I cannot believe that we have come to the end of our travels together already! It has been a wonderful experience. I have loved showing you around Pato Branco, going to the supermarket, making tapioca and exploring the nature preserve. In this final journal entry to you, I want to share some of the advice that helped me in my journey from being a student like you to a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant in Brazil.
First, I want to encourage you to be curious! Don’t learn about the world to pass a test or get good grades. Find something that interests you and learn as much as you can about it. Your curiosity will help you to see the world in a new way, to learn about ideas you have never known before and help you to ask better questions about the world around you. Now that I am in Brazil, I have been able to use many things I know or am curious about to make my lessons more interesting, to start a conversation or to be a better teacher. You never know where your curiosity might lead you!
Second, take new opportunities! In school, you have the opportunity every day to do something new. Talk to a new friend, ask a question or work to do better in your hardest class. Try a new class, go to an afterschool club, join a writing group or practice a new sport.
