Friday, July 13, 2012

Weston Moody's Visit: June 2012

We are very grateful to have received Weston Moody as a Voluntourist in June. He stayed for a month with the family here in Rocinha! He helped us grow our project in a variety of ways. A Spanish teacher from Kansas, he had a lot of suggestions for how to improve our classes and got us thinking about doing an international Skype date between our kids here (we have about 25 now) and his kids in Kansas.

We also, with his collaboration, have started an English Club on Saturdays! We are planning on using videos that he makes in English in the club. More on the English club later!

Weston gave English classes, a Chinese class, and also did Conversation Hour a few times with our students, who all requested his contact information.


Weston and our house dad, José Marinho, in Rocinha. 

Why did you come to Brazil?
I have always wanted to go to Brazil after traveling through Latin America.  I heard about the Two Brother’s Foundation and thought it would be a great opportunity to help and connect with the people of Rocinha.  I also wanted to learn Portuguese.

And what brought you to Rocinha?
I first learned about Rocinha from the Vice President of Two Brothers, Paul Sneed.  After talking with him about the community and his experiences in Rocinha, I knew I wanted to live and work in Rocinha.

What did you hope to gain from your experiences working with 2bros?
I wanted to connect with the people of Rocinha and really get to know how the community works.  I didn’t want a tourist’s experience.  I wanted to teach and help the community.

What did you enjoy about your experience with us in 2bros?
Not to sound cliché, but everything!  Working with Liz and Rebekah was a great opportunity.  Helping out with the classes, getting to know people in the community, and plenty of opportunities to learn Portuguese.

What exactly did you do while you were working with us?
Helped with adult and children classes.  Outside of Two Brothers, I had language exchanges with adults in the community.

How much time did you give to 2bros?
I made it a point to come to every class.

What is next for you?
I am back in the U.S.A. getting ready for another school year.  I hope to start a partnership with my school in the U.S.A. and the students of Two Brothers Foundation.  I am also dedicating more time to studying Portuguese.

Do you think you will stay in contact with any of our students?
Absolutely!  I have already started language exchange classes via Skype.

Want to contact Weston to ask about her experience?
Find her on Facebook here: moody.weston@gmail.com

Obrigada pela ajuda Weston! You will be missed here in Rocinha!

Thursday, July 5, 2012

A special visit! Voluntourist Lucy Vieira: 6/8/12

Resident Volunteer Rebekah Santos invited her mother, Lucy Viera, to come to class. She came up with the fun idea of painting t-shirts with the kids! With donations given to 2bros, we bought t-shirts and paint from a vendor in Rocinha and the kids collaborated with Lucy to make their own 2bros t-shirts.












Not surprisingly, the kids were very creative and the shirts turned out great. It was a great opportunity for the kids to connect with each other and the 2bros project. The kids wear them to class and we are going to wear them for any kind of excursion that we do in the future, and travel somewhere outside Rocinha in a group.[gallery columns="5"]

Thank you Lucy! Volte sempre!