Today we had the chance to meet some of the graduate students at ISC. They told us about the process of applying to ISC and what the program is like. They then each gave a brief presentation on their research and took our questions. The talk on Zika, Guillain-Barré Syndrome, and microcephaly took up most of the time due to our interest in the subject. There were some social sciences in the mix, too. It was wonderful to be able to speak with our peers and see what our local counterparts in public and collective health are doing. Their work is all very impressive. Unfortunately we could not stay and chat because we had to get to our last Portuguese language class. Mauricio taught us about shopping for our last-minute purchases and was entertaining as always. It’s beginning to sink in that we have to leave this place soon. Time is going by so fast.
Then we went back to Pelõrinho to the Non-profit Steve Biko institute, which helps low-income black students from public schools in Salvador prepare for the Vestibular (which is their version of the SAT) to get into college. In Brazil, private schools through high school are better quality and more desirable, but the public universities are more prestigious and harder to get into. For poor children who cannot afford private school, test prep tutors, or the testing fees, Steve Biko is there to help. There is only a low one-time payment that includes a t-shirt and all of their materials. The teachers are mostly former Steve Biko students who have degrees and volunteer because they know what a difference the organization makes. The presentation was given by a 19 year old student who spoke English in large part because of his experience there and at ACBEU. He told us about the structural barriers to their efforts and the many successes that they have accomplished so far. It is a truly inspiring organization and their model is being mimicked in other cities. Some of us were inspired enough to buy t-shirts in support.
The Olympic torch came through our town today. Yesterday it went though Lençóis in some of the locations we got to see ourselves. There is a big party being held at the lighthouse to celebrate the event. We have lots of work to do and time is running out. I, for one, plan to squeeze as much out of the next few days as possible! As one of the ISC students said, “life is too short to learn German.”
Britni Ashkinazy
