Now that I am back home, I wanted to take the time to reflect on my time spent out of the country. Despite not being the first time outside the U.S, I believe going to Brazil was one of the most interesting cultural experiences i have ever had. This isn’t because of it’s differences with U.S culture, but because of its similarities.

First and most striking to anyone that has gone to Brazil: the food. During my time in Brazil I learned that not only do Brazilians enjoy the same food as we do, but they take it to another level. Burgers, french fries, steaks, sushi, and especially pizza make frequent appearances in Brazilian cuisine, withholding even “American” restaurants. All of these foods come in larger portion sizes and have more decadent ingredients than what I’m used to. For example, Brazilian pizzas are very interesting. No food isn’t thought of when making their pizzas: stroganoff, french fries, chicken hearts, ice cream, chocolate, kit kats, and probably so much more.

Next, Brazil has the same “melting pot” mix of many different ethnicities that the U.S has. African, Japanese, south Korean, Latino, and more all make up a significant portion of the population in all of the areas we visited. This brought a very familiar diversity that I grew up to be used to.

Another thing that stuck with me about the country was its cities and infrastructure. This in particular i felt was exactly same to major U.S cities – especially those in the west and northeast. Porto Alegre felt very similar to a Boston/Philadelphia style city. Very walkable with many old style architecture dominating the cityscape. In contrast to this, I felt that Foz Do Iguaçu was very similar to a city like San Diego, with car centered transportation and mainly new construction project dominating the environment.

Overall, I enjoyed my time in Brazil when it came to both entertainment and education. I learned a lot about the people and the culture of the country. I hope that one day I can return.