On a day to day level, I can only describe the Brazilian culture as more intimate. When meeting others for the first time, or when visiting friends, kisses are always given between men and women, one, two or three depending on what region of the country you're in. A hug or pat is exchanged between men. It was a little weird the first time a guy patted me on the chest and put his arm around me when we met, but when in Rome... One of my personal favorite conversations, mainly with Latin Americans that were not Brazilian, is the fact that they consider people from the United States not ‘American' because everyone in North and South America is an American. The second part of this was that the United States should not be called America because America signifies the lands of the western hemisphere. They prefer to call us North American, and always call our country the United States. Even though I feel that there are flaws in this logic, it was always an interesting conversation to have.

       For my abroad experience, I stayed in Rio de Janeiro for the first 6 weeks, living on the beach was fun, although I attended intensive Portuguese classes that often kept me from it. The best part about Rio is the landscape that surrounds the city, which can be described as mountains meeting the ocean.

       For the next 5 months I traveled to the South of Brazil to Porto Alegre, where the beef is the best I've ever tasted, and I have been to Argentina. In Porto Alegre I took my engineering classes in Portuguese and traveled all over the south of Brazil. I went to Iguazu Falls, the Pantanal wetlands, and island beach of Florinopolis to name a few. My friend and I lived with a Brazilian family consisting of a Mom, son and daughter. This is where I learned most of my Portuguese and experienced living like a Brazilian.