Ilha Solteira is a small town, with about 30000 inhabitants. It was nice and it felt super safe. We never locked doors or even closed them. It is also one of the hottest regions in Brazil. By that time, the average temperature was 37°C. So be prepared for the heat.

Ilha Solteira is a small town as I said earlier. There is quite a nice beach at the water dam. You can take a free bus to go there. People are very friendly and helpful, especially to the gringos, however, very few speak English and much fewer Spanish.

I made 2 trips in 8 weeks there. The first one was to Iguacu Falls. They are 900km south of Ilha Solteira. I took 2 buses, which were incredibly comfortable. However, the travel itself was 14 hours. Everything is so far in Brazil. The falls were very nice, but also very touristy.
The second trip was to Costa Rica - MS. It is also a small town 6 hours away from Ilha Solteira. There is a nice waterfall and 50km from the city is Parque das Emas. It is a national park where you can book a safari tour. It is a bit complicated. In Brazil basically everything is organized with WhatsApp. It was new for me, it was a bit stressful, but nothing horrible. And everyone is so friendly and helpful, so just do not be afraid and go for it.

I worked at UNESP on the Mechanical engineering faculty. It was a small campus but quite nice. The people at work were amazing. The majority of them spoke English and they explained to me everything I did not understand. We also ate a lot of mangos since it was in season.

The work itself was not difficult. I had no previous experience with metallurgy and was no problem. I did whatever needed to be done. I would describe my role there as and help in the lab. The job description was accurate.

The university paid me 1000 R$ per month. For the living costs, I would say it is sufficient. However, for traveling definitely not. Food and drinks are quite cheap in Brazil. To give you some examples, 0,3l beer 2.5 R$, the most expensive and also the best take-out 60 R$.

English is not enough in Brazil. It is just not. I practiced Portuguese on Duolingo and it helped. I also speak Spanish, but the languages are so different. I got better in Portuguese there, but it was not easy. At work, it was like 50/50 if they would speak English. But there was always somebody to translate for me if needed.

Accommodation was in República Kilombo. It was a fraternity, a small house for 6 boys. Everybody had his room. We also had a housemaid. It cost 1300 R$ for 8 weeks.

I did not meet anyone from IAESTE there, because I was the only one in Ilha Solteira. Pick-up from the airport was organized by guys from república, as well as any parties or events, guys just took me with them and their friends.

I have not met any.

You cannot do much sports in 37°C heat. I saw batterea, which is the school's drums band. It was pretty cool.

If you are in Brazil you have to try churrasco (Brazilian bbq). I also liked Feijoada. Brazilian sushi is also delicious, they use maracuja or Doritos for it.

I used WhatsApp, Instagram, and Facebook Messenger.

Be prepared for the heat. It is everywhere and you cannot escape it. Also, learn some Portuguese in advance. And just don't be afraid. I mean be cautious just do not be wary too much. (in Ilha Solteira)

Do not forget SPF, which is important. But you can buy anything you need there.

Learning some Portuguese. Meeting new people. And learning something about metallurgy.

I really do not have much experience with it to comment on it.