Foreign Exchange Student in Brazil HELP!?

I’m gonna be a foreign exchange student in Brazil [high school]. Is the anything I should know or be expecting? What are the people like and what is there to do there? Is there surfing? How is the food and the culture? What do the teenagers and adults think about Americans and American culture? What should I be expecting? Any tips or advice is appreciated!!! =) Lots of love, Crystal

Wow — lucky you!

An exchange year is a wonderful thing! My first advice to you is to get a hold of a copy of Rosetta Stone for Brasilian Portuguese and get some of the language down. If you are outside the really big cities, there’s not a lot of English!

I’ve hosted a Brasilian student and known a couple of others. In general, I’ve found them open, kind hearted and fun! You’ll find many things more relaxed than in the U.S.

As to surfing — that depends upon where you go in the country, so don’t depend upon it! Brasil is huge! Like the U.S. there are many distinct “personalities” to different areas. You’ll find the north much different from the south for example.

For some basic information, contact the Brasilian embassy or consulate that’s the closest to you. They’ll have lots of good stuff … here’s their website: http://www.brazilsf.org/brazil_culture_eng.htm
This page has lots of good stuff too:

http://www.kwintessential.co.uk/resources/global-etiquette/brazil-country-profile.html

For good stuff on being an exchange student in general, go to this site:

http://www.exchangestudentworld.com/

It’s an exchange student community.

And finally, relax, enjoy yourself and have a great time!

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