By Kara Bentz–
Artur Pereira is one of the 50 international students here at Morningside this year. The International Affairs major came here from Ribeirao Pereto, Brazil, a city of 600,000 people.
As most people would expect, Artur has noticed many differences from life in Brazil to living in America. He has an advantage over most international students, though, because in high school he was an exchange student in Texas from August of 2013 to July of 2014. “The first time was really hard. For the first four months I wished I could go back to Brazil, but this time has been a lot easier.”
Artur is on the soccer team, which has helped with the transition because he’s with people the same age. It also helps that this year there are 31 new international students and 19 returning ones to relate to.
While this second time in America has been easier for him, there are still things that are different and that he misses from Brazil.
The food has been a huge change. Artur has a favorite dish in Brazil called Feijoada. It’s black beans with a lot of various types of meat mixed in. He said, “When you describe it, it doesn’t sound good, but when you taste it it’s very good.” He also loves steak and fish.
This is different from American food, which he finds to be too unhealthy, too sweet, and too spicy. Artur explained it best by simply saying, “You do everything to the extreme.” If he could have one thing from Brazil brought over to America it would be the food. “It is the main part of your day” so you have to enjoy it.
A few other differences are the interactions between people and the layout of towns. In Brazil, people are greeted with a kiss on the cheek. They practice more forms of physical interaction like hugging, kisses, or even just touching a friend’s arm or back. “We are closer. We touch more. Here it seems like people are more distant.”
Artur also explained that the cities in Brazil are much smaller because they are more compact. However, when asked what his favorite thing about his city is, Artur actually said he likes “the big city feeling in a small town because it’s in the country. You can do anything you want over there. You have night life and you have day life.”
The many cultural differences can make moving to a new country difficult, but Artur is transitioning easily. He is enjoying his time at Morningside very much.
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