First things first, why Brazil?
I don't get out enough. Seriously.
For most people Indiana is the state they have to drive through to get to wherever they are going. For me, it is the place I call home. Having never lived anywhere else, I think this is the right stage in my life for a change of scenery, a chance to see things differently. Brazil will surely offer another perspective on life and my home state.
South America seems like a wild place. People seem to think a little less and live a little more - which is the total opposite of my personality. This way of life will hopefully hit me like a cold splash of water in the morning. Wake up!
Besides, it's summer there, the beaches are hot and there's a bikini-clad brasiliera down there that would love for me to be on her volleyball team.
Yeah, but couldn't you just get a summer internship in Slippery Rock, PA or something?
I suppose, but I want to be an outsider for a change. I want to be the ambassador, the foreigner, the funny-looking guy (although in a totally attractive way). These are things you can only experience in another country.
What do they speak down there, Brazilianese or something?
Actually, they speak portuguese, which I studied my first 4 semesters at IU. I'm not saying I'm fluent - heck, I'm not even semi-fluent. If you could equate fluency in a langauage to chiseling a wooden figurine, my wooden figurine would resemble an amorphous block of wood today. I'm going to have it rough at first.
Does living in a city of 11,000,000 intimidate you?
That is a large number, isn't it? I've never lived in a city, so right now it does seem a little intimidating - especially since Sao Paulo is the third-largest city in the world. I'll bet it will be completely different from the small town lifestyle of home. Not even college will have prepared me for this. But luckily, I'm not alone.
I'll be living with meu amigo, Paulo. He knows the ropes. He'll make sure my shoes are tied when I'm going out, and that I don't signal to anyone that I'm OK (a very offensive gesture in Brazil). I've got help.
What are you going to be doing down there anyway?
Well, I'll be a full-time student at the Universidade de Sao Paulo Catolica studying Portuguese and Brazilian culture - hopefully something journalism-related, too. From what Paulo tells me, it's a very prestigious university. I guess I should feel privileged to be attending such a good school, but today I'm more concerned with conjugating verbs correctly.
Aren't you going to miss things from home while you're gone?
Probably. Hopefully.
I already wrote a little about that in the Indiana Daily Student, but I won't really know what I am going to miss until the moment arrives. That's one thing I'm looking forward to: developing an appreciation (or aversion) for the way we do things here in the United States. It really is a perspective you can only develop outside of your native country.
Are these contrived Q & A sessions going to be a regular staple of this blog?
Probably not. There's a chance it may lead to some kind of multiple personality disorder or something. Besides, it's kinda creepy.
Any last thoughts?
I'm going to reference my favorite Estonian, Indrek Park, here. He once told me, "I think everyone should travel the world when they are young. It gives you ideas for your own life."
I don't get out enough. Seriously.
For most people Indiana is the state they have to drive through to get to wherever they are going. For me, it is the place I call home. Having never lived anywhere else, I think this is the right stage in my life for a change of scenery, a chance to see things differently. Brazil will surely offer another perspective on life and my home state.
South America seems like a wild place. People seem to think a little less and live a little more - which is the total opposite of my personality. This way of life will hopefully hit me like a cold splash of water in the morning. Wake up!
Besides, it's summer there, the beaches are hot and there's a bikini-clad brasiliera down there that would love for me to be on her volleyball team.
Yeah, but couldn't you just get a summer internship in Slippery Rock, PA or something?
I suppose, but I want to be an outsider for a change. I want to be the ambassador, the foreigner, the funny-looking guy (although in a totally attractive way). These are things you can only experience in another country.
What do they speak down there, Brazilianese or something?
Actually, they speak portuguese, which I studied my first 4 semesters at IU. I'm not saying I'm fluent - heck, I'm not even semi-fluent. If you could equate fluency in a langauage to chiseling a wooden figurine, my wooden figurine would resemble an amorphous block of wood today. I'm going to have it rough at first.
Does living in a city of 11,000,000 intimidate you?
That is a large number, isn't it? I've never lived in a city, so right now it does seem a little intimidating - especially since Sao Paulo is the third-largest city in the world. I'll bet it will be completely different from the small town lifestyle of home. Not even college will have prepared me for this. But luckily, I'm not alone.
I'll be living with meu amigo, Paulo. He knows the ropes. He'll make sure my shoes are tied when I'm going out, and that I don't signal to anyone that I'm OK (a very offensive gesture in Brazil). I've got help.
What are you going to be doing down there anyway?
Well, I'll be a full-time student at the Universidade de Sao Paulo Catolica studying Portuguese and Brazilian culture - hopefully something journalism-related, too. From what Paulo tells me, it's a very prestigious university. I guess I should feel privileged to be attending such a good school, but today I'm more concerned with conjugating verbs correctly.
Aren't you going to miss things from home while you're gone?
Probably. Hopefully.
I already wrote a little about that in the Indiana Daily Student, but I won't really know what I am going to miss until the moment arrives. That's one thing I'm looking forward to: developing an appreciation (or aversion) for the way we do things here in the United States. It really is a perspective you can only develop outside of your native country.
Are these contrived Q & A sessions going to be a regular staple of this blog?
Probably not. There's a chance it may lead to some kind of multiple personality disorder or something. Besides, it's kinda creepy.
Any last thoughts?
I'm going to reference my favorite Estonian, Indrek Park, here. He once told me, "I think everyone should travel the world when they are young. It gives you ideas for your own life."
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