Experience report
ANR: 876511
Name: Yvonne Jamar
E-mail: y.m.m.jamar@tilburguniversity.edu
Exchange semester: July-December 2014
Academic year: 4th
Host University: PUC-Rio
Country:Brazil
TOPIC: Admission, arrival, housing
How was your arrival organized? Did someone pick you up from the airport/station? Was an
orientation or introduction activity organized? How was accommodation organized? Does the
university provide you with accommodation? What kind of accommodation does the university
provide? Did you have to book your accommodation in advance or did you have to search for a place
to live after you arrived?
My arrival was organized very nicely. The university picked me up from the airport and brought
me to the room that I was renting. The first room I was renting I had rented through the
university. This was a very nice option because it was very hard to find a place during the
world cup but a bit expensive. I did move out of this room after one month though to find my
own place. The accommodation that I arranged through the university was a homestay. I lived
with a woman and her daughter and I had my own room in their house.
After the homestay I moved into a apartment with 4 exchange students in Copa Cabana.
The first day in Brazil was as well my first day at the university. The university had organized a
introduction activity in which they explained everything that you would need to know to study
at PUC and to live in Rio.
TOPIC: Location of university/city
Please describe the city you lived in. Where is the university located in the city? What is the best
place to go to eat/drink/dance/do sports/etc.? What are interesting things to see and do in your host
city? What was different than in Tilburg?
My university was located in Zona Sul in Rio de Janeiro en the neighbourhood Gávea. Zona
Sul is a very touristic area in Rio where you will find more then enough places to go
shopping/out for dinner/party/watch a movie etc. There are many things to see in Rio.
Offcourse you have Cristo, Pão de açucar and the famous beaches and besides that a lot of
mountains you can hike which will give you an amazing view of the city. I would also defenitly
recommend going to a soccer game at the maracana stadium.
Life in Rio is very different from life in Tilburg, and you will notice this very quickly mostly
because everybody is always late. Life in Rio is very “tranquillo”. Busses come whenever they
come, and classes that are supposed to start at 13:00, will start somewhere between 13:00 and
13:30.
TOPIC: Academics
Which courses did you take and why? Which courses would you recommend? What did the courses
add to your program at Tilburg University? How does the university compare to Tilburg University
concerning the level of the courses, use of extra material, level of English, workload, etc.? Overall,
were you happy with your academic achievements during your exchange? Please describe the
campus of your host university.
I took 5 courses in Rio. Portuguese 2, Brazillian History, Brazillian foreign policy, Relationship
marketing and Global strategic management. I have learned a lot about Brazil and about
Brazillian culture which I found very interesting. The business courses where more serious
and also more work but also more valuable for my program at home. University at PUC was
very different form what I was used to. You will have a class with max 40 people and a lot of
times even less. Teachers expect for you to participate during the class.
TOPIC: Social life
Which social activities organized by the university or students? Did you have contact with local
students? Did you have contact with other exchange students? How did you get along with the local
students and other exchange students? Did you travel to other places/countries during your
exchange?
The university organized a introduction and during the semester they would organize a few
drinks and excursions. I only went to one drink and went on the excursion to Petropolis. These
trips where usually very cheap and I really enjoyed the one excursion I went on.
I mostly hang out with exchange students, this was mainly because the classes I took mostly
had exchange students in it. I did meet a few Brazilians who were hanging out a lot with the
exchange students.
During my exchange I’ve only traveled within Brazil. Brazil is a very large and diverse country
and it will cost you a lot of time before you have seen everything within Brazil.
TOPIC: Living costs
How did you finance your exchange period, apart from the grant you received from Tilburg University?
What were your living expenses abroad like compared to Tilburg? What did you spend most of your
money on? What would you advice future students to spend their money on? Please outline your
approximate monthly budget whilst on exchange: housing, food, textbooks, etc.
I’ve financed my exchange with money I’ve saved. Living in Rio is pretty expensive. The rent of
my room was already around 450 euro, and groceries are about the same price as in the
Netherlands. If you want to safe some money you could live in the favela Vidigal. During my
exchange period a lot of students lived here and they only payed around 200 euro’s for a
room. Downside of living in Vidigal is that it will take you a lot of time to get up and down the
hill. I also think that if you don’t have a little knowledge of Portuguese it might be better not to
live there. My monthly spending where around 800 euro’s a month, which includes housing,
traveling, groceries, and like hanging out with friends, going out etc. I didn’t have to spend any
money on books because the teachers will give everything to you online. You just have to
print it which I could do for free at the university.
TOPIC: Culture
Did you experience culture shock while on exchange? How would you compare your host culture to
your own culture? What did you learn about your own culture while on exchange? What was different
about your host culture than you expected? What did you like and not like about your host culture? Do
you feel you learned a lot about your host culture, and if not, what would you like to learn more? How
would you describe your host countries culture? If you travelled to other cities/countries during your
exchange, were they different than your host city/country, and how?
I didn’t really experience a big culture shock. Offcourse the culture in Brazil was very different
and I did have to get used to it, but I really enjoyed it. People in Rio are very laidback and relax,
but also won’t take no for an answer, they will always try to get their way somehow. You will
notice that teachers are also very laidback and if you for example fall behind on homework
there can always be made an arrangement.
If you go to Sao Paulo you will notice that the culture over there is much more western. People
are way less relaxed.
TOPIC: Personal development
What did you learn from the people you met during your exchange? Would you do things differently if
you had the chance, and what would you do differently? What was your best experience, and what
was your worst experience? What will you remember for ever about your exchange period? What was
the most important lesson you learned about yourself during your exchange period?
I mostly met exchange students during my exchange, which was really cool because they were
from all around the world. However, if I could do it again I would try to not live with exchange
students in a house but with Brazilians. During my exchange I’ve noticed that it is very hard to
meet Brazilians and living with them would be a good opportunity. I also wish I had lived with
Brazilians because it would have made me learn Portuguese even faster.
TOPIC: Tips for future students
Would you recommend an exchange period? Would you recommend your host university? What
should prospective students bring with them/leave behind? What preparation is required for going on
exchange to this destination? Was there anything you should have done in preparation that you didn’t
do?
I would defenitly recommend an exchange period to everybody and esepecially Brazil. I’ve
really enjoyed my time abroad and you will grow a lot as a person. I would advice you to bring
a notebook from home because they are very expensive in Brazil. Besides that I think it is best
to have not to many expectations and just enjoy your time abroad.
TOPIC: A picture is worth a thousand words
If you took any pictures or made any videos that you would like to share with future exchange
students, please include them (or e-mail them separately). Pictures that show your daily life or
symbolize your exchange period are especially interesting for future exchange students.