Entry #1 - Introduction

Hi!

My name is Arturo Avila. I was born and raised in Caracas, Venezuela. I just finished my freshman year as a civil engineering major.

I came to this dialogue because I am interested in civil environmental engineering. Therefore, I think it would be really useful for me to learn about alternative energies. Especially, in a country like Brazil where this type of technologies is so well developed. Also, being from a Latin American country, I'm always eager to learn more about our continent. Furthermore, since I was coming to Brazil, I started taking portuguese lessons so I'm definitely looking forward to put my language skills up to the test.

Sé Cathedral

Yesterday, it was the first time we toured around the city. Judging by the people and the sites we saw, I thought it was an interesting city filled with rich culture and people. For instance, we passed by some historical sites as the Sé Cathedral and the first school of São Paulo, and we saw some people in the middle of the street who were standing in a circle while they took turns to speak their minds about anything they wanted. Also, I noticed that some of the buses, or ônibus as they say in portuguese, were powered by electricity, which is something I've never seen back in my hometown. 

Bus powered by electricity

I hope that by the end of the program I'll have a better understanding of alternative technologies and brazilian culture, and that this experience will help me broaden my knowledge in way that I will be able to use it as tool when looking for my fist Co-op job next year. Moreover, I hope that after a month a will be able to improve my portuguese skills considerably.