Perks & Challenges of Interning Away From Home!
São Paulo is one of the world’s best business centers. It’s the city with most internship opportunities in Brazil. It is also more than 620 miles away from my hometown, Brasilia. It was soon before my summer break that I realized I would have to come here to attain a good professional summer experience. It’s been 53 days since I first got here. 53 days since I left the comfort of my home. I constantly miss my family while reassuring myself of the great opportunity I was presented with. I still have 35 days left and can’t even envision my personal growth scale at the end of this journey.
The first weeks were a bit more challenging: I had to go to the supermarket and figure it out how much food was enough. The reality hit harder in small steps when I realized that I wasn’t going to have dinner if I didn’t cook. My clothes would not be cleaned if I didn’t take the time to do laundry. I thought I was going to cook an entire meal every night and dine on the table as I usually did with my family. After a few days of arriving at 10 pm, however, I settled with fast omelets and quickly prepared “tapiocas”. As a person who loves routines, I believe the challenge was well suited. I was able to maintain a practical and realistic routine that I am hoping to keep at college.
It may have taken a while to adapt, but I am looking forward to my next summer internship in São Paulo. There is nothing like walking in the streets of Brazil and feeling at home. The sense of belonging is unique. The best sensations come at lunch, while I am glancing at the busy streets looking for restaurants trying to decide which place has the best traditional rice, beans, and brigadeiro to eat. Even though I am far away from Brasília, I can now say that in São Paulo, I found a home away from home!
“Where we love is home – home that our feet may leave, but not our hearts.”
Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr.