The spatial and social characteristics of the two cities we have visited so far is intriguing. Recife, a coastal, relatively old city, is very organic in nature. Although it is fairly sizeable, the streets are quite walkable. People are constantly out and about and traveling by foot from the hotel to places like bus stops, the beach, or restaurants is easy. The buildings are also densely situated and there is not significant green space to be found, at least in the area we were in. However, the city makes up for this by providing many other communal amenities that people, both rich and poor, can have access to. Namely, the playgrounds along the beach, the exercise equipment all along the beach, and the beach itself were all easily accessible and used by all kinds of people for work, exercise, or recreation. I liked the notion that the government in Recife promotes integration and public facilities to enhance the quality of life at relatively little cost. The dedicated bicycle lanes were also quite noticeable along the beach, demonstrating consideration for various needs and lifestyles. Recife is also a city that works to preserve the past while still being modern. Throughout different sections of the city, colonial architecture can still be found, exemplifying the importance of the city’s past. Areas of the city are also undergoing a gentrification of sorts. Somewhat dilapidated and run-down sections are being converted into forward-thinking business havens, including the Digital Port. This is a city that is experiencing rejuvenation and offering places for students and educated individuals to come together for a common purpose, such as any of the variety of projects the company C.E.S.A.R. works on.

 Park in Recife
Brasilia, on the other hand, was quite different. This city, being comparatively new, has a very rigid feel. Brasilia is very symmetrical and noticeably planed out. Many of the buildings are rectangular, blocky, and drab in color. We learned that the city is grouped into different blocks, each of which has basic necessities like grocery stores and gas stations. This allows the people living in these blocks to have relatively easy access to necessary goods without having to travel far. In combination with the sprawling nature of this city designed for automobiles, this means that the city as a whole is not walkable and that there is much less person-to-person interaction in compared to Recife or cities like New York. Moreover, the hotel sector we stayed in was rather isolated by foot. The only places one could really walk to were a nearby mall or a few bars and restaurants located at the bases of some of the hotels. Otherwise, an automobile was necessary for travel. As the buildings here are also quite spread apart, there is a lot of green space, which would seem to be a good thing. However, from what I saw, it was rarely used, fairly inaccessible, and rather ugly. There were some areas, however, that had outdoor exercise equipment for public use near some of the apartment complexes (I presume). However, these areas were not being used by anyone any of the times I happened to pass by. The vast majority of the people who were outside anywhere often tended to be the less-wealthy and the less-white individuals. This is in sharp contrast to Recife and exemplifies how Brasilia is a “modern city,” but one for the privileged and not for the worst-off. The poor are relatively isolated from the rich in this city. Around one of the main artificial lakes, fancy restaurants and homes can be found, while the poor are forced into satellite cities and were nowhere to be found near the relatively wealthy area that our hotel was located in. This kind of segregation only serves to keep the wealthy areas wealthy and the poor areas poor.
I expect Brasilia to be an outlier in comparison to the majority of Brazilian cities, as it is one of the newest, most heavily-planned, and designed-to-be-futuristic ones in the country. From what I have seen of Belo Horizonte so far, it is much more comparable to Recife than Brasilia. Buildings are quite clustered and green space is fairly limited. However, it seems that most neighborhoods/areas have some kind of park or square that are places where students pass through, fitness enthusiasts utilize, and the poor or homeless stay and attempt to make a living. Although there are certainly areas of the city that are wealthier than others, the high density helps to minimize some of the spatially-related inequalities.

We had the opportunity to see some of the famous pieces of architecture by Oscar Niemeyer. He was in charge of designing civic buildings for Brasilia when the capital of Brazil was to be transferred here in 1956. He was a Brazilian architect and, as you can tell from the photos, a fan of modern architecture. According to one of our chaperones, the Cathedral of Brasilia is supposed to represent a person’s hands during prayer with the hands pointing towards heaven. It’s quite an interesting structure where you have to walk underground to get in and once you’re inside, the church is pretty small and there’s modern-looking statues hanging from the mosaic ceiling. Our group also looked at the National Congress of Brazil designed by Niemeyer. The semi-sphere on the left is the seat of the Senate and the one on the right is the Chamber of Deputies. It’s supposed to represent two halves that fit together but the Chamber of Deputies has a bigger half because there’s more members in it. You can see in front of the National Congress a pool of shallow water. I noticed that this was pretty typical of Niemeyer’s work in Brazil. In the main part of the city, there would be huge expanses of concrete with a huge shallow pool of water randomly situated in it. Usually, there wouldn’t be any benches around these pools, and if there were, they would be really long and made of concrete. It was strange seeing that because in a capital city, you would expect one to have inviting landscapes for all of the citizens to congregate but it ended up being a very empty feel. Ultimately, it was really interesting to see Niemeyer’s work in Brasilia. I wouldn’t consider his work to be beautiful but it was definitely thought-provoking and strange.

Early morning on Boa Viagem beach in Recife, before the crowds arrive

As soon as you step onto a Brazilian beach, you’ll immediately notice how different it is in comparison to the United States. Live music swells around beach goers and local artisans display their craft for sale. Overall, Brazilians seem to be more relaxed and carefree at the beach – especially since alcohol vendors are everywhere.

This sense of ease is not simply based in the availability of alcohol. I think it is because of Brazil’s general culture of acceptance. On the beach, everyone from man to woman, to very young and very old, is exposed in more revealing swimwear. Some may see this as a bad thing. Only young and toned people should wear small swimsuits, right? Wrong.

In the U. S., women especially feel the pressure to cover up when they don’t “fit” what our society considers acceptable. Meanwhile, American men can be shirtless, despite size, without anyone feeling “uncomfortable.” In Brazil, young women, mothers, moms-to-be and older women all wear bikinis, no matter what their bodies look like. No one bats an eye. No one makes insulting remarks. And why should they? All bodies are beautiful and no one should feel that they need to hide. Coming to Brazil has made me realize how much progress we need to make in the States. Starting from the time kids are young, they need to be taught to feel confident in their own bodies – and not just until a certain age.

After studying abroad something I’ve found to not exist in other countries is our American idea of what constitutes the college lifestyle. In the United States for many people college is a time when you move out of your parents home, live amongst your peers, attend a variety of classes, and take part in extracurriculars. This experience gives young Americans a chance to get a taste of freedom and enrich themselves academically, while also providing campuses specially designed to offer fun and social activities for students to get involved and make friends. After touring a few federal and private universities here in Brazil it became apparent that their college lifestyle is not the same.
College in Brazil seems to be much more of a continuation of high school. Students typically will attend a local university and continue to live at home. They often also have jobs so they will work in the mornings and attend class and night or vice versa. The universities themselves do not offer many activities for the students either. College sports do not exist and clubs are rare. Dorms are also extremely scarce and there aren’t many public study spaces except for the library. While it’s true the goal of training students to master a skill and find a job is universal, it seems unfortunate that young students from other counties never get to live our American college lifestyle. An obvious retailiation however is that even private universities in Brazil cost a fraction of the cost of American ones and the average rate of student debt in the U.S. Is an enormous problem that hurts students after graduation.

While all of our experiences traveling Brazil have impacted me in some way, none better illustrated the cultural and social aspects of our studies than the samba dance party in Belo Horizonte. We had the opportunity to attend an event called “Samba In The Square,” during which we heard live samba music and saw how people both young and old interacted and danced with one another. Not only were the differences between modern American versus modern Brazilian dancing and music made very apparent through this experience, but also the social lives of people our age. The party took place in a poorer area of town, however the people (specifically the women) dressed elaborately, with jewelry, dresses, and high-heeled shoes. Our group stood out due to our casual dress, and it was clear that there was a social standard for this type of event that we did not meet. We received a lot of stares, and people knew we were not from the area. However, it was still a very fun and enjoyable experience. I found it particularly interesting how both people my age and some as old as my parents attend these events together, as this is not common in the United States. I also enjoyed the live music and traditional dancing that we saw, as this is also very different from American culture. These types of dance parties seem to be a great way to bring the community together in an easily accessible way. I was informed that as this party was held in a poorer area, the members of this community received free admission with a special card. However, our group had to pay a fee, as we do not live there. I think this is a great way to engage all members of the community, as well as create a sense of pride for their culture and the traditional music/dance of Brazil as a whole. It was a privilege to be a part of it, and it’s something I’ll never forget.

When traveling or studying abroad, the lessons and observations regarding the people and culture of that specific country are perhaps the most important and the most memorable parts of the trip. Traveling to Brazil provided for various opportunities to interact with the locals, and for me were some of the best highlights.

One of the things that caught my attention in Brazil is the ability to meet someone for the first time and to leave feeling like friends. Despite the language barrier, on multiple occasions our group was enthusiastically greeted by locals, and then hugged affectionately when it was time to depart. For example, in Belo Horizonte we visited an elderly group of women called the Meninas de Sinha. The women in the group have unimaginable stories of hardships. With the help of the united and close-knit group, the women have overcome countless challenges and have made lifelong friends within the group by singing. They sang loudly and openly to our group, and made sure to individually hug and kiss us goodbye at the end of the day.

My favorite encounter thus far with the Brazilian people was at a public high school in Brasilia. The students were so welcoming and truly excited and honored to have us visit their school. The immediately opened up to talk to us, and many shared that their dream was to travel to the United States, while others eagerly told stories of their experiences in the US. Our time together didn’t seem to last very long, as we quickly had to write down one another’s names to find each other on Facebook. The quick and genuine connections we made with the high school students in just a few hours in Brazil is very different than one we would have encountered in the States. The Brazilian culture allowed for relationships and conversations to occur at a much quicker pace.

Another instance that really stood out to me was at Porto de Galinhas. Emily and I were unsuccessfully trying to find a bathroom, when we decided to ask a woman nearby for help. In broken Portuguese, we attempted to ask for directions When the woman didn’t know exactly where one was, she immediately told us to wait while she asked others nearby. She patiently explained the directions and incorporated useful hand gestures. This continues to stand out in my mind because in the United States specifically, we so often are caught up in our own little worlds and neglect to truly engage and interact with strangers. So often, culture in the United States would be to simply answer “I don’t know” and then walk away to let the person find their own solution to the problem.

All of these situations were humbling reminders to be friendly to strangers and to do your best to help others. These experiences have opened my eyes and have made a profound impact on not only myself, but also many others in the group.

The scope of poverty in Brazil is apparent from the moment you step into the street. There are homeless, or near-homeless, scattered throughout the city and the countryside alike, living with a quality of life practically unseen in the United States. and access to few of the amenities available to us, such as fast and efficient healthcare, high-quality education, safe and free drinking water, or strict labor regulations. According to a World Bank report from 2012, over 20% of the Brazilian population is living on less than $4 USD a day, a number which isn’t surprising when looking out over the sprawling favelas which sprawl over much of the metropolitan landscape. These numbers are expounded by the fact that minimum wage here is a measly $724 Reais a month, which equates to about $8 a day.All together, this paints a picture of a floundering lower-class with little chance of a serious change on the horizon.

With that being said, the socio-economic circumstance in Brazil is admittedly seeing some reaction on both the civil and governmental level. In 2013, president Dilma Rousseff announced that she had met half of her goal to eliminate extreme poverty, after raising the salaries of 2.5 million families by $70 Reais a month. While this program has served to help raise the quality of living in a large number of families, an analysis from Field Action Science Reports states that the institution is doing little to help stimulate growth in these households. With little else happening in federal hands, this looks like superficial change meant to sweep the issue under the rug.
What’s left is for the people in poverty themselves to do work to improve their living situations. The Meninas De Sinha in Belo Horizonte opened my eyes to some of the grass roots efforts being made to sustain the livelihood of the nation’s poor. Whether through singing, or Hip-Hop, or graffiti, people are capitalizing on strong community ties to sustain themselves and organize more proactive fronts which raise awareness about the issues they’re facing. Nonetheless, without the assistance of adequate and sweeping government policy changes, or otherwise the intervention of more economically stable neighbors, there’s no way for these people to generate the resources necessary to build themselves communities on par with what our generation has to offer.