My Routine in Brazil

My routine here in Brazil has been pretty busy, but I really like it! 

Since the research group I am participating in is at the Rio de Janeiro State University (UERJ), a lot of the work is done on campus, in the Maracanã neighborhood of Rio. This means that I often have to travel to UERJ to work with the other students and our mentor. As I am staying in my hometown of Niterói, which is across the Guanabara Bay from Rio, I often have to travel across the bay in the morning to get to UERJ, either through the bridge that connects the two cities or a ferry boat (which I always liked taking as a kid!). Sometimes I also stay with friends who live in the city!

The work at UERJ is pretty diverse: we discuss readings and sources for the research project, have meetings about the structure of the project and future plans, help students with their individual research, and also do some field work, which I have really enjoyed. Today, for example, we went walking as a group through the central area of Rio de Janeiro, while our mentor taught us about the history of that area of the city. We then explored the buildings and architecture, looking for a specific type of symbol called Adinkra, which originates from West Africa and was brought to Brazil by the people from that region, and indicates African cultural heritage in the area. These symbols are often present in the older metal doorways, windows, and gates of the city, which we took pictures of and notes on to then map their locations throughout central Rio and identify their meanings (some pictures included below).

After working with the research group, I either go home to Niterói to see my family, or stay in Rio with some friends there. As I often have to spend the afternoons at UERJ, I am able to have some free time in the day to explore both Rio and Niterói (more pictures of what I’ve been seeing here below!). The photo I chose to describe how I feel at the moment is of me by the Niterói Contemporary Art Museum, which has a beautiful view of both Niterói and Rio de Janeiro, showing that I’ve been going back and forth between the two cities during my time here.