FROM AMERICA TO

BRAZIL

MS. WILSON, MR. MARRION, ISABEL, MARISA, AIDAN,

OWEN, CHRISTINA, CLARINDA, KELLY, HEIDI, DIEGO,

ROHAN, KELLY, FRANCESCA, LISA

SAINT FRANCIS HIGH SCHOOL, MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA

written by Kelly Park

On 8am on Sunday morning, I

arrived at the airport with my

parents. Although they went to

my high school, I did not really

know my classmates that well,

so I was a little nervous. That

quickly changed throughout our

long journey to Brazil. With

several cancelled and delayed

flights. We all bonded during

our long hours in the airport

and spending the night

sleeping under the benches.

Soon, I had 13 new best

friends. We finally arrived in

Brazil on Wednesday morning

at 1am. Even though we were

tired from our 3 days of

travelling, we were so excited

to start our work at CECOIA.

None of us were prepared for

how much fun we would have.

The Journey

We started our work at CECOIA on Wednesday morning after

getting 2 hours of sleep. Although we were pretty exhausted, we

were so excited to start working with the children. We started by

playing some games like musical chairs and a relay race. Then we

played some “duck-duck-goose” which was really fun. We finished

our session with the younger group by dancing around. We

separated the group into boys and girls and had a competition. We

danced until the music stopped and then we had to stop in place. If

someone moved, they had to leave the game. Which ever team

had the most players in the end, won. Because there were about

three times as many girls and boys, the girls won. I had a really

great time getting to know some of the younger children and getting

to experience their culture.

CECOIA

America 8-1 Brazil

Then, the older children arrived at CECOIA. We started by

playing a little 3 vs. 3 soccer game. I have played soccer

since I was 5 years old and love to play. I have also been

offered a scholarship to attend Boston University to play

soccer for the school. I was so excited to play with these

kids. In the first game, Diego, Aidan, and I had not figured

out our team chemistry yet, so we lost our “warm-up” game

to the Brazilians. Starting after that, we stepped up our game

and scored three goals very quickly. The kids kept subbing in

and out of the games. We played a total of 9 games, and

only lost the first one. Our goalie, Aidan, was solid and did

not let anyone past him. Diego, our center mid, was skilled

and kept the ball as well as scoring lots of goals. As the only

girl playing, I was a little nervous. I do not think that the kids

expected me to be good. They were definitely suprised when

I scored 8 goals on them. All the boys started cheering and

my teacher said that they all had a crush on me. That was

probably coolest thing I have ever done. I absolutely love

playing soccer and it was amazing for me to see children at

such a young age in a country where soccer is so popular. I

will never forget that experience or my time here in Brazil. I

hope to visit again some time in the future.

Day 5

On Thursday, we went to Colegio Notre Dame and touredthe campus. It was so fun to get to see how another HolyCross school works. Then we went outside and watchedtheir band perform “Holiday” by Green Day. It was sogood! Then we got on the bus and I sat next to Mari, wegot along very well. We went to Paroquia Santa Clara andate lunch with some Notre students. Then we split up into4 groups and went to the houses of people in thecommunity who were sick. The woman I visited wasnamed Navidad and was so happy that we came to visither. It was a truly powerful experience that I will neverforget.

On Friday, we woke up early and headed to a public daycare with

some Notre students. We got a tour, played some games and made

posters. They taught us how to play “bat” and Brazilian dodgeball,

which is much different than American dodgeball. Then we came

back to Notre for lunch, which was amazing. With a new group of

students, we went to visit an elderly home. We asked the

residentes if they wanted to play BINGO with us. Then we wheeled

them to a room where we brought them hot chocolate and snacks.

It was so nice to hear the stories of these people. Even though we

had trouble communicating with them, our Notre friends helped so

much by translating and helping us have conversations with them. I

am so thankful that I have met so many great people here.

Day 6

I had heard so much about the

Festa de Junina from the Notre

students but I hadn’t expected

that it would be this amazing. I

tried so many different kinds of

Brazilian foods, but the pastel

was definitely one of my

favorites. I also loved the

french fries, they were much

better than the ones in

America. I had so much fun

spending times with my new

Brazilian friends, especially

Joao, who translated so much

for us and was fun to be

around. By far, the best part of

the night was the fireworks.

They were the most amazing

thing I’ve ever seen. In

America, the fireworks are

never that close so it was so

cool to see them so clearly. I

had an amazing time.

FESTA DE JUNINA

Feira de ArtesanatoOn Sunday, we woke up early and went to the Artisan fair. There

we met Catarina, Carolina, and Joao. We split up into groups and

made our way around the tents. Our group stopped at the second

stand we went to and spent about an hour there. There were so

many beautiful bracelets and necklaces. The owner was also very

funny and helpful. We each spent about 60 reals there. Then we

found out that we didn’t have much time left, so we sped around

the park trying to look at all the stands. I bought an elephant

figurine for my mother and a Brasil soccer shirt for my father. I also

bought my sister several bracelets and a tie-dye sweatshirt. That

night, we went to mass at Colegio Notre Dame. It was a little hard

to understand but very nice. At the end, Marisa, Christina, and

Clarinda sang “Send You Out”, a very popular song at our school

liturgies. It was a very fun day and I enjoyed experiencing the

Brazilian cultures.

Today is our last day at Notre Dame and

in Brazil. I am going to miss all the

amazing friends I have made on this trip.

I’d like to thank all the faculty and staff,

students and other people who made this

trip so much fun. I hope to keep in touch

with all my new Brazilian friends. I will

never forget them or the time I have had

here at Notre Dame. Ciao!

Our Final Day