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Estephania Haro in Brazil

An offering to a spirit revered in the religion of Umbanda

Universidade Federal Do Paraná

Feijoada, a black bean and meat stew

The Botanical Garden of Curitiba

Brazil pulses with communal spirit. From music and dance, to food and local customs, its residents do everything together. Estefania Haro, a psychology major, went to Brazil in search of the same sense of community that is an inherent part of her culture. 

She was drawn to the e3 program in Brazil because of a desire to connect to her Latin roots. Raised between Colombia and Canada, Estefania was drawn back to South America when she first found out about the Education Abroad program in Curitiba, the capital of Paraná, a southern Brazilian state. 

“When I got there, my god, everything surpassed my expectations by a hundred. I loved the people. They were so friendly. It was so warm and caring. The food was delicious.”

Estefania fell in love with Curitiba, with both the commonalities that she found with her culture as well as the distinctiveness of Brazilian culture. As she wandered around the city, she sensed a physical similarity as well, to Quito, Ecuador, her birthplace. Later, she found out that one of Quito’s city architects was also involved in designing Curitiba! 

During her first weekend there, Estefania and her friends stayed in a hostel on the beach for a night. The stay was not the most comfortable, with 12 people in three rooms, but the location was more than memorable. 

“The food at the place was so good. They had these little shrimps. The water was warm, the sand was white. There were chickens running around everywhere which was really cool.”

Estefania’s attempt to surround herself with like-minded people ended up hitting closer to home than she ever could have predicted. Some of her favourite memories included her time with her host and her friend’s host, who took them around the city to see art exhibits, street art performances and clubs in a warm show of welcome. 

The people were warm, but the food was warmer. At every corner, there was at least one vendor selling hot plates of the quintessential Brazilian dish: coxinha . A pocket of heaven, coxinha is teardrop-shaped and deep-fried, with a tasty shredded chicken filling.

Estefania was never hungry for long, thanks to Curitiba’s impressive street food scene. Another trademark of Brazil’s culinary scene are churrascarias, Brazilian steakhouses. She describes them as all-you-can-eat buffet-style restaurants, with 25 different types of meat to feast on. 

Feijoada is one dish found in almost every restaurant in Curitiba, and is one of Estefania’s favourite dishes. 

“This is the best hangover, day-at-the-market, after-assignment, or comfort meal a girl could ask for. Most of the food is also super cheap, so you get a full belly and a happy wallet.”

While she was in Curitiba, Estefania took a sociology course, Drugs and Marginalization in South America, which gave her a window into the city that she was living in. She had the opportunity to talk to a community psychologist, who introduced her to the concept of community psychology, a popular field of study in Latin America. It focuses on individual betterment within their community through collaborative action. 

“She explained to us how a lot of western psychology is very prescriptive. Community psychology addresses problems the individual wants to fix by being in the community, earning their trust and then working to educate the individual so that they can have self-advocacy. You also participate in group counselling and activities that bring the community closer so that they feel the trust to rely on each other.”

Estefania was taken aback by how much the idea resonated with her, and in that moment, she knew that was her calling. Her class project focused around community psychology and she is currently looking for ways to incorporate it into her career in Canada.

Estefania’s advice to students on faculty-led programs exemplifies the importance she places on community. 

“Include your professor. If they're travelling and if they're there, they're probably really cool. And they want to go out and they want to get to know each other. If you make that connection, you're going to have a connection that's going to last and be very beneficial in your endeavours.”