What Do You Get When Opposites Attract? Of course, PB&J

Romeo e Julieta: A Deadly Combo

But how about in Brazil? Something the Brazilians call Romeo e Julieta, which is the perfect combination of cheese and guava paste.

One great thing about having my siblings visit was hearing their perspective just after a couple weeks. They confirmed a few observations I had myself in the past months, relieving the doubt that I could be crazy. For example, my sister loved Viçosa and found it to be a great tight knit community. Not every university student would say the same, as I usually hear groans of not having anything to do in Viçosa. My brothers got sick of the salgados, the salty snacks, at every bus stop. We siblings indisputably come from the same tree.

My brothers getting their brew on.

Kenny, my older brother, expressed something that I had been trying to process for the past months. Brazilians receive so much information about our American culture, so much so that it is a distorted view. While visiting the Bohemia brewery in Petropolis, Kenny perceived a detail of the story of hops that he said had been misinterpreted by the tour guide. I am not going to remember exactly what it was, as I am not the bartender in the family. The point is that varying views and interpretations are bound to happen, as information crosses overseas, even into the brewery world.

I have seen this in the classroom environment too, as Brazilians know so many TV series that I have never seen, and sometimes never heard of. Some students have asked, "are parties in the U.S. really like those in American Pie"? Oh goodness...Then again, some American college parties may be like that? A little boy asked me the other day, "Is it true that you can get arrested if your boxers are showing?" Undoubtably he heard the news from some city that tried to enforce that rule. I doubt myself here thinking, "Maybe I am the one out of the loop here, maybe he is right?" That is the feeling I get sometimes- I am the American with less information about my country than a ten-years-old Brazilian. These examples clearly show the difference between what the news and media delivers to the Brazilian people and the realities of life in the United States.

As much as the Brazilians know about the U.S., Americans have a limited view of what is happening in Brazil. Before coming to Brazil, I got questions and comments from friends and family like "Do you know how to samba?" and "Ohhh Carnaval!" My personal favorite dialogue was, "Do you speak Spanish?"..."Yes but that won't help in Brazil." Beautiful people. Soccer. The Amazon. Favelas. These are the things we know about Brazil. Being from the States, we don't automatically hear Sertanejo music or Brazilian funk on the radio stations. Those interested in hearing have to seek out Zezé Di Camargo e Luciano or Valesca Popozuda. We don't hear about Brazilian politics because our news channels are full of debates between Republicans and Democrats. We get snidbits of their culture. American culture infuses Brazil, from music to movies to university lifestyle, to science articles, to names of stores, to hamburgers, to English class starting in grade school.

Maureen and Sabrina, two kindred souls.

That being said, my sister Maureen noted that it is an easy culture to adapt to for Americans. There are a lot of parallels between our cultures and the Brazilian people are so warm and welcoming, there's no wonder why I've been able to adapt quite fluidly. As for being an American here, there's not much else to do but hear the Brazilians' questions and try to give a glimpse of the reality of American life- beyond Hollywood glamour, beyond Washington drama, and beyond New York finances. My mission (oh, boy, here comes my power trip) is to clear up the misconceptions Brazilians have of Americans, one conversation at a time. I also will have the same mission in November- to bring back some Brazilian culture and expand the view my community at home has of Brazil. Mainly, that involves making tapioca and playing some Skank for everyone.

To start, listen here: