If you want to live in a different country, you need to have a very open mind. I have previously traveled to many countries, and in each of them, the culture shock is huge. Sometimes you end up having problems doing things that in your country are considered normal, but in a different country can be considered as an insult or weird. This can be very embarrassing. The first challenge that you face and  the worst of all is surely the new language.

In my home country, Brazil, about 235 million people speak Portuguese. This language is not very popular, so I decided to learn a few other languages ​​such as Spanish, English and a little French (in which I intend to improve and become fluent at some day). Although, sometimes just knowing a language, it is not enough. For example, sometimes the person can speak very fast, or can have a very strong accent, but the worst part is the slang and expressions, which do not make sense. After that comes the cultural part including, food, customs, habits, holidays, and parties. Everything is different from your country, and it is good in the first month because it is new, but once  you continue  to live with it, it becomes part of your routine. Culture is worldwide, and to change the culture you live in, your must change your view of the world, and if you think that is easy, welcome to Earth, Martian. Humans suffer when their culture is changed and they are forced to change the way they think.

When I began studying in the United States, it took me a long time to get used to the school schedule. In Brazil, we start our school day at 7 and end it at 12:40pm. Also, in my other school, I have six classes per day of fifty minutes each and one break. At first it seemed that each class was going to last forever here, at Ipswich High School, but now I prefer it. The senior year in Brazil is terrible, for one to go to college you have to take a test that is two days long, which means eight hours per day! This test includes 160 questions at the college level, sixteen different subjects, and only if you have good enough scores you can then go through the second stage. Then you must take another super hard test and if you receive a near perfect score, congratulations, you pass. On the other hand, here the senior year is amazing, everybody is so happy because they are getting accepted into colleges, so its a chill year, which is very different. One large difference between college in the United States and college in Brazil is that here you need to pay for college, while in Brazil it’s free.

Another triumph you may need to overcome, while traveling to another country, is the weather. I live in a tropical country, with sun most of the year, a sea with warm water, and it never snows. So, as you can imagine, it is completely different from some parts of the United States. Also, since I live in such a warm climate, the cold has been very painful for me during this winter season.

All in all, I really love living here in the USA. I love the people, the sympathy, the customs and even the fast foods. I’m eternally grateful to live for 6 months in this American lifestyle. Another thing that caught my attention here was the education. Words like “please” and “thank you” are said constantly, no matter the age, people are always very kind. Second, the interest that some people have of my country and about my habits, I am very happy to share. I also enjoy sharing my vision of the world with people who have a totally different vision.

You will feel fear, shame, desire to quit, cry of sorrow, and tears of happiness. You will cry because you want a hug from your mother, because you miss the smell of food from your neighbor, but at the same time, you will transform into a new person. You will become a citizen of the world, and that is priceless. So, if you are considering visiting or living in another country, do it. Nowadays, many schools, colleges, and large companies want people from all over the world to work with them, so open your mind; embrace the world and CHANGE!