Student Spotlight: Toni Jackson in Brazil
What does family life look like in your host country? Have you noticed any traditions, or lifestyle dynamics within families?
“Brazilians are very close with their families. A lot of the Brazilian roommates in my program travel home at least twice a month, no matter how far away they are from their families (from 30 minutes to 2 hours!). In the US college students don’t really do this, so it’s very interesting to see how family culture affects college life. I met my roommates family and they were all so welcoming and kind. Food is a big connector for Brazilian families, so whether it’s dinner, a cookout, or just chatting, food is always involved.”
How important is financial literacy in your host culture? Are there many social programs? How is wealth distributed within your host country?
“Like a lot of Latin America, Brazil has very high wealth discrepancies between the rich and the poor. There is a very small middle class, and most people tend to fall towards the poorer side. In the US, a large number of people in poverty may have iPhones or a car, but in Brazil both of those items are unlikely. Healthcare is free in Brazil but there isn’t hospitals in many areas, so car access is necessary sometimes for medical services. One financial culture-shock in Brazil is that for large purchases, there is the option to pay in installments with interest. Even at the grocery store for small purchases, you can pay in installments. I think this practice is dual-sided, since on one hand it’s great that people can pay for necessary items with their own time, but also could be predatory since they come with interest but isn’t necessarily specified how much interest.”
What sustainability practices have you noticed in your host country? Are there any ways that your host country could improve or that you would like to implement back at home?
“Brazil has a large indigenous population that is very politically active. I would say they lead a lot of the movements towards sustainability, fighting deforestation and other harmful practices. Because many people don’t have cars, walking and public transport are huge in São Paulo, which is great for sustainability. I’ve noticed that the amount of environmental/animal awareness at tourist attractions can vary. For example at Christ the Redeemer people were feeding monkey’s human food, whereas at Parque das Aves they have a very strict no-food policy to prevent people from feeding the birds. I hope in the future there can be more protections for the animals for Brazil’s wildlife.”