Monday, December 20, 2010

A few thoughts from the Bloomington group

After two and a half months of exchanging thoughts on such topics as, the Brazilian and American education systems, food, dress and other cultural differences, holidays, history, and language, this blog provided a space for very lively and informative discussions.

Here are a few of the things that the American students felt stood out as memorable among the discussions:


• Brazilian foods, all the wonderful tropical products, and popular national drinks and dishes, such as capirinhas, feijoada, and pastel.

• The geography of the country through images and video and the influence of the Portuguese in language and culture, contrary to the common notion in North America
that Spanish is spoken in Brazil, as it is in Brazil’s neighboring countries.

•The difference between the two school systems, different kinds of classes hours
and shorter school days in Brazil than in the U.S.

•What it is like to teach and learn English in Brazil and the challenges they face.

•A comparison of holidays traditions and different celebrations such as Day of the
Dead (Finados) and Dia do Saci in Brazil, along with the different cultural influences behind them (Portuguese, African, and Brazilian indigenous)

•The history of Londrina and the story of Redfoot (Pé vermelho)

Thanks for participating everyone!

Happy holidays!!!!

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