The Countdown Begins

The boredom of essay writing and revision is constantly causing my focus to drift to summer plans! Determined to make the most of my last long holiday for a while, I have packed lots in, returning just in time for work in September (my family are a little worried that I will be gone for good!). 

In exactly 7 weeks I will be at Heathrow about to board a very early plane to São Paulo, having finished my last exam the afternoon before, a slightly speedy turn around! 

There, I will be volunteering with an NGO for 6 weeks. ACER, Associação de Apoio A Criança Em Risco or The Children at Risk Foundation, was founded in 1993 to 'offer an alternative way of life to vulnerable children and young people living on the streets of São Paulo.' Here's a video of Lewis Hamilton and Jake Humphrey visiting ACER for Sports Relief.

I will be focusing on learning about the finances and marketing of a specific project that the charity runs called Family Guardian (http://www.familiaguardia.org.br/index-pt.html). It supports extended family members caring for children that have been taken away from their parents by the justice system, due to abandonment or negligence, so that they don't have to go into care.

ACER is situated in Eldorado, a favela in Diadema, one of greater São Paulo’s most violent suburbs according to Wikipedia! Although it is still classed as São Paulo, it is actually 2 hours from the centre which shows just how huge the city is. From living in one of the most middle class neighbourhoods, Vila Madalena, during my year abroad I will now be living in one of the poorest. I am so grateful for the opportunity to see this amazing city from a different perspective.

I'm also really looking forward to staying with friends in the city

centre at weekends and revisiting the incredible restaurants/nightlife/culture that São Paulo has to offer. Hopefully I will discover some new gems that I'll be sure to write about on here!

After São Paulo, I will be backpacking around Colombia for a month, a country that I have wanted to visit forever - suggestions for what to do and see are very welcome!

So, now I just have the small obstacle of 13 exams! Until then I will be dreaming of this place...

Selva de pedra, São Paulo

Hopefully see you on the other side!!

Home Time

So, I’m sitting in Barajas Airport finally flying home after 6 months in Madrid. At times it definitely dragged but the last few weeks have flown by, mainly due to the need to submit my year abroad essays before I start work in London on Monday. It has been a bit of a slog to say the least. 

My last night didn't end in the best way, although the company and copious amounts of pizza made up for it!

My time in Madrid has definitely had its ups and downs, but overall it's been a great experience; the total opposite of Brazil in so many ways but just as valuable, if maybe not as enjoyable. The first month was tough, I felt pretty miserable after having spent just a week at home and still missing my life in Brazil a lot. It didn't help not being able to find anywhere decent to live and then having 3 jobs fall through, but luckily things only got better thereafter. 

I was so lucky to have my best friends in Madrid with me too!!

The Spanish education system does not rank well and the schools at which I worked as a language assistant definitely reinforced this. One of them, in particular, did not have a good reputation; it was situated in one of the city's most deprived areas and had an exam pass rate of just 30% (almost 10% below the Madrid average). However it wasn't the children who ever caused me problems. Sure they were difficult sometimes, I had a few pens chucked at me (more to see how I would react than out of hatred I hope!) and a brawl did break out in one class a few weeks ago which was an interesting experience, but ultimately children are children, I loved being with them and found them extremely welcoming. I often found myself siding with them and not the teachers, probably because I was only 3 years older than the top year students.

I was so lucky to have the best housemates!

It was actually the teachers and the school itself that I found the hardest to deal with. The standard of teaching was worse than I could have possibly imagined and made me realise just how lucky I was with my education. The majority seemed to simply have given up and couldn’t care less about anything. The school itself was a dump, no money for anything, no electronic boards, internet that never worked, no decorations in the classrooms, rusty desks and graffiti everywhere. I could go on and on, it just annoyed me so much that the very children that need all the help they can get in life are being failed by the state.

Favourite brunch destination with Greta

Rozzy and Olivia 

Although I found the job tough, it did mean that I focused on finding things that I enjoyed doing in my spare time, especially as I didn't get to speak as much Spanish as I would have wanted to at work. I joined a running club, took Spanish classes three times a week, taught private english classes to little kids twice a week, joined a great gym and found a Brazilian exchange to keep up my Portuguese. Let's just say it took my mind of things and meant that I definitely never got bored! 

An early start for the Madrid 10K

It was so sad saying goodbye to my favourite private class

Anyway, after almost a year away I am definitely ready to come home, even if it's only for a day!