I'm leaving tomorrow!

Hello everyone, thanks for checking in!
I'll be flying to Miami tomorrow afternoon and will arrive in Belem, Brasil on Wednesday evening.
For those who don't know, I will studying Amazon Resource Management and Human Ecology in Brazil. So I’ll be learning all about natural and human ecology, conservation, sustainable development, agriculture, etc…essentially the 5 W’s of the Amazon. The program begins/is based in Belem, a port city at the mouth of the Amazon, though I’ll actually get to travel extensively on educational excursions and homestays lasting from 1 day to about 2 weeks. I’ll end with a month-long independent research project on any topic related to the program’s theme and in any relevant place I can get myself to. At this point, I think I’ll be researching the effects of U.S. agricultural policy on Amazonian development…at least in some capacity. We’ll just wait and see!

I had planned to be comfortable with basic Portuguese by now (considering my best friend/the person I’ve lived with for over 2 years is Brazilian, and that I had over two months with nothing better to do in VT than study the language). However, like most of my plans…it seems things didn’t turn out ideally! I’m planning to cram tonight, and while waiting at airports over the next two days. Then the real Portuguese lessons will start and I’ll have no choice but to immerse myself.

Due to the nomadic nature of the program and my personal tendency to fail at communicating with everyone, I expect to update this blog about once a week…at best. Please do email me, I’m still may20p@mtholyoke.edu or send messages on Facebook. I also have Skype and am hoping to have a routine time/day when I’m logged in. Anyway, my username for Skype is may20p.

Really do keep in touch! I miss everyone sooo much already and can’t wait to have lots and lots of epic reunions in the summer/fall!

Take care,
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