Travelling

The CET program allowed me to explore one of my dream destinations. As a non-speaking Portuguese student, previous programs at my school required a Spanish or Portuguese pre-requisite to study abroad in Brazil, which is why I did not consider studying abroad before. I had a wonderful experience with the program as staff members were very helpful and available at all times to help me navigate some of the challenges in Brazil.
One of my favorite experiences was being able to travel to different cities around Brazil. Before coming here, I had no idea how diverse the country is. Every city has its own culture and uniqueness, which makes travelling around special. Travelling to different cities really helped me understand Brazil and look at the country in a different way. By spending Carnavale in Rio de Janeiro, I was able to witness the big parade and attend different blocos and truly immersed myself in the culture. By traveling to Salvador, I was able to better see the inequality that plagues the country and experienced the Afro-Brazilian culture. By traveling to Florianopolis, I was able to meet different travelers at the hostel and exchange stories about our journeys. By travelling to Belo Horizente, I was able to take part in an interactive art exhibit that I would never see in the states and ate some of Brazil’s best foods.
Another part of the program that I really enjoyed were the classes and how they correlated with the visits. For example, in my Current Social Issues in Brazil, we were able to learn about Quilombos. During our visit to Paraty, we were able to visit a Quilombo and eat lunch there. The reason why I liked this is because I was able to experience the Quilombo and the people first hand. During the discussion, we were able to hear more about their perspectives and their experience as residents of a Quilombo that we didn’t get from class. We also visited an indigenous tribe, which was great because I have never done that before. Again we got to speak to the residents and asked them questions like how do they define wealth? Do they believe in inter-marriage? How do they see outsiders (white Brazilians)? These are all questions that are really great to ask someone first hand because it is difficult to research online. I think going beyond classroom discussion and textbooks to the human experience helped me learn a great deal about these topics.
Lastly, one of my favorite things about Brazil are the people. Brazilians are so friendly, welcoming, and inviting. Everywhere I went from the grocery store to the corner store, I was always welcomed with open arms. Sao Paulo is not a very touristy city, so Brazilians are always fascinated to encounter a foreigner and I feel like they really want to get to know me. Whenever I went to churrascos, families always made me feel welcome and were not afraid to be open with me about their personal business. This really allowed me to connect with a lot of Brazilians. Coming from a society that values privacy, this new culture was really refreshing for me.
The journey to Brazil was a memorable one. I still haven’t done everything I wanted to do because the country has so much to offer. But thanks to CET, I was able to conquer one of my dream destinations, learn Portuguese, and experience things about Brazil that only a person truly living the reality can understand.