Rio Gringa

Boosting Student Exchanges Between Brazil and the U.S.

When I wrote about some of the reasons Brazil's president should reschedule her Washington visit last week, I mentioned that Brazil had yet to crack the top 10 countries that sends university students to the United States. But the Institute of International Education just released their new statistics for the 2013-2014 school year, and there's good news: Brazil is now number 10 in the world of countries that send students to the U.S., with a 22.2 percent increase from the previous year. Brazilians now make up 2 percent of the foreign student population in the U.S., the same as Mexico and Japan, and close to Canada (3 percent). This is partially a result of the government's Science Without Borders program, which has provided nearly 75,000 scholarships for students to pursue advanced degrees abroad since 2011.

The flows in the other direction, however, are still lagging. The number of U.S. students studying in Latin America and the Caribbean rose only 1.8 percent in 2013; the number of students going to Brazil rose around 4 percent during the same period. There's potential for a bigger increase, though, as a new innovation fund launched this year will provide funding to encourage and fund U.S. study abroad in the Americas.

Besides defraying the costs of studying in both countries, one major factor is language. The Brazilian government realized what a big issue this was given challenges some students were facing once they got into classrooms abroad, and it's especially difficult for those who may not have been able to afford extracurricular language classes or bilingual school during their secondary education.

Just today, the government announced the launch of Languages Without Borders, a program like Science Without Borders that will offer scholarships for university students and professors to learn a foreign language online, and in some cases, in another country. The government had previously begun offering free online English courses last year. Now, Languages Without Borders will also provide opportunities for foreigners to learn Portuguese. As someone in college who was intimidated by having to take classes in Portuguese and opted instead to go to Spanish-speaking countries, I think Brazil is on the right track. Now the United States needs to follow its lead by doing more to provide better funding and support for foreign language learning, especially languages like Portuguese, Chinese, and Spanish.

Photo: Science Without Borders students meet before traveling abroad, in 2012; Brazil's Ministry of Science and Technology.

In Their Own Words: Rocinha Before and After Pacification

Do Rio's favela residents feel pacification has improved their lives, or worsened them? New York-based photographer Margaret Day decided to see what people thought in one community three years after pacification began.

Day witnessed the pacification of Brazil's largest favela firsthand, when she was living in the community in 2011 doing social work and photography. She's been traveling frequently to Rio since then, spending weeks or months at a time living in Rocinha, and has watched the community change in the process. "Whenever I speak with people from the asfalto, or abroad, they are always amazed that I love living here, because usually their only frame of reference of favelas is the popular media," Day told me. "One of the first things they ask me is if life in Rocinha is better before or after pacification. As anyone who lives here knows, that answer is not so simple. There is a tendency among people to want to argue with me when I point out any positives about living here before the pacification, because I'm a gringa. These same people never come to Rocinha and/or never talk to the residents."

So on the aniversary of Rocinha's pacification, Day decided to talk to residents and see what they had to say. "The initial reaction almost everyone I spoke to about participating in the photo essay was fear of varying levels," Day explained. "Asking people to go on record is highly unusual because the culture here is not to discuss these things publicly. Asking someone whether they prefer life before or after pacification is a very personal question and it is generally something people tend to only discuss that with people they know. However, people here are always talking about it."

Not everyone Day spoke to agreed to participate, and some people even thought she was crazy, she said. Many people she spoke to said that in some ways, not much has changed since "the guns are just in different hands." Day hopes the project will create more dialogue on integrating favelas into the city so that all stakeholders--especially residents--are heard.

Day has showcased the photo essay, called "The Residents Speak - Os Moradores Fala," on Facebook, and the interesting thing to see is just how much the answers vary. Some say that violence was worse before, and others say it was worse after pacification. There's also some that say specific crimes, like rape and robbery, have increased after pacification; this same issue has been reported in other pacified favelas, too.

See a selection of Day's photos from the project, with residents saying whether they preferred life in Rocinha before or after pacification. To see the full photo essay, visit Day's Facebook page.

Why Dilma Should Reschedule Her Washington Visit

Last year, in the wake of the National Security Agency scandal, Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff cancelled her state visit to Washington. Now, after her reelection, some think there's a chance she may reschedule. Vice President Joe Biden has been a proponent of fixing the U.S.-Brazil relationship, meeting with Rousseff in Brazil in June and calling her after her election win in November, suggesting she reschedule her trip to DC. Now, she's set to meet with President Barack Obama on the sidelines of the G20 in Australia, the first time the two will meet after the spying scandal.

There are many reasons why the visit would be a good idea, and why it's ultimately in both countries' interest to repair ties. And there's of course the symbolic message the visit would send. But for Brazil's president especially, there are a few reasons that would benefit her during a time of political division and economic uncertainty.

Once Rousseff appoints a new finance minister, the U.S. private sector is going to be very interesting in seeing what he decides to do.

Brazil's economy has not been doing so hot recently, between sluggish growth and the largest monthly deficit on record in September. The president is expected to announce her new pick for finance minister any day now (reports said she was supposed to announce it before the G20), with the unpopular Guido Mantega on his way out. Financial markets and multinationals will be anxious to hear from the new pick, and if Rousseff makes the announcement soon, the new minister could also use the trip to talk to foreign investors.

Both countries are experiencing historic droughts that could use innovative solutions.

California and São Paulo--the most populous states and top GDP earners in each country--are experiencing historic droughts. Even though state authorities are working to address the issue in both countries, the water shortage has become a national issue in both cases. Even just talking about ways Brazil and the United States could collaborate on addressing droughts--and global warming, too--would be refreshing to see (no pun intended).

One way to mend fences in the wake of the NSA scandal is to work together on creating a more open internet.

Earlier this year, Brazil passed landmark legislation to guarantee net neutrality. Obama favors net neutrality, and this month threw his support behind it. Plus, Obama could discuss new ways to collaborate on bilateral internet initiatives, especially in light of the new internet cable Brazil is building to Portugal without a single U.S. company involved.

Talking about Science Without Borders is a win-win.

This program, which awards scholarships to Brazilian students to study abroad, was launched by the president in 2011. It's a popular program that has seen fewer controversies than other government programs like More Doctors or Bolsa Familia. In Brazil, it's the type of program that appeals to both the PT base and the upper middle class who could otherwise afford to study abroad but are happy to take the government's money.

The United States is by far the top destination for Science without Borders students. Over the past three years, nearly 22,000 scholarships have been awarded to Brazilians to study in the U.S., compared to less than 9,000 in the UK and about 6,500 in France. Increasing student exchanges has been a popular topic for bilateral U.S.-Brazil talks and it's a politically safe area for Rousseff. Plus, the United States is always looking for more international students, and Brazil has yet to crack the top 10 countries who sends college students to the U.S.

The Workers' Party should recognize that the United States is a voter and constituent base.

Over a million Brazilians live in the United States, making it the home to the largest Brazilian expat community in the world. Around 112,000 Brazilians living in the U.S. were eligible to vote in the 2014 election. However, no presidential candidate campaigned abroad.

During the October vote, Aécio Neves won overwhelmingly among U.S.-based voters. In the second round, he won with 77 percent of the overall expat vote. But turnout was low; if implemented, alternate voting methods would allow those living far from polling stations to vote. Plus, if the government campaigned more among residents to change their voter registration, the number of eligible voters would likely rise.

Neves' win amid high abstention shouldn't be discouraging for the next election, but should rather be seen as an opportunity to galvanize voters. The entire expat voter base--which encompasses over 354,000 people worldwide--has been long neglected by presidential candidates and political leaders.

Image: Rousseff and Obama in Brasilia in 2011.