Read more Volunteers stories from the Music Course in Brazil
Volunteer stories from Foz do
Iguaçu
and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
To read about the extensiveSupport & Backup we provide in our countries,
please click here.
Click here to read a case study about
Christina Homer during her Percussion & Portuguese courses in Foz.
Hannah Webster
SPECIALS, EXTRAS & ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
NAME:Hannah
Webster AGE:20 NATIONALITY:British
Volunteering in Foz do Iguaçu
Hi,
Sorry
it's taken so long to reply- I've been so busy!Everything is going really well in Foz, I feel like
I´ve settled in really
well! Brazil as a country is absolutely
beautiful! And I'm already in love with all the
people- everyone has been so friendly!
I think Foz, for me is the
perfect place for my Gap year- and the location of our hotel is great-
we do have the internet in our hotel but I've
beentending to use an Internet cafe which is
just down the road. There are loads of
restaurants just round the corner where me and the other volunteers havebeen eating at nearly everynight- also
the Mcdonalds is 2 minutes away for emergencies!
I'm
working at New Wave School and enjoying
every minute of it. For me they´ve lowered me in very gently- I began just sitting in lessons- helping out, reading dialogues, etc.,
but now by my 3rd week I have my own
conversation class and am often left alone with the students to play
games,
etc., in the other classes I attend. The
teachers are really approachable andif you
need help with anything they´re so willing to chat to you or give youideas about conversation topics and print out activities for you,
etc.
All my classes so far have
been in the school Downtown, which is about 20 minutes walk from the
hotel. so very convenient and my hours have
been what I expected. I don't usually start
until 2 in the afternoon and then have 2 or 3 lessons which are about an
hour and a half each. I'm also takingPortuguese lessons and Capoeira lessons with the other volunteers- which Fabio organised for us- so
I'm keeping very busy. Also had alot of use out ofthe swimming pool which
is a 2 minute walk away!
The hotel
[accommodation] is simple- but perfect
for what we need, we even get our laundry done every
week! The breakfast is nice- but gets same-ish!
But alwaysnice fruit, cake, bread, ham and
cheese and more than one fruit juice!
Everywhere is great value for
money- me and Ursula
(another voluteers) ate out last night on under 3 pounds for both of us!!
Even though it was only a burger and a sandwich! Usually for a really nice
meal we´ll pay 15- 20 reals, which is 5-7 pounds. and that's
including a drink!
We´ve been to see the falls
and they were absolutely beautiful.
Just them
alone made this trip worth it!Have to dash off
because i have a class soon!Anyway,
hope I have been helpful! I'm
having a really good time, and I don't want to
leave! So glad I've still got 9 weeks left!
LoveHannahxxxx
NAME: Alex Calnan AGE:22 NATIONALITY:British
Volunteering in Rio
What experience do you
feel you gained? I felt that I have learned to work in a very different
type of environment to that which I am used to. I have had to overcome the
language barrier (well sort of!). I have had to adapt to a different way of
teaching sports. Perhaps the most important experience is meeting so many
new - and very different - people.
What was the best thing about your placement? Meeting the people. I
often talk to people that come back from holiday saying that the people
there were really friendly but this is probably because they were tourists.
However I feel like I have lived here and so have had the chance to meet the
real people and they are still friendly even after 2 months. Even when i was
not working, just going to the school to meet the children, teachers and the
parents was amazing.
Would you recommend this placement to anyone else? Yes without a
doubt. Provided they are willing to come with an open mind and are prepared
to try and adapt to a different culture. I loved it.
What type of person do you think this placement would suit? As I said
above, anyone coming on this placement has to have an open mind. If they
turn up with certain expectations and find that the reality is very
different then they may be disappointed. They also have to be prepared to
adapt and the change the way that they would normally act/think.
Was their anything that you weren’t told before you went away that you
think future volunteers should know? Not really other than they need to
be prepared for the hectic school days and that plans can chop and change at
a moments notice - but that is all part of the fun!
Can you describe a typical day? That was one of the things that I
loved most about this place was that there wasn't really a typical day. I
would always start at about 9.30, which normally meant leaving the hotel at
8.15. More often than not I would help the P.E teachers with running their
classes. However I have taken English classes, helped with the younger
children, worked in the office and also done various other tasks around the
school. Lunch is normally sometime between 11.30am and 1pm and is eaten in
one of three places depending on the day (in the teachers staff room, a
classroom or in the cafeteria). Normally I would finish around 3pm.
NAME: David
Lanipekun AGE:22 NATIONALITY:British
Volunteering in Rio
What
Experience do you feel you have gained?I learnt
how to be more independent and I learnt a lot about Brazil itself, which I
never would have known if I hadn’t done the project.
What was
the best thing about your placement? The school
I taught at was the best bit of my placement - walking up to the school and
hearing the kids yell your name is the best feeling.
Would you recommend this
placement to anyone else?I think
everybody should do this. It will make you a different person and make you
appreciate everything in your life more.
A typical
day in the life? I think it would be
great for people who have a low self esteem, as people here are so friendly
and loving and they really appreciate you being here. Staying here for a
while and experiencing that will really change you. You’ll feel a lot better
about yourself.
NAME:
Helen Kennedy
AGE: 22
NATIONALITY: British Volunteering
in Foz do Iguaçu
Everything is going well and
I'm enjoying being here.I am teaching at the New Wave school and it´s very professional,
the facilities are good - I am currently in
their computer room which has about 20 computers
available to be used by students, all with
Internet access.
To read about the extensiveSupport & Backup we provide in our countries,
please click here.
Everyone is very friendly and
the students are keen to learn although they
initially find it hard to adjust to my accent. I am mainly teaching in the
evenings ... and this gives me time toprepare for lessons aswell as explore
during the day.
The school has offered me free Portuguese
lessons, which is great because I want to learn
as nobody speaks English here (outside of the
school) and will behelpful
for when I go travelling later.
Joy came on Friday and she has
lots of information on travelling, Jillian is
leaving today- I
don´t think she really wants to go.
Midway through
Helen's placement:
At the moment my timetable isMon 6:30- 8pm,
Tue 2-3:30pm, 7-8pm. 8-9:30, Wed 6:30-8pm,
Thurs7-8pm, Fri 7-8pm,
Sat 2-4:30, 6-8pm
Because it [New Wave School] is a private school
it operates outside of school hrs (school day is in morning (7am-12noon))
so lessons mostly in afternoons,evenings and
Saturdays. The school
has lots of good teachers and for half ofthe
lessons -those that aren´tconversational- I
share the teaching with their permanent teacher andact more of an assistant. There are three
`New Wave´ schools in
Foz - on Sat
I teach at another one ofthese (which is about half an hour away) and get a lift from anotherteacher. Everyone is still very friendly, and it´s good to be
teachingdifferent age groups and abilities.
Lots of people are studying tourism orwork in
hotels, so they are
learning English as part of their course or havetheirlessons paid for by hotels that
want them to learn.
It is great tohave
interaction with students, we have found out more aboutwhat to do. There is lots of `festa junina`at the moment(where eachneighbourhood
has a party/festival in a park). We went to the large townfestival last week called `fartel´which had a
Fun Fair and lots
of differentstalls.
The Co-ordinator of
Top School does
capoeira(similar to break-dancing,
thatoriginated from slaves dancing in crop
fields to entertain and strengthenthemselves)
and he is very good at it. He
is keen for us to learn, Joy isgoingto classes most evenings.I have been as well - it
is very difficult butfun too.
At there moment there seems to be a bank holiday more or
less every week asit is June.
This is good 'cos it gives
Joy and I more time to
do stufftogether, ie we went to
Argentina on Thursday,
and tomorow(another
holiday)we are going to Páraguay.
There is a large supermarket (Tesco/Sainsbury
size) about 10 minutes walkfrom the hotel. In the evenings we
usually eat at the Bier Garden
which is 5mins from hotel- it has a good variety and cheap, of
course. Most cafes/restaurants are only open during they day - it is very
quiet at night-time. Thereare some really nice bars and a few clubs
about 5 mins in a taxi but notwalking distance
at nighttime. There are loads of places to
choose from atlunchtime.
I met VJ, the other
Travellers volunteer, who was here last week
en-route to London
from her placement in Buenos
Aires. She seems very
nice.I think that is it, I
am starting to think about travelling and will
probably goto Curitiba
and to the coast, time is going very fast...Helen
NAME:Christopher
Bodych AGE:22 NATIONALITY:British
Volunteering in Foz do Iguaçu
What
Experience do you feel you have gained?I
have been here in Foz now coming up to 2 months. It is a fairly small city
set out in blocks and is nearly always incredibly hot, hitting 42C on some
days and never dropping below 20C even at night. However, there in winter I
have been told that temps drop to about 23C at day and 15C at night. There
is always something to do here at night and nearly every type of taste in
food is catered for.
What was
the best thing about your placement? The
placement has incredible job satisfaction, unrivalled by that of teaching
teenagers or older students, as a bond develops between us and the children.
As many come from broken homes and/or are stricken by poverty they look to
us like father figures. For instance in a week we are taking them to the
local zoo, somewhere where they may never be able to go. Compared to the
dreadful ‘sue culture’ coming about in England, it is refreshing to be able
to see kids play properly, when they hurt themselves playing football etc.
they pick themselves up and learn not to do it again.
Would you recommend this
placement to anyone else?For me working with
children gives incredible job satisfaction. The coordinator is incredibly
helpful and approachable. At night for things to do, there is a cinema which
shows films in English and 2 bowling alleys, about 4 night clubs playing
both commercial and non-commercial dance through to Samba and rock music,
there also a multitude of bars to have a social drink at.
A
Typical day in the life? My placement is at a
children’s crèche for underprivileged children, about two minutes from the
hotel. It is run by three nuns, but they do not teach the classes. The
crèche has children aged from 3 to 6 year olds; they are split into groups
and looked after by “Tias” literally meaning “auntie”. Another volunteer and
I teach 38 five year olds from 9am to 10am and 40 four year olds from 10am –
11am. Though these timings are not strict as we generally dictate how long
the lessons last, and usually end up spend time playing afterwards. We then
teach the 6 year olds in the afternoon 2.30 – 4-30, they are split into two
groups of 16, and we have a coffee break in between each class. All the
children call us “Tio”, or “uncle” in English.
NAME: Videesha Kunkulagunta
AGE: 20
NATIONALITY: British Volunteering
in Foz do Iguaçu
Hi Mike, this is Videesha again. My teaching
schedule is pretty straightforward from 3.00p.m. - 5.00p.m. and
7.00p.m.-9.00p.m. Everyone has their own schedule. I have worked three
Saturdays since I have been here but my co-ordinator is very approachable
and I was able to get the Saturday off to go to Florianopolis (an 18 hour
bus journey from here which costs about R$72.00). I would have also gone to
Buenos Aires which is also an 18 hour bus journey away but I didn´t know
about it until it was too late. I am going to Rio da Janeiro next weekend
and will be home next Friday.
To read about the extensiveSupport & Backup we provide in our countries,
please click here.
New Wave school where I teach is amazing.
They have excellent facilities, staff and students are friendly and I feel
part of the teaching team when I attend teacher meetings every other Friday
at 2.00p.m. There are three branches of the school so you have a variety of
classes. The main branch is downtown in central Foz and within walking
distance of the hotel. The other two branches are further out in Vila and
Republic Argentina (I think that´s what they´re called but don´t quote me on
that). If you have to teach there then you get the bus and the school pays
or one of the teachers will take you there.
Usually there will be teenagers in the
afternoon classes and adults in the evenings. Some adults work in tourism
and many at Cataratus (Iguaçu Falls). I met 5 of my students when I went to
visit the Falls!!! I met two more at the bird park near the Falls.
Volunteers can visit the nearby Ciudad del Este in Paraguay for cheap
bargains. Most bus journeys cost R$1.50 and are very frequent. There is also
the nearby Iguaçu Boulevard (R$0.50 from our hotel on the bus) where you get
to watch movies for half-price on Tuesdays and there is a bowling alley
there are well.
For good shopping volunteers can find the
majority of shops on Avenida Brasil (Brazil Avenue) about 10 minutes walk
from the hotel. I would advise Volunteers to get American Express travellers
cheques and to change them at HSBC for a commission of $10.00 regardless of
amount, rather than using Banco do Brasil which charges $20.00.
The Hotel Coronados is a fantastic place
where myself and the other volunteers are staying. Breakfast consists of
bread, coffee, tea, fresh fruit, cake, butter, jam, hot chocolate etc. but
there is no cereal and milk. They have a service where is you pay R$61.00
they will wash your clothes for a month and the rooms are cleaned daily.
There is also internet access at the hotel which costs R$4.00 per hour. It
is also 5 minutes walk from the centre. Volunteers should check out Pizza
Park, which is very cheap, and Capitao Bar if they´re looking for something
a little classier in the evenings. Cocktails cost between R5.00 and R$7.00
so it´s a good/cheap night out. There are also two nearby nightclubs - OXY
and Tass.
Lunches are usually very cheap, about R$5.00-R$6.00 at the buffet
restaurants. I usually go to Nissei, an oriental buffet restaurant about
5-10 minutes walk from the school, or Marias on Brazil Avenue. I´d stay
clear of Tropicana mentioned in the Lonely planet because I was told not
even the boss eats there. If you get peckish during the day the New Wave
School downtown also has a snack bar.
I would set aside a day to see the
Argentinian side of the Falls and half a day for the Brazilian. Entry into
the Brazilian side costs R$20.00 and the nearby birdpark R$24.00. You can
also visit the Itaipu Dam during the day or preferably when it is lit up,
which is only on Thursday and Friday evenings.
My time here has been completely enjoyable
... What has made it enjoyable is the helpfulness of the school teachers,
Fabio, Claire´s English Co ordinator, the hotel staff and our (the
volunteers) own intuition. I am definitely glad that I came.
[At time of printing, 17 October, £1.00 = R$4.77]
At the end of her placement Videesha sent
us the following feedback;
My teaching schedule was pretty
straightforward from 3pm – 5pm and 7pm – 9pm. Everyone had their own
schedule and coordinator, my coordinator was very approachable and I was
able to get the odd day off to go exploring further a field such as
Florianopolis (an 18 hour bus journey!, costing about R$72.00). What was the best thing about
your placement? What
really did make it enjoyable was the overwhelming helpfulness of the school
teachers, the hotel staff and being able to use my intuition. I had the
opportunity to explore so many places, such as the Iguaçu Falls, the largest
bird park in Latin America!, Florianopolis and another 18hr journey all the
way to Rio de Janeiro. Just 10 minutes walk from the hotel were the majority
of shops. The New Wave School where I taught was amazing, they have
excellent facilities, the staff and students are friendly and I felt like
part of the team when attending teacher meetings. Would you recommend this placement to anyone else? My room mate was lovely, we had so much in common and clicked straight
away so had a lot of luck on our side. I had so much fun that I extended my
stay! Typical day in the life? There are three
branches of the school in the town of Foz, so you have a variety of classes.
The main branch is down town in central Foz and within walking distance of
the hotel. The other two branches are further out in Villa and Republic
Argentina. If you have to teach there you can get a bus (which is paid for)
or one of the teachers will take you. Usually there will be teenagers in the
afternoon classes and adults in the evenings. I usually went to Nissei, an
oriental buffet restaurant; about 5 minutes walk from the school, for lunch.
NAME:Jillian
Strickland AGE:24 NATIONALITY:British
Volunteering in Foz do Iguaçu
What
Experience do you feel you have gained?I
was very nervous about going to Brazil as I didn’t really know what to
expect but once I got there I met another volunteer who showed me around and
I adapted to life in Foz before I began teaching! I really enjoyed teaching
and interacting with the students. My 5 weeks went so quickly but I had an
amazing experience that I will never forget.
What was
the best thing about your placement? The
people were really nice and I felt I missed them all once I left. Foz do
Iguaçu is a lovely town, and the people really friendly. The Hotel was also
very nice and the staff always made an effort to speak to you, even if they
didn’t know much English.
Would you recommend this
placement to anyone else?Yes, I really
enjoyed my trip to Brazil, and I would love to go back some time.
A typical
day in the life?
I started my training by sitting in on a couple of classes, which I found
very beneficial as it allowed me to meet all the students and staff in the
school before starting teaching on my own. The teaching system was not what
I expected it to be, English is taught through commands for the first few
months of learning, I thought this was a good way to begin as the students
had to think and act in English. At first the students seemed very shy and
didn’t talk much but I soon progressed through the lessons quite quickly.
NAME:James
Meadows AGE:20 NATIONALITY:British
Volunteering in Foz do Iguaçu
Hi, I arrived safe
and sound thanks. Brazil is an amazing place, I really love it. I was in Sao
Paulo before I got to Foz, and the hustle bustle and all contradictions:
rich and poor, jaguar cars and guys pulling carts full of cardboard, was
quite an experience.
Foz is really nice,
very hot. Hotel is nice as well, cable TV was not expected, but thank god it
is there because of the footie. All the volunteers are really nice. Went to
the Falls on Saturday - one of the best moments of my life!! James
NAME: Stephanie White AGE:
19 NATIONALITY:British
Volunteering in Rio de Janeiro
Before arriving in Rio I didn't
know what to expect. As I had first thought I was teaching volleyball I
wasn't prepared for teaching Ballet at all! I have a lot of experience in
dancing but teaching dance is very different! Especially when it comes to
Ballet!
Rio is such a vibrant and
beautiful city, the people are so welcoming, therefore I wasn't nervous for
long. Everyone at Ballet De Santa Tereza made me feel at home and it was a
brilliant experience. I really couldn't of asked for a better bunch of kids!
The children at Santa Tereza are so much fun and very talented, I became
very close to them all and I miss them very much! A lot of the families
there don't have much when it comes to material things but their culture and
lively personalities make up for that! Ballet De Santa Tereza is a great
organisation, the children enjoy every day there! I suppose it is like an
escape for them!
My Portuguese was quite poor
and so was the kid's English therefore at times it was difficult to
communicate, however by the second week we were all finding it much easier.
I also found it difficult to know what grade of Ballet to teach each class
as the ages in each class varied so much!
The way in which the Ballet
classes were run/taught was a lot different to my Ballet classes in Scotland
because here in the UK Ballet is all about discipline and in Rio it was all
about having fun, which at the end of the day is more important! I loved my
students but at times the classes were out of control and because of the
language barrier it was hard to get everyone settled down again!
I have never met such happy
people in all my life, Carioca's love to sing and dance and this for me was
a great thing to experience. Being by myself was at times difficult, but I
really wouldn't change my experience for the world! The people at my hotel,
Fabio, Kayla and everyone at Ballet De Santa Tereza were all like my own
little family! I would definitely recommend a trip out to Rio and
volunteering somewhere like Ballet De Santa Tereza, it really was the best
time of my life!
Thank you to everyone who made
my trip such an enjoyable and successful one!
Lots of love
Stephanie xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
AND MORE ...
Claire
Higgins:
For me, the best things about this placement are the children, the
country, the weather and the company of other volunteers. I get along
with my roommate really well and we spend a lot of time together. The
kids at the crèche are often very sweet and love your attention, working
with older kids is also rewarding as you can communicate more easily with
them and build a relationship. I’ve been to see the Iguaçu Falls which
are beautiful and have also taken trips to Argentina and Paraguay as they
are both a close bus ride away. The temperature is in the 30s most days as
its Brasilian summertime.
Foz is a
really safe place. The hotel is in a great location, with many restaurants
and shops nearby. Some of my workplaces are also in walking distance. The
hotel is clean, the staff are friendly and we have aircon, TV and bathroom
in our bedroom which is really convenient. Fabio and Ana are really
friendly, approachable and always looking out for us.
Karen
Holloway:
All the teachers at the schools have been very helpful and keen to make
sure that I am enjoying myself. I eat out every night with the other
volunteers, which is nice. We also often go out at the weekends as there
are several bars in Foz and we enjoy going to the Samba club which isn’t
too far from our hotel. Sometimes at the weekend we go to Argentina where
there is a club called Cuba Libre, which is a lot of fun!
Lynsey Cheffings:
The placement helped me to gain confidence and allowed me to experience
the culture of Brazil in a way that would have not been possible if I was
only a tourist. Attending such a variety of different classes encouraged
me to think on my feet and adapt to new situations.
Frederick
Brunt:
Boa Noite,
I left Foz last Friday, which was really sad, as over the previous 3
months I had made such good friends, and met so many brilliant people. I
had an a absolutely amazing last few days. Had my big test of Capoeira on
the last night, had to fight everyone in a ´hoda´ then there was a
presentation, and I had to reply, in Portuguese, I think they understood a
bit at least. Then had a such an awesome last night, met up with everyone
I wanted to see, football friends, Capoeira friends, Fabio (the
Travellers Manager), and others etc, was so fun, Laura, the girl who
was with me on placement for the last month or so, has become a really
good friend, and we’ve had a lot of laughs together, and she read a poem
about me which was hilarious.
The night
ended with samba till about 5, with lots of strange happenings as usual.
Then the next morning, said goodbye, to people at my schools, and got the
plane to first stop Sao Paulo…
Andy Cargill:
The Brazilians are all extremely welcoming and are willing to accept you
into their group, which makes staying and working here an absolute
pleasure.
David Lanipekun:
What experience do you feel you gained? I learnt how to be more
independent and I learnt a lot about Brazil itself, which I never would
have known if I hadn’t done the project.
What was the best thing about your placement? The school I taught
at was the best bit of my placement - walking up to the school and
hearing the kids yell your name is the best feeling.
Would you recommend this placement to anyone else? I think
everybody should do this. It will make you a different person and make
you appreciate everything in your life more.
What type of person do you think this placement
would suit? I think it would be great for people who have a low self
esteem, as people here are so friendly and loving and they really
appreciate you being here. Staying here for a while and experiencing
that will really change you. You’ll feel a lot better about yourself.
.
+44 01903 502595
