As previously mentioned we surveryed and interviewed family members at local farms in Triunfo, Brazil. We then presented our findings to our colleagues, the graduate students and two of their professors. I thought the presentations were very well done. All of the groups learned a lot at their particular farm. It was interesting comparing some of the similarities and differences between the findings in the various groups. Our groups family seemed to be the wealthiest of all the farms.The fact that our family had a mill and church on its property raised their social status in the community. I really enjoyed the assignment and felt like I learned a great deal. We not only learned from our own research but we also learned from the presentations of other groups.
Later Susan gave a presentation comparing Virginia and Pernambuco. There are many similarities. Susan made the comaprison using location , ties to Europe, the coastal plains, mercantilism, the slave trade, and plantation agriculture. I really enjoyed the presentation at the end of the trip. I felt like it was perfect to wait till the end of the trip when we could all associate with the similarities between Virginia and our new home in Brazil, Pernambuco. I came away from the presentation confident I knew a good deal about Brazil.
Later we met with teachers and administrators at the Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Centro de Educacao and Colegio de Aplicacao
We learned how the school works and how it is organzed. The assistant principal is actually voted for by the teachers at the school. The educational model is similar to the French. The school is an elementary school and high school. It is associated with the university. The school receives assistance and resources from the college. We learned that there is much more of an emphasis on Geography and the Liberal Arts. It was refreshing to see a school place an emphasis on Geography. We all seemed struck by that emphasis compared to the U.S model.
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