Language barriers

Brazil has been on the top of my bucket list for as long as I can remember, and 3 months ago I decided this was the year I go. I had been wanting to volunteer for quite a while and thought this would be the perfect opportunity. After researching my various options of volunteering companies, I decided to go with Iko Poran. This was one of those good life choices. From the first email I sent, till when I left, Felipe was there to answer and assist all the way. The program is really well priced and the hostel is in a good location. Portuguese classes are included, with probably the nicest teacher ever!The other volunteers I met along the way were by far an asset to my trip. Most are like minded and genuinely just want to make a difference, while having fun. The city in itself is amazing, the people, the atmosphere, beaches, everything. This was by far one of the best months of my life!

To my detriment, I never took the time to learn any Portuguese before my trip to Brazil. Upon arrival, I realized that this might have been a really, really bad life choice. Although many Brazilian's do speak Portuguese, the majority of them are not in the service industry. So for the next month I played charades, ever day. The people in the shops around my hostel became familiar with my lack of Portuguese and eventually everybody would partake in guessing what exactly I was looking for. One particular trip to the pharmacy was quite interesting as I was looking for sleeping pills. The game of charades continued an till the customers joined in and we eventually solved the problem after I had made a complete fool of myself:)