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Tag: Marissa Fretes

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By mfretes93

Unfortunately, the clock is ticking down on my time in Rio de Janeiro. As of right now, I've got just under two weeks left in the cidade maravilhosa, which means that I've been spending a lot of time thinking: about the friendships I've made, about the experiences I've had, about how I've grown and changed as a person, generally just about a lot of sappy stuff.

But I've also realized one thing: short as it may be, two weeks is still precious, precious time, which means I shouldn't be wasting it thinking about the past or being nervous about the future. Instead, I should be trying to make the best out of the little time I have left.

So what's the best way to go about that? With a bucket list, obviously.

The idea of a bucket list might seem inherently depressing, but I've found that it will allow me to spend my last few weeks in Rio in the best way that I can. It's a comprehensive list of all the sights I still need to see, all the neighborhoods I still need to visit, all the cultural events I still need to attend. It's a list of all the touristy things I still need to do, all of the typically "Brazilian" things I still need to try out. And of course, it also includes things I still need to buy, all the food I still need to eat, and the (cheap) restaurants I still need to visit.

If it seems like a lot, it's because it is. But now, instead of feeling sad about my dwindling time, I'm excited and ready. I'm making goals for everyday: today I'll do this, tomorrow I'll try that. And now, instead of thinking about how much I'm gonna miss this city, I'm thinking about all the great things I'm going to do during my last two weeks.

See, it's important, when your study abroad time is coming to a close, to sit back and think about your experience as a whole. It can be easy, during this time, to feel sad. After all, you're gonna miss your friends. You're going to miss your host country, miss all the people you'e met. And it can be easy to get scared of what lies ahead: readjusting to American society, going back to school for the first time in months. And of course, it can also be easy to suddenly get excited to see the friends and family you've missed during your semester abroad.

But getting caught up in those feelings means that your last few days are not being spent to their fullest. And when you actually do leave, you'll think about everything that could've been.

A bucket list lets you have all of that on paper. But more than that, it gets your mind off of all the emotions you can be feeling towards the end of your semester. Instead of dwelling on the faraway past or the faraway future, you have concrete plans for the present, things to occupy your mind. Plus, even if you don't get to finish everything--and let's be real, it's almost impossible to do everything you want to do when you're studying abroad--you'll have less regrets when you finally hop on your plane back to America.

As for my bucket list, it includes such things as: buying a pair of havaianas, visiting secret beaches in Barra da Tijuca, seeing a play at the Teatro Municipal, visiting museums, and of course, going up Corcovado Mountain to see the world-famous Christ the Redeemer statue.

Yes, I saved the best for last. What's on yours?

TWEET: I made my bucket list. Are you ready to make yours? #GWU #GWAbroad

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By mfretes93

I pass it on the bus on the way to school twice a week. The scene is that of a group of about 15 elderly folk, dressed up in sweats, headbands, sneakers, and other exercise gear, working out together in what seems to be a glorified jungle gym. Needless to say, the image generally warms the hearts of everyone on the bus, and it's gotten to the point where I actively look for it when I take the bus in the late afternoon. Luckily, I guess I have a penchant for taking the bus at exactly the right time everyday.

I recently learned that the Rio de Janeiro state government implemented these all around the state and the city. They're brightly colored public gyms, small seas of lime green and baby blue stair steppers, exercise bikes, and ellipticals, completely free to use for the workout-hungry citizens of Rio de Janeiro.

The program, actually, is intended for the elderly and the overweight, not just because many of these people can't afford or don't want to have expensive gym memberships, but also so that these people will actually work out at all. The spaces are eye-catching and located all over the city: they were one of the first things I noticed when I arrived here, and I continue to notice them everyday.

But I suppose that one of the main reasons why I've been so fascinated by them is the fact that I'm from the U.S. of A. Americans are quite familiar with our health-freak/workout culture, and everyone's desire to look like a Hollywood actor or actress. There's always the newest diet trend--quinoa & kale-infused kombucha, anyone?--always the newest workout that will get you flat abs in 3 hours or less, and come March, everyone is running around trying to make sure they have a "beach body" in time for the one time they will go to the beach during the entire summer.

Health and exercise are simply obsessions in America, especially at a time when all of our political leaders, from those in the tiniest of town governments to those on Capital Hill, are trying their very best to fight the obesity epidemic that is taking over our deep-fried nation.

Yet even with this obsession, with all of the diets and workouts, with big-city mayors banning people from buying soda, with first ladies exercising with fifth graders, even we don't have a government program as seemingly effective as Rio de Janeiro's free public gyms. Because not only are the prevalence of these exercise spaces fighting obesity, they're also inspiring the elderly to get out of the house, to keep their bodies healthy, and to meet new people--so that they'll keep coming back, keep exercising, and get healthier over the long-run.

Of course, there's an even better part of the program that I've neglected to mention: every morning and every afternoon, each of these public exercise spaces also has personal trainers around to help you with your workout. They're employed by Rio's government, and yes, their services are also completely free. You tell them what you're trying to work on--be it cardio, abs, or whatever you want--and they'll tell you what machines to use, and for how long.

And luckily for everyone under the age of 60, it isn't strange for you to use these gyms--and their personal trainers--even though they're intended for the elderly and the overweight. They're public spaces, after all--they're for anyone and everyone, and no one will look at you strangely for being the only person working out under the age of 45.

All of this isn't to say that Rio de Janeiro doesn't also have its own obsession with health and fitness that borders on the obscene. There are expensive, upscale gyms on nearly every block, after all. Many of my friends here in Brazil have a gym membership at one of these locales, or take sport classes at school. But with these government-funded hotspots all over the city, why spend the extra money when you can just take a walk around the corner?

And lastly, a word to the U.S.: why didn't we come up with this first?

Something the U.S. could use: free public gyms? #GWU #GWUAbroad

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By mfretes93

One of my favorite days of the year, every year, is Halloween. I've just always found it to be something that people of all ages can enjoy: the young get free candy from neighbors whose names they can't remember; teenagers have an excuse to throw eggs at things to feel alive; and adults can dress up as their favorite character from anything and no one will make fun of them. It's a win-win for everyone!

But Halloween is especially a big deal for college campuses all across the country, with students dressing up as anything that exists on the planet, from witches to animals to TV characters to personifications of ideas. Needless to say, it's an event that all students look forward to, and I was saddened that I wouldn't be able to join in the festivities this year.

In fact, I thought that October 31st in Rio de Janeiro would be like any typical weekday, and that maybe one of my American friends with have a Halloween get-together in their home out of necessity, and that would be it.

Little did I know, America has a very strong influence on the culture of the world. Which is to say, even through I thought Halloween was primarily an American thing, it turns out that other nations across the world have adopted the practice of dressing up on October 31st, since the U.S. made it so marketable to do so.

Which isn't to say that countries don't have their own unique take on the holiday.

My roommate and I, thinking that Halloween would be unimportant outside of the U.S., put absolutely no thought to our costumes, up until three hours before our American friend's Halloween party. This friend was having said party to not only allow fellow Americans to indulge in their favorite holiday, but also to show our Brazilian friends what Halloween is like for us in the States.

But with so much going on in our lives, from school to volunteering to planning trips and talking to family, my roommate and I had little time to put as much planning into our Halloween costumes as we would've liked. So, minutes before leaving for our friend's get-together, my roommate, who has been on crutches ever since a freak samba accident, dressed up as a character (Walter Jr.) from a TV show that he has never seen (Breaking Bad) by taking an old t-shirt and writing the character's "slogan" on it. While this happened, I put on an oversized tank top and athletic shorts and called myself a "frat boy" for the night.

What we expected to see upon entering the apartment was a roomful of Americans wearing various costumes of varying levels of creativity, with most of the costumes being some variation of "cat" or "witch."

What we ended up actually walking into, on the other hand, was a room full of mostly Brazilians and Europeans, all dressed up in extravagant, expertly-designed, and actually frightening costumes. Everyone was dressed up as something scary, whether it was a witch, a ghost, a zombie sailor, or a bloody vampire. Not only were all of these costumes well-designed, with fang accessories and all, but everyone, men and women, had perfect makeup to go along with their costumes, fake blood and bruises galore.

It turns out that, especially in Brazil, dressing up for Halloween doesn't mean looking up the latest cultural trends and figuring out how to turn it into a cheap costume. There are no Miley Cyrus, Lady Gaga, or Nicki Minaj costumes to be seen on October 31st throughout the streets of Rio. Instead, people choose to dress up as scary things: a costume on Halloween is supposed to inspire fear, not a chuckle on the street.

Needless to say then, both me and my roommate's costumes went over everyone's head. Few people watched Breaking Bad, and even fewer people even knew what a fraternity was. We were the two silly Americans in silly clothes in a sea of costumes that would give Carnaval a run for its money.

So while we may have experienced enough embarrassment for one night, we at least know now to always ask about holidays abroad before trying to celebrate them. After all, America doesn't have a monopoly on all the world's fun.

Is Halloween a thing abroad? #GWU #GWUAbroad

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By mfretes93

One of my biggest fears about going abroad was getting sick. I dread getting sick at home: I get chills and sweats sitting in doctor's offices and always expect the worst if I ever so much as cough a little strangely. Needless to say, getting sick abroad was never even an option for me. Yes, I have insurance, and yes, GW also provides insurance, but in a foreign country where I barely speak the language, "needing immediate medical attention" is one of the scarier things that can happen to someone. When I arrived in Brazil, I made sure to take extra precautions--applying insane amounts of insect repellent  looking both ways before crossing the street, eating more Vitamin C than should be humanly possible. But of course, it's just about impossible to 100% prevent illness. And in a given semester, getting sick at least once is almost inevitable.

During a trip to Salvador, a city in the northern part of Brazil, I was essentially demolished by mosquito bites. I had brought a bottle of what is apparently the weakest repellent on the market, which did nothing to protect me from the legions of mosquitoes that make their home in the northeast of Brazil. I actually lost count of how many bites I got, but shrugged it off before my return to Rio de Janeiro.

A couple of days later, however, I started having pain in my joints, especially in my feet. I thought I was just sleeping in weird positions, and that was what was causing the pain, but about a couple of days after that, I noticed that my feet had swollen up, as had my left hand and elbow, and a few fingers on my right hand. Then some red spots showed up on my feet, and they had swollen so much that I could barely walk. Some drugstore-bought anti-histamines brought most of the swelling down, but my feet were still problematic. I essentially had elephant's feet, which were not only uncomfortable and painful, but incredibly unsightly.

Of course, I was scared out of my mind. How bad was my predicament? What if it got worse? What if it was serious? How would I communicate my symptoms to a doctor given my limited Portuguese skills? What if I told the doctors the wrong symptoms? What if I was going to need surgery or something, and have to be airlifted out of Brazil on a helicopter? For the time being, I thought, I'll see if it gets better on its own.

I panicked for a bit, and after my feet got bigger and more painful, I decided it was time to see someone.

I had heard a lot of things about the healthcare system in Brazil. Here, there are public hospitals and clinics--which are free--and private hospitals, which can be costly. Typically, public hospitals are plagued by long waits and overworked staffs, and are generally perceived to provide a lesser quality of care than their pricier, private alternatives. A friend of mine who went to a public clinic when she was feeling ill said she waited a few hours, but was prescribed good medicine and felt better in a couple days. But other friends of mine who also attended public clinics told me that they waited a long time for a doctor to barely do anything for them, and wished they had just gone to a private hospital in the first place. Another one of my friends also had good things to say about private hospitals: after he dislocated his knee in a freak samba accident (really), a public clinic told him he would need to go to a private hospital to get an MRI and an X-ray, because they lacked the resources to do that themselves. After going to said private hospital, he received his MRI, had a doctor look at it, and got a diagnosis and treatment, all within 45 minutes.

After weighing my options, and realizing I didn't have enough money to even pay for private care, which I thought would be unnecessary in the first place seeing as I wasn't dying or anything, I decided to bite the bullet and go to a public clinic.

I walked into a small building in the heart of a suburban neighborhood, the lobby filled with sad-looking sick people and even sadder-looking babies. My temperature and blood pressure were taken, I gave them my ID, and then I was told to sit and wait. This initial impression led me to believe that not only would I be waiting for three or four hours, but that I would also be tended to by an overworked, tired doctor. At this point, it's also important to note that all of my medical knowledge comes from House, M.D., so I expect every doctor to miss one of my symptoms until I'm near death and finally tended to and saved by a genius diagnostician.

But in fact, I was pleasantly surprised. I only had to wait about 30 minutes, and the doctor that saw me was a nice woman who looked at my feet, typed some things on her computer, and gave me a prescription. All in all, I was at the clinic for less than an hour total, and it cost me exactly nothing to get treated.

So, here's my advice for future study abroad-ers: getting sick is just about inevitable. And sometimes, you might get really sick, or be involved in some kind of freak accident. Either way, don't be afraid of your host country's medical services. Yes, even if there's a language barrier, and you don't know the word for "inflammation." Because when it comes down to it, you're dealing with doctors. And doctors are doctors worldwide, meaning their job is to make sure you don't die.

As for me, I'm getting better after being prescribed an anti-inflammatory. But more than getting over my fear of hospitals abroad, I now know to take extra, extra precautions regarding bugs and bug bites when I travel. It's one of the only downsides, I guess, of traveling to a tropical paradise.

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By mfretes93

I'm used to public transportation ruling my life. As a life-long city girl, I'm one of those people that gets raised eyebrows from people when I tell them that I don't know how to drive a car, and that I'm fluent in all things subway (or metro, when I'm in D.C.)

In any case, my reliance on public transportation everywhere in the States translates to an equal, if not even bigger, reliance on public transportation abroad. After all, as someone with an incredibly limited amount of funds, I'm not able to take a cab everywhere I want to go, and as I've stated, I'm about as adept at driving as I am at speaking Chinese.

Luckily, over the past couple of months, I've come to realize that Rio de Janeiro has a surprisingly useful system of public transportation that allows me to get from Point A (usually my couch) to Point B (usually food), even if it took some getting used to at first.

First of all, Rio de Janeiro is far more vast of a city than I originally imagined. It's one of those cities that you can travel around in for more than hour, maybe even two, and still really have gone nowhere. There are entire zones of the city that I still haven't stepped foot into, not because they're of no interest to me, but because they're on what is essentially the other side of the planet.

That being said, the transportation system in Rio de Janeiro does a good job of making the city seem less expansive than it actually is. It's comprised of a Metro--which, while fairly fast and clean, only has two lines that don't cover much ground as it should--and a lot of bus lines. And by a lot of bus lines, I mean over 400 of them. So even though the metro is much faster than buses, I usually end up on a bus because it'll take me exactly where I want to go.

I'm usually wary of buses because if I don't know exactly where I'm going, I spend the entire ride freaking out about missing my stop before, inevitably, missing my stop. And at first, I was scared of Rio's bus system given how many lines there are, and the endless number of places--all unknown to me--that the bus can take you. And I can't exactly ask for directions very easily, given my limited skills in communicating effectively in Portuguese.

But for what is essentially just over US$1, I can go just about anywhere in the city. Yes, you have to do some asking to make sure you're getting on the right bus, but there are signs at every bus stop that label the neighborhoods that each bus that passes by that stop drives through.

The hard part about riding the buses, however, isn't figuring out which bus you need to take: it's riding the buses themselves. Rio has a very unique system for paying for bus rides, in that there are two workers on every bus. There's the driver, of course, but then there's also someone sitting behind the driver to collect money from every passenger. Once you've paid your fare, you then pass through a turnstile onto the seating-portion of the bus.

Keep in mind that this--searching for fare, handing it to the worker, receiving change from said worker, and passing through the turnstile--all happens while the bus is in motion. So you will literally be thrown around the bus, from window to wall, at least four times before you even make it near a seat.

If you don't get a seat, at this point, you'll be thrown around the bus for however long it takes for you to reach your destination. After all, drivers around here have no respect for traffic laws, so bus drivers will weave between lanes and cars at breakneck speeds, with absolutely no regard for the laws of physics, until someone requests a stop, in which case, they apparently only use the emergency break.

And even if you do get a seat, well, you're still not safe from the manic driving that will undoubtedly occur for the duration of your ride. Your face may hit the window, you may fall out into the aisle. Who really knows?

That being said, the newest fleet of Rio's buses are not only clean, but they're also equipped with television sets that show the latest news and weather reports, in addition to short recipes, fun facts, trivia questions and yes, the latest Brazilian entertainment gossip. So at least you'll be able to distract yourself from the pain of your broken hip when you're sent flying halfway across the bus.

So while it's sometimes painful and confusing, I still believe that buses are the optimal way to get around Rio de Janeiro, especially since, in its current state, the metro simply doesn't go everywhere you need to go. It may be a long ride, depending on where you want to go, but for what it costs--just about nothing--it's efficient. Buses come often, seven days a week, and are relatively safe. Traffic can be annoying sometimes, but while you're on the bus, you not only have the great sights of Rio outside the window to look at, but informative television. What more could you ask for?

So as a lover of public transportation domestically and abroad, I'll highly recommend that you try out the public transport wherever you end up going, for the convenience and the cost-effectiveness, even if it costs you some pain in your tailbone.

And who knows, maybe you'll even learn something. Thanks to Rio's buses, I now know how to make strawberry jam. Que legal!

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By mfretes93

One of the main goals of my study abroad experience was cultural immersion--which, to me, doesn't just mean befriending local Brazilians, or becoming familiar with colloquial Portuguese. To me, it means really getting to know the culture of Brazil and Rio de Janeiro.

But what does that entail, really? So far, it's meant trying to understand customs, like greeting by kissing on the cheek, and trying to really get into the Brazilian mindset. So far, it's meant visiting important landmarks, like the Escadaria Selarón, the world-famous colorful steps in Lapa, or Cinelândia, or the Teatro Municipal. And so far, it's meant visiting a few museums to understand the art and the history of the cidade maravilhosa.

Of course, culture encompasses so much more than landmarks, museums, and art. And what I've noticed is that, for study abroad-ers, one of the more under-appreciated forms of culture is pop culture: TV, music, and movies. Maybe it's just because, at home, I'm an entertainment and pop culture buff--not being able to catch the finale of Breaking Bad live almost made me shed a tear, or two, or twelve--but I don't think I've gotten to know Brazilian pop culture as well as I would like, or should.

Luckily for me, a great opportunity is in town for the next couple of weeks. Up until October 10, the Rio de Janeiro International Film Festival, or the Festival do Rio, is happening, which means I'll be able to kill two birds with one glitzy, Hollywood-produced stone.

Not only will I be able to catch the Latin American premieres of a few American-made films that I've been looking forward to, including Alfonso Cuarón's new space thriller starring George Clooney and Sandra Bullock, Gravity, but I'll also be able to see the world premieres of a number of Brazilian productions, ranging from crime thrillers, to heart-wrenching documentaries, to whimsical animated films. And the best part of all of this, is that a ticket to any of these films during the festival won't be more than R$15--or just under US$7. Compared to the US$15 that I'm used to paying to see movies in New York, it's a steal.

In fact, the Festival do Rio is one of the largest film festivals in Latin America, and this year, it has over 300 films screening. It also has a competitive section, Premiére Brasil, in which a series of Brazilian films compete for various awards, including Best Documentary, Best Short Film, and of course, Best Film. For Brazilian filmmakers, it's an incredible opportunity to get their work noticed, from the tiniest of short films to the grandest of blockbuster thrillers. And for the lucky few films that win an award at the festival, even bigger doors could open, including a chance to become Brazil's entry for Best Foreign Film at next year's Academy Awards. A number of actors, directors, and producers are also in town for the festival too, including Dakota Fanning and Goldie Hawn. In summation, while Festival do Rio means two weeks of seeing great films, it also means something in the film world--which in itself makes it a great opportunity for me while I'm here in Rio de Janeiro.

And of course, I've never been to a film festival before, so for the next few weeks, I'm going to be as giddy as a child visiting Disney World for the first time. At my local University, many of the professors of the Cinema department have managed to snag what seems to be a limitless amount of free tickets to various screenings over the course of the festival, and I've managed to get access to a few of these. It's going to be a great two weeks.

But to wrap things up, my advice for you all is: don't be afraid of pop culture. Considering how influential it is in America, and how obsessed with it every American seems to be, it only makes sense that pop culture can a similar--if much smaller--amount of power abroad. Check out television shows, local music artists, and yes, see if there's a film festival coming to town. After all, how can you know a foreign culture if you don't know what they're watching, what they're listening to, and of course, what they're reference in everyday speech?

For now, though, I'm off to spend the remainder of my money watching an obscene amount of movies. See you all after the festival's over.

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By mfretes93

Studying abroad, it's easy to get lost in your surroundings, overwhelmed by the people, the language, the sights and the sounds of being in a brand new place while accumulating to a brand new culture. You spend your days running around the city, taking in historic buildings and monuments, meeting locals and practicing the local language (with many failures) and, at least for me here in Rio, relaxing on the beach. It's a good life to be living.

Unfortunately for all of us study abroad-ers though, a dreaded season is approaching: midterms.

Midterm season here in Brazil isn't that much different from midterm season in the States. Most people wait until the last minute, then find themselves cramming, reading all of the readings they neglected to ever look at, and looking at all of the slides from the classes they never went to. Many professors give out take-home midterms which are comprised of a few essay questions that students need to answer, although some do go with the normal test-in-class route. It's all routine.

What has been a difficult adjustment for me this midterm season, however, has been the question of where to study.

Coming from GW, the question of study space is already somewhat contentious. Students flood Gelman from the wee hours of the morning to the wee hours of the next morning, only leaving to get refills at Starbucks. Either that, or you study in your room, in study space in your dorm, or you find a random classroom on campus and claim it as your own for the week. While there aren't that many options, there are options, and students make the best out of all of them.

And at least for me, study space is incredibly important. I can only successfully cram or write papers at lightning speeds in the right environments: small rooms in Gelman, away from the noise and chatter of dorms at night, with coffee readily and constantly available.

Here in Brazil, however, the right environment can be hard to find. Students commute to classes, and therefore "studying in the library" is near impossible: not only can it take up to an hour to get to class, depending on what neighborhood you live in, but the library closes at night. That, and the "library" on-campus is just a large room in one of the buildings--it isn't the same study space I'm used to in Foggy Bottom.

Not only that, but given how lively this city is most of the time, studying in my apartment can be loud, especially if there's a big soccer game happening in town, which at this time of the year, is a given. That liveliness also means that most restaurants and coffee shops aren't meant for quiet--they're meant for gathering with friends or family, laughing with them and enjoying your time with them. Want to read a book? Go elsewhere.

All of this, as you can already tell, points to a need for me to get creative with study space. The first step was leaving my apartment and really getting to know the neighborhood that I'm living in, and will be living in for the next couple of months. That means getting off the main streets and going into side streets, walking around and really taking in the places around me. Doing this allowed me to find some beautiful plazas in the area, small spots of seclusion from the bustling city surrounding it. Spots that could be perfect for catching up on readings and slides. These plazas usually have beautiful statues in their centers, dedicated to important figures in Brazilian history, surrounded by colorful flowers, tall trees, and other people looking for their moment of peace.

Which means I have one piece of advice for future study abroad-ers for their future endeavors in the world of midterms. Think outside of the box when it comes to study space, especially if you're going somewhere where students commute to school. Explore the area that you live in, and find that perfect place, which could be a plaza or somewhere by the beach or maybe in the middle of some wilderness. Either way, where you study right now at GW is probably going to be completely different from where you'll be studying while you're abroad: embrace it!

As for me, I'm still exploring these plazas looking for the right one to commence reading about Brazilian foreign policy. But as of right now, one of them will provide me the perfect study space I've been looking for during this midterm season.

So? I think I'm good to go. Of course, we'll see how I am in about a week. Tchau for now!

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By mfretes93

When you're abroad in a brand new place, surrounded by new people and a new culture and maybe even a new language, sometimes the idea of traveling--and seeing even more new people, new cultures, and maybe even a new dialect--can easily slip your mind. Either that, or sometimes, it can even seem daunting.

Last weekend, I took a weekend trip to a nearby town called Ilha Grande. Situated on a giant island about 3 hours away from the city of Rio de Janeiro proper, it was an unforgettable experience during a semester that already is an unforgettable experience.

In somewhat of a contrast with metropolitan Rio de Janeiro, Ilha Grande was somewhat of a Caribbean adventure just outside of the bustling city. Yes, there are beaches in Rio de Janeiro--some of the best and most famous in the world--but being that it's such a densely populated city, sometimes it can be hard to find your own space at the beach, without traveling hours to find a spot hidden from tourists.

At Ilha Grande, not only do you have a beach haven, where you can walk miles along the sand and only encounter a few people, you also have the island mood. Everyone is constantly in a good mood; the sun is always shining; and there are enough adorable shops all throughout town to make anyone's heart melt, and their inner tourist--no matter how hidden--come out to play. Oh, and did I mention the painstakingly beautiful beaches?

But besides being an excellent getaway, the trip allowed me to realize one thing about study abroad: the necessity of travel.

It might seem counterintuitive sometimes to travel while you're already traveling, but study abroad is an immensely unique opportunity to see more of the world than the place you chose to study in. Not only do you have the time--an entire semester, and weekends are amazing opportunities to see other parts of a country--but domestic tickets, and even international ones across short distances, are usually cheaper than tickets to those same places from the States.

Sure, it's not always possible to travel, sometimes tickets just are too expensive and sometimes you just don't have the time. And I certainly don't plan on using every single one of my precious weekends in Rio to travel, but while I'm here, why not see as much of Brazil as I can? São Paulo is one hour away by plane; and the north and the south are both very accessible by flight as well.

After all, I've got three months left. That's 13 weekends, three of which are longer breaks from school. I say it's time to explore.

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By mfretes93

In New York, punctuality is key. In the land of Wall Street bankers and subways so crowded that you can taste the sweat of the person standing next to you, everyone will do anything to be on time. And that applies to everything--you need to be on-time to class, job interviews; you even just want to rush grocery shopping, for the sake of rushing. And for us, "on-time" is 15 minutes early. And actually being on-time is a slap in the face.

Surprisingly, one of the hardest things for me to get used to in Brazil isn't the language or the food or anything like that--it's their concept of time and punctuality. Which is to say, compared to life in the U.S.--and especially New York--it might as well not exist.

To put this in perspective, my first classes in high school started at promptly 8:08 A.M. everyday. If you dared to arrive at 8:09--tardy. At GW, it obviously depends on the professor, but if I were to walk in to any of my classes 20 minutes late, I would be the object of snickers from my fellow students and a stern glare from the professor.

Meanwhile, in Brazil, walking into class 20 minutes late means that you've probably beaten the professor--he'll come in another 10 minutes. A class scheduled to start at 9 A.M. will most likely start around 9:30, and if it's also scheduled to end at 11, it'll probably end at around 10:30.

Which isn't to say that classes are a joke. You're still learning the material. You're still taking notes and answering questions and fighting the urge to go on Facebook on your phone. In other words, class is still class.

They just have a different idea of time and deadlines: here in Brazil, 9:30 is 9:00; 10:30 is the same thing as 11:00.

So if you ask someone to meet you for lunch at noon, don't expect them to show up any earlier than 12:45. And that mindset applies to just about everything--meals, class, hanging out with friends. It's just how time works around here--it's flexible, everything is fluid.

Which, to my eye, is more reflective of the way that Brazilians view life in general: just live! If you're too consumed by deadlines and rushing around the city to be on time, instead of appreciating the sights around you, you're not living life the way that life is supposed to be led.

Was this mindset hard to adjust to at first? Of course. But now, day by day, I'm watching the time-obsessed New Yorker in me slowly dissipate, replaced by a person who doesn't mind waiting for the next bus on a nice day.

One thing that I can't ever change, though? Walking fast, everywhere, all the time--sorry Rio, you can't change all of them!

Published on

By mfretes93

When I imagined the things I would be eating in Brazil, I thought about rice, beans, feijoada (more beans), and the slabs upon slabs of meats, cooked every which way, that would be served in this city's many churrascarias. I thought about street food, like Brazilian shish kabobs of grilled and spiced chicken or pork, and various pastries filled with Brazilian cheese. And of course, I thought about how I would follow up each of these meals with a big, warm cup of coffee. Com açucar, of course.

Most of this has come true. I may not have thrown down the wads of reais necessary to eat everything at a nice churrascaria, but over the past three weeks, I've definitely had my fair share of rice, feijoada, pastries (or salgados), shish kabobs, and of course, gallons of coffee.

What I didn't think I would be eating so much of was sushi. ...continue reading "Sushi: What Brazilians Do Best?"

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