Predeparture thoughts

Predeparture thoughts

I think that Brazilian culture will be a very fast paced culture. I predict that the Brasileiros will have a very animated culture, meaning that the locals will be very expensive an demonstrative in their conversations. I feel that Latin America as a whole has very passionate citizens and that Brazil is no different.

The preconceived notions that I have about Brazil is that the people are very diverse. I believe that Brazilians come from many different backgrounds and as a result not only is their ethnicity rather mixed, but that the culture is as well. With a multitude of backgrounds in such a large country, I think that there will be some huge variances in the day to day life of Brazilians that even live in the same city.

I think that things will see a bit unfamiliar to me and that I will not necessarily know how to go about things. I have studied abroad in Greece before, as well as visited several countries where English is not the primary language and I think that this has given me some experience for what is about to come. I also have some knowledge of Spanish and Italian as well and I think in terms of the language this will prove to be significantly helpful in terms of trying to communicate wth people, read signs, and trying to go about daily life. Although I have some background experience from a language standpoint, my experience is lacking from a cultural standpoint for Latin America, and so I am excited to learn how what day to day life in Brazil looks like.

I think to immerse myself in Brazilian culture will be a learning experience. I think a lot of things I will find different and will see a lot of unexpected things. I am going to feel uncomfortable trying to speak words that I don't know, trying to interpret body language, and blend my knowledge of Spanish and Italian together to try to make cohesive sentences.

What I will do to learn about the other culture is to try to immerse myself in it as much as possible. I will try to speak to local people in Portuguese as well as eat the local food, and try to participate in other local customs.