Greenheart Travel

Tag: English tutor

  • Reflections on My First Few Weeks in Argentina

    Reflections on My First Few Weeks in Argentina

    by Leslie Rhodes, Greenheart Travel English Tutor in Argentina

    Leslie Rhodes, a 57-year-old Canadian, is currently teaching in a homestay with Greenheart Travel in Argentina. She enrolled in the program with the hope of “learning about the history and the culture of the country” and explains:

    “I would love to come away with better Spanish than I arrived with. It is such a wonderful language. Mostly I would love to be able spend time immersed in the culture while being able to share my language through teaching and experiencing.”

    Below, Leslie shares some of her reflections after her first few weeks in Argentina. 

    This is something that I have wanted to do for a long time and now I am actually here and doing it! It’s a little surreal, but I am doing very well here in Rosario. I can hardly believe how quickly the time is flying, but I am definitely still in the “honeymoon phase” of culture shock that I learned about in my pre-departure.  My host family is great! I feel very comfortable around them.

    My English lessons are going really well. I get a little frustrated at myself because my Spanish isn’t good enough to explain when we run into problems,  but I need to have patience with myself. I would love to be able to just talk with them easily, but I guess that will come in time. I have found a series of YouTube videos that help me and my students bridge the language barrier.

    In my free time, I am taking Spanish lessons from a lovely lady around the corner. I really need them! My Spanish isn’t as conversational as I hoped it would be, but I’m working on it. She is a lot of fun. Tomorrow, I am going on a walking tour of Rosario which is famous for it’s architecture. Hopefully I’ll learn a lot from that! The young lady I tutor for English conversation is going to show me a funky coffee shop based on the movie Amelie and then we are going to the Estevez museum after that. It should be a good day!

    leslie rhodes

    Argentinians are very warm and affectionate people. It takes a bit of getting used to but I’m starting to fit right in! They are very expressive, and use their hands a lot when they talk. It makes me think my fellow Canadians could use a little more of the open gestures of affection in their mannerisms. My host mom’s family is at the house so often that it can be hard to get her one-on-one but I’m grateful to be included in family events. It is wonderful to hear all the chatter and gossip! It is training my ear to the flow of conversation. I am catching more and more of the conversation each day.

    I have gotten lost 3 times here in Rosario but each time, I learn a little more about the city and where I’m going. I have tried many new things, especially new food! I have had Asado, Mate, and Empanadas.  I am one lucky girl because it is all delicious. I find I am really liking Yerba Mate. It kind of grows on you. Drinking Mate is very much a part of daily life because it is a social outlet. The social aspect of Mate is the most important part of appreciating it.

    Really the only hard part of the adjustment has been the weather. The Southern Hemisphere is in the opposite season as Canada (my home country) so it is weird to have summer in January. It has been stinking hot here since I arrived. I know it is very hot because even the locals are sweating! I don’t know how the business men walk around in dark suits and wear shoes and socks!

    I hope that the program works out as well for others as it has for me! No complaints and I hope the rest of the program stays like this, because I am loving it!

    Argentinian_Parilla_Meat_Cooking

    Are you inspired by Leslie’s story in Argentina? Find out more about how you can get immersed in the Argentinian culture and click the button below.

  • So Much To See and Do in Brazil

    So Much To See and Do in Brazil

    by Sarah Iverson, Greenheart Travel Teach in a Homestay participant in Brazil

    First day in Brazil

    Excitement and anticipation was coursing through my body as the wheels of the plane touched down on the grounds of Rio De Janiero. On the way to my new home the streets, the people and the buildings are so different but just as exciting. En route to Petropolis, the winding roads and the view of the rolling green mountains were unforgettable as we climbed altitude.

    Petropolis is a city in the mountains within the state of Rio de Janeiro. The German-influenced town has plenty of waterfalls, hikes, as well as museums and places to eat and shop. It was home to the royal family that first settled in Brazil. Just the perfect place to experience the Brazilian life.

    I soon arrived at my host family’s home and was welcomed with open arms and a big meal to help me settle in. The hospitality of everyone is so amazing and makes adjusting here that much easier. I visited the Crystal Palace, Catedral São Pedro de Alcântara, Cervejaria Bohemia and I have gone shopping on Rua Teresa (a shopaholic’s paradise). There is still so much to see and do here in this quaint town.

    cathedral

    Buzios and Birthdays

    My host family and I set off to spend the week in Buzios, a small beach town with warm waters, sea turtles and little shops. This weekend was special because it was the twin’s, Paolo and Agatha’s, birthday! They will be turning 2 years old.

    In the morning, and on through the afternoon, we would spend time at the beach and during the evenings we would get together with family and friends and go have dinner.

    Some of the Brazilian food that has captured my heart is pastel, salgadinho, caipirinha, and brigadeiros. For breakfast, we would have coffee with bread and cheese and lunch is usually the bigger feast of the day.

    On the day of the birthday celebration we decorated the beach house and prepared for all the guest to arrive. We sang happy birthday in Portuguese and in English and ate plenty of food and cake. The theme of the party was zoo animals, which was the perfect idea!

    Rio

    The streets of Rio were full of people dressed in costumes, beach-goers and ambient samba music. That can only mean one thing, it’s time for Carnaval! The summer heat drew everyone to beaches like Copacabana, Ipanema and Leblon. There is always plenty to do at all hours in Rio.

    Urca

    The sight of Sugarloaf and Christ the Redeemer is amazing and still has me in shock. The city looks just as beautiful during the day as at night with the city lights illuminating the hills and shoreline. While in Rio, we went to Urca to see the ocean view and even got up close to the roaming marmoset monkeys, and then we stayed in Lapa to see the Arco de Lapa and the Escadaria Selarón.

    Marmoset

    Rio has so much life, it is a fantastic place to travel.

  • The Reality of Life in Italy: Highlights and Lowlights from My Homestay Program

    The Reality of Life in Italy: Highlights and Lowlights from My Homestay Program

    Joyce, a 62-year-old teacher from Canada, is currently placed outside of Rome, Italy on Greenheart Travel’s Teach in a Homestay Program. When asked why she decided to participate in the program, Joyce explains:

    “I chose Italy because my paternal grandfather emigrated from a tiny town called Calabria in the late 1800s with only $22.00 in his pocket, married a woman from the same place, founded a family and spoke only English with them in order to give them the best chance to succeed in their new country. I understand their objective yet think it’s such a waste that my generation grew up with so little knowledge of their language and culture. This is my chance to go back and try to rediscover some of my roots.” 

    Below, Joyce shares her reflections, joys, confusions and cultural lessons from her first three weeks as a homestay teacher in Italy:

    I am writing happily ensconced between crisp white sheets on a very big and very comfortable bed in a quirky hotel in Florence, my first weekend escapade since I arrived three weeks ago. Funky hotels are hard to come by in Italy where the gilded and the baroque (not to mention the tired and the aged) tend to predominate. Hours of research paid off in this hat trick of a hotel. I was seduced with the first foot in the door: bright contemporary colors, friendly staff and winter prices! I’m finding it hard to both find time to write and organize my thoughts, so here, in no particular order, are impressions after three weeks of wandering, observing, listening and tasting:

    The Arrival: Asia (my host “mother”, although I’m older than her) and Feirouz (my host “sister”) were waiting at the platform at Roma Termini, accompanied by two of their neighbors, Alvaro & Angela, who graciously offered to drive them to the station smack dab in the middle of the city to make our trip back to the house easier. It feels like we’ve known each other for a long time (all the emailing & photos surely helped), and after a delicious lunch and long meandering walk through the neighborhood, I was ready to settle in.

    The Family: There isn’t a more generous family on earth; Asia wants to take care of me all the time, which takes some getting used to since I’ve lived alone for many years. And Feirouz considers me as her sister and partner in crime. Both women are lively conversationalists, have quick smiles and relaxed personalities. We share many values and have quite a lot in common.

    collesium

    The Language: Besides standard Italian, Romano or Romanaccio is also spoken in the Rome area, of which I understand niente. It’s what I hear on the bus in my neighborhood; however, on the subway or in the city, I hear standard Italian. My language progress is slow and arduous. I get frustrated, but at least I’m going forward. Prosecco helps.

    The Experience: Intense! I wear many hats: mother, daughter, sister, teacher, foreigner, friend, newcomer, expert. Asia has gone out of her way to make me feel instantly part of the family. Feirouz slips her arm through mine as we walk down the street; Asia tells me how to hold my purse. Friends, shopkeepers, teachers at the school are intrigued by the reason why Asia and I are doing this. They are curious about my last name. About why I have no family in Italy. Asia has already asked me to come back next year….. 🙂

    The Accommodation: I do have a room to myself, but only because Feirouz is bunking with her mom for the 3 months. Italians hardly use indoor heat so it is very cold.  I’ve never been so cold in my life (I thought I’d come prepared), and I’m almost warmer outside with coat and gloves than in the house. Asia bought me a pair of slippers this week because she said my socks weren’t warm enough but it’s funny because they also complain they are cold! I’ll survive. Besides, it’ll be spring soon…

    mountain view resized

    The Public Transportation: A great but crowded system. The city of Rome is criss-crossed with buses, trams and subway lines. I have a monthly pass (at 35 euros a month, it beats the 1.50 euro per ticket fare hands down) which lets me hop on and off all the ATAC vehicles in the area. I can pretty much head to any of the many yellow bus signs, read the list of the stops at the different routes and get where I’m going. Bliss. Getting out of the city is just as easy.

    The Challenges: Yes, we do get along well, but there is nowhere to be quiet: three people, sometimes more in one room and the TV’s always on. I’d say the aspect that I’m finding the hardest to adapt to is the lack of quiet and a warm comfortable place to roost when I come back from the day in the city.

    The Paradoxes: I’m still trying to mentally accommodate the public disregard for cleanliness. There is ubiquitous litter, graffiti EVERYWHERE, and abandoned automobile carcasses. I can live with graffiti, but I cannot understand the sheer amount of the litter: we’re not talking just paper. I’ve seen coffee pots! Car seats! Clothing! Food! Thousands of ripped-up plastic bags! Yet the Italians’ insistence on the usefulness of art and history on every corner of the city is a common refrain of locals who take pride in their city. It’s a strange conflict of interest that I haven’t quite wrapped my mind around.

    The Home Life: Easy peasy. Three women with funny little coincidences like the fact that we use the same toothpaste, the same toilet cleaners, the same eyeliners. Asia made a cake tonight to bring to work tomorrow for a colleague’s birthday, something I’ve done regularly. We talk about recipes, retirement, men, family, how parenthood changes our perception of …. everything. Meals are simple and relaxed and delicious: I eat a quarter of what she’d like me to eat. We try and answer the game show questions on TV.

    in the kitchen resized

    Are you ready to experience your own version of life in Italy? Find out more about how you can become an English tutor and click the button below.