Getting Started

I am excited to start learning about Brazil. I have never been to a South American country, and I am really excited to be visiting Brazil based on all of the wonderful things other people have said. Everyone I have talked to has talked about how beautiful the country is, but also the various areas they have visited. It is a huge country, so most people I have talked to have not visited all of the areas we will go to.

I looked into the economy of Brazil a bit, and was surprised to see it compared to that of China and India - two rapidly growing economies. Articles I read about the economy suggested the beginning of extreme social changes among citizens, including the ability to work hard enough to increase social status.

Brazilian Cinema also appears to be very successful currently. The Tribeca Film Festival (TFF) has shown several Brazilian films, and claims that they are all very successful and well made. The Brazilian Cinema is the strongest now, as it has been in the past 40-50 years, with some of their movies showing in theaters in the US. I have received several e-mail updates about the films from TFF, but have had difficulty with their website, and thus have been unable to find out more information. Two of the films they recommend are Santiago and The Year My Parents Went on Vacation.