I enjoyed my experience in Brazil a lot. I believe that learning the basics of Portuguese and understanding how the Brazilian culture works has impacted my personal life in terms of widening my world view and building new professional as well as personal relationships. The work has been incredibly inspiring while I have been surrounded by wonderful people, both local and international, who have made this experience all the more enjoyable.

Well, first of all you should come here and reserve enough time for yourself before or after the internship for traveling. Also be open minded. The stereotype that people have about Brazil, I don´t think they really match the reality. It was much safer here, much organized, it´s not only about football and samba, it´s a lot of high technology, good working cities and good food. So be open minded and come!

I learned a lot. I learned about brazilian culture, so many new things about the city, how organized it is and actually quiet european too. Also with the exchange students because we have a community with international people. Related to the work part I learned a lot about urban planning in Brazil wich I didn´t know much… Regularizations, legislations… So it´s been really interesting seeing other perspective.

The highlight of this experience is really hard to say because there are so many personal and professional highlights, it´s a long list. Everybody says ‘just go abroad’ and nobody ever says why and now actually I realized myself why that is and it´s because it is hard to put the experience into words, so unfortunately I have to repeat the same ‘just go abroad’. That´s my highlight: the whole experience!

Anyone who is interested in broadening their scope of real life work experience, knowledge in their field of study, and overall cultural outlook should take advantage of the great opportunity and internship in Curitiba, Brasil offers. Brazilian experience and George Mason university provide excellent support and guidance throughout the entire process. I had an invaluable experience that has helped me in my professional, personal and academic life. I made friends and connections that I still have to this day!