During my experience here in Brazil, I am staying in my hometown, Niteroi, while working with a research group at the Rio de Janeiro State University (UERJ) in the city of Rio de Janeiro. Usually, I leave my neighborhood of Piratininga here in Niteroi, and either take about an hour-long car ride over the Rio-Niteroi bridge or a ferry ride to the central area of Rio de Janeiro, as the Guanabara Bay separates the two cities. This distance allows me to explore more of the region than if I were working and staying in the same area, which has given me the opportunity to see many interesting places in both Niteroi and Rio.
Above, I included a drawing I made mapping this region, illustrating the Guanabara Bay, Rio de Janeiro, Niteroi, and some other key places. I also included another ballpoint pen sketch I made last month of a view in Rio, which shows the area illustrated on the map from a different perspective. Here are some pictures I’ve taken so far of places on the map like Praça XV, Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas, Piratininga, and Itacoatiara!
My experience in Brazil and the places I frequent here are very different from where I was before. Not only are the area and culture completely different, but having to travel between Niteroi and Rio gives me a much wider variety of places and people to interact with compared to staying in Tallahassee or Tampa, where I live now in the US.
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