Hi, I’m Bella and I’m a third year French and Portuguese student at the University of Southampton, which means I got to spend the third year of my course abroad. I decided to spend this year on work placement in the city of Bauru, São Paulo. Since it’s my mother’s hometown, I had the privilege of staying with family and getting to know the place where she grew up as a resident.
The first few weeks were a bit of a blur – the stars had aligned, and my cousin was getting married in Bauru right before my placement began! So, in an unusual turn of events, I didn’t venture into my year abroad alone. My parents and siblings accompanied me for a fortnight before they left me to crack on. Settling in was a bit easier in that sense, although when they drove off to the airport it sunk in that this was actually happening, I was left to my own devices, and my placement was about to start!
I did my work placement at Creche Sementinhas, a government funded nursery school for children up to 6 years old, and I can say without a doubt that it is my favourite place in Brazil. I’ve not seen many schools so filled with love and passion for learning and guiding children through their personal and academic development. At first, I was terrified about meeting my colleagues and being able to communicate with both adults and children alike. The language barrier made everything feel twice as tiring, it’s like my brain was working overtime to simply converse and I often felt frustrated at myself. If I could go back, I would have been more relaxed and just trusted the process. Later, my colleagues admitted to me that they secretly felt the exact same, wondering how on earth they were going to work alongside the English girl! Nevertheless, they welcomed me with great understanding and kindness and made me feel a true part of the team. As my Portuguese improved, we realised how much we had in common despite being from opposite hemispheres, and we spent many lunch breaks chatting about all sorts – k-dramas, church, relationships, and alike!
As for the kids, who were also figuring out communication for themselves, they didn’t seem to mind the funny teaching assistant who ‘spoke wrong’, as I was informed by a 5-year-old during my first few weeks of placement. I worked 20 hours a week, accompanying the equivalent of Year R to Year 1 and assisting the teacher inside and outside of lessons. It was such a privilege to observe the classroom, and I learnt so many tips and techniques for teaching in a way that is accessible to small children! I was also given the opportunity to teach the children English nursery rhymes, and I remember feeling apprehensive at the front of the classroom, afraid that they weren’t going to learn a single word. However, they seemed to soak everything up, and before long I had a chorus of Brazilian children singing, or perhaps more like shouting, twinkle twinkle little star. I’m gutted that I couldn’t stay and see my class all the way through to their end of year in December, but it was such a growing and learning experience. I couldn’t have picked a better way to spend my time abroad! I left the creche with a passion for teaching and many good memories.
I was extremely lucky to have family there who welcomed me into their home and blessed me with their local knowledge. Staying with a host family in my experience made accessing the local culture a lot easier. They’ve always lived in Bauru and seem to know every square inch of the city! Although I had visited Bauru in the past, I quickly found that being a resident is an entirely different experience. The city is very residential, so there isn’t much to do from a sightseer’s perspective, but it has its own charm with community parks, night markets and miniature Christ the Redeemer statues!
I absolutely loved the markets, where they sell the whole lot – fresh food, jewellery, clothing and much more. We found ourselves there on many evenings eating pasteis – the fried Brazilian equivalent to a Cornish pasty. The supermarket also became a highlight of my time in Bauru, it was cool to see how similar but different it was to all our shops in the UK. One supermarket in Bauru has live music playing as you do your weekly shop! Although the wages are significantly lower in Brazil than in most European countries, most daily expenses like food and transport are equally lower.
As well as exploring the streets of Bauru, I also got the chance to travel. Something that really struck me was the sheer size of Brazil, at Christmas we travelled 7 hours to reach our destination, and we were still within the state of Sao Paulo! I had the opportunity to explore several cities – Campos do Jordão, Sao José dos Campos, Piracicaba and the megacity itself, Sao Paulo. The city of Sao Paulo is the definition of a ‘buzzing metropolis’, with a great metro system, huge diversity and many cultural landmarks. I’m not a fan of big crowds, but I imagine that for street smart students who enjoy the thrill of a bustling city, it would be a great place to come and study.
All in all, my year abroad was such an exciting and eye-opening time. It was so fun to experience Brazilian culture as a citizen, it’s the most warm and friendly place I’ve been to so far! Being away also made me appreciate life back at home a lot more. I’m so grateful that throughout my 4 years of study I’ve been able to experience the best of both countries, all while completing my degree. My travels opened my eyes to how the world is so much bigger than the little bubble that we live in, and although I’ll never be able to see all of it or learn every culture, I certainly hope to venture out some more.
