Recognizing Perspectives

Location:
Belo Horizonte, Brazil
Latitude/Longitude:
-19.916681300000, -43.934493100000
Journal Entry:

I found out I would be doing research in Brazil about a year before I came here. In the year before I came, whenever I talked to someone about my trip they would give me their perspective about the country. Some people told me that Brazil was the most beautiful place in the world, others told me it was dangerous. Some people said that I was going to find the food to be amazing. And then there were the people who said, "Oh, it's a good thing you speak Spanish," because they did not realize the language in Brazil is Portuguese. 

Prior to coming here, I heard so many perspectives about Brazil that I did not know what to expect. All I I knew for sure was that I was excited to be going somewhere warm, and, from what I could tell, my new city would be much smaller and quieter than D.C. 

When I arrived in Brazil, many things matched my expectations. For instance, the food is delicious, like I had heard from people in the USA. And one thing in particular never gets old for me: juice, when you order it in a restaurant, is usually made fresh on the spot--there is nothing better!

The weather is warm and sunny most of the time--but it is not normal to have air conditioning inside of houses. This means we spend a lot more time outside than I expected.

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