So, my final post on this page! How time has flown!!
Why would I choose Floripa, now that I've finished my Year Abroad there?
1. Apart from a few international students, everyone spoke Portuguese, so my Portuguese improved so much! Some of my classmates this semester thought I was Brazilian, and a couple of people I spoke to on journeys said that my Portuguese was perfect (although of course they were probably basing it tourists who couldn't speak any more than "hi", "how are you" and "thank you").
But I'm also happy I didn't move to the Lagoa region with other international students because again, I probably wouldn't have spoken half as much Portuguese. So I wouldn't have got my practice in as much.
2. The beaches. In my defence, they were perfect for when you just wanted to get away from studying or just to chill in general. Ok I had to take a 20-30 minute bus to get there, and sometimes you had to take more than one, but for the end destination it was totally worth it!
Plus, I loved surfing as well and there was so much sport available for those who had the funds!
3. The experiences. Surfing on a regular basis, using my blog as an excuse to play around on stage with the stage lighting and hitch-hiking to another part of the island (I promise it's completely normal in Floripa and a lot of locals do it). All these small things make up experiences that I would most likely never try or do again.
4. Saving money for travel. Although I never went to Argentina properly, I did visit the Argentinian side of the Iguassu Falls along with Parguay for a few hours one day. I actually spent the extra money on two weeks visiting a friend of mine in Cancun, Mexico and it was an incredible experience! I stayed with her in the local part of Cancun, and then did some of the touristy stuff during the day.
I do regret not exploring Argentina a bit further - and the north of Brazil - but at the time I don't think I would have been in a place to go. Ideally I would've liked to have revisited Cuzco, Peru, just to see how it felt being back as an adult.
For details on my trip to Cancun, visit my other blog: talbstar.blogspot.co.uk or my Youtube channel for some daily vlogs (Hannah Talbstar).
5. For the Brazilian attitude to life, the accent and the culture. I'm going to be honest, even though I've had a pretty hardcore time here mentally, I still wouldn't have picked Portugal simply for the overall experience. Brazilians are - in general - much more laid back, open-minded and friendly, the accent is so much nicer to listen to as well as speak and the culture is just so much more interesting because of the variety!
6. At the end of the day, it will look much more impressive that I have spent a year in Brazil and I now don't feel ashamed in admitting that it wasn't all that it looks like it's made up to be. However, I have been through such an amazing personal journey and still experienced so much from the locals and the country, that I am proud to say that I've been, I've accomplished what I have and I would love to inspire others to go for it too!
Why not Floripa?
1. The lifestyle. I am happiest when I'm busy, have things to complete and am moving my life forward. So unfortunately the very laid back lifestyle in Floripa was not to my taste and at times I found it very frustrating. "De vaga" is the term used in Brazil.
2. The lack of things to do. For those who love to hike and to dance forro, certenejo and samba all weekend every weekend, Floripa is perfect for you. But if you're like me and you like to mix it up, you either need a car or a lot of cash to afford to travel because there is not much else you can do on the island and it's a lot of effort to travel out every weekend.
3. As a student studying outside of the ERASMUS catchment areas (Europe!), the only money you had was the amount given to you by Student Finance, which was fine, however it means that I am still waiting on money back from them for the two return flights I had to pay for there and back. Erasmus students are given much more money to travel small distances and while I'm not saying they don't deserve it, I do think it's stupid that we don't get the same opportunities just because we chose to move further away. I would've visited so much more of South America.
Thank you for reading my blog and I hope this inspires you to take a few leaps, whether that's moving to Florianopolis or another part of Brazil. It truly has been a unique experience and I'm looking forward to talking to other linguists about it next month!
Beijos!
Why would I choose Floripa, now that I've finished my Year Abroad there?
1. Apart from a few international students, everyone spoke Portuguese, so my Portuguese improved so much! Some of my classmates this semester thought I was Brazilian, and a couple of people I spoke to on journeys said that my Portuguese was perfect (although of course they were probably basing it tourists who couldn't speak any more than "hi", "how are you" and "thank you").
But I'm also happy I didn't move to the Lagoa region with other international students because again, I probably wouldn't have spoken half as much Portuguese. So I wouldn't have got my practice in as much.
2. The beaches. In my defence, they were perfect for when you just wanted to get away from studying or just to chill in general. Ok I had to take a 20-30 minute bus to get there, and sometimes you had to take more than one, but for the end destination it was totally worth it!
Plus, I loved surfing as well and there was so much sport available for those who had the funds!
3. The experiences. Surfing on a regular basis, using my blog as an excuse to play around on stage with the stage lighting and hitch-hiking to another part of the island (I promise it's completely normal in Floripa and a lot of locals do it). All these small things make up experiences that I would most likely never try or do again.
4. Saving money for travel. Although I never went to Argentina properly, I did visit the Argentinian side of the Iguassu Falls along with Parguay for a few hours one day. I actually spent the extra money on two weeks visiting a friend of mine in Cancun, Mexico and it was an incredible experience! I stayed with her in the local part of Cancun, and then did some of the touristy stuff during the day.
I do regret not exploring Argentina a bit further - and the north of Brazil - but at the time I don't think I would have been in a place to go. Ideally I would've liked to have revisited Cuzco, Peru, just to see how it felt being back as an adult.
For details on my trip to Cancun, visit my other blog: talbstar.blogspot.co.uk or my Youtube channel for some daily vlogs (Hannah Talbstar).
5. For the Brazilian attitude to life, the accent and the culture. I'm going to be honest, even though I've had a pretty hardcore time here mentally, I still wouldn't have picked Portugal simply for the overall experience. Brazilians are - in general - much more laid back, open-minded and friendly, the accent is so much nicer to listen to as well as speak and the culture is just so much more interesting because of the variety!
6. At the end of the day, it will look much more impressive that I have spent a year in Brazil and I now don't feel ashamed in admitting that it wasn't all that it looks like it's made up to be. However, I have been through such an amazing personal journey and still experienced so much from the locals and the country, that I am proud to say that I've been, I've accomplished what I have and I would love to inspire others to go for it too!
Why not Floripa?
1. The lifestyle. I am happiest when I'm busy, have things to complete and am moving my life forward. So unfortunately the very laid back lifestyle in Floripa was not to my taste and at times I found it very frustrating. "De vaga" is the term used in Brazil.
2. The lack of things to do. For those who love to hike and to dance forro, certenejo and samba all weekend every weekend, Floripa is perfect for you. But if you're like me and you like to mix it up, you either need a car or a lot of cash to afford to travel because there is not much else you can do on the island and it's a lot of effort to travel out every weekend.
3. As a student studying outside of the ERASMUS catchment areas (Europe!), the only money you had was the amount given to you by Student Finance, which was fine, however it means that I am still waiting on money back from them for the two return flights I had to pay for there and back. Erasmus students are given much more money to travel small distances and while I'm not saying they don't deserve it, I do think it's stupid that we don't get the same opportunities just because we chose to move further away. I would've visited so much more of South America.
Thank you for reading my blog and I hope this inspires you to take a few leaps, whether that's moving to Florianopolis or another part of Brazil. It truly has been a unique experience and I'm looking forward to talking to other linguists about it next month!
Beijos!