Fulbright Orientation, Reflections.

For the past few days (Saturday-Tuesday), I was in São Paulo attending the Fulbright Orientation for the incoming research grantees. It was a bit strange, seeing all of them so bright-eyed and anxious to start their research, since I have been here on my own for almost five months (I hit that mark tomorrow). In some ways, the orientation was even a little disorienting for me-- hearing everyone getting excited about the different things they want to get involved in, the number of connections they have... it made me realize how I (in some ways) really stepped foot into this country without any friends.

The meeting made me realize a few things-- a lot of the Fulbrighters are much more prepared than I was in terms of language fluency. I think it is going to help them a lot, that they already have the ability to speak Portuguese (or Spanish). It was also interesting to find out there were only two other Fulbrighers who were coming to Brazil for the first time. I thought there would be many more research grantees who would be coming to Latin America for the first time, or studying/living abroad for the first time, but I was in the minority. In fact, I think I may have been the only one who hadn't lived abroad (my two month stint in Oxford doesn't necessarily count). Being the youngest, the Orientation really opened my eyes to the different ways that people are approaching their grant, and the experiences they are bringing to the field. Some are PhD students that simply need to be here to get their dissertation research finished. Some are trying to move to Brazil, take Masters courses here, and are using the Fulbright as a way to jumpstart that. Some are artists, looking at the Fulbright as an opportunity to really explore the nature of their work.

I left the meeting with a sense of anxiety to head back to Rio to start my project, but also reinvigorated. It was the perfect reminder for me to start taking advantage of things that I am interested in outside of what I am already doing (within my research project). I really do want to learn more about the healthcare system here, and I hope that I can start attending some lectures at ENSP. I want to learn more about the Brazilian music culture-- something that I haven't given much thought. I want to read more Brazilian books. Be aware of the politics in this country. Every month living in this country you figure out another thing you want to do, things you want to be aware of, and the Orientation was a perfect reminder that my time in Brazil is limited and I need to not be complacent-- continue taking advantage.