It being such a beautiful spring day yesterday, and seeing as we have so few of those ahead of us before it gets to be hellishly hot, I thought that Isabela and I should do something outdoors. So we went to Lake Ella. Isabela is from Brazil and her first language is Portuguese. She has been in Tallahassee since August of last year and has just passed the TOEFL after a second try, so she'll be starting classes at FSU in the summer as a Civil Engineering student. She expressed to me her concerns about a possible repeat of the major university strikes in Brazil circa 2012, and said she is eager to finish her education. She also talked about common problems in her field such as intentional misallocation of funds and unfair treatment of workers. She is able to use English critically but struggles with minor words and phrases.
Isabela had lots of questions about Florida's foliage and the different birds around Lake Ella (I may have given her a few too many details about the mating habits of the Muscovy), and I had a lot of questions for her about life in Brazil. We discussed the differences in culture of South and North America and shared our favorite spots in Tallahassee. Isabela is going to Disney for Spring break, so we've planned on getting together again the following week. I'd like to take her somewhere local for lunch since she hasn't had much opportunity to dine off-campus.
Some nice exchange of information about society, politics, and the natural world! Great to hear she passed the TOEFL!
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