Sao Paulo day 2
I woke up at 6:00 a.m. after a ten hour sleep. The time difference from Shanghai meant that my body was telling me it was time to go to sleep but the receptionist at the hostel was telling me that it was time for breakfast. I have just decided to go with the flow and stay awake for as long as possible. We only have one opportunity to film here in Brazil and so after recharging our body batteries this once, we can not afford to do this again.
Like Shanghai, Sao Paulo is a huge city. Vila Madalena, the area in which we are staying, is full of Bohemian culture and boasts scores of art galleries and graffiti areas. I was hoping that today we would be able to shoot some of the surrounding area but the rain was unrelenting. I ended up taking a few shots from inside the hostel but the sky was extremely dark and sinister looking!
As I mentioned in a previous blog, we are here to find out about the importance of English for the new generation of Brazilian learners. During my time at Millfield Summer School back in July, I met with a teacher from Sao Paulo who said she could introduce me to a few of her students. Joel and I met with her at 10:00 a.m. after a long journey through the gridlocked traffic. We were then introduced to an enthusiastic group of young students who are soon going to take their key examinations in order to get in to college next year. Joel and I were provided with some traditional Brazilian bread/cheese balls and a flask of black coffee while we spoke to each of the students individually about the reasons for developing their English language skills.
Interviews in Sampa 01
Once the interviews came to a close, our contact at the school took us for some Arabian food at a local restaurant. It is fantastic how diverse Sao Paulo is in terms of international cuisine and culture. We were informed of the Japanese, Italian and Jewish districts that make up important areas of the city, as well as the most interesting architectural sites that we need film for the project. It is going to be a very busy week!
Interviews in Sampa 02
I am interested to know about what you think about the subject matter for our Brazilian film. How important is it for young children to learn English in your city? Do you think it is a good idea for children to learn English before they go to school?
Me and our contacts at Escola Lourenço Castanho in Sao Paulo
Sorry I am so far behind with the blog updates – I hope to get days 03 and 04 up soon (with pictures from the beach house!)
I look forward to reading you comments soon.
Best wishes,
Daniel.
6 Responses to “Sao Paulo day 2”
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Cris Flessak says:
We cannot say that learning English in Brazil is the easiest task, since we speak Portuguese and most of foreigners that come around are Spanish-speakers.
However, this is not an excuse anymore with cable TV and Internet access that most of us have now.Unfortunately, children are not that exposed to everyday English. If they were, they would certainly be more prepared for learning and speaking when teenagers.
The decision of having kids that speak English since they’re young comes from the parents, but most of them don’t even bother in motivate their kids in reading books or studying Portuguese. Brazilian people in general have no vision of the future. Here in Brazil, people who speak English still stand out, while in some other countries, it’s mandatory to speak at least 2 second languages.There’s a British writer called Ben Parry Davies – who wrote a book called “How to teach English to your kids” published in Brazil as “Como ensinar Inglês aos seus filhos”. He has some great ideas that maybe could help you guys!
Have a good staying in Brazil, and hopefully, the weather will get better!
Cristiane Flessak
Balneario Camboriu – SC – Brazil -
João B. L. Ghizoni says:
I’m looking forward to watching your video footage made in Brazil. I hope you get better weather soon. I know it’s been pretty bad over the last days.
As for English-teaching institutions, I’m sure you’ll find lots of them in São Paulo. By the way, are you planning to visit other Brazilian cities?
All the very best.
João, Florianópolis, SC -
salah hajjem says:
thank you for every thing you have done to me
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salah hajjem says:
pls .for give me i do not use the computer very weel
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amparo says:
I would have liked to be there, It must be so exciting to know different cultures.
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Valentina says:
I am from Russia. I am interested problem to learn English for kids. I think it is a very good idea for Russin children to learn english before they go to school.