Program Details
| Program Length | Start | End | Price | Age on Departure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| August | June | $73,800 | 15-18.6 |
Brazil was discovered by a Portuguese navigator, Pedro Alvares Cabral, on 22 April, 1500.
Brazil is the fifth largest country in the world and shares its boarders with all other countries on the South American continent except for Ecuador and Chile. Geographically, Brazil is very diverse, from the isolated tropical Amazon jungle in the north, where access can only be gained by the river, to the dry non-tropical areas, beautiful coastlines and large busy cities.
The Portuguese language is considered to be a fascinating and musical language with Brazilians making use of body language to assist in their conversation.
Brazil is considered to be the largest Catholic country in the world. Despite this, it also has a substantial number of Protestants, Jews and Muslims living and practicing their religion.
Being a continental country, the weather varies in each of the three regions, classified as: the regions of humid climate, with low variation and always above 18ºC; the region of semi-arid hot climate with very little rain; and the region of “mid-weather”, situated in the south and defined by temperatures below 18ºC and regular rain in winter.
AFS in Brazil
Seven Brazilians traveled to the USA in 1956 on the first AFS program. When these students returned home in 1957, they took with them the motivation to organize and ensure the opportunities they had experienced were available to future participants.
Host Schools
Brazil has one educational system, divided into three parts: 1st Grade (8 years), 2nd Grade (3 years) and University. With classes from Monday to Friday, the school year starts in February and continues until December with a winter vacation mid year. Students attend school either in the mornings or the afternoons, remaining in the same class and with the same schedule through the whole school year. Schools, with very few exceptions, are academically oriented and do not offer extra curricular activities.
Host Families
In Brazil the family is a very close unit, with parental decisions respected and followed by children. The sense of family often includes all relatives, especially if they live close to each other and activities will often include family get together, watching TV and traveling during vacations. Important aspects of Brazilian social life include dancing, drinking in a cafe or eating out.
Most Brazilians are used to two large meals – lunch and dinner. Breakfast is quick and light. A typical diet includes meat, vegetables, fruit, rice, beans and deserts. Brazilians enjoy eating and are very proud of their food. They expect a visitor to sample everything.
For the official website of AFS Brazil, please refer to the front page.
