This report was written by Amelie H, Lower Fifth (Year 10), reflecting on her exchange trip to Brazil with our Global Exchange..

On the 15th of October, a group of Lower Fifth (Year 10) students left Downe and travelled to St Paul’s School in São Paulo, Brazil. The flight was 11 hours long, but we were all really excited for what was ahead. When we arrived, we were welcomed by our host families, who were incredibly kind and immediately made us feel at home.

St Paul’s is a day school, with lessons finishing at 3pm, which was very different from what we are used to and gave us plenty of time to explore Brazilian culture. Brazil has the largest Japanese population outside of Tokyo, which is one of the reasons the food is so varied and delicious. During our exchange, we tried lots of local dishes including Pastel and Brigadeiro — our favourites. Pastel is a popular Brazilian street food filled with cheese, while Brigadeiro is a rich chocolate truffle made with condensed milk and covered in sprinkles.

Overall, I would recommend this exchange to everyone in Lower Fifth. It was an amazing opportunity to experience Brazilian culture and meet new people. This trip has given me so much confidence, and I would like to thank the Global Partnerships team for making it possible.