Disclaimer: The following post exists more for my personal recollection than for the objective education of my readers.
The 14 Year Old Girls:
Today I ventured alone (of course alone! Being abroad is about learning how to be independent and OK with it) into Flamengo, a part of Rio that is slightly less famous than the glorified Ipanema and Copacabana. Using my incredibly handy Lonely Planet tour book about Rio-thanks to my sister Amy for the perfect Christmas present-I made an itinerary for myself of sights to see in Flamengo. After about an hour of transportation, I emerged from the Metro and knew I was relatively close to my first destination: a futuristic cultural center. I got my book back out of my draw-string bag to pinpoint exactly where I was in relation to the building. After about 20 minutes of walking, I began to feel slightly lost. I get lost just about every day here, but it is a calm sense of confusion; there's always a way home.
As I approached a large intersection, the pedestrian light began to flash. To avoid waiting, I sprinted across the street. Once I was safely walking on the other side, a group of 5 14-16 year old girls approached me from behind. They must have sent their bravest to complete some sort of dare involving me:
"Boa tarde," she said (good afternoon) with a big braces-filled smile.
"That was stupid of me to run across the street wasn't it?" I quickly replied in Portuguese.
"No it wasn't stupid. You're beautiful. Give me a hug." So I did. "Are you Brazilian?"
"Claro que não!" I replied (of course not!), certain that she already sniffed out my accent. "Sou Americano."
She made that half jaw-drop, half smile expression of shock and stopped to sink back into the rest of her pack. I chuckled and continued walking. Behind me, I heard her tell the other girls that I was American. One of the girls gasped and asked if she was serious. Foreigners are not typical in the Flamengo area.
A mere 30 seconds later we were all stopped together at an intersection. I did the obvious thing; I reignited conversation so that they could help me find what I was looking for:
"Do you all live here in Flamengo?"
"Yes."
"So you can help me find something?"
"Sure. What are you looking for?" They all had big, goofy smiles on their faces.
"The futuristic cultural center." I showed them the name of it in my book. "Have you heard of it?" It was obvious from their body language that they had not.
"Sure! Just follow us we will show you."
Over the next 2 or 3 minutes, I continued to walk with them down the same street. The girl that initially hugged me was now practicing her English on me. The further we walked, the more certain I was that they did not know where I wanted to go. I got out my map and pointed out the center to them. "Where are we now?" I asked.
They got a little nervous. "Just follow us and we will show you something better to do!"
"Oh yeah? like what?" I was open to suggestions from some locals, obviously. The girls all looked at each other. When nobody came up with an idea, they just laughed. Finally the pack leader asked a random woman what direction I needed to go (something I would have ultimately done myself). In the end, they were taking me the wrong way. I said goodbye to them and made it to my destination, which was very cool!
A rather anticlimactic story, I admit, but I don't think anything like that has ever happened to me at home. Perhaps my "traveler attitude" is what sparked it. Maybe the mindset with which I have attacked each day here makes me a more approachable person. Last night I spoke with a Norwegian student who has been studying here since the beginning of last semester. He told me that perhaps the most valuable thing he has learned is the importance of bringing his "traveler attitude" back home with him. Maintaining this disposition does not mean one has to spend more money each day or even attend more events. It is much more than that, but it is simultaneously (and paradoxically) much simpler. On an exchange with a defined end date, the natural approach to life is to keep your eyes open and your head held high; I mean this both in a literal sense and as a metaphorical idiom. I make a conscious effort to enjoy every moment and to not miss any opportunities to try something new. If the finitenesss of this experience is what creates such a mindset, why do I not carry that with me everywhere? Everything in life has an ultimatum-even if I do not yet know when it will come. So, what am I saving myself for?
The Old Man:
2 hours flew by and I had accomplished approximately half of my Flamengo itinerary. Due to slow transportation and wait-time, it is typical for me to get through about half of what I plan to do in a given day. This aspect of Brazilian life does not agree with my type-A personality, but it has been good for me to learn how to tame myself and not let adversity upset me.
Tired from walking in the heat all day and needing to kill about 20 more minutes before starting my voyage back home, I took a seat on a park bench. I breathed deeply and enjoyed a few moments of peace amidst the bamboo trees. I opened my bag to drink the remains of the water I brought with me. In my peripheral vision, I saw an old man with a cane approaching very slowly. When I could feel his presence about 10 feet from me, I looked up and made eye contact with him. "Can I sit here with you?" he asked immediately.
"Of course!" I replied with a smile and scooted over to give him more room. My initial thought was to drink the rest of my water to give me a natural reason to get up. Most people, myself included, are quite reluctant to share space for no reason.
About 30 seconds passed and I took my last sip of water. I had calmed down by this point. Instead of thinking of ways to escape the old man, I was now contemplating what to ask him. He went first, which made my job easy: "Are you Carioca?"
"No, I'm American."
"Ah American! What state?"
"St. Louis, Missouri. Have you heard of it?"
"No. I've been to Miami, Orlando and Tampa."
"Cool! Have you lived here in Rio your whole life?"
"Yes. Here in Flamengo my entire life. I'm 88 years old. How old are you?" This number hit me. This man was older than anyone I had ever talked to.
"I am just 20."
"Ah 20. How long are you here in Brazil?"
"I am doing a semester here at PUC. I arrived in the beginning of February, and I have to leave in the middle of the World Cup-at the end of June."
"And do you have family here too?"
"No I am here alone. They are all in the United States."
"Ah how terrible!" He laughed. For whatever reason, it was hilarious and horrible that my family would just dump me in Brazil for 5 months.
"No it's good it is a great experience for me!" There was a short lull in our conversation, and my mind raced to find the best question to ask the oldest man I had ever met. This is what I came up with:
"So, you have lived here your entire life. What do you think has been the biggest change in Brazil, either in the Government or society?"
He thought for a moment, and I waited anxiously, hoping that I would fully understand all of his Portuguese. It hadn't been a problem so far; the man had crystallized intelligence, so he spoke in a very clear and slow manner. "When I was 20 years old," he began, "I worked extremely hard every single day. Today, for most people, it is the opposite."
When you talk to old people, it is usually the topics on their minds that will have the most substance, not answers to your questions. Luckily for me, this old man changed the subject to tell me his thoughts.
"Exactly one year ago today, I broke my back here in this park." He pointed to a place a mere 15 feet from the bench we were sitting on. "That's the only reason I walk with this cane. Look here!" he grabbed my hand and started to un-tuck his shirt from his pants. Leaning forward a bit, he rubbed my hand across his now deformed vertabrae.
"I'm so sorry" was about all I could think of to say. Permanently damaged from whatever happened a year ago, it was as if the old man came back to his injury site to make amends with it. Everything the man had said to me up to this point led me to one conclusion: I needed to leave the bench and carry on. So, I told him I had to return to PUC to go to class (which was entirely true), asked for his name, and left. I shook João's hand firmly, and I couldn't help but feel like I was living a scene as Holden Caulfield from The Catcher in the Rye as I walked away. Instead of needing to catch children from falling off the cliff, I needed to catch myself.
Friday, March 28, 2014
Monday, March 24, 2014
Class/Internship Update
Almost every American student here at PUC would agree with me if I said that professors at American institutions generally have higher expectations than what we have experienced here. Of course, everything is always easier for exchange students. However, I am finding that the semester requirements for the Brazilian students here are comparable to half a semester's requirements in the States. A "5 page final paper" is extremely common here, which is not even mildly intimidating.
Here is a list of general school-related observations:
Every class starts 15 minutes late and ends 15 minutes early (thankfully so, because the shortest classes here are listed as 2 hours).
The classrooms are kept extremely cold (strong air conditioning seems to be one of the most common ways for people to show their wealth, but that's an entirely different issue). Some teachers do not allow the air conditioning to be turned off, while others will turn it off and on repeatedly throughout the class.
Professors maintain an informal relationship with their students; we may address them by first name.
The University has a 75% attendance policy. Students who do not attend at least 75% of the class sessions will fail the course automatically.
Lectures are more common than any other teaching style, but group discussions are a close second.
Most classes are not held in the same room for each session. I think this is simply due to the lack of rooms available, but it is actually better for the brain in terms of long-term retention.
Socially, campus feels like high school. Students are clique-y and status oriented. Campus housing does not exist, so students live with their parents and commute each day.
In conversation, Brazilians use the verb "fazer" (to do) to ask what my major is. Instead of "What do you study here?" they ask, "What do you do here?" This always strikes me as a strange word-choice, and the first time I heard it, I didn't understand. Perhaps it is just a colloquialism, or perhaps there is a sense that whatever each student chooses to study truly defines who they are.
Internship with U.S. Department of State-EducationUSA
I found out about my internship opportunity through a mass email that was sent out by the international office here on campus. Over 40 students applied, and they selected 6 of us to make up their team of interns. I work 12 hours a week, and the office is on my campus which is extremely convenient. Of course, the internship is unpaid. It is actually illegal for someone with a student visa in Brazil to get paid.
So far I have been put in charge of various tasks, mostly technology related. In general, the office is in charge of facilitating the application process for Brazilian students that wish to study in the U.S. My favorite thing to do is converse with the students and try to give them tips! Sadly, they all want to go to California. I suppose we all do, don't we?
The full-time employees in the office all speak perfect english. Since they all spent a lot of time in the U.S. learning English as a second language, they know what it feels like to be away from home and trying to learn a language. So, they give us all our directions in portuguese. If we don't understand they quickly revert to english, but at least they give us a chance!
Here is a list of general school-related observations:
Every class starts 15 minutes late and ends 15 minutes early (thankfully so, because the shortest classes here are listed as 2 hours).
The classrooms are kept extremely cold (strong air conditioning seems to be one of the most common ways for people to show their wealth, but that's an entirely different issue). Some teachers do not allow the air conditioning to be turned off, while others will turn it off and on repeatedly throughout the class.
Professors maintain an informal relationship with their students; we may address them by first name.
The University has a 75% attendance policy. Students who do not attend at least 75% of the class sessions will fail the course automatically.
Lectures are more common than any other teaching style, but group discussions are a close second.
Most classes are not held in the same room for each session. I think this is simply due to the lack of rooms available, but it is actually better for the brain in terms of long-term retention.
Socially, campus feels like high school. Students are clique-y and status oriented. Campus housing does not exist, so students live with their parents and commute each day.
In conversation, Brazilians use the verb "fazer" (to do) to ask what my major is. Instead of "What do you study here?" they ask, "What do you do here?" This always strikes me as a strange word-choice, and the first time I heard it, I didn't understand. Perhaps it is just a colloquialism, or perhaps there is a sense that whatever each student chooses to study truly defines who they are.
Internship with U.S. Department of State-EducationUSA
I found out about my internship opportunity through a mass email that was sent out by the international office here on campus. Over 40 students applied, and they selected 6 of us to make up their team of interns. I work 12 hours a week, and the office is on my campus which is extremely convenient. Of course, the internship is unpaid. It is actually illegal for someone with a student visa in Brazil to get paid.
So far I have been put in charge of various tasks, mostly technology related. In general, the office is in charge of facilitating the application process for Brazilian students that wish to study in the U.S. My favorite thing to do is converse with the students and try to give them tips! Sadly, they all want to go to California. I suppose we all do, don't we?
The full-time employees in the office all speak perfect english. Since they all spent a lot of time in the U.S. learning English as a second language, they know what it feels like to be away from home and trying to learn a language. So, they give us all our directions in portuguese. If we don't understand they quickly revert to english, but at least they give us a chance!
Wednesday, March 19, 2014
Botanical Garden, Christ the Redeemer, and Other Cool Things
Friday, March 14, 2014
Study at PUC-Rio!
Greetings all prospective PUC students (it's pronounced Pooh-key),
Here are some quick thoughts to help you in your application process:
1.) Do you study Portuguese or Spanish?
If you already study Portuguese, you likely have your sights set on studying in Brazil. If this is you, stop reading and submit your application!
If you study Spanish and are far enough along to finish your minor before coming abroad, you could EASILY add a Portuguese minor by coming to PUC. Each semester, the school has a pre-term intensive Portuguese course that I believe is worth 6 credit hours (I did not come for the intensive course because I took Portuguese classes during each semester at USC). Then, during the regular term, you are required to take another Portuguese course for 6 more credit hours. This would allow you to rack up a total of 12 hours of Portuguese while in Rio-only 2 more classes needed to complete a minor!
If you don't have the drive to learn Portuguese, I would not recommend coming to Brazil. Americans romanticize Brazil, particularly Rio, to the point where many think traveling here is a luxurious experience comparable to visiting Paris. This may be somewhat true if you come to Rio for 1 week and fork over the money needed to stay in Copacabana Palace. Otherwise, living here for 6 months requires a certain toughness; Brazil is still a developing country. Nobody speaks English here in restaurants or stores, so the inability to communicate would simply require you to be even tougher.
2.) Do you want to see many different countries during your time abroad?
If your answer is "yes" and this is a high priority for you, I would recommend going to Europe. Travelling around South America costs a lot in terms of both time and money.
If you are like me, you believe that truly immersing and orienting yourself in one place is far more rewarding than getting a surface-level experience in a lot of places. If you want to embrace the metaphor of diving into the deep-end to find out if you can swim, then Rio is a great place for you.
3.) Will you have completed a professional internship before studying abroad?
Be wary of the South American academic calendar as you apply for schools. Since Summer here is during our Winter, your semester abroad at any South American school will likely run from March-July instead of January-May. We all know how important interning is during our undergraduate careers, so consider your entire 4 year experience and figure out how study abroad best fits in the puzzle.
That said, it is actually quite easy to land an internship here in Rio if you want one. I started mine this week.
4.) Would you rather visit a historic castle or hike through a forest to the top of a mountain?
I suppose it's pretty obvious where I'm going with this one. Though Rio does have its share of fancy buildings, the luxury here comes from nature. This is the most naturally beautiful place I have ever been, and it is astonishing how such a large population can co-exist with and maintain the environment.
I'll leave it at that before this turns into a Buzzfeed quiz. I hope those of you applying to study abroad have already considered these fundamental questions.
Let me close out this post with some very basic pictures that bring you into my everyday life:
Here are some quick thoughts to help you in your application process:
1.) Do you study Portuguese or Spanish?
If you already study Portuguese, you likely have your sights set on studying in Brazil. If this is you, stop reading and submit your application!
If you study Spanish and are far enough along to finish your minor before coming abroad, you could EASILY add a Portuguese minor by coming to PUC. Each semester, the school has a pre-term intensive Portuguese course that I believe is worth 6 credit hours (I did not come for the intensive course because I took Portuguese classes during each semester at USC). Then, during the regular term, you are required to take another Portuguese course for 6 more credit hours. This would allow you to rack up a total of 12 hours of Portuguese while in Rio-only 2 more classes needed to complete a minor!
If you don't have the drive to learn Portuguese, I would not recommend coming to Brazil. Americans romanticize Brazil, particularly Rio, to the point where many think traveling here is a luxurious experience comparable to visiting Paris. This may be somewhat true if you come to Rio for 1 week and fork over the money needed to stay in Copacabana Palace. Otherwise, living here for 6 months requires a certain toughness; Brazil is still a developing country. Nobody speaks English here in restaurants or stores, so the inability to communicate would simply require you to be even tougher.
2.) Do you want to see many different countries during your time abroad?
If your answer is "yes" and this is a high priority for you, I would recommend going to Europe. Travelling around South America costs a lot in terms of both time and money.
If you are like me, you believe that truly immersing and orienting yourself in one place is far more rewarding than getting a surface-level experience in a lot of places. If you want to embrace the metaphor of diving into the deep-end to find out if you can swim, then Rio is a great place for you.
3.) Will you have completed a professional internship before studying abroad?
Be wary of the South American academic calendar as you apply for schools. Since Summer here is during our Winter, your semester abroad at any South American school will likely run from March-July instead of January-May. We all know how important interning is during our undergraduate careers, so consider your entire 4 year experience and figure out how study abroad best fits in the puzzle.
That said, it is actually quite easy to land an internship here in Rio if you want one. I started mine this week.
4.) Would you rather visit a historic castle or hike through a forest to the top of a mountain?
I suppose it's pretty obvious where I'm going with this one. Though Rio does have its share of fancy buildings, the luxury here comes from nature. This is the most naturally beautiful place I have ever been, and it is astonishing how such a large population can co-exist with and maintain the environment.
I'll leave it at that before this turns into a Buzzfeed quiz. I hope those of you applying to study abroad have already considered these fundamental questions.
Let me close out this post with some very basic pictures that bring you into my everyday life:
The School Newspaper
Lunch at the PUC cafeteria. For just 6 reais (less than 3 dollars), students get a tray filled with salad, beans and rice, and either steak or chicken. Sodexo, the company that feeds USC, also feeds PUC! The food is better here in Rio, however.
The living room/dining room at my homestay.
My porch!
The view from my house. I live near the top of a Mountain, which makes transportation rather difficult. I always joke that if I had a car and several million dollars (most of my neighbors are millionaires, I looked up the prices of the real estate on my street) I would move here!
My house from the outside
Saturday, March 8, 2014
School
So far, I have had 3 weeks of classes. I have attended classes in both English and Portuguese. My University allows students to spend the first several weeks of each semester attending whatever classes they want, no matter what their initial registration says. Then, students have an official "add-drop" day (similar to ours in the States). In the end, I registered for 2 business courses, a Brazilian history class, and the mandatory Portuguese course for exchange students.
My business classes have been the most interesting so far. Particularly, my International Marketing class has sparked fascinating discussions; Brazil, at least as far as textbooks are concerned, sits right in the middle of "high context" and "low context" countries. In terms of business negotiations, Brazilians care (at least in general), about knowing the personal lives of those with whom they do business.
Nothing truly begins in Rio until after Carnaval, which just ended. Monday, I expect my coursework to increase drastically. In addition, I will be interning for the U.S. State Department affiliate EducationUSA. My job will be to help Brazilian students that want to study abroad in the U.S. Hopefully I can recruit some gamecocks!
My business classes have been the most interesting so far. Particularly, my International Marketing class has sparked fascinating discussions; Brazil, at least as far as textbooks are concerned, sits right in the middle of "high context" and "low context" countries. In terms of business negotiations, Brazilians care (at least in general), about knowing the personal lives of those with whom they do business.
Nothing truly begins in Rio until after Carnaval, which just ended. Monday, I expect my coursework to increase drastically. In addition, I will be interning for the U.S. State Department affiliate EducationUSA. My job will be to help Brazilian students that want to study abroad in the U.S. Hopefully I can recruit some gamecocks!
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