PROGETTO AIESEC EDUCHANGE: LA NOSTRA ESPERIENZA CON BRUNO,

L’UNIVERSITARIO BRASILIANO CHE PER SEI SETTIMANE CI HA FATTO CONOSCERE

IL SUO PAESE.

IL RACCONTO DI BRUNO DOPO LE PRIME SETTIMANE DI PERMANENZA IN ITALIA.

On 15th January, after more or less 36 hours in the "street", being in airport chairs and unconfortable

airplanes, my host family, as soon as I got home, treated me like a king since the beginning, giving me

special Italian food (all kinds of pasta) and a warm bath.

Kevin is my host brother and we got along really well. He is always telling not to worry about stuff and

in the first week he showed me the nicest places around Venaria Reale. He has a good relationship

with his mother, Francesca, and he is always, as she said, "joking" with her. Kevin also has a good

relationship with his Step Father, Mario. At the first weekend, I had the chance to meet Maicon, who is

Kevin’s brother. He also was really nice and he is a good soccer player. Unfortunately I have seen him

just once but I hope I can see him one last time before I leave to Brazil in a few weeks.

Francesca, who is my host mum, is super fun and she is always trying to comunicate with me. I think

we got along really well and we communicate, each other, using a mix of Italian - English - Portuguese -

Spanish dialet. The only bad thing about her is that she does not let me doing the dishes after the

meals, and I feel a little bit bad because they do everything for me and I wish I could help them in

some way.

My host dad is called Mario and he works in a bar next to Kevin’s house. He does not speak English so

this is a big barrier for our communication. One time, we were alone at home and we could not

understand each other, so I got desperate because I never had a similar situation of lacking of

communication before. But thinking now it was a pretty hilarious situation and I think I will remember

this for the rest of my life.

About school: To go to school I have to wake up every day at 6 AM and I leave more or less at 4 PM, so

by the time I get home I feel pretty tired. I don't think the word "dissapointment" can be applied to

anything in my AIESEC experience. However, certainly I can use the word "barrier" for some aspects

that I found in school. Their lack of English fluence makes almost an impossibility to have a real

conversation with some of them. On the other hand, even if they can't speak English, they are always

nice with me and they all greet every time they see me at the hall. So even if we can't talk each other,

they try to show that they care about me and this tells me a lot about the Italian people - how kind,

polite and social they are.

The classes usually take place in the Computer Laboratory, where I present some Powerpoint slides

about different subjects, such as Landscapes, Politics, Economiy and the Brazilian General Culture.

Teachers Masi and Savoldi always help to translate the most important information and it's rewarding

when I feel that they actually understand a bit about the reality of Brazil.

On Tuesdays and Thursdays afternoons I am teaching Portuguese to 13 students, and until now it's

being awesome! Portuguese, as the Italian language, is very hard to learn but this does not discourage

them. They work hard to memorize each word and to speak in the right way, repeating to fix the

correct pronunciation.

Also, in these weeks, I have lessons about food waste, with the help of Mr Magliola.

He is such a nice person, and this class is so important because I can understand and compare different

issues between Italy and Brazil.

To conclude I'd like to comment that this has been an amazing opportunity to grow up not only as a

profession that will work with different people, but also as a human being, who is growing and learning

how to live together in a society that has different social values from my country.

The AIESEC experience is imprinting qualities that will help me how to change the world in a positive

way for the rest of my life, and after these 6 unforgettable weeks, I will not be the same person that

came here before this adventure!

ECCO QUANTO BRUNO HA PUBBLICATO SUL SUO PROFILO FACEBOOK, IN INGLESE E PORTOGHESE,

APPENA TORNATO IN BRASILE, PER RACCONTARE LA SUA ESPERIENZA IN ITALIA E LE DIFFERENZE FRA I

DUE PAESI:

For the first time, I had the opportunity to live 6 weeks in Europe and here I am going to leave some considerations about my trip and stay in Italy.

For some people, especially who lives in Europe, some items might be very foolish. But believe me or not, for me it was all new. The Italian people helped me to turn this experience an unforgettable one. They were always kind, nice and sometimes a little bit crazy – I will recommend for ever this place that for me was always magic.

1. Pizza in Italy is individual. There is no Pizza for 4-6 people. Just one flavour, “catupiry” in the edge does not exist.

2. The “drinking fountain” was something I thought was very different. The first time I saw some AIESEC people drinking it I thought they were joking.

3. The words “grazie”, “prego” and “figurati” are used a lot more than the equivalent in Brazil. The Italians thank each other more frequently than us.

4. A lot of places that I went had some particularities – for example, when you enter in a coffee, you must pay to have a sit and to use the bathroom!!! In some bars, you just buy the beer and go outside; in some occasions it is not common to stay inside the place, you just do what you have to do and leave.

5. The High School in Italy is more specific than in Brazil. The one where I did volunteer work had only students that one day will become chefs, waiters, waitresses (or something related to food – restaurants), with exception of some girls that I met from something called the “Liceo”. The subjects that you study are all related to food – difference of digestion between protein and carbohydrates, chemical reactions inside the stomach, English vocabulary inside a restaurant, how to read a recipe in English, etc...

6. I thought that in Italy the teachers demands more oral participation in class from their students that in Brazil, even if you are a shy person. They participated more and respected each other opinions.

7. A few times, I saw the Italians using United States of America (USA) shirts, cap, etc...

8. Here people smoke a lot more than in Brazil. It could be because of the cold! Moreover it is almost impossible stopping smoking, since you can find a tobacconist’ in each corner.

9. Almost impossible to do #2 (I don’t know if you understand what I mean) in public places – just in emergency cases. The toilet is very strange in some places, there is just a hole so it could be a tragedy to do #2. There is often a lack of water inside the toilet as well.

10. People in Italy like soccer as the Brazilians. Some of them knew Brazilians teams, like Flamengo, Santos, Atlético Mineiro.

11. In Italy betting is legalized. One time I saw an old man losing 20 euro in just a few minutes in the “Lotto”.

12. The bar is something different of what we have in Brazil. In Italy they go to drink a coffee – actually a very small and concentrated coffee.

13. The public transport for me is very efficient, even though the Italians use to complain with me all the time. That is because your reference maybe is Germany and England. Now if you go to Brazil you will understand what I am saying. You can track in real time what time is the bus arriving and if it’s late.

14. A lot of people had never visited the surrounded countries. It is like the Brazilians that sometimes never got out of their own State.

15. Sometimes, during a conversation, they suddenly raise their voices. I got scared at first, but later I got use to it.

16. The Italians that speak English in Europe are the minority. I could say that in some parts of Brazil, like the south, people in general speak English better than in Italy.

17. In the supermarket, to take out the “supermarket cart” you need 1 euro. After you do what you had to do, you take that euro you deposited out. My first Italian “mama” said to me that this is necessary because some people use to leave the supermarket with the “supermarket cart”.

18. I did not see many motorcycles. I never saw ONE car/motorcycle accident as well. My first Italian Brother said to me that the “Patente” written test is not so easy. So not many motorcycles + difficult test = a few accidents.

19. They drink beer at room temperature. It seems bad but it is not – outside is cold as hell and if you put in the freezer you just take out the taste of it.

20. People that have mental / physical deficiency have access to public schools as the other students. Each one had a professional person who could support them and help during the classes. This action is very interesting and I really don’t think they bother the others students. In Brazil this kind of independency is unthinkable. On the buses I also noted that there are special areas for people using the wheel chair.

21. Movies on TV, Cinema, TV series like House – all in Italian, never in English with subtitles.

22. The Italians eat in parts – let me explain better because this is important. They have different parts of the meal – antipasto, aperitivo – is before eating, and it changes depending on the occasion that the meal is being served. After that, they have the 1o piatto, 2o piatto, 3o piatto and so on (it depends on the event you are talking about). But each “piatto” has a particular kind of food – pasta, meat, fish... They usually don’t eat everything together like the Brazilians.

23. It is very easy to utilize the public transport without paying. However, I don’t recommend it. A person who fiscalize come inside the bus without a previous warning and checks if you have the bus ticket. During my stay in Italy, this happen about 5 times.

24. I was very impressed about the “pedaggio” price – super expensive to travel by car around Italy. It’s about 10 euro some of them.

25. In Italy the water is potable if you drink directly from the water tap.

26. The Italian language is one of the most beautiful that I had the pleasure to listen to – it seems that they are singing or saying romantic things all the time. However, it can be confusing sometimes, since you use “ciao” for hello and goodbye, “scusa” for I am sorry and excuse me. There are also words that change completely their meaning when you say them in Portuguese – for example “Burro” is stupid and “Engracado” is funny in my language.

27. There are earthquakes in Italy and I did not know that. Some years ago it happened one near Bologna that caused some damage.

28. The Italian people are very clean human beings. They never walk barefoot – they use the “pantofola” and never put objects that come from the street on the bed. If you do that they are going to curse you.

29. I was very impressed with the quantity of beggars in some cities of Italy. Venice was the worst. During a lunch at Burger King (yes, I ate in a BK in Venice, you can judge me), an old lady bagged for 20 minutes for a coin.

30. Each “cent” in Italy is valorized. They have 1, 2, 5, 10, 20 and 50 cents. Once I bought a piece of pizza which cost 1.81 euro. I gave the guy 2 euro and instead of giving me 20 cents to simplify everything, he gave me 19 cents, so I gained a lot of small value coins.

31. If you want to know a person better, one option is inviting her/him to drink a coffee. A good relationship can start in this way.

Telling all the differences that I could find and thought was interesting to share.

I just wanted to thank the AIESEC from Blumenau and Torino. Without the hard work of you people this experience would never happen. I don’t think I changed the world going to Italy, but this adventure made me come to Brazil as a different human being – and a better one, of course.

I also would like to thank my parents from Brazil who since the beginning never said one “no” while I was travelling – giving all the financial support but, more important was their moral support.

Of course those who deserve all the gratitude of the world are the families who hosted me – I can guarantee all of you that this is not a simple task. I am eternally grateful to the families of Kevin Scavone and Andrea Fazio for all the love and tolerance that they had with my typical disorganization and inevitable culture shook.

A special thanks for my buddy Giulia de Fusco, who was always there for me, since the beginning and until the last moment (even if she tried to say good-bye to me very early in the last day). She is one of those people that I will never forget in my life, and when the subject “Italy” comes up she will be the first thought.

And last, I would like to thank the Italian people. The project would not be the same without the hospitality that you had and love. Those who were my truly friends know what I am talking about. I have just to thank the school FEDERICO ALBERT for all the collaboration and for allowing the project to happen – a very dedicated teacher named Marina Masi was the responsible for the Educhange project in this school.

The moments we shared together are gone. Unfortunately the time was short and now life moves on for me here in Brazil. However, my Italian memories will be always alive. I will remember them whenever it will be possible – of course, being emotional like I was in the last day – crying like a little baby, because I felt one thing that only exists in the Portuguese language, something called “Saudades”.

One more time, thank you all, and see you in Brazil if you come!

KEVIN RACCONTA:

Quando ci venne proposto di ospitare in casa nostra un ragazzo straniero, con grande entusiasmo

rispondemmo subito di sì, al di là di chi fosse. Questa per me e la mia famiglia era un’esperienza nuova che

ci dava l’opportunità di scoprire, imparare usanze ed abitudini di un altro Paese, in questo caso il Brasile.

Successivamente iniziarono a sorgere dei “dubbi” da parte dei miei genitori, come per esempio il riuscire a

comunicare con il ragazzo senza conoscere, chi più chi meno, l’inglese. Per fortuna ci riuscirono facendosi

aiutare da me o, come si usa fare in Italia, attraverso i gesti.

Nel periodo precedente al suo arrivo, io e Bruno iniziammo a conoscerci attraverso i social network o

tramite cellulare: lui mi mandava le foto di quelli che sono i piatti tipici del suo Stato invitandomi a

prepararli, per esempio un crema dolce preparata con del mais. E’ stato molto divertente.

Infine è arrivato il grande giorno: ad accoglierlo non c’è stato un tempo particolarmente soleggiato, anzi,

nel pomeriggio era piovuto a dirotto. Erano le nove di sera e noi avevamo deciso di aspettare lui per

mangiare tutti insieme, d’altronde si sa, il posto migliore per fare conoscenze e stringere dei rapporti è in

assoluto intorno a una tavola imbandita.

Bruno si dimostrò subito un ragazzo socievole e solare, nonostante fosse stremato da un viaggio durato più

di un giorno intero. Nei giorni seguenti avemmo l’opportunità di conoscerci meglio: lui mi spiegava

com’era vivere in Brasile, mi parlava della sua famiglia, cosa studiava, ecc. ed io feci lo stesso con lui.

Passato il weekend, il lunedì venne a scuola con me, gli feci conoscere i miei amici e miei professori che ne

furono subito entusiasti e che si dimostrarono molto aperti nell’accoglierlo.

In queste due prime settimane ci siamo divertiti molto, io e la mia famiglia gli abbiamo fatto assaggiare

moltissimi piatti “made in Italy”,dalla pasta agli gnocchi, agli spaghetti e la lasagna con tanti tipi di

condimenti che ogni volta ha apprezzato. Una sera decidemmo di portarlo a mangiare una pizza in un

ristorante che la fa ottima. Quando ci sedemmo al tavolo gli dissi di sceglierne una tra le tante nel menù e

lui mi chiese: “ ma, una a testa?” e io gli risposi “ si certo, perché?”. Lui mi spiegò che al suo Paese, quando

si va a mangiare la pizza, se ne prende una e la si divide in tante parti.

Devo ammettere che questa esperienza è stata molto bella ed interessante, sia per me sia per la mia

famiglia. Abbiamo veramente un bel rapporto con Bruno e speriamo si mantenga anche quando lui sarà

ritornato in Brasile. Addirittura ci ha confidato che per lui noi siamo la sua famiglia italiana.

ANDREA RACCONTA:

Per tre settimane io e la mia famiglia abbiamo avuto il piacere di ospitare Bruno, un ragazzo brasiliano

che studia medicina. Tutto è iniziato durante i colloqui scolastici, quando la professoressa Masi ci

propose di fare questa esperienza. Appena uscimmo dal colloquio io e mia madre eravamo convinti di

rifiutare, ma successivamente, parlandone,pensammo che sarebbe stata una bella esperienza e quindi,

con un po' di paura ed indecisione accettammo. Prima dell’arrivo del nostro ospite eravamo un po' tesi

perché è stata la prima volta che abbiamo ospitato uno straniero a casa nostra. Appena arrivò a casa io

e mia madre notammo subito il suo disordine ma, nonostante tutto era un ragazzo bravo ed educato.

Nonostante qualche problema di disordine è stata una bella esperienza perché mi ha insegnato usanze

e costumi tipici del Brasile e mi ha fatto migliorare nella padronanza della lingua inglese.

Menù Brasiliano ISTITUTO ALBERT - LANZO T.SE

27 - 02 - 2014

Pao de queijo com Salpicao ( Pane al formaggio con insalata di pollo )

Feijoada com carni

( Fagiolata con carne)

Pastel de queijo com ervilhas

( Pastel al formaggio con contorno di piselli )

Mousse di Maracuja

( Mousse al limone)

Bolinho de chuva

( Ballottine allo zucchero e cannella )

Bevanda al guaranà

Vino rosso italiano

FEIJOADA

FAGIOLATA

Serves: 4 people

INGREDIENTS - 1 kg mixed meat

- 500 g dry beans

- 1 onion

- garlic

- tomatoes

- salt to taste

- parsley

Method : Leave the beans in 1l. water for 12 h . Cook the different types of meat in a pressure

cooker with the onion and some water.

Cook the beans in 2 l of water. In another pan brown the onion with the oil, add two

bay leaves, the beans, the meat and the salt .

Cook for a few minutes. Add some leaves of parsley. Serve placing a layer of plain rice

in the plate, then add the feijoada. If you want you can arrange a third layer of farofa or

chopped cabbage.

PASTEL Serves : 15 people

Ingredients :

- 3 cups of flour – more than 500 g

- 1 tablespoon oil

- 1 cup warm water

- 1 tablespoon salt

- 1 tablespoon brandy

- oil for frying

- 1 tablespoon of vinegar

Filling:

- 250 g minced beef

- 2 boiled eggs

- 1 onion

- 1 garlic

- 1 tablespoon butter

- some parsley and chives

- salt

- 1 pinch of black pepper

Method :

Put almost all the flour in a big bowl, leave more or less ½ cup which will be used while

kneading. Melt the salt in a few spoons of warm water and stir it with the flour in the

bowl.

Mix the vinegar with brandy and pour into the bowl, going on mixing.

The alcohol will evaporate helping the pastel to be crunchier .

Mix all ingredients well.

If the dough is too sticky, add the remaining flour until it will be of the right

consistency.

Leave for 10 minutes. Meanwhile cook the meat with butter and the vegetables, then

add the boiled egg cut into pieces. Roll out the dough and prepare thin squares,

arranging the filling on half square.

Gently wet the edges of each square with water; this will help to seal each pastel.

Fold the squares, make a pressure on the filling and the rest of pastel to let the air go

out. Cut the excess of edges using a pastry wheel. Fry in hot oil, drain and serve

immediately.

Sweet Fried ballS

Bolinho de chuva

INGREDIENTS Serves: 4

- 450 g flour

- 3 eggs

- sugar

- 1 teaspoon dry yeast

- oil for frying

- cinnamon

- salt

Method :

In a bowl mix the eggs with 4 spoons of sugar, the milk and a pinch of salt. Sift the flour with

the yeast, adding some more flour or milk, if necessary.

Cover with a lid and a blanket and leave it in a warm place for 45 minutes.

Then make some balls using the dough and fry in hot oil until they will be golden brown.

Drain and put them on a cooking paper until they will be dry.

Make the other balls and fry them. Before serving the dessert, in a bowl mix some sugar with

the cinnamon and coat the balls with the mixture.

Serve with black tea.

Note : Substituting sugar with some more salt and some minced onion you will prepare a

starter/appetizer; serve them both warm and cold .