Sao Paulo is a very metropolitan city. Make language learning a priority, it’ll grant you more favour with locals and you’ll be able to appreciate the culture better. Insper provides a free crash course on Portuguese that you can take. Insper campus life is exciting, and there are many activities you can take part in. However, if Portuguese is not your first language, it might be more difficult to integrate and make friends.

Sao Paulo is a city that one needs time to get accustomed to. During my first few weeks there, it was quite difficult to adjust. Over time, I grew to love the unique charm of the city. I especially loved eating at lanchonettes because it is a very local thing to do. The Japanese food in Sao Paulo is also quite good and affordable, as there are a number of Japanese living there. In Insper, exchange modules are done with final year students, most of whom are already working. It was thus rather difficult to make friends with them, and I mostly sat with other exchange students during class. However, there are other activities and events organised by the sports union that you can take part in.

I chose to do my exchange in Brazil as I wanted to go somewhere different. Also, it is rare to get an opportunity to spend an extended period of time in a place like South America, which I wanted to make full use of. Sao Paulo is a financial hub, so in some ways it can be rather dull compared to other cities in Brazil like Rio. One needs to explore it extensively to enjoy the nuances of living there. I managed to link up with the Singaporean community there, which is small but very active. They provided me with a sense of home away from home, which made living in Sao Paulo a lot more enjoyable.

Choosing Brazil as an exchange destination is the best decision I ever made. I got the chance to fully immerse in the culture and with the locals being very hospitable, there was never one moment that I felt dull. There are a few key school events throughout the whole exchange semester, and all of them had their school staff trying to make the exchange students feel welcome. For the welcome parties, the student organizers dance with you and all that. It was really awesome! Besides, Insper has a really good culture of giving back, students who went on exchange are very eager to give back and help inbound exchange students like myself adapt. Alfred Choi and Paloma Giuliani (who been to SG) in particular are really awesome and helpful. And the hospitable culture helps even more in that there isn't a culture of shunning exchange students from project groups, but even students who have never been on exchange are keen on interacting with you and taking you into their project groups. Just remember to do your work!