Austin ++

  

 “You think this trip would be only about Austin?!” Well, it could be—but TTI is giving us the chance to explore even more. Besides weekly local excursions and cultural events, we also had the opportunity to visit two other amazing places: San Antonio and Houston.

    Our first day trip was to San Antonio. I was really excited to get to know the city because former TTI attendees had mentioned how special it is—and they were absolutely right. Our first stop was a place called The Pearl, where there was a farmers’ market going on. That was my “princess dream,” as we say in Brazil, coming true: I LOVE street markets (especially the crafts and food!), and the whole area was so welcoming and beautiful. I really wish we had had more time to enjoy the shops, food spots, and everything the market had to offer—it was all so lovely. 

    Next, we headed to the River Walk, a very unique area where you can take a boat ride and learn about the city’s history or simply walk around and explore the charming riverside. After a delicious Tex-Mex lunch, of course, I had to visit the Alamo—it’s such an important landmark, not only in San Antonio but also in Texas and U.S. history. It was a great experience, and I think we all enjoyed it. So much so that, if we could, we definitely would have stayed longer.

    The following weekend, we went to Houston. The plan was to visit the Houston Museum of Natural Science and NASA (yay!). First, we explored the museum. I’ll admit—I wasn’t super excited at first, since I’ve been to other natural history and science museums and didn’t expect this one to be much different. But I was pleasantly surprised! Even though there were too many exhibitions to take in properly in just one day, I still had a great time exploring the museum.

    After that, we had lunch on the bus (surprisingly good, by the way) as we headed to NASA. As one of my colleagues put it, “NASA is the place I didn’t know I would fall in love with.” I had already visited the Fort Lauderdale complex once, and I felt the same then—it’s incredible how mesmerizing science and space can be when presented in the right way. This time was no different. Although the Houston site is smaller, it has some absolute treasures. For example, they have a real, full-sized rocket on display—and wow, that’s one massive means of transportation! Needless to say, I loved, loved, loved it. On the way back to Austin, we had dinner on the bus again (also delicious), wrapping up another amazing day exploring Texas.

    Before coming to this teacher training program, I already knew there would be so much to explore in Austin and beyond. And I wasn’t wrong. Even though we don’t always have as much time as we’d like to experience every place or event fully, this has been a truly incredible experience. I’m getting to see and sample a bit of American culture—through the eyes of Texans, and especially Austinites—and I’m loving every minute of it.