It’s been less than two weeks since I’ve been back from 6 weeks in Southeast Asia, and I’m getting ready (actually planning to pack the night before) for another 6 weeks in South America! This will be my first time in South America, and what better place to start than Brazil! I’ve heard much about this booming country, and after spending a semester in China last year, I knew that Brazil, India, and Russia were next on the list. Looking back, I’ve realized that some of the best times of my life were the times when I spent more time with the locals in a certain city, whether it was thru a work term in Quebec, a study exchange in Beijing, or a volunteer stint in Phnom Penh (post about my time in Cambodia to come soon!). This time, I will be embarking on a 6 week internship through AIESEC (an international university network that brings students abroad thru NGO or for-profit internships). As a business graduate with experience mostly in the corporate setting, I was very much looking forward to apply my skills in an NGO setting. More details about the internship to come once I arrive to my destination – Porto Alegre! What I know about PA so far: 10th most populated city in Brazil, an hour’s flight from Sao Paolo, capital city of Rio Grande du Sul, surrounded by lakes/shoreline, and is a go-to destination for European settlement. I will be staying with a host family, and it appears that I need to learn Portuguese fast to communicate well with my host family! I haven’t found *too* much info about PA/life as an AIESEC intern in PA so I hope to shed some light for anyone looking to take a trip down here later on. As an AIESEC intern, there were some questions I needed to answer pre-departure so here they are:

My name is May – I was born in Hong Kong and moved to Vancouver in second grade. I recently graduated from Simon Fraser University with a Bachelors in Business Administration Honours. I like to play tennis, go snowboarding, and eat delicious foods (who doesn’t?!)!

A good friend went on an AIESEC internship in Milan and raved about it – she compared it to an experience she had while on an academic exchange. After having gone on an exchange myself to Beijing, I knew I wanted to do some sort of cultural exchange once again to somewhere I’ve never been. Brazil has been on the top of my list for some time and AIESEC was a great avenue for me to visit Brazil and make a tangible impact.

Meeting local students. Helping out with the NGO and actually making a difference. Living with a Brazillian family. Seeing the city, and maybe venturing to Rio and Sao Paolo as well.

I was not actively involved with AIESEC before, other than attending the Western Regional Conference in my first year at university (which was insane fun). I have had other experiences on and off-campus that has prepared me semi-well for this kind of stuff, so I’m very excited to take on Brazil!