I loved my time in Brazil. My host family were wonderful, as were the people I worked with. I believe the best thing was the people I met, from other exchange students to my coworkers to my host family. This is probably because of cultural differences: in the US, we value independence, but Brazil values community. Being able to immerse myself in a community and being able to connect with people because everyone involve was open to that…that to me was the best part of being here in Brazil.

I feel I have learned important skills for my career as a teacher, especially on science education, research and intercultural competence. I have also learned a lot about Brazilian culture.

I loved my time here in Brazil. I’ve meet some great people here that I am happy to call my friends. My host family was amazing and very helpful, and I’ll definitely be meeting them again. The food here is delicious and the weather super nice most of the time. I love how friendly people are here in Brazil and the atmosphere in general. My volunteering experience was even better than I had hoped for, despite the language barrier. My lovely ladies at the children care house have all my love and respect for what they do.

Brazil pushed me out of my comfort zone and provided the perfect place for me to grow both as a person and as a professional. I’m a more independent person and I feel ready to continue my adventures throughout the world. The lessons I learned here about myself I will carry forever!

I really enjoyed my 4 weeks in Curitiba especially with my host family, the kids and staffs I worked with, the other interns and the local staffs/coordinator I have met. I think the best thing to me is to get to know these people and spend a quality time with them even though it was a short period of time, it was one of the best.