Olá

Hello everyone, or "Olá" as we say it here in Brazil.  My name is Mike Kalmeta and I am an International Affairs student at Northeastern University back in Boston.  I'm going to use this post as a quick introduction as to who I am and what exactly I am doing.

Oh and here's a picture I took of the city by the way:

Wait so what are you doing in Brazil?

Well I guess being an International Affairs major is extra great because it lets me co-op essentially anywhere on the globe, as the title suggests.  But anyways, good question.

So my co-op is a bit non-conventional since I am doing two jobs.  One of my jobs is in the Department for International Affairs for the City of Belo Horizonte.  I am currently working with others in the department to develop this program called "Improve Your English."  Essentially what we do is encourage the spread of English throughout the city of Belo Horizonte to improve the "internationalization" of the city which will in-turn aid industry, tourism, and the education system.  It does sound pretty vague when put that way, but trust me there are so many things going on behind the curtain.  A small glimpse of into my life in the department consists of organizing the training of English teachers in the city, creating exchange partnerships between Belo Horizonte and cities in English-speaking countries, and going to schools across the city to engrain children with the importance of learning languages and the benefits it will have for their future.  That's just a small part of what I do, mind you.  Oh, and it's all in Portuguese.

I also teach English and North American culture at the Cultural Institute Brazil-United States (ICBEU) here in Belo Horizonte.  During the week I hold conversation classes with English learners from all different levels, with specific topics, and help them learn more about life in the English-speaking world (United States specifically).  At the same time, my good friend who I work with is tutoring me in Portuguese (since I never received instruction on the language prior).

Wait, so why Brazil?

I've always been interested in Brazil.  Being an Italian-American, I feel as if Brazilians share a lot culturally with Italians.  Not only that, but I have been interested to learn about the food, the beautiful Portuguese language, all of the amazing cities from Rio up to Fortaleza, and of course the people.  No matter where in the world I find myself, I find Brazilians to be some of the warmest people I meet.  Plus, to be honest, I wanted to go somewhere with warm weather.  I thrive better in hot places, you know.

Where is Belo Horizonte?

Yes most people who know basic facts about Brazil do not know what or where Belo Horizonte is.  So, Belo Horizonte is the capital city in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais, right above Rio de Janeiro.  Here's a picture with it marked on a map.

(Photo: worldeasyguides.com)

Belo Horizonte is the fourth largest city in Brazil with over 2.1 Million inhabitants.  Yes it is landlocked, but there is still plenty to do here!  We're super close to both Brasilia and Rio.

What's this Blog for?

Well I hope to shed some light on what life is like as a co-op student in Brazil and also encourage anyone interested to apply to co-ops within this beautiful country.  I am going to show you all what my everyday life consists of as well as all of the amazing sights, food, people, cultural insights, and you name it.  I feel like this is extra important considering the state of Brazil today amidst the political and economic crisis, the Olympic Games, the Zika scare, and so on.  I hope you guys enjoy my posts and if you have ANY specific questions, leave a comment and I'll try to answer it!