Nature has been one of the most surprising parts of my study abroad experience. Everywhere I go, I find new animals, new landscapes and new stories happening in the world around me. Over the past few weeks, I've paid extra attention to the wildlife and environments that make Brazil, and South America, so unique.
Every animal I've run into during my study abroad has had its own personality. The horse was the funniest one, and my favorite. Then, while I was on a hike, a coati popped out of the bushes. A coati is a little raccoon/ant eater-looking creature with a long nose and brown fur that blends in so well that you almost miss it.
When I traveled to Patagonia, I saw a guanaco just chilling in the middle of the landscape. A guanaco looks like a llama, but skinnier, with long legs and light brown fur, and it somehow makes the whole place feel even more wild. Even in the city, I kept running into animals, such as the black cat stretched out in the shade acting like it owned the place, and really skinny chicken perched on a windowsill like it was supervising the street.
Seeing all of them up close made me pay way more attention to how different environments shape the animals that live there.
