Gislaine presents the Havaianas sandal from Brazil. She notes that people walk about 7 kilometers per day and endure a lot of stress on their feet from tight shoes. The Havaianas sandal was created in 1962 and uses a secret rubber formula to be soft, bouncy, flexible, and durable. They are designed to match the natural shape of the foot for maximum comfort. Havaianas have become a popular brand worn by celebrities and come in over 10 styles at the Copacabana Fair store for customers to try. Gislaine invites the buyers to test the sandals and learn more about the comfortable footwear option.

1. ABOUT ME
1. Personal profile:
My name is Gislaine and I am 22 years old.
In an informal environment I am usually
quite sociable and I make friends easily, but I
tend to be somewhat reserved in more formal
situations.
I give my best to everything I do and I am
responsible and organised. I am not a naturally
competitive person, but I have learned to deal with competition so that I can
achieve my goals without harming other people in the meantime (at least not
on purpose). In fact, I would rather cooperate with people, which is why I
work very well when I am part of a team. Moreover, I am very thoughtful and
loyal to those I consider my friends, though I can be quite assertive and have
no problems stating my opinion if necessary.
I am an English teacher and love being one, so I enjoy helping and
guiding other people. I have studied English since I was 9 years old and I
have been an English teacher for almost 5 years up to now. I teach students
of all ages (from 6 years old on), but usually most of them are teenagers. I
also teach Business English on a one-to-one basis. Being a teacher has given
me a lot of experience in dealing and communicating with people, which
requires adaptability and tolerance; it has also taught me the importance of
self development and lifelong learning.
One of my deepest interests is languages and everything that is
connected to this subject. I speak Portuguese and English fluently and I
have even started studying Mandarin Chinese because I want to deal with
something completely different from what I have got in contact in the past.

2. Such interest drove me to choose the Portuguese and English course at the
Federal University of Paraná, from which I graduated last year. It was during
this course that I first had contact with one of my greatest passions:
Children’s and Juvenile Literature, especially Fantasy. I am a passionate
reader of literature in general and I have a very eclectic taste – some of my
favourite authors are J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Roald Dahl, Jostein
Gaarder, Michael Ende, Philip Pullman, Franz Kafka, Guimarães Rosa,
among others. The most fascinating work I have read so far is Pullman’s His
Dark Materials trilogy, which I intend to work with in a Master’s degree.
The world of books has always played a crucial role in my life, both
personally and professionally. When I was a child and teenager, one of my
favourite pastimes used to be walking through libraries and book shops,
wondering what kind of alternative dimension was asleep inside those
thousands of books, waiting to be uncovered by the eager eyes of readers
such as myself. At that time I even used to dream about writing beautiful
stories and becoming a bestselling writer. Nowadays, however, I simply dare
to take certain risky plans into consideration, such as opening my own book
shop business.
2. How do you think a professor or friend who knows you would describe
you?
In general, I think most of my professors and friends would describe
me as a hardworking young woman. I do what is possible for them to know
that I am really committed and that they can count on me and I expect I can
count on them in return. I have been told that I am creative – indeed, I am
always seeking innovation –, but also that sometimes I am somewhat of a
perfectionist. Most of all, I hope my students can say they have learned
something valuable from my classes, even if I have been quite demanding at
times.
3. What achievement are you most proud of?
I always like to think that I am about to realise my greatest
achievement, which gives me drive and motivation to keep looking for the

3. best in myself. However, I would say my biggest achievement to date was
overcoming a challenging situation which concerned a student’s beliefs
about the English language. At the beginning of the school term, this
student came to me and told me she hated English and that she was only
doing it because of her job. At that moment, I realised I could not simply
ignore that situation and decided I would do everything in my power to help
that student overcome her trauma. Throughout the semester I presented
varied activities and helped her to deal with her difficulties with a more
positive attitude. My aim was to make her understand that making mistakes
was a necessary part of the process of learning a language and that such
process may be quite hard at times, but it can also be really enjoyable. As a
result, she managed to change her mind in relation to English and now other
teachers have told me that she is one of their most dedicated students.
4. What two or three things would you most like to achieve on this
placement?
First of all, the Business Experience will provide me with a unique
opportunity to meet the publishing world first-hand from the point of view of
one of the most powerful and influential publishing companies in the world.
I expect to learn as much as possible about this business, working with any
of its sub-areas, such as editorial, design, sales and especially web
publishing, which greatly interests me.
Apart from that, it would be an invaluable period for my cultural and
communication skills development – a perfect chance to have hands-on
experience of everything I have been teaching all these years in real life,
mainly Business English.
Last but not least, I would love to leave an excellent impression at
Macmillan and make an actual contribution during my stay – hopefully a
memorable one.

4. PRODUCT PRESENTATION
5. Prepare a presentation of a product from your country or region to give
to a group of department store buyers.
Good afternoon, everyone! Welcome to Copacabana Fair!
Did you know that the average person walks about seven kilometres
every day? How would you define walking all those kilometres with tight,
high-heeled shoes on your feet? Torture? Crippling? Or maybe the story of
your life?
Well, my name is Gislaine and I’m here to present a new concept of
footwear – one that will give your feet the break they deserve.
This presentation is made up of three moments. I intend to begin by
quickly talking to you about the one part of our body that most
supports us (and that we hardly ever pay attention to): our feet.
I’ll then go on to presenting the Havaianas: their special design
and material, the various styles which are available at this
department store and why it is becoming more and more famous all over the
world. Lastly, I’ll invite you to try a pair on and feel the comfort for
yourselves. Those of you who wish to, will be able to take a
personal photo wearing the Havaianas home as well as a mini-
havaianas key ring to remind you of the holiday you could give
your feet. Also, I’ll be available during the thirty minutes that
follow this talk in case anyone is curious or has any questions.
As I was saying at a few minutes ago, people usually walk about seven
kilometres daily, and if you consider that each step can put up four times
your whole body weight through your feet, you’ll stop wondering why they
feel so painful at the end of the day. Our feet get us around; we use them for
walking, running and jumping. So why do we insist on making them suffer
inside cruelly uncomfortable, closed shoes? Due to the rules of fashion,
maybe?
Well, I can assure you that fashion rules are no longer a problem for
your feet if only you’d give in to the latest trend in sandals style: the carefree,

5. comfortable and durable Havaianas, known as “the best rubber sandals in
the world”.
In fact, the Havaianas have reached such a high status in the fashion
and showbiz world that some of the most famous celebrities in the world
have been showing their pairs off everywhere. Some good examples are:
Angelina Jolie, Lindsay Lohan, Paris Hilton,
Sandra Bullock, among many others.
These amazing flip-flops were created in
1962, inspired by the zori – a Japanese style
sandal. The name Havaianas, which means
Hawaiians in Portuguese, was a tribute to the
American glamorous holiday destination. Their
addictive nature is largely due to a 45-year old
secret rubber formula, which makes them
butter-soft, bouncy, flexible and durable.
There are different designs and styles, but all
of them have been intentionally made to match
the natural design of our feet, making these
sandals more comfortable than any others.
In Brazil, Havaianas are beloved and
worn by everyone from the average citizen to
international celebrities. Since it was first introduced to the international
market in 2001, Havaianas can be seen gracing the pages of the hottest
fashion and sport magazines, strutting down the runways at fashion weeks
all over the world and featured at red carpet events. The excellent news is
that this time you can be as fashionable as the celebrities by wearing these
more than affordable sandals.
Here at Copacabana Fair, there are more than 10 different styles for
customers to choose from, including the most exclusive designs, such as
Flags,Slim, Joy, Surf,

6. and so on.
I’m going to break off in a moment, but, before you can actually try the
flip-flops on, I’d like to remind you that:
 The feet are one of the most important parts of our body and we
should take special care of them by wearing comfortable shoes
which allow our feet to breathe and move freely;
 As well as being a treat for our feet, the Havaianas are the most
inexpensive and fashionable must-have of this summer;
 Also, I must highlight our international website:
www.havaianas.com, where you can find all information you
need about the Havaianas.
I’d like to thank you all very much for listening and invite you to come
to these shelves on your left, where our friendly assistants are ready to help
you choose your pair, give you the mini-havaianas key ring souvenir and
take your personal Polaroid picture wearing your favourite Havaianas, so
that you can compare your own style to the celebrities’. If you have any
questions, I’ll do my best to answer them.