The 2024-2025 Brazil exchange concludes on February 1st, as two students from St Paul’s School, São Paulo, bid Radley College farewell after a two week stay – the programme also saw two Radleians visit Brazil last autumn. Here, the four boys reflect on the experiences, along with the new bonds forged across 5800 miles…
“We expect to be oversubscribed; if so, some applicants will be disappointed,” stated the February 2024 ‘Trip Details’ document for Radley’s Brazil student exchange. “We hope that the process of applying, including self-reflection, will in itself be a positive experience.” Even at the planning stage, exchange programmes can be daunting experiences, especially when on a trans-Atlantic and trans-equatorial scale. That said, St Paul’s School was an ideal partner for Radley College from the beginning – set among the leafy lanes of the Jardim Paulistano neighbourhood, it was founded almost a century ago by São Paulo’s UK expatriate population, to provide pupils from ages 3 to 18 with an education bringing together the best of Britain and Brazil (“Pauleans are equipped with everything they need to be global citizens that make a difference,” reads the St Paul’s website). Its headmaster Titus Edge (former principal of Scotland’s prestigious Gordonstoun School) is a strong proponent of the cultural fusion, recently writing below a social media photo of him with both tartan and local delicacies to hand “a kilted Englishman enjoying a Brazilian coconut captures something of the spirit of St Paul’s School”.
Two Radleian Removes – Sam (C) and Seb (E) – were selected to visit St Paul’s between October 19th and November 1st last year. Dressed in a uniform of white shirts, ties and cream chinos (ideal for the local tropical conditions), and accompanied by four students from Downe House School, the boys took part in iGCSE classes, as well as extracurricular sports like football and basketball. Unlike Radley, St Paul’s is a day school, so Sam and Seb spent the fortnight living at the houses of their exchange partners Victor and Tomas, thereby immersing them in Brazilian life all the more. “Staying with a local family in São Paulo gave me a real insight into a different culture,” said Seb. “And it was fascinating to see how life there compares to home.”
On January 18th, Victor and Tomas began their reciprocal stay at Radley’s C and E Socials (including the Hilary Weekend exeat), their personal anecdotes and lived experiences giving College lessons a whole new dimension. Head of Geography Effie Hiram had been teaching lessons about São Paulo before the pair’s arrival and thus “took the opportunity to ask about their personal experiences and the stark inequalities in the city. We discussed the favelas, drug-related crime, and the social disparities… What made their input impactful was how it transformed São Paulo from just another ‘case study’ into a vivid, tangible reality. The Radley boys gained a deeper understanding of the city as a living, breathing place, filled with real people and complex challenges.” Such discussions even extended to the Socials’ Cocoa and Social Prayers.
“I like the cuisine here. The beans are different from Brazil!” quips Victor, as he, Tomas, Seb and Sam mingle in a Radley College corridor. “I think the school is a very nice place,” comments Tomas. “I’d say that [this experience] will change my learning – the methods of teaching are very different here from Brazil, so I think I’ll take that to note.” The Radleian Removes have also found the student exchange experience eye-opening, with Sam vouching for its worth. “I’d definitely recommend it for everyone. It made me more confident.” His comment gets an audible reaction from his colleagues. “More confident! Why?” asks Tomas. Sam laughs. “Well, maybe! …More to speak about. More perspectives.”
The initial ‘Trip Details’ document includes a paragraph discussing the programme’s purpose: “Whilst in Brazil, [Radleian] participants will be… immersed in a school with its own confident culture and challenged to make positive relationships, reflecting on their own values and adapting accordingly. This will be an invaluable cultural learning experience.” On the other side of it, there’s little ambiguity as to its success. “An amazing experience,” declares Seb. “On a personal level, it helped me become more independent and open to new experiences.” With any luck, many more Radleians will get this same opportunity of a lifetime and continue this handshake across the equator for years to come.
