Submitted by Julia on Fri, 07/12/2024 - 08:27
Following the 2024 Cultural Calendar, the Welcome Project team of DRI (International Office) conducted two activities with UFOP's international students in June: Festa Junina DRI and Mariana Tour.
Students from several countries, including Angola, Cameroon, Colombia, Chile, the United States, France, Equatorial Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique, Mexico, the Republic of Congo and São Tomé and Príncipe participated in the activities.
To start the month of São João, the Festa Junina DRI was held on June 14th. Before the big day, the students attended two dance classes led by Ana Luísa Silva Bastos, a Physical Education student from UFOP, to learn basic steps of forró and the traditional quadrilha junina dancing. On the day of the festival, everyone took part in games and the quadrilha performance, including those who had not attended the classes. The party featured various typical dishes of this traditional celebration, such as hot dogs, canjica, and paçoca.
The second activity of the month took place on June 29th: a tour in the city of Mariana. The students visited several tourist attractions in Mariana, including Praça Minas Gerais and its two churches, Mariana’s City Hall, and São Pedro dos Clérigos Church, where the students could climb one of its towers. They also visited Catedral da Sé, Gomes Freire Square, popularly known as “Mariana’s Garden”, and two museums: Mariana Museum, which focuses on the city's history and culture, and Alphonsus de Guimaraens House Museum, which tells the story of the Minas Gerais writer.
