"20/20 Hindsight": 2008-2009 Evaluations"
"20/20 Hindsight": Tips from past IFPers
What
things do you wish you had brought with you?
What things could you just as well have left at
home?
What restaurants would
you especially recommend? Why?
What did you find
especially interesting or fun to visit?
Any other advice to share with future students?
What things do you wish you had brought with you?
- Hiking shoes
- Sunscreen
- Umbrella
- Data CD’s
- Casual clothes
- Rio has pretty much everything one needs. I'd have brought more DV tapes to save money
- My small digital camera (I brough a large SLR and often wish I had something more discreet)
- My Portuguese exercise book was a must
What things do you wish you had left at home?
- Clothes
- Nice clothes
- Maybe my laptop. But maybe not.
- A long sleeve shirt (?)
- My tripod
How was the work ambiance? What are the particular
dress codes, working language(s), and office hours at the organization?
“Viva Favela maintains a casual
dress code: many staff came to work in shorts or jeans and t-shirts. Hours
are also flexible. The working language of the organization is Portuguese.”
“The
work ambiance was very friendly, there was no
specific dress code, and the working language was mainly Portuguese (but I would also get help
in English from some of my colleagues whenever I needed it). The office hours
were
“The work ambiance in class ranged from total chaos to serious
discussions, but I
think that this is quite normal with a group of 15 teenagers. The
students opened up
to the end of the class and were also more careful and thoughtful in
the execution of
the assignments. We could rely on the children to return the cameras
and be on time
for our class. The students referred to us as “tia” (aunt), which
tells about our
relationship to the children. We were not seen as teachers, but more
as friends with
much respect towards each other.
The dress code was casual and
the class was twice a week for 1,5 hours. We
prepared our classes at home, since there was no working space at
Solar available.”
What restaurants would you especially recommend? Why?
·
Any of the “Garota”’s
(Garota de Flamengo, Garota de
Copacabana, Garota de Ipanema): good, traditional Brazilian food for a
reasonable price.
·
For a special
occasion, Porcão (located in Ipanema
and Flamengo). You will pay a lot (around $R100, $US 66), but it is all you can
eat gourmet food. Plus it is an institution in
·
A kilo restaurant, which means selecting
your own food at a buffet, is very popular in
·
Inexpensive
menu option: “
·
I would recommend juice bars
because they have excellent healthy food and Kilo places (where you pay by the
Kilogram) because you can try a large variety of foods and experience the Brazilian
culture.
·
Explore! Try as much and as varied a selection as you can. You can’t err.
What did you find especially interesting or fun to visit?
·
If you have a weekend off, Isla
Grande, about two hours south of
·
I liked the
community visits, especially my day in “Complexo
do Alemão”. I love Santa Teresa,
Lapa and Centro.
·
The Zoo
of Rio de Janeiro is a strange and wonderful historical artifact
·
Parque Lage as an interesting
hidden spot to relax
·
·
Sao Cristovo
Northeastern Fair.
·
Bangu, an organization in
one of the favelas who taught kids percussions and we were fortunate to watch
them perform.
Was there anything in particular which helped you to get oriented, to
get around, or to get through daily life?
·
Going down
two weeks early for the intensive
language course was invaluable in getting to know the language and the city
before the program began.
·
The sun is
good for time orientation and the long coastline makes it quite easy to get around (at least in Zona Sul).
·
Speaking Portuguese helps a lot since most of the people on the street
don’t know any English.
·
Lonely Planet.
What advice would you give to students who are planning to travel to
other locations during the Program?
·
I would
generally prefer the north of
·
I found Bahia very
fascinating and I would love to travel more north (
·
Try to be as careful as possible.
·
Talk to people. (I would even say to
withhold the specifics of planning until you get there)
·
Make a budget.
How much money would you recommend that future students bring to cover
living expenses? How much for travel?
·
Rio is an
expensive city, comparable in many ways, to
·
Daily expenses are around 25 Dollars. Public transportation can get quite expensive,
since there are no weekly or daily tickets available. In case of traveling
– it depends very much on the destination. The south is more expensive than the
north, the seasons play a role etc
·
·
Not sure. I used an ATM card but then had money stolen through fraud.
This happened to a few people on the trip. But I still think I would use an ATM
card if I returned.
·
At least $1500-$1700 for all
expenses.
How do you evaluate your accommodations?
·
Edificio Jucati is okay. The rooms and surrounding are rather drab and occasionally
you will get a large group of tourists making noise until late into the night.
If you are unfortunate enough to face the central courtyard and not the outside
of the hotel be prepared for noise and fluorescent lights shining into your
room. Ear covering and earplugs are advisable. That being said, the hotel is
conveniently located, has wireless internet in the rooms, and is relatively
comfortable. There is a great farmers’ market in the park across the street on
Wednesdays.
·
The
accommodation was great. The location was very central – close to metro,
busses, shopping and the beach. We were able to cook and the rooms were good to
share for two
people. The only problem was the bad Internet connection. The wireless
connection wasn’t working for days sometimes or once working would be very
slow. This was a major problem since it isn’t safe to travel around with a
laptop in
·
The hostel was clean and safe.
Any other advice to share with future students?
- The pacing and
rhythm is very different in
- Read as much as
you can about
- Learn Portuguese
and if you stay longer, you don’t only have to live in