smart phones - it was really like being a rock star. Finally, it was time to go, and the students stood at the top balcony, and cheered and cheered as we left -
Over all, an unforgettable experience - many thanks to the principal, staff, and students of Alda Façanha State Professional School for making us so welcome.
#csc brazil #csc17
