Wrapping Up My Time at PUC in Rio de Janeiro: Final Thoughts

I think it's almost always sad to leave the place you are studying abroad in.

However, when leaving Brazil, I was more happy than upset because I know that I established as many connections as I could to be able to possible come back. You also have to remind yourself that every single thing you faced abroad-- good or bad-- was meant to teach you a lesson. It's all a learning experience.

So, when it comes to Brazil and Rio de Janeiro and particular, here are my tips and take-aways:

1. Don't be flashy. In other words, don't carry around your iPhone or go-pro or beats headphones in your hands or anywhere visible.

2. Be open to learning Portuguese and actually trying to adapt. Many I knew stuck to their crowd of foreigners or people from their home countries, so all they spoke was English or Spanish or French etc. but never Portuguese. Brazilians appreciate it when you at least try, especially since English isn't widely spoken.

3. It's easier to get scared especially by what others say, but don't be. Any where in the world can be dangerous. It's easy to see through the media that Brazil appears to have lots of politically and racially charged violence. Though this obviously exists, you just have to take the necessary precautions such as talking to people from school, going to the ATM with others and not at night, don't walk alone at night especially in unfamiliar places, etc.

4. It's very hard to upkeep a vegan diet here. There are places in Rio de Janeiro that cater to vegans and vegetarians, however, at the buffets (which are the most common there) the options are limited and often still have meat products in them. This goes back to learning Portuguese so that you can communicate that you are a vegan/vegetarian. Rice and beans are a go to here (although sometimes beans contain ham so beware)!

5. Be open and talk about things that make you uncomfortable. I'm not saying to be okay with things that you do not morally agree with or make you feel uneasy-- but to reach out to someone who can help. I often found myself uncomfortable with the machismo that plagues Brazil (and most of South America). I always kept those feelings bottled in until I was back home. Looking back, I think it would have helped to tell my Brazilian friends or people at my school so that I could have overcome some of my subconscious fears about simply going to the store or beach alone without being worried that I would receive unwanted and menacing attention from men. Identify your resources and use them.

Traveling Outside of Rio While Studying at PUC!

It's common for students to travel outside of their designated city or countries while studying abroad. While i'd usually recommend that students should spend time getting to know the area they're studying in, it could be a very rewarding experience to travel to a different city, state or even country.

I travelled to the state of Bahia towards the end of my study abroad experience. My thoughts were that Brazil is so huge that I at least have to see one other state aside from Rio de Janeiro. Bahia is a three hour plane ride from the Rio Galeão international airport. Bahia is a place rich with culture as Salvador, the capital, was the first slave port established in the Americas and makes Bahia the center of Afro-Brazilian culture.

Salvador is much more laid back than Rio de Janeiro-- it almost reminded me of the laid-backness of Hawai'i. There is much to do there: beautiful beaches, trying traditional foods like Acarajé-- a bean and shrimp fritter, and going to check out the historic towns of Pelourinho and Rio Vermelho. Pelourinho is known for its colorful buildings and old cobblestone streets. It is a UNESCO world heritage site, as it is was here that the first slave market was established in the "New World." Here you can also buy trinkets and souvenirs to take back home. I loved Pelourinho because the streets are so colorful and often filled with street dancers and musicians playing traditional instruments and dancing or performing capoeira, an Afro-Braziian martial art. 

One memorable experience in Salvador was going to a traditional Candomblé ceremony. Candomblé is a very old Afro-Brazilian religion that came over to Brazil with African slaves. By no means do you need to be religious to attend or enjoy the ceremony, though. At first, my friends and I sat down and waited in a very small church in a poorly lit neighborhood, not really knowing where we were or what to expect. As the church pews filled, a man who seemed to be a priest dressed in all white came out and made an announcement (all of the ceremony was in Portuguese, so it was hard to catch everything). Then what seemed to be the matriarch of the church or community came out, also dressed in white. Members of the church started to chant and dance around her. Then, one by one, they all came back out dressed in ornate and beautiful costumes representing the orishas or saints of the religion. The whole ceremony lasted about 4 hours-- to me, it was one of my greatest experiences in Brazil.

I guess the moral of my story is to plan to travel outside of your city especially if the country you're in is as big as Brazil. Do your research! If you're interested in a particular subject or time period, chances are there's somewhere in your country that offers something cool related to whatever that subject is. 

My First Two Months in Rio de Janeiro

      Rio de Janeiro is a city unlike any other. If you are unfamiliar with any type of Hispanic or Latin American cultures, it may be very shocking (at first) to even visit Brasil-- especially Rio. Here in Rio, it is legal to run stop signs after 10 pm. The streets are always bustling. There is never quiet. There is an abundance of tropical fruits even now, as summer transitions to fall. The most noticeable aspect of Rio that stuck out to me when I first arrived is the blatant divide between rich and poor. I am lucky enough to live between Copacabana and Ipanema-- two "upper class neighborhoods"-- however, right outside my window, you can see the comunidades or favelas. These are poor communities where people live under extreme poverty. You see this everywhere in Rio: the "beauty" of the rich tries to hide the "ugly" of the poor. 

      Here, may people will warn you of the violence that fluctuates in the city. They tell you to take the necessary precautions: don't wear flashy jewelry, don't carry your fancy iPhone X around, don't dress like a tourist, don't walk around alone at night, etc. Although nothing bad has happened to me, I know that violence does exist here and it does help to know tips before you come. Aside from this, Brazilians are extremely willing to help you and will go out of their way for you even if they don't know what you're talking about. 

      PUC, the university I am attending, is an academically "good" school. Ergo, when I tell people I attend here, they usually say "parabens" or congratulations as it is known for being a prestigious school in Brasil. I've noticed, however, that there is not a very diverse student body. Even though there are many foreign exchange students, there are not many people of color. This pertains to the staff as well: there are 1,985 professors at PUC; 1,860 are white, 86 are black, 10 are amarelos or "tan," 1 is indigenous and 28 are undeclared according to PUC's Nuvem Negra newspaper. I have become very interested in the issue of racism here in Brasil and particularly Rio, as it is plain to see yet so different from the racism we see and experience in the United States.

      Overall, my first two months in Rio have been absolutely amazing: my brain has been overloaded with so much information about the music, food, fashion, politics, and lives of the people here. I have been inspired especially by the people I have met at baile funkes, street dance parties usually in the favelas, that seem to have the most eccentric styles, beautiful smiles and eye opening perspectives on life.

      Rio de Janeiro is a great choice to study abroad. As long as you exercise the necessary precautions and come with an open mind, you will do just fine. It also helps to have a positive mindset: if you are constantly thinking about getting mugged or being in a violent situation, you will attract it. You have to walk without fear here! There are so many pros that outweigh the cons here in Rio-- many people miss out on an amazing city solely because of what they hear. Come experience it yourself! 

Tips for Those of You Going to PUC-Rio

Tips for PUC Rio

Rio is amazing, and you will probably have the best experience of your life while studying there. However, you need to be careful, and hopefully my advice can help you avoid some of the situations that I encountered.

Safety:

-Do not hang out on the beach late at night, you’ll be robbed at gun-point.

-Do not walk around late at night either, if you have to then walk fast! Uber is really common there and very cheap so take an Uber!

-The only favela you should go to visit is Vidigal, but do not live there! Loads of PUC international students decide to live there, and after a few months, something unsafe happens and they all have to move.

-Watch/read the news on your phone (learn Portuguese asap), it will tell you if drama is going on in the favelas, and places to avoid. [When I was there, there was a gun-war and we had random gunmen who took over the area around the school and Joatinga].

-Always carry valuable items in your underwear. Even when you think it is safe, there is a pick-pocketer somewhere watching you. I was robbed so many times because I left my bag unattended at the beach or my phone in the small pocket of my bag (someone literally opened the pocket and took it out while I was walking).

-You should withdraw money from Bradesco, there are no withdrawal fees. HOWEVER, the Bradesco located in Copacabana on Rua Santa Clara is compromised. Me and my friends who used an ATM there all ended up having our cards copied. If you do end up a victim of fraud, don’t panic: your parents will be able to send you money using Western Union- you go there with your passport to pick up the cash.

Other Advice:

-You can take an Uber from the airport- there is wifi there, go to the second floor and I think you have to go to Terminal 2 (you can ask someone at the airport “oi, to procurando o lugar pra pedir um uber, ce sabe onde esta?”).

-Lay on your bag if you take it to the beach. If not, someone will run by and grab it while you’re not paying attention.

-There are some safe parts of Rio. Recreio is awesome and safe, as is Barra. Recreio is also great for surfing. You can take the metro to Barra, or a bus from a stop along the beach to go to Recreio.

-Don’t rely on the bus to take you to school. It is almost always late. Try to get a bike, but be careful with the cars and stay in the bike lane when possible (they drive like maniacs).

-VEGANS: you will find vegans in Rio, but it is very uncommon, and so expensive to buy vegan alternatives. (There are also festivals and events showcasing vegan alternatives.) I suggest you go to Hortifrutti to buy Soy Protein, which is not expensive. There are also so many fruits and veggies there. Just be prepared to not eat as well as you can in the US, and also bring any vitamins with you (they are so expensive in Brazil).

-The cheapest grocery store is Mundial. It’s crazy when you take a visit to Mundial! Completely jam-packed full of people but very cheap. I went there every week, and they don’t accept international cards so always go with cash. You will need 60-100 reais to shop for the whole week depending what you buy.

-I paid pretty much everything in cash, not many places accept international cards (apart from shopping centers). So go prepared, make sure your bank is prepared for you to use international ATMs.

-TRAVEL! As much as you can. Go up to Buzios and Arraial do Cabo at some point (Air BnB is great). Travel to Bahia, and if you have money/time, go to other countries in South America. A really cool place I visited is Itacare in Bahia. It is also interesting to go to places like Sao Paulo and Curitiba, because they are so developed and it literally feels like you’re back in the US.

-You can always take a bus to travel. If airlines are too expensive (this is usually the case) and you are travelling to a state that is quite close like Minas Gerais, Sao Paulo, Curitiba etc., you can take a travel bus for about 150 reais return. It takes ages but it is cheap (it took me 10 hours to get to Minas Gerais). You just search in google "Onibus Rio de Janeiro a (location)". You probably won't be able to buy the ticket online with your card, so try to find a Brazilian friend who will let you use theirs, or go to the actual bus station and pay there in cash.

-Contact me! If you need help with anything, I probably have the answers. I also have loads of friends still in Rio/ lots of friends all over Brazil.