Francano investe em curso de línguas

NO EXTERIOR 
Autor(a): Tamara Freitas Função: Especial para o Comércio

Foto(s): Arquivo pessoal
Data: 18/12/2011

NOS EUA- Suellen Liz investiu no programa Au Pair, que combina estudo de línguas com trabalho de babá

A francana Suellen Liz de Oliveira, 26 anos, administradora hoteleira, sempre estudou inglês por conta própria, mas no ano passado resolveu alçar novos vôos investindo em aulas particulares e em uma viagem ao exterior para melhorar sua fluência. Depois de pesquisar na internet, Suellen escolheu o programa Au Pair, um dos mais acessíveis do mercado, que combina trabalho como babá e estudos do idioma.

A francana recorreu ao serviço de uma agência ribeirão-pretana e desembolsou R$ 1.500. Com isso bancou passagem de ida, envio dos formulários para Boston, a taxa do visto, o seguro de saúde básico e ainda teve direito à passagem de volta ao completar um ano de programa.

“Foi o programa ideal. Estar morando na casa de uma família americana, tendo essa vivência mesmo, você realmente conhece a cultura, os costumes. E tem o custo-benefício de não ter despesa com comida, moradia, e também a bolsa de estudos que eles oferecem”, disse Suellen. Ela recebia US$ 200 por semana, além do curso de US$ 500.

Quem também foi para o exterior estudar línguas foi o engenheiro de produção Túlio Zaninello Penha, 25 anos. Ele fez as pesquisas sozinho e embarcou em agosto de 2010 para Londres para fazer um curso de seis meses. Lá contou com a ajuda de uma agência de intercâmbio inglesa.

Assim como Suellen e Túlio, muitos brasileiros têm deixado o país para aprender línguas no exterior. No ano passado, cerca de 160 mil brasileiros fizeram intercâmbio no exterior e a estimativa é que, neste ano, esse número suba para 190 mil.

Tendo em vista esse aumento na procura por cursos internacionais, a maioria das escolas de idiomas de Franca tem estimulado e orientado seus alunos a buscar a melhor opção de intercâmbios. No CCBEU, por exemplo, o aluno recebe informações do EducationUSA, órgão oficial para dar informações sobre cursos nos Estados Unidos.

“Oferecemos orientação para cursos de graduação, pós-graduação, e inglês intensivo, mas sempre dentro de campus de universidades”, disse Gilmar Mattos, orientador educacional da EducationUSA.

Em parceria com uma agência de turismo de Franca, o CCBEU oferece um curso de inglês intensivo de um mês nos EUA por US$ 5.000 (inclui passagens aéreas).

Já a CCAA oferece cursos de idiomas nos Estados Unidos e em mais oito países por meio do Cultural Center for Language Studies (CCLS). Anualmente, os alunos da escola concorrem a uma bolsa de estudos de um mês, com tudo pago, para os Estados Unidos, México ou Inglaterra.

No próximo ano, a Fisk promoverá pela primeira vez uma viagem de quatro semanas de intercâmbio para seus alunos em Vancouver, no Canadá, no período das férias de julho. O custo aproximado será de US$ 3.000. “Hoje, se você não tiver uma segunda opção de língua, você está praticamente excluído do mercado”, disse Amílton César Rodrigues, diretor da Fisk.

Hospital Trash Travels Overseas to Suape Brazil

Syringes, drains, catheters, hospital gloves, gauze, bandages, towels, sheets, and pillow cases. Instead of representing a list of items found in an  emergency room, these objects are a selection of used instruments from American  hospitals that, rather than being properly disposed, were packed into containers before being illegally shipped to Brazil.

October 2011 is a month marked by unexpected episodes coming from overseas. On October 11th, the Brazilian Federal Organization, Receita Federal, apprehended a container in Suape Port (within the state of Pernambuco) loaded with hospital trash identified as “defective cotton fabrics” that arrived from the United States.

The North American container transported about 51.4lb of hospital debris, an illegal importation in Brazil. A second container with the same amount of trash arrived two days later. The supposed “defective cotton fabrics” were ordered by a Brazilian textile company called Império do Forro de Bolso. The company’s objective: to sell the sheets and pieces of fabric as flaps in the gourmet use.

The garbage importation not only infringed the law, but also presented a threat to the people that handled the material. Most of the collected material such as the sheets and pillow cases were stained with blood. The rest of it such as the syringes, drains, and catheters were already used.

Officials from the Brazilian National Health Surveillance Agency, Anvisa,  inspected two containers on October 15^th, and discovered more sheets and pillow cases, which also showed visible blood spots. According to correiobraziliense.com.br, employees said the fabrics were cut off in a such a way as to remove the hospital stamps.

During this process, fabrics were not washed out but released to industries. The amount of fiber found had the same container capacity as the 51.4lb of hospital trash. According to Folha.com, the trash acquisitions led the fabric company three fines summating $10 million, issued by the Brazilian Institute of Environment and Renewable Natural Resources, IBAMA.

Please keep reading the story by clicking on the following:

http://www.toonaripost.com/2011/11/world-news/hospital-trash-travels-overseas/

Kids Versus Adults in Brazilian Social Media Usage

Where are the children who play hide and seek in the streets, fly kites, jump ropes, ride bicycles, play with dolls and cars, spend hours building a Lego’s castle during their childhoods’ golden age? They are no longer easily found in the outside areas around their neighborhoods.

Instead, infants are hiding themselves and replacing their group activities on a sunny day for more and more solitary pleasures under their home roofs. One in four Brazilian children uses the Internet, according to research done by the Comitê Gestor da Internet (CGI), the Internet Manager Committee.

In the same report, the group reported that 90 percent of children surf the web to play video games and do homework. Video games, especially Internet games, are holding children’s attention who stare at a computer screen for hours and hours.

Children are also becoming familiar with modern technologies, such as smartphones that allow users to access the Internet just by touching the screen with a finger. They can download games on their phones, and play for long periods, which can represent a regression in their social activities and developments.

Please keep reading the story by clicking on the following link http://www.toonaripost.com/2011/10/life-style/kids-versus-adults-in-brazilian-social-media-usage/

Higher education outcomes for student mothers

What a good surprise to hear one of your college stories got published without your consent?

It actually turned out to be really amazing because I had so much fun writing it. I was on my facebook and one of my characters simply told me she saw her story online, and she was happy about  it.

So here it goes a superb story of  young mothers who take care of their homes, babies, and husbands while attending college. Tough deal? You don’t have a clue.

 

   Higher Education Outcomes for Student Mothers

by Tamara Freitas

Diapers, cell phone, Germ-x, a little rag, wipes, flyers from work, DVDs from Redbox, a pen, and usually business books:  all of these items seem to have nothing in common, but, in fact, they do. The objects are stuffed into Kaelen Carrier`s bag and they are part of her daily routine. Kaelen is a student at Lindenwood University and she is also a mother.

Kaelen’s husband sets the alarm for 6 a.m. because he is not only working but also going to school full-time. The young 22 year-old mother wakes up at the same time as her husband to breastfeed and change her baby’s diapers. After baby-sitting she goes back to bed and sleeps until 9:30. “Sometimes I don’t get to work until 10:30 during the week” said Kaelen.

Abel, her two-month-old baby, has his own room. The wall paper and crib match the zoo decoration of the room. The blue curtain protects Abel from the sunlight and calms the environment. Abel never sleeps before playing with the mobil, a decorative object hanging on top of the crib. “The song playing sometimes makes him calm, sometimes makes him wild and dancing because of the animals flying. He could just watch it forever,” said Kaelen. The object has four different animals, which fly in a circle while it plays a cheerful song. The song, Kaelen says, brings out the best of her child.

Continue reading the student mother story’s on  http://tfreitas.lindenweb.net/Project%202/articles/Higher_Education_Outcomes_for_Student_Mothers.pdf.                                       Please don’t forget to send some feedback.

State IDs benefit international students

By Tamara Freitas

Staff Reporter

When international students leave the university campus, authorities can approach them and demand identification, just as authorities can with probable cause for U.S. citizens.

International students have four options when approached by an authority figure. They can show their passport, their international driver’s license, the Missouri State ID, or a Missouri driver’s license. However, in addition to their home license, students may also have to show a local ID.

The Lindenwood University ID card is not recognized as an official identification because it is a card that can be made by anyone quite easily. Based on local research, nine international students out of 20 have a Missouri driver’s license. One has a Missouri State ID.
Most students interviewed said they applied for the driver’s license mainly because they do not want to carry their passport. Students also said they need an additional identification besides their license from home, and losing a passport would mean not leaving the country for a while as well as going through exhausting governmental procedures.

An undergraduate student, who prefers to remain anonymous, said that St. Charles authorities had told her that a Missouri State ID is essential. Two area park rangers approached her and a friend last year and asked for more identification than just a university ID.

“We were at the park down on Main Street, next to the river. We were just in the parking lot talking. And suddenly the rangers arrived and [parked] behind us. They turned the lights on, then told us to get out of the car with our hands up in the air,” the student said. “They asked for ID…my friend had a state ID but I didn’t. I had my Lindenwood ID. The officials used their radio to call the base to search for my name. Then they asked if I was legal, and they said I should have something besides my Lindenwood ID.”

To continue reading please visit the following website: http://lindenlink.com/wordpress/2011/02/14/state-ids-benefit-international-students-though-not-required/

Brazilian “Bacana” offers authentic foods

Bacana Brazil brings to St. Louis the traditional Brazilian steakhouse, called “churrascaria.”

Photo by Tamara Freitas

The restaurant name is a Brazilian Portuguese slang for “cool” and “nice.” Bacana offers a variety of Brazilian grilled meats, also called “churrasco,” typically recognized from southern Brazil. An assortment of salads, hot dishes and decorative desserts are also part of the daily menu.

Bacana was founded in 2007 and can accommodate 206 people–convenient for small groups or large families. The wooden decoration, Brazilian flags, stone walls and illumination create the cozy environment that’s traditional in Brazilian homes. Customers can also appreciate famous Brazilian songs, such as “Garota de Ipanema,” while tasting a marinated steak.

Photo by Tamara Freitas

The restaurant specialties include top sirloin picanha, beef shoulder and chuck, grilled lamb, marinated pork, and chicken wings. Appetizers include the famous pão-de-queijo (cheese bread). “Feijoada,” a famous dish in Brazil consisting of a mixture of black beans and pork, is served daily as all you-can-eat.

To continue reading please visit the following website:http://lindenlink.com/wordpress/2011/03/11/brazilian-bacana-offers-authentic-foods/

Request

Dear Editors,

I am a recent graduate student who is looking for an internship opportunity in an American Newspaper.

In my blog, you will be able to find some of my published stories and an updated resume.

Please feel free to contact me. I am available to start immediately and I am legal to work in the U.S.A since I have an OPT identification.

 

Hope to hear from you soon,

Tamara Freitas

E-mail: ta_belloti@hotmail.com

Skype ID: tatinha752