A Reflection

On my time living abroad for 7 months...

What an experience!!

I kicked off the new year by traveling south to Brazil, the tropical country of samba, beautiful women, and soccer. I had been planning on attending the World Cup, and when I found an opportunity to live and work in the country during the months leading up to the biggest sporting event, I saw numerous benefits of doing so. I jumped at the opportunity to travel again and experience a new culture, after my successful study-abroad trips to Europe, Costa Rica, and Spain. Upon arriving in Brazil, I did not know a whole lot about the customs, people, food, and way of life. However, I soon learned of the generosity, inclusiveness, and welcoming good nature of Brazilians.














I worked at an English school in the city of Itajubá. My role there was to be the "English Monitor," helping students and professors alike with any questions they may have about English or just to practice conversation skills. It was not the most exciting job in the world, but I made some great connections and friends there. The other teachers and secretaries made things much better during the boring days when there was not much work for me, and I was able to improve my Portuguese by speaking with them.











After graduating college, I had no intention of learning another language. I thought that to be fluent in English and Spanish was great, and that I'd continue onwards in to the future with these two prominent languages of the USA. Here is where I arrive at one of the best benefits of having lived in Brazil for a little over half-of-the year... I have acquired a third language! It took a few months for my ear to adapt to the different letter pronunciations and mineiro accent, but through constant contact with the language, I can happily now say that I can speak Portguese- pretty fluently ;) I took some Portuguese classes at the English school during my stay, and I am thankful for those lessons as they helped me to straighten out some of the differences between Spanish and Portuguese. However, I believe I learned more (expressions, sayings, gestures, words) in the every-day conversations I had on the street, in the plaza, at the school, or back at the república where I was living with several Brazilians.



My new friends contributed sooooo very much to my experience. Itajubá is not a very large city and lacks activities and things for the younger crowd to do. Therefore, on many weekends my friends invited me to visit their homes in near-by cities to meet their families and friends. Whether it be by ônibus or a carona, I traveled to the cities of São Lourenço, Pedralva, and Pouso Alegre where I made some more acquaintances and memorable experiences. Each of my friend's families were very welcoming and hospitable to the "gringo," and I am grateful to them.

Despite all the good about my trip, there were also some not-so-good times. I had trouble adjusting to my new environment, for example. It was dry and hot when I arrived, and as I expected there was no air-conditioning in the house. Not that the heat was too bad, but then when you open the windows for the breeze to enter, in would come the mosquitos as well. I think the pernilongos preferred the American's blood (probably saltier), and so I was indoctrinated in to the Brazilian life. My sinuses gave me trouble as well, and I tried to defeat a sinus infection without seeing a doctor for a couple months. I learned a valuable lesson after finally going to a public clinic: do not wait to feel better and heal-up by yourself, if you feel bad and are sick---> go to the doctor's! And then there was this feeling of homesick that would creep-up from time to time. On the days when I wasn't feeling 100% or had little to do, the feeling would hit me and I had never really felt it before on previous journeys like I did during this one. Probably because on this trip I traveled solo, not with a group from my university. However, by spending time with my new friends, going to different events, and staying busy, the homesickness would disappear.

The big highlights from the trip were the times I was able to travel, with-in and outside of Brazil. The first big trip I took was to Rio de Janeiro. The power of networking and having contacts is a valuable thing to have. Through a friend of a friend, I was able to go and spend a week in Rio during the celebration of Carnaval! What an experience that was, standing in the Sambódromo watching as the samba schools paraded down the avenue in their exhilarating costumes. The next big trip was to the Cataratas del Iguazú/Foz do Iguaçu.

The two names of the waterfalls represent the two sides of the falls that exist in Argentina and Brazil. I visited the Argentinian side first, and spent half-a-day in Brazil's. My time there can be summed-up as incredible. On the way back towards Itajubá, I was able to visit my good Brazilian friend's (Ana) family in Santo André and meet them. Again, the hospitality I have received in Brazilian has been amazing. It was nice to see the historic center of São Paulo, go to a soccer match in the stadium Morumbi, and experience some of the big city. A great trip.





My most recent trip might have wiped out the bank account, but was totally worth it. First I traveled to Belo Horizonte, the capital of Minas Gerais to attend the Costa Rica vs England World Cup match.












Then I flew to Bogotá, Colombia to visit my high school Spanish teacher's city and family. After six eventful days there I continued to Peru, where I was able to walk around the ancient Incan ruins of Machu Picchu and spend a day in the fascinating city of Cusco!

My final destination of this three-country tour was Quito, Ecuador where I visited my high school friend Daniel and his family. I spent a weekend with them and got to know his 4-year old daughter, Alejandra. A great time!














I tasted new foods, experienced different traditions, met wonderful people, and had the experience of a lifetime these past seven months. Soon I will be landing in Atlanta, Georgia and continuing on this journey we call life. I look forward to what the future holds in-store, and am very happy to now have a Brazilian network of friends and families. Overall, I have enjoyed my time in the Southern Hemisphere and hope to return some day. I am blessed for the ability to have been able to accept the internship and for the resources I had/received in order to make this trip happen! I have had the support of my family and friends throughout this experience, and I thank you all for it. I am not exactly sure what my plans will be when I get back home, but I do know for sure that I do not want to be an English teacher, ha.

This world is too beautiful, diverse, and interesting not to go out and experience a part of it... so GO!