Brazil has always appealed to me and the possibility of an AWARE scholarship has brought this possibility into the light. Through discussions with colleagues who have already completed an internship or study semester in Brazil, my ideas were confirmed and I applied for an internship abroad. In contrast to the other student reports, AWARE enabled me to do an internship abroad in Curitiba at the research institute LACTEC.

Arriving

I had already rented my room in a 28-person shared apartment from Germany, so I was able to move in directly on the arrival date. The roommates, who later became friends, were all students, mostly from Brazil, but other nations were also represented. Since the Brazilian bureaucratic system is a chaos, I recommend to apply for the CPF (Brazilian social security number) already in Germany in addition to the visa. For all other documents that have to be applied for in Brazil, you have to be patient and wait a lot of time. The university (UFPR) had a buddy program where every exchange student is assigned a buddy. Without my buddy, who already supported several German students in organizational matters, everything would have been much more complicated. Before I arrived, I was afraid that I would not be able to join the program, but this was unjustified. The group REI, which consists of volunteer students, helps foreign students with organizational reasons and cultural integration. This group organized a welcome week with different events, which helped each newcomer to meet many new people from all over the world and from Brazil. Since my knowledge of Portuguese was initially based on "Bom dia. Tudo bem?", I was dependent on help in many everyday situations. The open and friendly Brazilians always approached me and asked if I needed help, which I found very pleasant.

Curitiba

Curitiba is the state capital of Paraná and has a population of over one and a half million people, which is hardly noticeable as Curitiba is a very quiet city, provided you don't go out on the streets during rush hour in the morning and evening. The city is very green and offers a high standard of living, there are rich neighborhoods but also very poor neighborhoods that you should avoid. Curitiba offers some sights you should not miss. Beside the many beautiful parks (Parque Tanguá, Parque Barigui) the most famous landmark of the city is the botanical garden in the park Jardim Botânico. If you want to find a wide range of food from spices and fruits to fish and meat, you have to go to the Mercado Muncipal, there you will find everything your heart desires.  A tourist bus makes it easy to explore the sights. After work or on weekends Curitiba offers countless possibilities to go out. The obligatory program is the visit of a Churrascaria, where you pay once and then you can eat as much meat and buffet as you want. The more expensive the Churrascaria is, the better the meat is and it is usually necessary to leave the restaurant with an over-eaten stomach after the meal.  There are countless pubs/bars (Avenida Vincente Machado or Rua Coronel Dulcídio offer a lot of things) where you can order either a cold beer or the national drink Caipirinha.

Work at LACTEC Institute

During my internship at the Central Laboratory Lac I worked on the project "Development of remote controlled tools, equipment and methods for tree trimming in urban energy networks".  Specifically, this involved a remote-controlled robotic arm that attached a saw or pruning shears to the front end of the arm to cut branches near power lines from a safe distance. My task was to program a simulation for the robotic arm to determine whether simplified calculation methods and robot structures have a negative effect on the accuracy of the robot trajectory during linear movements. I was then allowed to write a research paper on this topic, which will be published in 2018. I was always supported by colleagues when I had questions and in return I tried to give my colleagues a helping hand, thus creating a very good working atmosphere. I was able to apply already learned theoretical knowledge in this project and in addition I had to learn new knowledge by researching the internet.

Beautiful Brazil

Brazil is a country that has many beautiful places, which is why I travelled a lot on weekends. Among the destinations were the giant waterfalls Foz do Iguaçu at the triangle of Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay; the city of Florianópolis which has been told a lot in other reports; the island Ihla do Mel where there are no roads and cars and therefore it is very relaxed and quiet. A trip to Rio de Janeiro with the obligatory photo in front of the Jesus statue, the trip to the Sugar Loaf Mountain and the visit of the Copacabana was not to be missed. I advise everyone who wants to go to Brazil to take a few weeks after the semester to travel, because Brazil has a lot to offer.

Closing

Besides the work I could get to know the Brazilian culture and lifestyle. I have made many new long-term friendships.  I will remember the trips to the beautiful places in Brazil for the rest of my life. Finally, I encourage every student who has the opportunity to do an internship or a semester abroad, because there you can not only develop your professional skills but also your personal development and expand your network of contacts.    

I would like to thank the AWARE team for making this half year abroad possible for me.

Tom Reimlinger