Bom dia,
On this blog I tend to talk more about my life outside of work than my work-life so I wanted to spend a post to talk more about what I have been doing lately in work so you all have a better idea of what I am actually doing here in Brazil.
First, the city hall.
So as I mentioned in the past, I work for the Secretariat of International Relations for the City of Belo Horizonte. My role here is a bit confusing but let's just say I am a self-proclaimed "International Ambassador" from the United States for the Improve Your English Program. Yup, that works.
I have many hats, so let me touch upon some of the things I have been doing.
Translation
It is not uncommon for me to receive a confidential document or public form and have to translate it from English to Portuguese or from Portuguese back into English. I won't go too into detail because of confidentiality concerns but a lot of these tasks involve the food security sector of the city and its relations to other cities abroad, especially Windhoek, Namibia - a major sister-city for us. I personally found that I enjoy translating documents because it constantly keeps my English and my Portuguese sharp and I am always learning new words and terms from translating by hand. Because of this co-op, I would definitely consider a job (or coop) that involves translation in the future.
Speeches
I work under the specific umbrella of the "Improve Your English" program of the secretariat. This is a program designed to increase the internationalization of Belo Horizonte by encouraging the spread of English through exchange, awareness, diversification, and formation. As part of the "awareness" branch of the project, I frequently give speeches at local public schools to children in various age groups about the importance of learning a foreign language (especially English) and I talk about my specific journey with language learning and tell them more about what the United States is like. This ties in with my love for more social interactions when I work (rather than always sitting behind a desk) and my public speaking (in Portuguese especially) has improved a lot.
Interpreting
A few weeks ago my supervisor and I were orienting a professor of education from the University of Northern Colorado to the public school system and food security programs of Belo Horizonte. We also showed him some of the cultural wonders of the region. The professor did not speak Portuguese so I helped often with interpreting the explanations of program workers and tour guides throughout his stay in Brazil.
Phone Calls and Spreadsheets
This is where the basic office skills come in. On one of my first weeks here at the job, I needed to make over 100 phone calls to municipal schools in the region. At this point I was terrified of speaking on the phone in Portuguese, but after so many calls, you get used to it. I have also had to make tons, and tons, and tons of spreadsheets. And Powerpoint Presentations. And Word Documents. Let's just say I've become even more proficient in Microsoft Office than I was when I arrived.
Other
I really do not know if I can fit everything I do into a few nice, little categories because I do so many different things at my job. I have also been contacting organizations and universities abroad to forge partnerships with the city of Belo Horizonte (such as the United States Embassy) and writing e-mails explaining our program to potential donors. Interestingly enough, I am now writing a research report on the education system in Brazil which might actually be published. Oh and it's in Portuguese.
ICBEU?
So yes, like I mentioned earlier, I have two jobs. I also work at an English school and I hold conversation classes in English a few times a week and also talk about North American culture. Not only do I really enjoy talking to the many different students who come each day, but I am learning how to view English from the perspective of a second-language speaker and deconstructing the language I learned so innately as a child. I have had to constantly brainstorm interesting topics to talk about at each class and devise activities and readings for everyone to participate in. I honestly love teaching others English and I hope to do more work like this in the future. The students in my class are amazing people (we are all like a giant family at this point) and I always look forward to going back to the school.
Just to show you the character of them, one student, my friend Daniel, took me to a soccer game at a local stadium the weekend of his birthday because he wanted to show me the local pasttime. Another student, Rosie, baked me some Brazilian bonbons and bought my mom an artesenal gift when she arrived in Belo Horizonte the other week.
I really love both of my positions here in Belo Horizonte and I hope I clarified to you all a little more about what I do!
Interpreting
A few weeks ago my supervisor and I were orienting a professor of education from the University of Northern Colorado to the public school system and food security programs of Belo Horizonte. We also showed him some of the cultural wonders of the region. The professor did not speak Portuguese so I helped often with interpreting the explanations of program workers and tour guides throughout his stay in Brazil.
Phone Calls and Spreadsheets
This is where the basic office skills come in. On one of my first weeks here at the job, I needed to make over 100 phone calls to municipal schools in the region. At this point I was terrified of speaking on the phone in Portuguese, but after so many calls, you get used to it. I have also had to make tons, and tons, and tons of spreadsheets. And Powerpoint Presentations. And Word Documents. Let's just say I've become even more proficient in Microsoft Office than I was when I arrived.
Other
I really do not know if I can fit everything I do into a few nice, little categories because I do so many different things at my job. I have also been contacting organizations and universities abroad to forge partnerships with the city of Belo Horizonte (such as the United States Embassy) and writing e-mails explaining our program to potential donors. Interestingly enough, I am now writing a research report on the education system in Brazil which might actually be published. Oh and it's in Portuguese.
ICBEU?
So yes, like I mentioned earlier, I have two jobs. I also work at an English school and I hold conversation classes in English a few times a week and also talk about North American culture. Not only do I really enjoy talking to the many different students who come each day, but I am learning how to view English from the perspective of a second-language speaker and deconstructing the language I learned so innately as a child. I have had to constantly brainstorm interesting topics to talk about at each class and devise activities and readings for everyone to participate in. I honestly love teaching others English and I hope to do more work like this in the future. The students in my class are amazing people (we are all like a giant family at this point) and I always look forward to going back to the school.
Just to show you the character of them, one student, my friend Daniel, took me to a soccer game at a local stadium the weekend of his birthday because he wanted to show me the local pasttime. Another student, Rosie, baked me some Brazilian bonbons and bought my mom an artesenal gift when she arrived in Belo Horizonte the other week.
I really love both of my positions here in Belo Horizonte and I hope I clarified to you all a little more about what I do!
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