Day Twelve: OUr last day in natal
This was our last day in the classrooms, and we were off to an early start, with our first class at 7:30 in the Catholic high school. Our first group of students had presentations about English-speaking countries they would like to visit and then we had our second round of Cupcake Wars. The lesson went a bit more smoothly, since we had practice, but the class had 48 students, so the noise level was hard to take. However, it seemed like everyone enjoyed the lesson.
A quick lunch and then off to Antonio Pinto (the public high school). Today we took a field trip with the 10th grade class to the Fortaleza Reyes Magos (The Fortress of the Wise Men, named for the date construction began, January 6, 1501, which is Three Kings Day). This is a pretty incredible monument, which has stood for centuries, and is a reminder of what life was like during the colonization of the Americas. The principal "enemy" of the Portuguese at this time was the Dutch, who battled for a stronghold in the area. At one point they were successful and controlled northern Brazil for 21 years. It's hard to imagine how difficult life was for the original settlers.
After the field trip it was back to the school to say good-bye to the staff at Antonio Pinto. This is an incredible staff, and I saw such dedication from everyone. I learned that everyone who teaches at Antonio Pinto has at least one other teaching job, and some, like Francisli, have two. We were so warmly welcomed by everyone, and I am so happy that I am now the proud owner of the Antonio Pinto shirt!