Field Trip #6: Brazil in a Day

Let me just say that it is impossible to visit Brazil in a day and that is what makes it such a rich country to visit. If there is one word that comes to mind when I think of Brazil it has to be diversity. No matter what you are doing you will see so many different influences that have shaped traditions, food and culture which means that you can study the history of the world through an in-depth look at Brazil. That is not even accounting for the amazing biodiversity of the land!

OK lets get started then. My first stop on a Brazilian field trip today would have to be the Capoeira Spot on Florida Avenue. This is a great place for two reasons. You could bring students here to partake in a Capoeira lesson or a Samba lesson. If you are not familiar with Capoeira it is a "unique blend of martial arts, dance, music and gravity defying acrobatics created by enslaved Africans in Brazil nearly 400 years ago as a form of resistance against their captures" (taken from the Capoeira Spot brochure). Think of the diversity in that one activity! It's a combination of dance, acrobatics and martial arts all set to the amazing beats of drums and the Berimbau (which is a unique instrument mainly used to accompany Capoeira).

Samba is the national dance of Brazil and Sonia Pessoa teaches Samba classes at the Capoeira Spot and also at Guy Mason Recreation Center through her organization called Sambart Entertainment . You will want to contact both places to schedule a visit or a private class but this will start your Brazilian day off on the right foot!

By now you and your students will have worked up an appetite so it is time to go to a great Brazilian restaurant called "The Grill from Ipanema." This is a great play on the title of the Girl from Ipanema and you would want to share this song and its history with your students so that the cleverness of this restaurant's name is not lost on them. The prices are a bit high here but feel free to lay out what you are doing and talk to Alcy De Souza about creating a sample menu that would enable your students to taste some of the quintessential Brazilian dishes (like Feijoada). You can use appetizers or splitting of entrees so that it gets to be in your price range. Also don't forget to bring your tax exempt status from your school so that you will not be charged the taxes that can make things more expensive. Just an additional note I spoke to Alcy on the eve of the start of the World Cup and it would be great to bring students here to experience that live but since it is summer it is going to be hard. But as you are planning a field trip to come here try to coincide with a televised soccer game so that students would have one more layer to understanding what life is like in Brazil.








The final stop of the day would have to be Amazonia at the National Zoo. It is right down the hill from Adams Morgan and this exhibit is the most amazing of all buildings at the zoo. Amazonia does a great job of allowing you to feel like you are in the rain forest of Brazil by allowing you to walk through and not be separated by cages and bars between the monkeys and you. The river tanks are amazing and they enable you to see some of the largest fresh water fish in the world. Check it out before bringing your students here to make sure that you have activities ready for them. The zoo does have volunteers who can help interpret things but you are pretty much on your own here. It has a lot of possibilities and you will want to do the research to really get the most out of it.

Contact Info:
The Capoeira Spot
636 Florida Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20001
(240)-606-4446
www.capoeiradc.com
www.sambart.com

The Grill From Impanema
1858 Columbia Rd. NW
Washington, DC 20009
(202)-986-0757
www.thegrillfromipanema.com

The National Zoo
You can stop by the FONZ (Friends of the National Zoo) office at the education center near teh Connecticut Avenue entrance of the zoo Monday through Friday 9-5pm. Check out their education website and also email them too.