Vislumbre de um mês

Oi,
Hello,

It has been more than a months that I am living in Brazil as an Rotary Exchange Student. In this blog post I will write about various topics like the activities here, cultural shock, food, etc.

• Activities here

30/8/18

The food in Brazil is very different than India, we in India eat a variety of dishes and spices. I immensely miss the Indian food and so decided that lets eat something spicy. Before leaving, I took some Haldiram food packages with myself, so whenever I crave to eat my native food, I can. One of the day I decided to make the Pav Bhaji 😍 at my home and also make my host family taste it, of course it didn't tasted like the one we eat in India, however they loved it. My host mom wants to visit India, and is curious to know more.  

1/9/18

My Rotary district 4640 had the orientation weekend held in Francisco Beltrao on this day. The orientation was for three days and all the exchange students from all over the world were present there. I was delighted to meet other exchange students. We had a lot of activities to break the ice, and for all of us to know each other. How does it feel to meet other people of the same age as you and who are excited, tensed and happy as much as you are? It feels great to meet other students, who have grown in a totally different culture, sharing and learning about their language and differences. And to share my knowledge about India. Most of the people I met were excited to know about India and it's beliefs. Because people know that India has completely different culture, music and history than any other country.

The friends that I made there were curious to know about the distinctive beliefs of India; people asked me why we don't eat cow meat? Are you an Hindu? Which language do you speak, Indian?(Are you serious!) Do I have an elephant?(really, I was truly shocked) and many more. Some exchange students wanted to be in India, but what I got to know is that their sponsor Rotary Club didn't want to send them to India, because the girls aren't safe there, and they think that rapes are common in India. That is a generalized belief, and I discovered that that is a stereotype about India. I talked to my friends about this issue, and I told them that rapes aren't common in all across India, and it is just a generalized opinion like the ones I heard,"Oh WOW Brazil, it means you will party all the time, but spare some time to call us, okay?" This is wrongly believed by many people, and none of these is the truth. 

I miss most of them now 😭, and I can't wait to meet them again in Foz do Iguassu. It was my pleasure to get to know the students from various countries. Each one of us is unique and beautiful in our own way. 

Some pictures from the orientation weekend-

😍😍😍

4/9/18

This day was another regular day; normal school, lunch, work, but when we have other fellow exchange students with us, we can explore the city together. In my city, I have eight(oito) other exchange students from USA, Poland, France, Mexico, Canada, Denmark, Thailand. I am lucky to have you guys with me. We tried Acai, a native Brazilian fruit, which most of us liked. We hangout together, eat together and Party together. We went to the city park, I don't know why? However it was fun. 

I also tasted a sweet Brazil dessert called Brigadeiro, and I loved it. I have a habit of eating sweets, so it was not that surprising to me. My Host parents and sister are really caring and just like my real family. I like to talk with them during the lunch and dinner time, and I am ready to help them at any time. I am glad to be a part of this family. 

7/9/18

On 7th of September, the people celebrate the Independence day of Brazil, it was a long parade in which I got a chance to participate. To proudly hold the Flag of India and walk with my blazer on. It was astonishing and encouraging to see the energy and enthusiasm of the crowd. There were many people in the parade, playing musical instruments, dancing, doing martial arts, and singing with crops. I felt really happy and it was amazing to meet the rebounds.

I and other fellow exchange students also participated on the Interact trip to Assis chateaubriand a neighboring city, it was not meant for us, however some of us managed to go. We were new members of Interact and I didn't knew much about Interact. We traveled in a bus and made many friends there. The theme of the trip was world war and there were mare than 600 other Interact people all over the state, gathered in Assis. It was a unbelievable experience that we indulged in the three days trip. Most of the time we had dances, speeches and presentation lectures. I also made friends from other cities such as Foz do Iguazu. On the second day, we had the world war activities, to play and get dirty in the mud, to know people you have never met. To indulge in the great spirit of world war. Most of us were plunged in the mud, it was great fun. The people I met there were crazy about the Indian culture, food, language and were curious to clear their thoughts, and so most of the time I was talking with a bunch of people from a city. I made many friends there, and I hope to see them soon in the next Interact event.

The most crazy, astonishing, great thing is that we played Holi (a festival in India)there. And the most surprising thing is that the people there call it Holi, but they weren't aware that it's originated from India. It was great to share my insight upon the love of this festival with those people. I was approached by many people there to know about Holi. I felt in love with the people there, with the level of excitement, enthusiasm and energy they hold. It was a once in a lifetime experience. 😍✌🏽

The last day, it was pretty much difficult to hug and wish goodbye to everyone, how can I find the ones I know from the crowd of 600+ people? It is a memory that I still cherish. 

Some pictures from the event-✌🏽

 😁😄

16/9/18

It was a normal school day, I understand mostly nothing in the class, even if I can relate to the subject content it is difficult to study in Portuguese. The most exciting activity of the day is to play football with a bunch of other classmates, it feels great to play a sport all over again. And for all those people who think that if someone goes to Brazil, it is easy for them to participate in sports, specifically football; I think, no. It can't be generalized , because it truly depends on the city and the people. For the first complete month, I didn't even saw someone playing football here, and I observed that football in my city isn't played on a high scale. I play football in school, with the other fellow classmates and people in school.

• People and Culture in India and Brazil

The public in any part of the world have distinct culture, habits, and behavior that is influenced by various factors like weather, population, interest and history. The culture is India is similar and different from that in Brazil. In Brazil, people greet each-other by physical contact like a hug or a kiss, but in India it isn't very much common. In India people hug those who they know very closely and have a special bond with, but here it is not the same way! This was an initial cultural shock, but now I am used to it.

In Brazil, I have observed that most people have a pet, be it cat, dog or bird, but in India having a pet isn't usual. In my first host family, one thing that I noticed was that everyone in the family is more or less treated equally, so everyone helps in the household chores. I used to clean dishes and other works during lunch or keeping the bathroom clean. Taking care of the house was a part of the family work, we work together and eat together. But not the same in India, the mother is solely responsible for the household cleaning and chores, we depend on our father to work and earn money, and the kids go to school and play. The kids don't need to work in the house, don't need to clean the bathroom and room, they don't even need to thank their parents, every time they get something. 

Another cultural shock was that in Brazil, drinking alcohol is okay, and I won't write usual as I have not been in all the parts of Brazil. As some people that I observed drink and let their children drink too. By the law, the official age for drinking in Brazil is 18, the same in India. However, in my city(Francisco Beltrao), I see people drinking with their friends on the streets, bars and my host parents drink too. I was also offered to drink, but I refused, as the Indian culture demonstrate that most of the parents and people in India don't drink, especially in the state(Surat- Dry state) I live. Drinking in my state isn't permitted and no drinks are sold. The place where I have grown up, drinking was never considered an option or a choice for any children like me. In India, I have seen only the adults drink, and drinking for children isn't common. 

There is an Indian Television series in Brazil, known as Caminho das Indias(India- A love story), which demonstrate the old cultural and clothes in India. In Brazil, many people have asked me about it, and other similar questions that are mentioned before. I  was totally surprised to know that firstly an Indian series is made in Brazil, and secondly it is usually presenting the stereotypes. People here are also aware of the famous Indian heritage site, the Taj Mahal. I was surprised, when I heard my sister play an Indian song, called "Kajra re", and here in parties and dances people dance on this song. It was as if, Brazil is making me nostalgic about India. 

• Pre-departure myth, stereotypes and truth about Brazil

To be honest, before going to Brazil, the only things I knew or assumed about Brazil is, A lot of football, everybody does samba, and a hot weather. And all of family relatives and friends were like, "WOW, Brazil!!! Click a good picture with Neymar", "Brazil, is a good country, but you will  get spoiled there", "Bigad jayega", and "Take care, in Brazil there is a lot of drugs and alcohol, okay?", "Bring some good quality coffee for us", "Vapas toh aayega na?", "I know Brazil very well beta, everybody does samba, tum bhi sikh lena."  But to be honest these stereotypical comments about Brazil, used to scare my mother in India. She didn't wanted me to go, and she also thought that Brazil is dangerous. And it is a BIG deal to send your son on an exchange year to Brazil, after hearing all these taunts and illogical comments. I assure my parents that I will make them feel proud and happy, and make them believed that they made a very wise decision. 

The things that I got to know in Brazil:

• Alcohol is common at some places and not at other. depends on where you are.
• They speak Portuguese, not BRAZILIAN!
• Not everybody know samba.
• It is safe, at least very safe(the city I live in), and the smaller the city, the safer it is.
• football isn't very common, at least in my city.
• The weather can go to 12 degree Celcius 😭😭😭
• Most of the families own a pet

Fun Fact: People in southern Brazil eat a lot of meat.

• Brazilian Food:

Pao de Queijo:

Pastel de Queijo:

Tapioca:

Brigadeiro:

Hope you guys enjoy it, so please comment by which I can gain my confidence.
And I will surely try to write the blogs weekly.
I am surely going to appreciate your suggestions

Thanking you,
With love,
Rishabh Bothra,
Rotary youth Exchange Student 2018-2019,
R.I.D 3060 to 4640,
Rotary club de Urio park,
Brazil