While I am living in Brazil, my experience in the north will be very different than someone else's experience in the south. Many people have told me Brazil feels like five different countries rolled into one! For example, it's hard to fiind much of the food that is eaten in Belém outside of the northern Amazonian region. Dishes such as acai, shrimp, and other indigenous meals are not seen anywhere else in Brazil - and are considered exotic!
I am so grateful for this opportunity given to me by the Fulbright Program to live abroad for a year! I've gained a greater appreciation for living as a foreigner in another country. I have also gained perspective on how the US, its culture, and its citizens are perceived. I'm also starting to appreciate Brazil on more than a superficial level. I am learning my own responsibility to educate those who have a stereotypical view of our home, too.
