When a person is accustomed to a certain culture they have been raised with, speaking Portuguese to everyone they meet and attending a university in Brazil, transitioning to school in the United States can be difficult.
“Usually students take 24 or 25 credit hours in Brazil,” said Rafael de Almeida Leite, senior in agronomy and soils. “It is also common to have about 20 hours of research or an internship as well.”
De Almeida Leite, from Rio de Janeiro, is part of an exchange program that allows him to attend Auburn for one year.
“You have to be prepared because things are different,” de Almeida Leite said. “You have to get used to a different kind of living, a different climate — but it will be an experience for your life.”
De Almeida Leite said it is hard at first to learn how to succeed at school in the U.S., especialy if students aren’t used to so many tests, quizzes and homework assignments.
Thaís Regina Lemfers, third year graduate student in veterinary medicine, agreed.
Lemfers said she was surprised at the expectations from her professors and the way they interact with students.
“In Brazil, you can talk to professors like they are your friends, and you can call them,” Lemfers said. “But here you have to make an appointment, and it just seems more formal.”
Lemfers said she does believe there are many benefits to schooling in the U.S., benefits that extend beyond student-professor relations.
“I’m more excited to go to class here because I can have more contact in my field,” Lemfers said. “There is more technology and labs.”
Andresa Bezerra, junior in chemistry, said grading and professor relations are not the only aspects of life that take getting used to. As an exchange student with an accent, she said she often receives judgment from native students.
“Sometimes it’s hard because people judge you just for being an exchange student,” Bezerra said. “But I think I’ve grown in confidence while I’ve been here.”
But confidence isn’t the only part of Bezerra’s growing experience.
“Everyone knows you grow a lot, but what they don’t know is how much you can grow doing this,” Bezerra said. “Going to school in a foreign country, you are basically learning how to live alone and do everything by yourself. You don’t have friends to help you. You don’t have family to help you. You have to begin your life again.”
Lemfers said she believes it is easier for students from all over the world to do an exchange program in the U.S., rather than in another country because she said America is so highly broadcast that they are already semi-familiar with expectations.
“It’s easier to come to the U.S. because we already know so much about it,” Lemfers said. “But it’s also different because people in Brazil are more friendly to strangers, but here everyone treats me differently.”
De Almeida Leite said the worst part about living away from home is missing his favorite foods.
“I really miss Brazilian barbecue,” de Almeida Leite said. “But I do love fried chicken.”
Each student has especially enjoyed the opportunities they have had here to speak and learn English, although Lemfers said the Brazilian way of speech is much different from the American style.
“I think, in Brazil, we have more expressions, because sometimes I will want to say something, but it wouldn’t make any sense here,” Lemfers said. “The best part, though, is in the end, when you feel like you are progressing, and now I can talk with people.”
Lemfers, de Almeida Leite and Bezerra all said going home will be a mixture of emotions, but they all have enjoyed the time they’ve had at Auburn.
“I don’t know how I will be when I leave,” Bezerra said. “But I also really enjoyed the time I spent here and know it has been really good for me.”
Do you like this story? The Plainsman doesn't accept money from tuition or student fees, and we don't charge a subscription fee. But you can donate to support The Plainsman.
