PRE-ARRIVAL BLOG:
         Before I land in Sao Paulo I am constantly wondering what awaits me. Currently my knowledge of Brazil stems from the cultural points in my high school Spanish class, the brief information about the pre-departure meeting, and current events. In high school we discussed briefly (as Brazil does not pretain too much to the Spanish language) the cultural aspects of Brazil. Main points were the popularity of Samba dancing and soccer. I have heard that Brazilians are laid back and very easy going. From the current events I have heard that there is a raising middle class that are protest the government. The coastline is very developed but inland is very rural. Poverty and crime still plague Brazil more so than other developed countries.
          One of the most exciting and intimidating parts of my trip is the culture shock. I have not left the North American continent and have never felt culture shock before. I imagine at first I will be very enthusiastic about the language barrier and cultural change, but feel a couple days in I may become frustrated with my lack of communication with the Brazilian citizens.
          Overall though I am very excited to experience new culture. I firmly believe that new cultures opens one's eyes to different lifestyles, soceities, problems, and ways to solve problems. I am most interested in seeing the modes of transportation most common used, the different eating schedules and food, and what Brazilians do for fun/hobbies.