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Bc. Natália Palugová, UCT Prague,

ročník 4.

Faculty

Faculty of food and biochemical technology

Field of study

Food technology

Field of internship

Agriculture and Food Science

Specialization of Internship

Food Technology and Processing

Internship period (from - to)

1.8.2017 - 25.9.2017

Internship duration (weeks)

Transport (means, price)

airplane 1.100 €, bus transport 25 €

Insurance/Insurance company

VZP as

Visa/Work permit (yes/no)

Visa VITEM IV

Price of Visa

80€ - embassy in Prague + 85€ federal police in Brazil

City of Internship

Brazil, Botucatu - SP

Internship reference number

BR-2017-1307SP

About the country

Location of the place

Botucatu city is located 4 hours bus/car drive from Sao Paulo City heading to south. You can get there from bus station Barra Funda. Bus is leaving every 1 or 2 hours, daily.

City

Botucatu is tranquil, clean and safe city. Main employer in the city is UNESP - university. There are two campuses. You can find there everything you need (supermarkets, drug stores, bars, restaurants, gym, cinema and shopping mall also). Centre is nice to walk. You can use public transport, but its only good for longer traveling, because bus is going once a hours. Its pretty common to use bikes there.

Surroundings (possible trips, ...)

Around Botucatu there are plenty of waterfalls, which you can visit. But unfortunatelly its only possible by car, so you have to find friends with car at first. There is also possibility of hiking to Tres Padres. Nice place to visit is Demetria, located 20 minuts from Botucatu centre. On one side of Botucatu city there is campus Lageado- it is a big farm where you can spend sunny weekends, have a nice walk or run.

Employer

Employer was UNESP - University Estadual Paulista, FCA - Faculty of agronomy, Department of technology - Technology of animal products.

Work description

I worked in "diary laboratory. " My job was to do some microbiology microscoping, making diary products and do measurement during the process. My final work was powerpoint presentation, which will be used as studying material for students.

Salary (sufficient for local conditions?)

I got paid 700 BRL (Brazilian reals).
I was really suprised about prices in Brazil (Sao Paulo State) which I can compare to prices in Czech republic. You can be fine just with that money to survive, but you can forget to save some for beer or trip.

Language requirements

My knowledge of Portuguese was none. There were enough people (Brazilian friends) who knew English, so they were really helpful. But in services (supermarket, restaurant, gasoline station etc.) no one knows English.

Accommodation (price, who provided it)

I lived in "república" - shared house of students. I can describe it as brotherhood/sisterhood. It costs 350 BRL / month. I lived in shared bedroom with one girl. In the house, there lived 7-9 people. You can get used to that number of people after time. IAESTE provided my accommodatin. But they just let me know one day before I left Europe (10 hours before I left my home to airport)

Social life

Meeting IAESTE members (pick-up at the airport, organized events...)

Together with info about accommodation I contact to IAESTE volnuteer, who wrote me and waited me at the airport in time. She drove me to Barra Funda bus terminal and helped me to buy ticket for bus to Botucatu.

Meeting other foreign students

Before I left Europe, I received an email with contacts of all IAESTE internship students who are coming to Brazil this season. It was easy to get in touch with those students.

Sport and culture

You can do there same sports and culture (events) as we do.

Food, local specialties

Brazilians love meat and fried food. What I really enjoyed was vegetable and fruit. So many different kinds! You wont starve in Brazil, no worries.

Other information

Possibilites to communicate with the Czech Republic

I bought Brazilian SIM card. So I was using internet to communicate with everybody in the world.

Recommendations for students who will go to the same place

July and August are cold months there. Take warm clothes.

What not to forget with you

repellent (is very useful) and ISIC (you can use it in museums or galleries)

Benefits of the internship

I had opportunity to see how the working environment of my study looks like in different coutnry. I could work with different kinds of products and cooperate on approach with proffesionals of the place.

Cooperation with IAESTE in the foreign country

Last message I got from Brazilian IAESTE was one last day before I left to Brazil. They wrote me, to not hesitate to write them in any case. I required some transport from Barra Funda bus temrinal in Sao Paulo City to airport when I was leaving. To these days no one respond me.

Overall experience with IAESTE

People from Czech IAESTE were always heplful and they responed me really fast every time.
I was dissapointed of late infromation about my accomodation and transport to Botucatu. After two months in Brazil I was not as dissapointed about no response of Brazilian IAESTE.