Life in Brazil is not like life in the United States. That fact might seem obvious, but after two-and-a-half months away from home, I have started to notice some of the differences quite a bit. Some of them are easy to get used to, but others have taught me so much about what it takes to live in another culture.
The climate is one of the biggest differences between my home in Virginia and my host city here in southern Brazil. It gets warmer during the day in Brazil, and the weather is also much more humid. Today, when I got onto the bus, the weather was so humid that my glasses got foggy! The houses here do not have air conditioning or heat, even though temperatures can reach up to 100 degrees Fahrenheit or as low as freezing. I love that I can open my window any time I want to smell the fresh air, let in the breeze or bask in the sunshine. Sometimes, the heat feels overwhelming. My host mom, Monique, says that she is excited for winter, too, because of this. Right now, it is fall, so some days are very warm, and others are cooler.
Since I rent a room with a host family, I get to learn about Brazilian culture in daily life, especially during meals. In the United States, the most important meal is dinner.
