Countries such as Chile and Mexico have attracted growing number of academic mobility students
Roger Silva
Historical buildings, typical cuisine and abounding cultural richness are just some of the attractions of Latin American countries. However, countries such as Chile, Mexico, Argentina, Uruguay and Colombia have much more to offer than tourism and have become much more attractive for academic mobility.
Relying on renowned universities in several academic areas and massive investments in education and research, PUCRS students have been taking their chances on neighboring Spanish-speaking countries for an academic mobility program. Stephanie Mello, Roger Paz de Souza da Silva and Alex Blasi de Souza, Psychology, Journalism and Public Relations students, respectively, were some of the students who embarked upon an academic experience to these places, in the beginning of 2018.
Why Latin America
Alex Souza
Studying in Latin American countries has been a very positive experience. Alex, a School of Communications, Arts and Design student, chose the continent because he wanted to work on his Spanish. “I knew I wanted to go on an exchange to a Spanish-speaking country because I wanted to learn the language and to make the latino spirit grow in me, which is something I wouldn’t be able to do in Brazil. In this sense, Universidad Veracruzana, in Mexico, featured as one of the most interesting schools in my list”, says he.
Stephanie claims that she has always wanted to go on an academic mobility program in Latin America since the very beginning. “We have to give our neighboring countries the right value and recognize their qualities, beauties and attractions they have to offer. We don’t need to go to Europe for that”, says she. The School of Health Sciences student arrived at the Universidad Marista de Guadalajara, in Mexico, earlier this semester.
Roger Silva
The fact that the countries are so geographically close but so culturally distant was the motivating factor for Roger, who is at the Universidad Mayor, in Chile. “As a Brazilian, I’m so sorry I don’t seem to be as latino as the rest of Latin America. We speak different languages, we listen to different music, we eat different foods, we have a nationalist mentality and identity that we can barely see in other South Americans. This was very clear to me here, as I interacted with people from different parts of the world, including, Latin America, Europe or Asia”, explains he.
Learning inside and outside classroom
Studying a second language is, undoubtedly, one of the greatest challenges for those who choose to study abroad. Despite that, students claim that classmates and professors are supportive and even encouraging for them to learn English. On top of that, connecting to people from different parts of the world is a meaningful contribution to multiculturality and brings students from different cultures together.
Stephanie Mello
In Stephanie’s view, not many weeks had passed until she got used to the language and to the university’s structure. “I believe that the nicest thing about the Universidad Marista de Guadalajara is the staff’s genuine concern with its students. They are so caring to everyone and very receptive to people from abroad”, comments she.
Student encouragement
The Latin American experience has propelled students to recommend the continent for academic mobility programs in the coming semesters. Unusual places and friends, a change in study routine and self-knowledge are some of the highlights of the experience.
“To choose a Latin American country is to choose to experience the fineness and fragility of these settings, is to value the mundaneness of places, which can be full of good energy but are mostly forgotten and overshadowed by so much modernity and technology”, comments Stephanie.
Alex is keen to recommend Latin American to those who want to connect to the Latin spirit. “Unlike Brazil, in which, because of its size, we tend to compare ourselves with people and cultures from within the country, other Latin American countries are bonded by something much bigger than the Latin American reality, including, in my opinion, the stronger political engagement”, complements he.
PUCRS has academic mobility agreements with 25 universities in Latin America. These institutions have great undergraduate and graduate programs in several academic areas. Besides, the countries where they are located are very attractive to Brazilians in terms of cost of living. For further information about exchange opportunities, please drop a line to [email protected].
