International Exchange

International Exchange

One of the goals of the CCC&TI-Brazil Connection, is to give North Carolina Community College students, and Brazilian students, a worthwhile, multicultural educational experience. Tuesday night was the perfect example of mission accomplished.

Our group received a wonderful reception from our friends at UNIPAC. We traveled from Ouro Presto to Contagem, where one of the university’s 89 campuses is located. Administrators and staff greeted us with coffee, soft drinks and snacks, then they took us on a tour of the campus. We were able to experience the similarities and differences between our respective colleges (CCC&TI and Surry CC) and one of our Brazilian education partners. (One difference – classes take places throughout the day with the latest ones wrapping up at 11 p.m.)

At the conclusion of the evening, our group joined a class of education majors for a question-and-answer session. The students in our group had the opportunity to practice their Portuguese with the group, and received an advanced lesson in Portuguese as in-depth discussions took place on the differences between U.S. and Brazilian educational systems. We learned that private schools are quite common in Brazil, and that inclusion/rights for students with disabilities is a hot topic in Brazil. Our group also taught the class about the American public school system, as well as the North Carolina Community College System. We learned from them, and they learned from us. And that’s what it’s all about.

Another highlight for the day was enjoying more historic sites in Ouro Preto Tuesday morning, before returning to Belo Horizonte. The group toured Igreja Sao Francisco de Assis. The tour included an interesting history lesson on Christianity in Latin America and a look at indescribably beautiful Baroque art and architecture dating back to the late 1600s.

Up next for our group, a visit to Ipitinga and a visit to another UNIPAC campus.

Boa Noite!