My first Time in USA

Saturday, February 22, 2014

It is time to go. Today I woke up at 5 o clock because I am very anxious to come back to Brazil. I took a shower, washed my hair and had breakfast. I cleaned my bedroom and finished my suitcases. It was very difficult to close them and I don't know how  I will carry all of them. I ate something and I went to CVS to spend my Dragons. I came back to International house and I spoke with my husband and my mom. They are everything that I have and my biggest treasure. My love is unconditional and I want to stay near them forever. Now I can say that I had another dream came true and this trip can be one of the most interesting experience of my life.  Thank you for the friends I made, the things I learned and the moments I lived. Thank you Philadelphia, Thank you Drexel University!!!   

Friday, February 21, 2014

Good morning everybody! Today is Friday and as usual I had a lot of fun. First I woke up at 8 o'clock and I went to the observation class. I went to Miyo Moriuchi class (listening and speaking) at ODP. It was the best observation because I could speak and listen to the students. The students were from China, Kuwait, Turkey etc. They made me many questions about Brazil and I made some questions for them. It was amazing. I also took a picture with the guys and they liked. I went really fast to LCC to take the books that Drexel gave us. I had lunch in my bedroom, I just ate bread with cream cheese. I wish I had rice, beans and meat but...
In the afternoon I went to the library to fill out program survey online and we could write about the course and the teachers. After, I went to ODP to do the final presentation with Eve. 
Then, I met Mara in the subway to go to the PennTESOL-East to learn about Flipping the ESL classroom and Service Learning. The night was perfect and I think I took the most beautiful pictures of my trip. How God is perfect! I also saw a rainbow in the sky. 

Thursday, February 20, 2014

Hello, everybody. Today was a day full of emotions. I went to Mary's class and she allowed us to finish the poster and it was everything OK. I could also help my friends to paste their posters. After I went to international house to dress me up and I put a beautiful dress to my presentation. I had lunch in the bedroom, I just ate a bread with PHILADELPHIA. I went to Beck's class and she asked us to present the poster for her before. She corrected some mistakes and I went to the poster session farewell reception. I presented my poster several times and I think I had a great idea to work with culture because culture is communication and makes the student interact.
After the presentation the teachers and the principal spoke a little for us and everybody got thrilled with their speech, I also tried to say some words but I started crying. I will never forget what I lived here and it was one of the most important experience of my life. I made friends, I grew up as a person, I improved my English, I learned a new culture and I also live a dream to stay here 45 days in Drexel University in Philadelphia, PA one of the most important city where the whole America history took place.
At night, the Brazilians had a meeting. We celebrated our friendship and our achievements. We danced, Olha o Serrote, a song that Andrew asked me what it meant? And we danced Robert's music: What does the fox say? It was one of the funniest moment for us. Later I tried to organize my suitcase and Maira helped me a lot. I said that I had good friends here.

Wednesday, February 19, 2014.

Today was raining a lot and I went to Ben's class at 7:30. He talked about something that Americas are competitive, like in sports. He also talk about economy and how is business helping and hurting US society. His classes are always interesting because we can learn about culture and see the differences. After his class, I had lunch and printed my action research because tomorrow is the presentation. In the afternoon I had Andrew's class. he taught how to pronounce some brands like: Apple, Levi's, Halls, Mc Donald's, Mac, Facebook, Burger King, Red Bull, Reebok, Sephora and Bluetooth. I also talked about something that I really liked to do here and I mentioned the day I went to the church and the priest talked about love. It was unforgettable. After I went to Robert's class and he showed some videos for us and discussed about culture. He said that Philadelphia can't be considered a window to represent US. This trip was good for me not only for the language but also to see how people live. It was important to help me to be a little self confident because I always had my family beside me to support and help me in any situation and here I had to do everything by myself. Making a comparison, I think that Brazil is more flexible and we don't have blinders on. We are able to learn other culture and see the positive things of it. I think like a Brazilian woman, I need to learn  many things about other culture to be more critical and I think now I understand my country better. The teachers made a surprise for us. They bought some donuts and celebrated our last class. They asked us to take picture. Robert said to Vanessa and I: Could you take a picture with me? He is incredible!!!
I went to international house, took a shower and made my nails because tomorrow is our presentations and I am very anxious. 

Tuesday, February 18, 2014

Hello, everybody. How are you doing? Today I woke up at 6:30 and saw at the internet that the class would start late. So, it was so nice to have breakfast calmly. When I looked at the window the streets were full of snow. I arrived at Mary´s class and I presented my third lesson plan. I talked about how to teach heterogeneous students. After the class, I went to dinning hall to have lunch. At Becky´s class, she corrected our project and she showed us some examples of banners and she also gave us the material to prepare the posters.
When we left her class we met Ben and Mara because they said that they had a surprise for us.
It was a game to show how can we adapt with the different cultures. Culture is our way of life. It includes our values, beliefs, customs, languages and traditions. Culture is reflected in our history, in our heritage and in how we express ideas and creativity. This is the reason that Americans are so different from us.
I think they tried to show us that this is the USA. We are different and that´s the way they live and believe. I don´t have too much to say about it because I don´t agree with many things like this individulalism of the Americans. For example, today I tried to observe around me and I looked for people who were smile and I didn´t find any group of people laughing.
Our culture measures our quality of life, our vitality and the health of our society. Through our culture we develop a sense of belonging, personal and cognitive growth and the ability to empathize and relate to each other. Maybe because Brazil is not near to be the first world country, we had this culture shock. It is important to say that Brazil is a host country that goes beyond soccer and Carnival.

At night, I went with some friends to watch Drexel basketball game. It was a great game and I had a lot of fun with the presentations during the intervals. I came back home and made my homework. Today I also started PUC´s course. Now I am very busy with Teachers´ link course and this course.


Monday, February 17, 2014

Hi, everybody. Today I woke up at 6:20,  had breakfast, dressed me up and went the the Eve's class at Korman. The weather was really cold and I am really happy that this is my last week far from my family, my friends and from Brazil.I loved my trip and all the experience that I had in Philadelphia but I want to come back home. Eve gave us many interesting sites to work with presentations, bingo and teleprompter. I gave her the Brazilian's group presents and I think she liked. She didn't open the gifts in front of us, like us Brazilians do when we receive a gift. She said that this is the American Culture.

 After this, I had lunch and I went to the library to use my dragons. I bought some presents to my family and I went to Robert and Andrew's classes. I arrived late and the group was giving their presents. Andrew opened all of them and made some questions, like: Who sings? How can I use? What is this? Where is Fortaleza? Robert thanked for all the presents and took many pictures with us. I will never forget these teachers anymore. After the classes I went to Walnut street to buy my tennis shoes. The one that I always wanted. It is perfect, comfortable and stylish. I arrived late at home and I took a shower and washed my hair. Tomorrow, there will be a surprise to the Brazilian group. 


Sunday, February 16, 2014

Today I woke up at 8 o'clock and I went to the church. The priest talked about law. He talked about God's and Human's Laws. After, I had lunch in the dinning hall and the food was very cold. After lunch, I went to CVS to buy some perfumes. I chose 6 perfumes because there were a sale: Buy 1 get 1 50 % off. 
I asked the saleswoman and she confirmed for me but when I passed in the cashier he said that is wasn't on sale. I got very nervous because it was on the label and she said for me. I asked to call the manager and I talked to him that this couldn't happen and he said that he could't do anything for me. I said that in Brazil this kind of thing would never happen because words have power and probably the manager would let to sell the perfumes for the price that was on the label. 
I went to market street to enjoy the last weekend in Philadelphia. Besides this, I passed in the Pub to check if somebody found Simone's Mobile because she lost last Friday and the mobile was there. This is a very good point in Philadelphia. Nobody takes what isn't yours.    


Saturday, February 15, 2014

Today is Saturday and I could sleep more. I am so tired but I don't sleep very well during the nights. I usually wake up 3 times per night. I dreamed with my mother and I woke up screaming: moommmmmm. I am missing her a lot. I had my breakfast in the bedroom and went shopping with my friends. I took the subway and a bus. In the subway there was a homeless. He entered in our wagon with a shield: "I am a homeless. I don't have money, and I am not so handsome to prostitute me, help me please. God bless you". These words shocked me and my friend gave him some money. He thanked her and left. Nobody gave any money for him, just my friend that acted with her heart. One man that was sitting near us, said: Why did you give money to this man? He will use your money with drugs and to drink alcoholic drinks. He chose this life for him. Here in Philadelphia we have many places that help this people. We have hostels, places to eat, they can take a shower but they don't want to take line and waste time. They don't want to change their lives. The man that explained everything for us told us that he chose this place because of us, we were wearing beautiful clothes, he realized that we aren't American and we would probably help him.  I don't understand what and how Americans think but I don't agree with the man who said that the homeless chose this life and they don't want to change their lives. I can imagine how it is difficult to these people to have opportunities and change their lives. He also said us that near that place there were many drug-dealers and that USA is in a slump and he hopes his country gets better. He believes in his country. Let's forget it, this kind of problems are worldwide.    
The good part of my day was in Franklin Mills. It is Philadelphia’s largest outlet and value retail shopping destination with more than 200 popular stores including Last Call by Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue OFF 5TH, Polo Ralph Lauren Factory Store, Banana Republic Factory Store and Nike Factory Store. I bought 2 Tommy Hilfiger's bags. I got very angry there because I wanted to eat and there were just pizza. I don't understand how American can live eating just this kind of food. We wast too much hours  because I arrived there at 10:30 AM and  I came back to International house at 8 o'clock PM.
When I arrived, I talked with my husband and he said" This is our last weekend away. Thank's God.


Friday, February 14, 2014

Valentine's day! Today is Valentine's day and I could live a little about the American Culture. Celebrate this date here was sad because I am without my husband, but it was nice because I could see how do they celebrate! I woke up at 8 o'clock and I didn't have classes in the morning. So, I had lunch in my bedroom and I went to Andrew's and Robert's classes. Andrew practices oral and listening abilities with us and Robert passed a beautiful song Go to . It is like a poetry that talks about life and something that He would change in the past. I showed the teacher a Brazilian song with almost the same message. Titas- Epitafio Go to . I got very touched because I made everything that I would like to do in Philadelphia. It was a short period but I enjoyed a lot. I will never forget the moments I lived here. Even with the cold weather, the sleepless nights, a lot of homework, stay here without my family, I loved my first time in USA.  Then, I went to a pub with Robert and Andrew to continue with a social event after class. It was cool because I had never gone to a pub before. There were a lot of people and couples and all the pub was decorated with hearts. McGillin’s Olde Ale House threw open its doors the year Lincoln was elected president. That’s shortly after the Liberty Bell cracked and long before ground was broken for Philadelphia City Hall. The beer taps have been flowing since 1860- making it the oldest continuously operating tavern in Philadelphia. It has outlasted Strawbridge’s, the Civil War and even Prohibition. I ate a chicken sandwich and I drank a special drink. I also tasted chocolate, Stouts, and Ale beers. They were served in big bottled. I received a flower for the Valenti's day. Then, I came back to International house at 7 o'clock and It was happening a Valentine's party. I danced black music and had a little fun.

Thursday,  February 13, 2014

Hello, everybody. Today was a strange day because I am always running here and today I didn´t go out. I stayed in the bedroom almost the whole day. I woke up later than the other days because I didn´t have classes. All the classes were cancelled because of the snow. The weather was freezing and I put all my lessons in order. I made Mary´s homework, Becky´s action research and Robert´s video. I went to the computer lab, stayed there until 1 o´clock and  I just stopped to have lunch. I ate a piece of pizza and coke. I kept on studying up to 8 o´clock and some friends invited me to eat popcorn. I was in the mood to eat popcorn. Well, I almost finished everything. I took a shower, washed my hair and did my nails.  I am very tired now. Tomorrow I am in the only group that will have classes. Lucky girl!!!
  


Wednesday, February 12, 2014

Hi! How are you doing? Today was freezing cold as always and I went to Ben's class at 7:30. He talked about the freedom of religion and explained that this is the one of the strongest idea about culture. He also talked about the minority (the group that does not have power) and the women is the minority group. Ben said that tomorrow probably we will not have classes because of the snow and the weather, that it is going to be freezing cold. After this class I went to dinning hall and I ate fish and french fries. In the afternoon, I went to the best classes, Andrew and Robert. Andrew made me practiced a lot and Robert made me cry with his videos. These are the links:  
Go to
Go to
Go to
After these 2 classes I went to the supermarket and I chose many things to buy but when I passed in the cashier, my Dragon Card didn't pass. I got very angry because I lost much time there and I could take anything. " I am learning with the Americans " Time is money". So, I passed at CVS, where everything is more expensive, but tomorrow, probably I will stay in my bedroom  studying and doing the homework and I will need some food. Now, Let's wait for the snow!


Tuesday, February 11, 2014

Hello, everybody! I started my day with my breakfast in the bedroom. So, I went to Mary´s class at LCC. The weather was freezing and I my foot was hurting because of my toes. So, I made another test and I think this one was more difficult than the first. The teacher gave us the first test and I got 9.2. I got very happy with my mark. So, I had lunch at dinning hall and I brought a sandwich for my dinner. In the afternoon, I went to Back´s class and she made with us the reading of some pages of the book "Action Research". Later, I had Eve´s class at Korman and I put my blog in order. After this class, I went to ChinaTown that is one of many Chinatowns in the United States, with culture, stores, history and of course chinese food for eveyone stopping in to enjoy but I just bought some souviniers there. When I came back home my throat started hurting and I took some meedicene that my friend Vanessa gave me. Suddenly, I realized that I  had lost my pendrive at Korman. So, I sent a message to Eve and she said me that the building was open. I called Vanessa to go with me and she answer in the same moment. I will go with you. Thanks God that my pendrive was there. 
I will fininsh this course with sure of one thing, that I made good friends. 

Monday, February 10, 2014.

Monday is Monday. Today I woke up at 3 AM and I didn´t sleep more, I don´t know why because I was tired and I didn´t sleef after I went to the restroom at 3 o´clock. So, I got very tired during the day. First, I had Eve´s class at Korman and we learned how to create a quizz. She also gave us many ideas of how to teach English using technology. Eve is the best Technology teacher I have ever had. She knows many things! After it, I had lunch because since yesterday I was without eating food so I ate a delicious fish with rice and the wonderful ice cream. The weater today was 5-, for us was cool. How could I image that I would say this???
In the afternoon, I had Andrew´s and Robert´s classes. They are great teachers. Andrew corrected my oral activity and I had few mistakes and Robert corrected my journal and I got 10. I was so happy and proud of me. After the classes, I went to Burlington to buy another suitcase because I bought so many things here that my suitcase will not fit. So, I took the bus and came back to International House and ate my dinner that I brought from dining hall. I studied a little for the test and slept at 1 o´clock. This is the time I always sleep here. When I come baack to Brazil I will try to rest a little before looking for a job. 


Sunday, February 9, 2013.

King of Prussia´s day! Wonderful day. I woke up at 9 o´clock and I went with my friends to a Shopping called King of Prussia. Featuring a diverse mix of over 400 stores. The price was not so good the place was beautiful.  I took a hot chocolate when I arrived  because I was almost freezing. The weather was good but I think my clothes were not appropriate, I just put 2 blouses. I walked a lot and I found the stores of my trip: H&M, Aéropostale, New York & Company and Forever 21. I didn´t know these stores because coming to USA. Now, they are my best friends forever. I bout jeans for just $10.00 and my overalls, that I´d really want. After walking up to 6 o´clock we left. When we Looked outside the shopping, it was snowing a lot and we took a bus and the subway. We arrived very late because of the traffic and I had a small dinner, just an apple, a pear and cookies. 


Saturday,  February 8, 2014 

Hi, Everybody! Here I am to tell you how was my first time in Washington DC. I woke up at 7 o´clock and I talked with my husband. He sad many beautiful words for me and I cried because I miss him. Then, I took the bus and it was 3 hours to arrive there. Washington is a city you can walk across, with wide-open avenues, front porches, old neighborhoods and river views. It was designed by a Parisian, Pierre L'Enfant, and it still feels that way. Because buildings cannot by law be higher than the width of the street they front, you can always see the sky. There are more than two dozen free museums, so you can absorb culture the way it was meant to be experienced. We visited the most important places, we exploreed the U.S. Capitol Building, the White House, the U.S. Supreme Court, National Mall, Vietnam Veterans Memorial (At the west end of the Mall is a dark low wall that may be the most powerful memorial to loss in the world. Veterans and relatives come to make pencil rubbings from the 58,000 names engraved in the Vietnam Veterans Memorial).
Then, I went to a street that there we many museums and I went to National Museum of Natural History, where the film Night at the Museum was recorded. It was fantastic. I could see many intersting thing about Africa, Survival lessons, the changing of the body, shapes and sizes, human envolved in response to a changing world etc.
National air And Space Museum, where I could see what is the universe. How big is it? how old is it? and How old it begin? I got very surprised becauser there were many airplanes, 14 Bis was there and I didn´t see the name of Santos Dumont anywhere.
After, National Museum of American History, where we can find a collection of more than 3 million artifacts displayed in exhibits and within the archives that focuses on American history and culture,
At 5: 30 PM i went shopping with my friends but I didn´t like the stores but the tour was fabulous! How could I imagine that I would see Obama's house ?

Friday, February  7, 2014

Hello, Helloooooo

Today I woke up early and I went to a public school and It was a nice experience. Almost every children there were black, there are a lot of Japanese, Vietnamese too and mainly of the teachers were blond. We entered in the classes and the children asked many questions about Brazil. I could also dance and teach how to dance Samba. It was cool because some of the students danced with me. The school was celebration Red day for heart and it was a special day. We entered  in some classes, for example:  Kindergarten, 4th grade and there was an auxiliary in these classes just to support the teacher and the students to assist them. The principal told us that the school work together as a team. He played piano for us and Keren played too. We took one bus and the subway to come back to the Dinning hall. We had lunch very fast because we had a meeting at Friends meeting house.A friends meeting house is a meeting house of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), where meeting for worship is usually held. Typically Friends meeting houses do not have steeples. A man presented for us some projects and talked about the philosophy of the religion. They believe that U.S. can be a force for the common good- if we invest in peaceful ends to conflict an adopt restorative alternatives to healing a broken world. They believe that each day offers us new opportunities. The possibility of new experiences, making new friends, seeing new places. Do you seek deeper spiritual experience? Go there! Then, I left Arch friends meeting house and went shopping with my friends. I bough my husband's power beats at best buy. Tomorrow will be a nice day because I will go to Washington for the first time. Tomorrow I tell you how was it. See you!

Thursday, February 6, 2014 

Today I woke up and dressed me up with a business casual dress because we have a reception in the evening . I will go with my group to the International Visitors Council for their First Thursday reception, which is held on the first Thursday of every month. I had my breakfast in my bedroom and went to the classes. It was difficult to walk  with high heel shoes in the snow. I had Mary's class and I presented another lesson plan about listening and speaking. I talked about daily routine and showed my students' videos. 

 I had lunch and went to Becky's class. She showed us how to make a research using Drexel library. I liked very much because I can look for everything that I need. This is the link-  http://library.drexel.edu/

After that, I went to the reception. The event started at 5:30, so we met Ben at 34th and Market at 5:00 to take the subway there. I wore black pants, a shirt and high heel shoe. When I arrived there I got very surprised because the place was really beautiful. The people there were very formal, there were lawyers, judges, bankers, etc. The food was great and we sang a cold happy birthday. We took the subway to go back to the international house. Take a look at the picture, can you imagine how my feet were?   

Wednesday, February  5, 2014

 My day started very difficult because of the weather. When I left International house I almost flew. It was raining and I divided the umbrella with Simone and it was very windy. The umbrella broke, my pants got wet, and my hair was a disaster because of the wind. I arrived in the class totally wet. Besides it, the day was great. I went to Ben's class and he talked a lot about the theme of my project. Is cultural awareness a necessary component to language learning? I got some ideas and thought how can I work in my research. He talked about Ethnicity, race, religion etc. 

After, I had lunch at dinning hall, I went to Robert' class and he gave us 2 classes. He passed a video of  "Everybody loves Raimond", we answered some questions and he explained the vocabulary. In the evening, I took the subway to go tho Betsy's house. She sewed the first American flag. We visited her house and learned about her life. It cost 5 dollars. After, I went to Elfreth's Alley- a national historic landmark, popularly known as "our nation's oldest residential street"-dates back to the first days of the eighteenth century.
Twenty years after William Penn founded Pennsylvania and established Philadelphia as its capital, the town had grown into a thriving, prosperous mercantile center on the banks of the Delaware River. Since 1702, Elfreth's Alley has been home to more than 3,000 people. Today thirty-two houses, built between 1728 and 1836, line the alley. They form one of the last intact early American streetscapes in the nation. Elfreth's Alley is a National Historic Landmark District, one of the first
districts that celebrates the lives of everyday Americans. It was very nice to see that beautiful architecture. And them, I went with my friends to a restaurant called City Tavern. It is fabulous. The menu definitely delivered in terms of colonial era theme and it is located in the Old city. With over 230 years of hospitality, City Tavern has been the centerpiece of affairs now immortalized in history. An evening at City Tavern is certain to be remembered by the pepperpot soup, colonial turkey pot pie, roast duckling, Thomas Jefferson's sweet potato biscuits. All served by costumed wait staff. There was also a man playing harp. It was so beautiful I felt very happy there with my friends. I took some pictures of the place and when the waiter arrived with the dessert, Oh my God! Delicious!!!!

Tuesday, February  4, 2014

Today it was a normal day. I woke up very early, at about 4 o'clock AM and I didn't sleep more. The time for me is the only problem, I think my body didn't  understand the jet lag. I went to Mary's class and she showed us some wonderful books that could be wonderful for my research and for my classes in Brazil. I present an idea of listening and speaking lesson plan. In the afternoon I went to Becky's class and she gave us many kinds of activities. I could also take some ideas about my research about culture and teaching. In the evening, I went with some friends at 5 below to buy some souvenirs. It is a nice store that sells everything for 5 dollars.   When we arrived there we started talking in Portuguese and the cashier was from Angola and he could speak Portuguese. He was so nice that he gave all of the girls a bubble gum. After shopping, I did my homework and I thanked God to be here and  I slept.

 Monday,  February 3, 2014

Hi, everybody. It was 7:30 and the weather was freezing cold and snowing. We went to Korman Building because we had normal class and I fell down the stairs because I didn't see the step. Despite this, the day was very productive because I learned many things at Eve's and Andres's classes. She showed us many important sites that are going to be useful for us. Some of them are:

http://www.azargrammar.com/materials/index.html http://quizlet.com/35398075/q-skills-rw-unit-1-flash-cards/ https://quizlet.com/create-set http://animoto.com/

I could create my own material. In the afternoon, I had Andrew's class and I also learned a lot about pronunciation. My homework was almost everything corrected. First, I introduced Simone, after I presented my family to Andrew. Here are some words that we discussed:

 I learned that the relation between Philadelphia and the USA is because of the liberty freedom. It was also because of the Constitution and the Liberty Bell. 
The most important building in Philadelphia is the Independence Hall where they divided the power. It was in July 4th 1776. He also mentioned that the name of the team 76ers is because of the Independence.
The class was fantastic. Unfortunately, we didn't have Robert's class because of the snow. In the evening, I went to the gym and I worked out and run a little.




Sunday, February 2, 2014

Today, I would like to talk about something really nice that happen during my trip to Philadelphia PA. 3 Brazilians friends lost their mobile and a camera and they got back everything. The first one lost an iPhone in the restroom and after some hours she came back there and a student gave back. The other situation, my friend forgot the camera in a store and in the other day she came back in the store and the camera was there at the same place. Nobody touched in the camera. The last situation, my friend forgot her iPhone in the taxi and the taxi driver deduced that she was a student through the pictures and handed in the International House. I am really happy to be in a place with good and honest people. This is a big example for all over the world. We should do the best to receive good things! God bless all these three fair people.

I started my day very well. I went to Saints Agatha and James Parish. I thrilled me with the priest’s words. I think it was the second most beautiful church that I have ever gone and I think that the words were for us. The Priest talked about love and children and the love that we must have to build a child. He also talked about the love that the teachers have for the children It was amazing. Thanks God for this opportunity.

 After I went to GAP store to change my husband’s clothes and I passed at CVC to my some make up. I spent 200$. I have to take care because my money is finishing and I still have 3 weeks.   

And I cant forget to say that today is my father's birthday and I sent a message for him in the Facebook but I didn't see him the Skype because my brother wasn't there. I called to his house and I talked how much I love him. 

Saturday, February 1, 2014

 Today I woke up very early because I had many homework to do. I went to the computer lab and made Mary's homework. After I had lunch I went to Philadelphia Museum of Art and I could see many Monet, Van Gogh, Paul Cezanne etc. It was awesome because I could breath culture. This museum has perhaps the most dramatic location of any in the world being situated on a hill at the end of the Benjamin Franklin Parkway. After the museum of art I went to the The Rocky Statue and the Rocky StepsOne of Philadelphia’s most famous pieces of public art is a bigger-than-life boxer… literally. Originally created for Rocky III, the sculpture is now a real-life monument to a celluloid hero. The fictional Rocky Balboa of Sylvester Stallone’s Rocky movies was immortalized in bronze in 1980. After filming for the movie completed, Stallone donated the statue to the City of Philadelphia. The statue is located at the bottom of the stairs at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, so be sure to get a photo with Rocky Balboa himself and I could take a picture. After this we came back home and passed at Gallery shopping where I found a cinema 9D for 5 dollars. Probably, tomorrow we will go. I also discovered a store called  Bath & Body Works – we can find great fragrance, Body Care, Anti-Bac, World's Best Candle, Wallflowers, Gifts and Discontinued Fragrances. I came back home, took a long shower and did my homework. 

Friday, January 31, 2014

Hi, Everybody! Today I went to my observation class at Independence Charter School. We went by subway and it was amazing 

because we could see how pubic schools work. Independence Charter School is a community based K-S public charter school of academic excellence and serve a diverse community of learners. They believe that all children can be successful in a safe, nurturing and respectful environment. They believe that by learning language and studying cultures, children gain the skills needed to be active global citizens. After the observation I had lunch, a delicious salmon and went shopping. I bought Gap blouses. After that, I came back to the International house to take a shower and to go to the basketball game. It was amazing. This part of the culture is really important for me because it is something that I love, "sports". We went by subway and it happened a funny thing with me. I was so I was so enchanted with the game that I was rooting for the wrong team. Suddenly, The team scored a point and I screamed.....everbody looked at my face.   It was Philadelphia 76ers VS. Atlanta Hawks.

Thursday, January 30, 2014

Yesterday night was really great, I was to the Yoga´s class and I really loved. It was a challenge because I didn´t know the movements and even the specific terms but it was really funny.

Today I woke up very worried about some documents that I had to send to FUNDAP and my husband didn´t get. I called him and he was already working. I cried in my bedroom because I am not there and there is nothing I can do here.

I went to Mary´s class and we discussed about listening and speaking.

I went to dinning hall to have lunch and I ate shrimp and a perfect dessert, cheese cake.

Today teacher’s Becky class was great because we could talk about the theme of the poster and probably I will study about culture in the process of teaching and learning.   We went to Eve’s class and I add something that I love, “music”. I put a new page in my blog about it.

After the 3 classes I went downtown to look the stores and see the people. I bought jeans and I paid only 8 dollars. 

I arrived at home and studied a little because I have many things to do.

Wednesday, January 29, 2014

Hello, Today I woke up at the same time and I had breakfast in my bedroom. I went to Ben´s class and we discussed about Constitution, war, women rights, vietnan draft, the importance of the family, baby boomers etc. After the class finished I had lunch and I ate steak for the first time. It was delicious. The second part of the day was with Andrew and Robert. For Andrew´s class I presented University city folder to my classmates. For his homework, we had to record our reading for these 3 questions:

Talk briefly about your family

My family is everything for me. My father and my mother are the people that I most admire and respect. I have a ein brother and I am able to do everything for him. Flucky is mu pet and he is like a baby for me. It is amazing how much love and laughter he brings into my life and my husband, that I can´t imagine my life without him. He is all I ever wanted and all I ever needed.

Describe your school or work background and your purpose for studying

My school is nice even with its problems. There are many classes, one computer lab, a library, the teacher´s room, a big kitchen, a  big playground and a court, where the students do Physical Education Classes. I have good experience in teaching because I have already worked in public, private and also college that was the best experience of my life. Besides this, I would like that education in my country was priority.

I think that study is really important for us because we don´t pay the price for knowledge, we enjoy  the price for knowledge. 

Describe your most pleasant childhood memory

When I talk about my childhood I always remember something with my brother. We always studied together and he was rowdy and I was shy and calm. . Our mother usually took us to the parks to do picnic and we played all day long. Other thing that I remember is about Christmas that my brother and I discovered that our father was the Santa Clause.
Robert´s class was nice, we dis some exercises and he showed us a video- Just a dream by Carrie Underwood that made me cry because I am missing  my husband and I remembered him.
We arrived home early, about 4 o´clock and I am in the computer studying and reading some chapters of the books.
At night, I went to the gym with my friend Simone to do Yoga´s and to work out a little. It was my first time in this kind of class. The weather was freezing cold but like Andrew told us: Focus. 

Tuesday, January 28, 2014

Hello, everybody! Today I woke up aroud 6:20 AM and I had my breakfast in the bedroom and went to Mary´s class for my first ESOL Methodology test. I made some notes to use during the test but i used my experience to answer all of them. It was not easy because there were 6 complex questions. Today I talked with my uncle and my cousin Thais. It was very nice because I could say how I am missing all of them. In the afternoon we had Becky´s class and I think I found my research. It is something like this: The purpose of this study is to show that cultural aspects can be efficient to motivate the high school students. After I went to Eve´s class and I could put some Power Point lessons plan.

At night, it was much better because we had Jilvania´s birthday party. It was very different because we had cup cakes, ice cream, pizza and pretzel She was my first friend in PDPI. When I saw my name on the list I started to talk with her about the course and the trip. I enjoyed and danced a lot with my friends.

Monday, January 27, 2014

It is Monday but it is Ok!
Oh, God! Today we had many taskes. First we went to our first Educational Technology class with all the group together. It was nice because teacher Eve gave us many activities that we can apply in our students. We could also practice the oral ability because she showed us a new strategy to work with power point. She also told us about the site www.engrade.com. 

It is a plataform that you can: 

• ·         Personalize insights guide academic progress
• ·         Generate lesson plans, quizzes, and more
• ·         Visualize relevant performance trends
• ·         Use for all levels of users

In the afternoon we had Andrew´s class. We read some words and we could realize how care we have to be about intonation, stress words, pronouncing vowels and consonants. 

Let´s repeat: 

sheep

ship 

chocolate

february 

water

patters

boot

foot

* Schwa= In English, schwa is the most common vowel sound. It is a reduced vowel in many unstressed syllables, especially if syllabic consonants are not used

I loved the class because we could practice a lot. We also have homework. Read some texts and answer questions. 

After we change to Robert´s class. We talked a lot about the life in Philadelphia and I discovered that the life here is very expensive. We discussed about the jet lag and  we watched a video and answered an exercise. I learned some new words and some expressions, like: No money, no honey, auto pilot, deliver on my promise, freshman, hectic     Teacher Robert asked us to record a video in groups of 4 to present to the class as a final paper. 

Sunday, January 26, 2014

Atypical Sunday at Premium outlets

Today was a very different Sunday. On Sunday I usually do something calm with my husband because we prepare ourselves for the week and today was a very agitated day. I went with more 11 women to an outlet, "Philadelphia Premium outlets". I woke up early and I met the girls on the first floor. We left at 10 o´clock and we took 2 subways and 1 bus. It ´s almost 2 hours to arrive there but the roads were so beautiful that I didn´t notice and I am very happy with my day. The girls are wonderful and we could practice our English in different situations. Could you imagine how nice was it? 12 women together in 150 stores. I bought some clothes to me and some gifts for my family and of course I didn´t forget my husband. I liked the prices and I bought at Tommy Hilfiger, Calvin Klein and Forever 21 (it is a store that I didn´t know before and now I am in love). We came back at 5 o´clock. It was very cold but I think everybody forgot the cold weather because of the shopping. Now, I have to be handcuffed in my bedroom because I can´t spend more money.

Saturday, January 25, 2014

Dinner with an American family

BETUSA DINNER

Today is Saturday and we have the dinner with an American family and I am very anxious to know about them, their culture and change experiences.

My host is Chip Finney, a friend of one of the instructors here at the ELC. Chip is a tour guide in Brazil, and his wife is a doctor. He says his 4 year old son even does some capoeira and understands a little Portuguese.

They live very close to the ELC, so Rosana and I went to the gym to meet Chip. At 6:30 Chip arrived. We introduced ourselves and we walked to his house. He made some questions for us during the way and he said us that his wife´s family was there too.

When we arrived there we took away the jackets and the boots so all the family introduced themselves and I gave them the gift. I think they liked because All the family Know Brazil, Chip visit our country, he but the scarf and said that he liked. The four years old guy started asking for money to put in his caddy and his wife loved the cup. We started to speak about many things: places in Brazil, places in Philadelphia, music, food, films, etc. He asked me about what were my expectations about this trip and if I already knew something about Philadelphia. I said that I read something about the population that are 55% of black people, that it is a historical country, there are many museums and it is the fifth most populous city in the United States. I could practice my English and have a nice experience. We ate pizza and pie. The food was delicious and they prepared everything. I drunk wine, just one goblet. The little boy was asking for the pie all dinner, maybe because he loves this dessert.

When I gave them the present they gave me two kisses on the cheek. When we left too, they gave me a hug and two kisses again. I felt very comfortable and happy. Chip brought us up to the gym and gave his email to have contact. Before he left he told us something really interesting. Don´t use “Do you have any doubt?” Say: “ Do you have any question?” Because Do you have any doubt means that you don´t believe in me

Friday, January 24, 2014

American Culture

Today I woke up very early to go to a Public School called Sta James, http://stjamesphila.org/ We took the trolley and a bus to arrive there and I was very anxious to know an American School. I think it was one of the most interesting experience in USA. I am surprised how they make a fantastic job in the American schools. The students just pay 30 dollars per month to study in an excellent school. There are 16 students per class with 2 teachers and an assistant near the door. The school is very colorful, organized and clean. They pray and sing the hymn every class. When they finished the hymn and said “God bless America” I got very excited.

The students makes silence all the class and when they want to talk they raise their hands. The school is very new, it has just 3 years. It has a basketball team, the students practice hiking, skiing etc. Families have workshops in the school to know how to deal with teenagers problems. The subjects they study are Math, English, Social Studies, Religion, Music, Art, Physical Education, TME etc.

All teachers have tablets and use technological resources.

The students have tests and they pray a lot. Pray is a great opportunity to know the people. This school has the best music program of Philadelphia. The students sing and they receive some recompense.

The applauses are swinging hands, 1 finger, they need a pencil, 2 fingers, theu need to go to the restroom, 3 fingers, they need to leave the room, swinging their hands down, I´m not sure. We observe the classes for just some minutes but I could realize that it is a dream of school.

In the afternoon we went to the National Constitution Center and we could watch a video about that period and understand a little about the Constitution and the different Presidents of the United States of America. The National Constitution Center is a nonprofit, nonpartisan institution devoted to the United States Constitution and its legacy.

After learn a lot about freedom of religion, power to vote, civil rights movement etc, we went to the Liberty Bell Center where there is an American bell of great historic significance. It is as powerful and dramatic as the Bell itself.Besides it, the Liberty Bell is one of the most important symbols of the America's struggle for independence at the end of the 18th century.

This was a great American Culture class!

Thursday, January 23, 2014


Places on this tour

3 days in Philadelphia

3 days in Philadelphia

Created by Mary Dixon Lebeau

Three very different days make for one great overview of Philly. Spend the first day exploring history, the second perusing museums, and the third getting up close and personal with some pop culture that defines the city.

Good for: Families, Groups, Seniors, Individuals

Seasons: Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter

 

Day 1

Independence Visitor Center

The Independence Visitor Center is the primary point of orientation for Independence National Historical Park, the City of Philadelphia, the Southern New Jersey and Delaware River Waterfronts, as well as Bucks, Chester, Delaware and Montgomery Counties in Pennsylvania.

Independence Hall

Both the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution were signed in this historic building.

Liberty Bell Center

The Liberty Bell originally hung in the tower of Independence Hall across the street.  It continued to be used after the initial cracking when the fracture was enlarged to allow the bell to ring properly.  However, additional cracking near the suspension point of the bell brought its useful life to a close. 

National Constitution Center

The National Constitution Center is the first and only nonprofit, nonpartisan institution devoted to the U.S. Constitution and its legacy of freedom. Located two blocks from Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell in Historic Philadelphia, the Center illuminates constitutional ideals and inspires active citizenship as a state-of-the-art museum, a civic education hub and a national town hall.

Betsy Ross House

 

Betsy Ross is an iconic figure in American history, but her story is less clear than that often taught in school.  It is known that she ran an upholstery shop with one of her three husbands, all of whom predeceased her.  As a widow, she continued the business and  also undertook to make flags for ships.  

Elfreth's Alley

America's oldest residential street was built in 1702 and is now designated a National Historic Landmark.

 

Day 2

Love Park

Also known as the JFK Plaza, Love Park is home to the iconic LOVE sculpture and is a resting spot atop the bustling Ben Franklin Parkway.

Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University

Founded in 1812, the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University is a world-class natural history museum dedicated to advancing research, education, and public engagementLive Animal Center.

Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul

The head church of Philadelphia's Catholic Archdiocese is on the National Registrar of Historic Places. Pope John Paul II celebrated Mass here in 1979.

The Franklin Institute

Founded in honor of America’s first scientist, Benjamin Franklin, The Franklin Institute is one of America’s oldest and premier centers of science education. The museum is known for blockbuster exhibits, a bevy of interactive ongoing exhibitions, and one-of-a-kind theatrical experiences. Today, the Institute continues its dedication to public education and creating a passion for science.

Philadelphia Museum of Art

This museum has perhaps the most dramatic location of any in the world being situated on a hill at the end of the Benjamin Franklin Parkway  overlooking the Schuylkill.

Day 3

United States Mint

Dating from 1793, the Philadelphia Mint is the oldest and largest of the six facilities operated by the United States Mint.  The present structure is s a modern style factory located a few blocks north of Independence Hall on 5th Street between Arch and Race. 

Mummers Museum

 

The Mummers Museum opened in 1976, and is dedicated to the Philadelphia celebration of the new year. Mummers are costumed entertainers who dance and play music to welcome in the New Year.

Penn's Landing

Penn’s Landing, the waterfront site where William Penn docked, is now the great gathering place for outdoor events, especially in warmer weather. A variety of concerts, presentations and athletic events celebrate this waterfront area where history mingles with present-day pursuits.

South Street

Known as Philadelphia's liveliest and funkiest strip, the street has more than 300 stores and restaurants.

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Guide-g60795-l277-Philadelphia_Pennsylvania.html