by Courtney Plante
New experiences can definitely allow one to see life in a different way. I recently took a trip to Brazil with a number of my classmates and I was struck by the landscape that the country has to offer. The beauty and serenity that I witnessed is, in my experience, unmatched. Apart from that, however, the human connections that can be made in Brazil provided me with a space in which to talk about my social lens like never before. I was often hit with the realization that some of the major problems plaguing the United States are also issues in Brazil, albeit in a somewhat different form. Similarly, I found that some of the ways that America uses (and/or misuses) its social capital should perhaps be taken into consideration by the Brazilian government in light of Brazil’s struggle to fully blossom.
Perhaps most importantly, I was reminded that despite often having unconventional approaches to problems, my own perspective has a place in healthy conversions about society at large. Hearing my fellow classmates from both WVU and UVV (the University of Vila Velha) touch on ideas in a manner very similar to my own brought the trip’s affect full circle. Surprisingly, the global community and the Brazilian community are much like our own. It became apparent to me that national problems may sometimes need to be seen as international problems. Indeed, some issues that ultimately receive international attention spark important conversations abroad. I left Brazil with this thought: If people could occasionally share their own, seemly nontraditional opinions more often, then we can then truly become part of a more inclusive community.
