2012-05-07
A roar of applause erupted. The lights flickered on. The projector was turned off. We all stood up and as was expected many began to shed tears. Fellows embraced each other with forceful grasps. As if letting go would allow this experience to pass. For fifty-four Fellows, eight months of curiosity, struggle, persistence, and triumph...
Read More2011-04-25
I have about a week left in Brazil. But instead of talking about all the feelings pounding on my chest, demanding that they be shot up my esophagus, out from my mouth and conveyed, I will talk about one. I came to Brazil wanting to teach. Whatever I would be doing in this country I...
Read More2011-01-14
Most of the time I truly enjoy Salvador. The life and energy of the city help justify my decision to defer college for a year. The almost scary hospitality has already guaranteed my return. That said, there are a lot of things that make me yearn for the culture that I grew up in and...
Read More2011-01-10
The past three weeks in my new home-stay have been an absolute roller coaster as have the emotions that have accompanied it.
Read More2010-12-06
I don’t have a word for what my body and mind were doing the night before I started my apprenticeship. I suppose you could call it a healthy tremor. A couple days previous two other Fellows, Meg Healy, Laura Rohrer and I were told we would have the task of starting an English Language Program...
Read More2010-11-22
As the details of our and homestays had yet to be finalized, I and theother six remaining Fellows moved into a hostel-style apartment just outside the Pelourinho area of Salvador. As harsh as it sounds the main point of this was really just to give time. We were still having trouble wrapping our American minds...
Read More2010-10-18
Amid this plethora of new cultural nuances I have had to reach out, grab, and make my own, language has been the most difficult. Although I saw this coming, it’s still not something that can be prepared for…not even with Rosetta Stone. Most times this is beyond frustrating. To not be able to convey a...
Read More2010-10-01
On Thursday September 23rd, five of the thirty-three fellows and I got a chance to tell their story in a unique setting. This opportunity arose through StoryCorps, a non-profit organization with the mission of getting everyday people from all backgrounds to interview each other in a relaxed setting (you may have heard StoryCorps segments on...
Read More2010-09-21
Coming from a small town in upstate New York, I’m still having a hard time trying to simulate the experience that Salvador and its surrounding areas will offer. I have always wanted to not only see other parts of the world, but assimilate myself into the endless number of cultures that it offers. I see...
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