Porto Alegre: breaking the Brazilian stereotypes. Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

The workload was not heavy, but in Brazil they tend to leave all the assignments for the last week of class. During the year I was mostly responsible for the reading and there was one or two big assignments for the whole semester. A lot of the liberal arts majors are like that, but I heard the sciences and technology departments tend to give more homework. I found this system to be challenging because I was often tempted to put off the reading, of course this is also due to the fact that the entire program was in Portuguese and required more time and effort. The professors are generally very receptive and encourage students to participate in class. This was what I liked most about the educational system of Brazil. I found that though there were often limited resources (especially in comparison to UT-Austin), that the creativity from the professors and students often made up for it.

On-site administration of your program

Overall it was a positive experience, but like a lot of Latin America there was a lack of organization in the office. At first I found it to be distressing, but after adjusting I realized that the end result was usually fine so I calmed down. The office staff is very friendly and the international office staff is great! I met so many people through parties that RELINTER (international office) sponsored. It is not always easy to be productive in Brasil, but I learned to changed to alter my view of "productivity", and I realized that perhaps our emphasis on "getting things done" in the US is not always in our best interest. People in Brazil are friendlier and take more time when doing things which can be frustrating for an outsider, but I learned to really respect it. Books are VERY expensive in Brazil so most materials are copied from a place called the "XEROX" and given to you in packets. I found this difficult as I quite like having everything neatly compiled into a book...I found having so many loose paper bothersome.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

Fruits and vegetables were cheap and fresh from the market! I was lucky to live in a household that loved to cook so I hardly ever ate out. I found the quality in the markets to be superior and cheaper than the grocery store, but the quality of food in Brazilian grocery stores is slightly better than many of the chain grocery stores in the states. I found some of the dietary choices to be strange (corn and peas in hamburgers and hot dogs, rice AND pasta, and lots of mayo), but since we did not eat out much I hardly noticed it. The meat in southern Brazil is AMAZING and every Sunday you can smell it everywhere in the city.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

A Festa Junina-is a holiday where everyone dresses up like country folks and eats good food...I never quite understood how/why it came about, but it was a load of fun. There was an African Cultural center called Odomode close to our apartment and every Sunday they had live music, samba and reasonably priced drinks.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

It is in Brazil which is not known as the safest place on the planet, but I felt VERY safe in Porto Alegre. There are police everywhere which at first made me a little nervous, but it seemed to work at preventing crime. I never had to go to the doctor, but my roommate who had some health issues went to the ER a couple of times and was attended relatively quickly by capable doctors at a reasonable price. I did not need vaccines and only got sick when the weather changed suddenly which was the biggest annoyance of Porto Alegre. My advice would be to be aware of your surrounding and look like you know where you are going even if you don't. It is not safe to walk in parks at night, but during the day it is not a problem at all.

(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost)

I did a direct exchange which means that everything was taught in Portuguese. I was the only foreigner is almost all my classes, except for one course and the other foreigner happened to be my french roommate. Most people do not speak English in Porto Alegre, but I found that many young people understood it. I spoke almost entirely in Portuguese during my time abroad, but on occasion I also spoke Spanish with exchange students or in the bar I worked in. At home I lived with two foreigners and one person from Porto Alegre and we only spoke Portuguese at home.

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• Apartment

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• Local Students
• International Students