Friday, February 13, 2015

Estou voltando pro Brasil :O

I'm returning to Brazil in two weeks to continue the research I began last year. I'll be doing a masters of Physical, Chemical, and Geological Oceanography at FURG this upcoming year.

The greatest obstacle to getting to Brazil this year was acquiring a visa. For those of you who have already been through the process of applying for a Brazilian visa, you likely feel my frustration seeping through the page. *Deep breathing exercises* The consulate in my jurisdiction is in Houston, which is 10 hours from my corner of Arkansas. There were ~ 20 documents required for my visa application, which included an FBI background check and bank statements with the balance of my checking and savings accounts, among other things.

Unfortunately I can't begrudge Brazil their intense immigration/visa policies because the US takes the cake on being jerks about immigration (though France comes in as a close second - just google 'Marine le Pen' and 'Front National' or read this). Brazil, like many other countries, has a reciprocity policy. So the visa fees Brazil requires of US applicants are equal to the fees the US requires of Brazilian applicants. It's just so... fair!

I'm excited to return to Rio Grande but it's always hard leaving home.