As a Global Affairs major, I’ve always been interested in travel, foreign cultures and foreign languages. One of my dreams was to live and work in another country and another language. I decided to study abroad and do an internship in Brazil with the hope of learning Portuguese and gaining experience in a rapidly growing economy.

With Brazilian Experience, my study abroad in Brazil ended up being so much more than just that. My internship placement ended up being with Hraifa Logistica, a logistics and consulting company that works in international trade. I had a wonderful time there, and couldn’t believe how much support and help I received from my coworkers. My supervisor, Ailton, was especially helpful and I had a wonderful time talking with him and learning from him every day. Everyone in the office wanted to help me learn, and they rarely asked for anything in return. The internship experience was so much more fulfilling than what most interns receive in the United States.

BE did a perfect job in placing me in my internship and with my host family as well. I lived with brothers, Everson and Helerton, whom I got along great with. They both helped me find my way in Curitiba and learn Portuguese.

I’ve just started my first full time job out of college in New York city working as a Brazilian Portuguese Research Specialist for a financial data vendor.

I was able to interview in Portuguese for the position. And I now have the opportunity of working on a team with Brazilians and speaking and reading in Portuguese every day. I would have never been able to even considered for the position without my internship experience in Curitiba. But more importantly, I will never forgot my experience in Brazil, and being able to achieve one of my dreams. A big thanks to Brazilian Experience for making it happen.

As my final week in Brazil comes to a close, I am able to reflect on the work I have accomplished as an intern at CIFAL, under the organization FIEP (Federation of Industries of the State of Parana). Not only did I accomplish tangible work, but I also learned a variety of new skills and forms of communicating in a work environment. When commencing this internship, I was unsure what to expect and in addition, unsure of myself. As this was my first internship position in the “real world”, it was initially hard to visualize the product of my ambitions. Yet after the first couple of days I felt as if I fit into this world naturally by being proactive and maintaining a stable work flow. Whenever I finished my tasks or had questions while completing work, I would ask my coworkers what I could do. There were even times when my supervisors themselves had questions, such as the proper English translation of a text/work, or what I thought about a specific idea they were forming. This process made me truly feel like a part of their team, and a part of CIFAL as a whole. The upcoming intern that will fill my position must know beforehand that they are in for a treat. They will more than likely learn and acquire more skills than what they expected, and in the meantime form new connections with the wonderful people around the office. The new American intern will be able to take transcripts from the English version of CIFAL website (www.cifalcuritiba.org.br ) if they need a model for what is expected in terms of English translations. The majority of the English translations were produced by myself, and revised by my manager. They may also look at other works that I translated, such as special invitation letters, biographies, and event schedules/dissertations. Another thing that I have left behind for the upcoming American intern is new knowledge to my current coworkers about American culture and lifestyle. Thus, they will be able to further understand more about the new intern. If the new intern has any questions relating to work or Curitiba itself, please do not hesitate to give them my email! I would be more than happy to give them a list of exciting things both in and outside the workplace.And a final thank you to my coworkers:

Dear CIFAL team,

I would like to personally thank each and every one of you for your kindness, determination, and overall support. Without each of your unique perspectives and insights, working at CIFAL would be a completely different experience. I want to thank Rafael for taking the initiative in handing out new tasks whenever I completed what was needed to be done, and also, for offering help when I was feeling doubtful of my work. Rafael was not only helpful, but allowed me to build efforts in strengthening my business communication skills and helped me to envision new ways of producing work – from the simplest translation tasks, to the more lengthy works such as revisions and brainstorming for upcoming events. He was able to give alternative suggestions and allowed me to aid him in important projects and work meetings. I want to also thank Vinicyus for reassuring my completed work. Vinicyus was active in demonstrating what work needed to be improved or what work was excellent. He also helped me a lot on the different schedules for the upcoming International Anticorruption forum. Lastly, we spoke about how International Relations plays into the real world and CIFAL itself, as we both share the same major. Last but not least, I want to thank Patrizia for enlightening me with her knowledge of creative economics and international cultures/customs. Patrizia was one to always come up with bright ideas and was encouraging while I was at work. Her enthusiasm in the workplace concerning important issues around the globe, particularly those of development and human rights, was a personal inspiration that I will never forget. This work experience in Curitiba, Brazil is one that has made a definitive change in the way I apply myself, in terms of both critical thinking and written work. The people I have worked with here as well as the skills and insights I have gained will remain in my professional book as my career takes flight.

My trip to Brazil was surely a great learning experience. I’ll admit in the beginning it was a little rough; getting used to the living situation, learning my way around, trying to communicate with people, and settling into a routine were all challenges in the beginning. But when I look back, I see that it is struggles like these that nurture a fulfilling learning experience. As my time went on, I got increasingly more comfortable with my surroundings, and realized my appreciation for the open and loving personality of Brazil. The understanding I gained from working and observing the way of life in here is unparalleled to anything I could have learned while being in the United States; it is only when you are completely outside of your comfort zone that you can really find out what you’re made of.

Oi gente! My name is Zachary Hamlin and during my stay in Brazil I worked at a pousada. My internship was located in Florianopolis on Campeche Beach. I had such a great time and today is actually my last day here at work. I have experienced so many new things from a Churrasco in Curitiba to visiting Cristo Redentor on Corcovado. My last week here I decided that I MUST come back and learn portuguese fluently. The Brazilian Experience is something that will never go away. I will use tools that I learned here back at home and apply them to my last year at college. I just can´t wait to come back!!! For any people thinking about Brazil as a future destination, be prepared for unspoiled culture where the best way to experience it is diving right in. Thank you Brazilian Experience for many life long lessons 🙂

Oi sangue bom! My name is Elvis Diaz, I am 21 years old from Long Beach, California. I went to Brazil when I was 19 to get some real world experience working as an intern with World Study in Curitiba. I loved the company that I worked for and all the help from B.E. They were phenomenal. Rafaela and João really thoroughly check to find the correct host family and internship for you. I lived with two brothers one 19 and the other 25 years old. It was the best! I still talk to them all the time all my friends from work. Remember to tell the truth, when applying for a family ;-). My experiences, well, lets say it was a roller coaster ride. All positive, just some low points and high as with any experience going abroad. There is nothing anyone can really say or write to give you a an idea of what Brazil, is however in the words of Marquis de Pombal, ” Be careful in Brazil, because that country increases in everyone the spirit of ambition and the relaxation of virtues.”. From my point of view, Brazilian Experience was a great experience. Rafaela and João are awesome! Email me if you have any questions whether it is about Curitiba, Brazil, or you want to speak with someone that went through Brazilian Experience.