Sharing Ursuline Sisterhood

Wow, this past week has been such a whirlwind of emotions!  From the moment we saw each other at the airport, it seemed like we already knew each other because we had been talking the whole summer.  We had an instant connection and I was looking forward to a great week with them.  

Ellie and Holly fit right in.  On Monday, we went to my tennis match straight from the airport.  They both love to play tennis, but they haven’t watched it like that before.  One thing that they absolutely loved while here in America was shopping!  We went to the mall three different times to buy things.  They love Vineyard Vines since they don’t have that back at home and they also loved shopping at Kate Spade.  Friday night we went to Ballpark Village and we got to go up on the rooftop deck which is something I know they will never forget.  Then, we went to the SLUH football game...they loved sitting on the bleachers!   Something else that we did with the girls on Saturday was go to the pumpkin patch.  They were so amazed at how big the pumpkins were and that there were so many of them all in one place.  Later that day, we got our nails done.  They were fascinated by the massage chairs and wanted to stay in there forever!  As Saturday night approached, they got more and more excited, and I was excited for them! Homecoming this year is one I definitely won’t forget because I got to spend it with two of the best people from England.  While driving home from school on Friday, I asked Ellie and Holly if they liked Ariana Grande...and of course, they answered yes.  My question followed with, “Well, do you want to go to her concert with me on Sunday?”  Their reaction to this was priceless.  They almost cried from excitement.  So, after Fall Fest, we went to the Ariana Grande concert.  They were amazed that we were actually there, seeing her live on stage.  Saying goodbye to people you only met a week ago may not seem that hard to do to some people, but for me, it was like saying goodbye to people I have known my whole life.  I never wanted them to leave, but I look forward to seeing them over in England soon!  I am so blessed to be a part of a school that has sister schools around the world, and even though we live in different countries, we still share the same Ursuline sisterhood.
-Meg Dunn, '17

October 3, 2015

So far the girls have been awesome! But I’m so tired, but it’s a good kind of tired.This morning we went to the zoo. According to Danielle and Caragh, the zoo in London isn’t much to look at or go to. They don’t have nearly as many animals there as we do here. The first place we went to was to go see the elephants. It was chillier morning, so I was worried there would be no elephants out. But there were four! One of them was a baby too! We then rode the train to see sting-ray exhibit, the penguin house, the new polar bear exhibit, as well as the sea lion show. After leaving the zoo, we stopped off at Target for some goodies. The girls got some free slushies from the little food place because they were British. We then headed home for a rest before people came over to get ready for the dance! My friend Taryn came over, then Amanda and her students Ellie and Deanne, then Katrina and Erica and their students Molly and Mikki. So there were a lot of girls in my house! Danielle is a make-up magician, so she helped people with their make-up for the rock and roll themed dance. Everyone dressed up in black, leather, and gold. We took a lot of pictures before we left. The dance was a great time! Everyone had fun. Afterwards we went to Katrina and Erica’s house for a sleep-over where the girls got their first taste of s’mores! It was an awesome night and the best way to spend my last homecoming dance.

-Megan Rechtien, '16

Until You Have to Say Goodbye

They say time flies by when you’re having fun. You don’t realize it until you have to say goodbye. Over this past week I have gotten the opportunity of a lifetime. I became friends with the two sweetest girls, Lauren and Charlotte. We asked them Monday morning what their top three favorite things were that they did while in St. Louis. They responded; the high school football game, the view from the arch, and homecoming. I loved taking Charlotte and Lauren to the football game on Friday night because it was something they had never experienced. We are all buzzing the whole night! Homecoming this year was one of the best yet. I loved being able to share with Lauren and Charlotte what our homecoming dance is like and we all had a great time dancing and taking fun pictures together! The girls liked going up in the arch to see what St. Louis was about. They loved the view especially being able to see Busch Stadium.


My top three favorite things that we did while the girls were in St. Louis were; just simply hanging

out and getting to know one another, homecoming, and our car jam sessions. Some of my best memories are talking about how we say different words for different things and arguing about who is right. We would always end up in laughter and ended up using each other's words. Homecoming was such a cool experience to share with Char and Lau because we got to have fun and dance all night together. We bonded over our mutual taste in music over this past week. Each time we rode together in the car we plugged in our phones and sang as loudly as we could to our new favorite songs. I had the most amazing time this week with two of my new best friends. The only thing I would change would be to lengthen the trip because I am already missing my girls! I can’t wait until I can go visit them in England!! xx

-Rebecca Adams ‘17

Brazil 2015 Photo Slide Show

Enjoy a slide show of captured moments from the Brazil Trip 2015

After Zumba Class

It’s hard to believe we have only been here for almost a week. It seems like we have been here for much longer with the things we do each day. Even after being here for almost a week we still try a hand full of new things each day and learn something new about the city or culture of Brazil. Everyone has gotten a lot closer to each other and more comfortable with speaking. Last night the group played water polo with a class and then walked to a burger place to eat dinner.

Making Brigadeiros

I don't like burgers so I ordered a chicken sandwich. It was nothing like I expected. It was shredded with corn on it and I loved it. Today, we watched more presentations from the younger grades comparing our city and their city and also Bueno Aires. After the presentations the UA group joined a Zumba class which was very tiring but very fun. After Zumba we learned to make brigadeiro, which is a chocolate candy that looks somewhat like a truffle. We spent the rest
of the day joining our host students in their last two classes: biology and writing. Joining them in classes is not as exciting as the other things we have done but it is interesting to see their class environment and compare to our. I am excited to see what the rest of our trip has in store.

Ursuline Love written in Brigadeiros

Makala Jones

Exploring the St. Louis - Ilheus Connection

Yesterday, we had a morning of presentations from all of the lower grade levels at Piedade. We were all very impressed and some of our students even remarked that we should do more at Ursuline to connect our two cultures and schools. I hope we do too!

Dancing the Samba

The preschool and kindergarten classes sang for us an invited us to dance the samba with them. As the song went, "When you hear the music playing, if you don't feel like dancing the samba you must be crazy or have a broken leg" (rough paraphrasing).

Next, we came out into the courtyard to watch capoeira, a type of fighting dance that originated in Brazil. Students and teachers demonstrated some of the moves and then invited our students to dance.

Gooey Butter Cake, recipe at left

After a short slide show of projects that students had completed comparing Ilheus to St. Louis and Buenos Aires, we were led to three different food stations that were serving foods from each of the three cities studied. The boards at each station included recipes in Portuguese and English. Any guess on what was chosen for St. Louis? Gooey Butter Cake was right! We were impressed with how well they did getting the recipe correct.

Abará, classic dish from Ilheus

For Ilheus the recipe chosen was Abará, made with ground black-eyed peas surrounding shrimp and steamed in banana leaves. What a treat!

Sydney and Cristina checking the St. Louis trivia facts.

In Math class, students had developed board games based on the three cities. From the games I was able to observe, they included plenty of trivia about St. Louis and the other cities. What a fun way to learn more about the sister cities!








Several class presentations from the Elementary school grades followed. They covered American food packaging; a comparison of our school to theirs; a comparison of our cities including photographs of very similar sites and landmarks in both; a comparison of the Mississippi to rivers in Brazil; a comparison of the native peoples in the St. Louis area to the native peoples of the Ilheus region; and finally an exploration of the Blues as an influence on Brazilian music and its origins in America. In every classroom there was an opportunity to taste, watch, listen and otherwise participate in the presentations.

1st graders after sharing a dance with us

Learning about St. Louis vs. Ilheus after enjoying fresh cocoa fruit

A spread of traditional native Brazilian foods, including root vegetables not found in the US and tapioca flour

After the presentations we broke for lunch. All of us needed some time for mental digestion as well. I am left very impressed with how well they had integrated St. Louis into so many of their classes. The focus on the two cities (three when you count Beunos Aires) instead of on whole countries was a great lens to explore a diversity of topics. The multi-sensory aspects of the projects encouraged engagement by both the Brazilian as well as American students. The language barrier was overcome largely through practical demonstration.

Artisan Craft Market

The afternoon was spent touring the city of Ilheus which ended at a trip to the marketplace. By evening our bags were full of souvenirs and our minds full of even more valuable mementos to carry back with us.

June 2, 2015 - Esparza

Students Performing American Music

This morning I was able to go to Fa's English class that she attends every Tuesday and Thursday. Typically, they would just read stories and answer questions, but because I was there they took advantage and decided to have  question and answer session with me. I was very nervous but everyone in the class spoke English very well! They all freaked out when I told them I was an American. One boy said, "Oh my gosh! She's from America!!!!" It was so cute seeing their reactions. It was the same as the other people here in Brazil: welcoming. They were so excited to learn about the way I lived and my family! My host family just last night asked to see pictures of my family, but that was the first thing they asked to know about. I laughed when they started asking about how high school was because they kept relating it to High School Musical! After talking about my family and school, they continued to ask me about college and my traditions. I had to explain both american and Mexican traditions. Before I knew it, an hour had gone by and it was time to go. Then, we took a taxi to Piedade. Fa had to leave because she had tennis class, but I got to stay at the school and go to the presentations the lower grades had prepared for us.

Music in the courtyard

I loved the way the children here just let loose in front of us. I, along with the other girls, found the musical aspect of Brazil to be the most interesting! (We loved the boy band that played today.) After performing some songs in the auditorium, the party moved outside to the courtyard. Boys brought their guitars and their drum box things and began to play Brazilian music for us. It got a little strange, but interesting, when the younger student decided to dance for us to the music! Sadly, they did not know any american songs, so we sat through about half  an hour of Brazilian music. (NOT COMPLAINING) I love the music here!! I'm already starting to get sad about having to leave in 7 days. :(
Sidenote: I was just told we might get Mexican food tonight!!!! I miss my mom's food so much!

My experience

Kylie Dancing

So far, this experience has been so amazing that it is hard to put into to words... but I am going to try my best. I have done so many things that I never imagined myself doing. This past weekend, we went zip-lining and this is something that I never thought I would do. I was incredibly scared. After some convincing, I got myself to walk up to the station and I eventually put the harness on. This was a surprise. Next I walked up to the place where you drop off and then  I panicked. I was so nervous, and I did not know if I even wanted to go. My friends, Miss Payne, and the  Brazilians helped me get over my fear and after a short panic attack, I finally left. I am so glad I went!! The zip line went over the beach and ocean. It was insanely beautiful...once I opened my eyes. That night we went back to the hotel and we had dinner. This was so much fun because there was music playing and I got to dance!! One of the workers taught me how to dance and it was so much fun. The music was so different but I loved it. Finally, we went to the room and we all sat down and just talked. This was a great bonding time. We got to know the Brazilians so much better and they were trying to teach us some Portuguese. On Sunday, we went white water rafting! I was so excited for this. It lasted about one hour. It was a very cool experience and definitely something I would do again. We had to work together in our rafts so that we would not tip over. When we went down a big hill, Natalia fell out. We were all laughing so hard because we had to go back and get her. Overall, these past few days have been more than amazing! I am so excited for what is to come. 
~Kylie Wright