Patrice Harlan, who graduated in 2006, wrote the following article about her experience as a participant in the University's Study Abroad program in Brazil. She participated in the program both in 2006 and 2007.

I had always wanted to travel abroad, however, being a non-traditional student AND single mother with a full time job—taking a semester off was not an option. When I stumbled upon UDM's Brazil Study Abroad program, I was elated: a program that was two and half weeks, where I could earn summer credits. And that was before the trip. I had no idea how fulfilling this trip was going to be. 

Most people, myself included, who imagine a study abroad program, picture working with a local university and attending lectures by local professors. This program far exceeded this expectation. First, Salvador, Bahia, Brazil is filled with so much African culture history, much which parallels our history in the U.S.

I was completely enthralled to discover our lectures were given by local people in the community who actually work on or for particular projects or programs. We visited several community centers, organizations, and after-school programs in Brazil, which allowed for an even broader experience.

The hands-on learning, the personal visits, hugging the children, and the standard Brazilian greeting—a double kiss on the cheeks—gives one a feeling of connection to the local Bahians, and a longing to go back for more... which is why I returned to Brazil with the UDM program this past summer.

Many people do not know that Bahia, Brazil has the largest African population outside of Nigeria. It has the largest coastline in Brazil with 745 miles of coast, to which slaves at one time were transported by boat from several west-African countries, including Benin and Angola.

Slavery in Brazil was abolished 150 years ago. It is the last country in the Americas to abolish slavery. Afro-Brazilian slaves worked on the sugar plantations, and, although slavery has been abolished and racism is illegal, it still very much exists in Brazil.

Bahia suffers from what the Brazilian government refers to as a "problema sociao". This social problem is racism. We learned about the racial issues in Brazil from Gilberto Leal, a dynamic participant of the Black-movement in Brazil and other South American countries. 

Although most African traditions have been outlawed for many years, many remain intact today, such as the African religion of Condomble. We didn't just read about the Condomble religion or hear about it from a local professor; we spent time with 'Mother' of the Condomble in Salvador, the Priestess Valdina, and learned firsthand about how the religion came to be and how it still exists. We took a field trip to the Condomble compound and visited with the people in their homes, an experience that cannot be gained from classroom learning.

Throughout the program, we visited several communities. It touched my heart deeply that I felt guilty for the benefits that I am not only afforded, such as the opportunity to have a college education, own a home and car, but that these benefits are taken for granted.  On the other hand, the sense of community cohesiveness and the sense of pride in what the Bahaians do have, I felt, were unparalleled.

On the way home from this trip, while waiting in the security line in Sao Paulo Airport, I met two students from Penn State University who were also returning home from a study abroad trip in Bahia offered through their university. When speaking to them about their experiences, they hadn't encountered nearly what we had covered in two and half short weeks.

For example, these students did not go into the favellas (local communities), nor did they try the traditional foods of Bahia. They were limited to what the host families cooked for them and showed them. They also did not learn the Portuguese language before departing for Brazil, which in Bahia, you need at least the basics to communicate—not many people speak fluent English.

The language classes offered through UDM, as part of program orientation, started weeks before departure and continued while in Brazil with a local Bahian instructor.

What I found most interesting from my study abroad experience is that I can apply many of these situations to life in the United States: the fight for equal education, equal rights and pay for jobs regardless of skin tone, programs to help educate the homeless children, building and improving the foster care system.

I can say that all the experiences allowed me to step out of the everyday American egotism and viewpoints of privilege. I have come to view things from a different perspective in a way that will allow me utilize these experiences to expand beyond my own personal boundaries.

The UDM Brazil study abroad program will run again the summer of 2009.  To find out more information, contact Lara Wasner at 313-993-1191.