I've traveled out of the country before, you know the usual Canada and Mexico expeditions peppered in with some true adventuring along British canals and through the tropical rainforest of Peru, I've even experienced what Icelandics consider "summer" -- a um...balmy 40 degrees Fahrenheit (so delightful when experienced in flip flops). The point of this is that none of those expeditions were long enough to require a visa.
The Brazilian government requires American citizens to carry a visa even if they're only going to be there for two days because as I have recently found out, the American government requires all Brazilians to carry a visa no matter how long the duration of their visit. There are NINE temporary visas and three permanent visas. I will be applying for a scientific research visa: Vitem1 instead of a student visa because I will not be studying at an actual university while I'm there. SIT bases all their expeditions on field work so while there are lectures none of them are in cookie cutter classrooms. Think of going on a field trip every day of school, that's basically what I have to look forward to.
But anyway, back to all of this visa stuff. Three weeks ago all of us in the program received an email the some of the documents we needed to apply for the visa were in Brazil being legalized (the Brazilian embassy checks to make sure the program is valid and that we're actually there to learn and do research) and that they should be ready within 10 days. Finally yesterday we all received an email saying that the documents were on their way to us so hopefully they should come in the mail tomorrow.
Once I get the documents, the hard work begins. There are 3 ways to apply for a visa, in person, online, or by using a visa agency. It costs extra to use the last two so I have decided to drive to Hartford, CT to my designated Brazilian consulate and apply in person (plus I have 2 friends who live around there so I'll make it an adventure). In addition to the supplemental documents from SIT I need a criminal background check (which needs to be legalized by the consulate), my original passport, a "receipt" which is basically this super long form that I need to fill out and sign (I have no idea what it's about), 2 passport sized photos, a photocopy of my proof of residence, a copy of my roundtrip ticket or a signed letter certifying that I purchased a roundtrip ticket, notarized letter regarding research in indigenous areas in the amazon, and a $220 money order.
I'm bound to mess up something somewhere, which is why we have our lovely admissions counselors to help us along the way. This is the last hurdle I have to jump over before I can finally get fully excited about going abroad :) I'll keep you all updated on the process but for now...
Tchau!
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Sunday, January 23, 2011
only 42 more days...
So here's the deal, I'm AWFUL at keeping track of my life on paper. Blogs, journals, diaries...I've started tons of them but have never finished a single one. Why should this one be any different you ask? I'm not entirely sure that it will be BUT unlike all the other blogs, journals, diaries etc. I actually have something cool to write about this time, I mean really cool...
In a little over a month's time I'll be spending 3.5 months in the BRAZILIAN AMAZON! (if you couldn't tell, I love to capitalize things, makes them sound more awesome in my head). There are so many details involved with the trip that it would take a day for me to try and post them all in one entry and neither you nor I have that kind of patience so here are the basics:
The program is through School for International Training (SIT), which has all these fantastic study abroad and graduate programs that take you to regions not typically thought of as vacation hotspots, which for me makes it all the more appealing because I'll be exploring a culture that hasn't been thoroughly influenced by tourists.
I'll be going to the city of Belem (beh-lang), which is in the state of Para (pah-dah). It is in Northern Brazil and very close to the state of Amazonas, which is where --you guessed it -- part of the world's largest amazon rainforest is located, so I won't be anywhere near americano favorites such as Rio de Janeiro or Sao Paulo and thus my experience may not be that of a typical foreigner but I'm still excited :)
I'll be studying amazon resource management and human ecology, which sounds like a mouthful but after telling people that's what I'll be studying for like 4 months now I can say it without breaking a sweat. Basically I'll be doing research in the amazon with a bunch of other college students about everything from deforestation to sustainable development, all while trying to speak Portuguese and keeping up with local customs.
while this is all very emocionante I still have 42 days to go (March 9th is the program start date), so I'll try and keep you all entertained until then with all the stuff I have yet to do to be prepared to go abroad!
Until Then,
Ate logo
In a little over a month's time I'll be spending 3.5 months in the BRAZILIAN AMAZON! (if you couldn't tell, I love to capitalize things, makes them sound more awesome in my head). There are so many details involved with the trip that it would take a day for me to try and post them all in one entry and neither you nor I have that kind of patience so here are the basics:
The program is through School for International Training (SIT), which has all these fantastic study abroad and graduate programs that take you to regions not typically thought of as vacation hotspots, which for me makes it all the more appealing because I'll be exploring a culture that hasn't been thoroughly influenced by tourists.
I'll be going to the city of Belem (beh-lang), which is in the state of Para (pah-dah). It is in Northern Brazil and very close to the state of Amazonas, which is where --you guessed it -- part of the world's largest amazon rainforest is located, so I won't be anywhere near americano favorites such as Rio de Janeiro or Sao Paulo and thus my experience may not be that of a typical foreigner but I'm still excited :)
I'll be studying amazon resource management and human ecology, which sounds like a mouthful but after telling people that's what I'll be studying for like 4 months now I can say it without breaking a sweat. Basically I'll be doing research in the amazon with a bunch of other college students about everything from deforestation to sustainable development, all while trying to speak Portuguese and keeping up with local customs.
while this is all very emocionante I still have 42 days to go (March 9th is the program start date), so I'll try and keep you all entertained until then with all the stuff I have yet to do to be prepared to go abroad!
Until Then,
Ate logo
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