This course allows students to live and work full time in a rainforest community in the Amazon basin in Northern Brazil. Our home will be an ecotourism camp in a forest preserve; we sleep in hammocks every night in a screened enclosure; we eat local foods and assist in the kitchen as meals are prepared; we walk to our worksites and participate in projects of our hosts' choosing; and we get to know the community members, their families, and their priorities. Having built strong relationships with the community of Anã in the state of Pará, we will revisit prior projects there, including water and sanitation work, reforestation, food sovereignty efforts, and development of a small ecotourism footprint to support their collective goals. We will also take a mid-trip excursion to visit other rainforest communities to learn about the similarities and differences between those and our Amazon home.

We call this program DIRT (Dismantle, Immerse, Reflect, Transform). We take apart our preconceptions about ourselves and our hosts (Dismantle), we live as closely as we can in community onsite (Immerse), we process our experiences through dialogue/deliberation/documentation (Reflect), and we experience positive change in our host community and ourselves (Transform). In order to properly prepare for this adventure, we will need to read and learn about the history and culture of the region, understand the concepts of ""conscientious collaboration"" (appropriately joining a community that is not our own) and ""responsible representation"" (how to document our own experiences as well as those of our hosts), and we will establish shared agreements about our own group and how we intend to function as a unit. To do so, we will hold three overnight retreats in the fall of 2026 (most likely on the weekends of October 10-12, November 7-9, and the day that finals end in December). In addition to those retreats, we will gather in the two days before our departure to share book reports completed over Christmas break. Learn more about our destination and prior trips by going to smcamazon.blogspot.com.

Week 1

• Tuesday, Jan. 5: Depart from SFO
• Wednesday, Jan. 6: Arrive at STM (Santarém)
• Thursday, Jan. 7: Santarém 
  Activities: Gather materials for on-site projects in Santarém.
• Friday, Jan. 8: Depart from Santarém, Arrive in Anã (by boat)
  Activities: Survey project sites in Anã.
• Saturday, Jan. 9: Anã
  Activities: Begin labor projects as identified by hosts.

Week 2

• Jan. 10-15: Anã
  Work in Anã on projects identified by hosts..
• Jan. 16-18: Excursion to other communities by boat
  Atodi: hike in old growth rainforest and acaí grove.
  Vila Brasil: craft workshop and garden tour.
  Jarí: nature hike and fishing.

Week 3

• Jan. 19-23: Anã
  Activities: Work in Anã on projects identified by hosts.
• Saturday, Jan. 23: Anã
  Activities: Finalize community projects in Anã. Soccer game (SMC v. Brazil).

Week 4

• Sunday, Jan. 24: Depart Anã, Arrive in Santarém
• Monday, Jan. 25: Santarém
  Activities: Souvenir shopping and zoo visit.
• Tuesday, Jan. 26: Depart from Santarém, Arrive at SFO
• Wednesday, Jan. 27: Return to SMC
• Jan. 27-29: Campus
  Activities: Computer lab work at SMC to complete final projects

Course Fee: $4,500-$5,000
Learn about the Jan Term Travel Scholarship for additional funding.

This fee includes:
Airfare, Local Transportation, Lodging, Meals, Excursions (e.g., museums, tours, etc.), Gratuity, Travel Insurance ($35/student - international classes only), Miscellaneous, Brazilian visa

Estimated cost outside of course fee:
$100: food in airports, souvenirs, possible required travel shots