by Grace Araujo Kolman.

Created on: April 11, 2008

I am neither Brazilian, nor American for the Lord.

We don't have the four Seasons in Manaus, my hometown. Instead we have the rain season and the dry season. It doesn't matter what time of the year we are, it's always warm there. The average temperature is around 85 Fahrenheit with 90% of humidity, which gives you a sensation of being in an oven twenty-four seven. Does it sound oppressive? Well, when I talk to my mom about the winter and snow, it sounds like a nightmare for her, and it was hard to convince her that we can survive in a cold weather. Brazil is a large country with a strong economy, and different ecosystems. In the South of Brazil we do have the four seasons, and even snow in the mountains of Santa Catarina, a state colonized by German descendants. Most people from this part of the country think to be impossible to live in the North and that we have monkeys running around in our yard, since we are surrounded by the rain forest. In the North we think that in the South we have prejudicial people with a sense of superiority and cold attitude against non-white people.

Isn't it funny how we make up concepts in our minds according to our empirical view of what we believe to be "the reality"? When I came to US, my family thought that all my neighbors had a cowboy hat in their heads and a gun in the pocket. This is one side on how Americans have been profiled and sold to other countries. And now it's your turn: how do imagine life is in Brazil? I have been asked about it more and more in my friendship circle. I would say that it's about the same and very different at the same time. We live the era of Globalization, and it means that all of us are more or less in the same page. The difference is more about people's attitude and lifestyle. The U.S is so far the most powerful country in the world, and its culture and economy does influence the entire planet. For this reason, we've got MacDonald's, Burger King, Starbucks and even Walt-Mart in some cities. If you go to Brazil, you will find things you like it there. On the other hand, I can't find traces of my culture and heritage here. The closest I can get is related to Mexico. I also regret to be called Hispanic, because Brazilians are not a Hispanic population. We are a solitary country in South America, the only one whose official and only language spoken is Portuguese.

If we take all these political and geographical concepts off, we will find a different place to be, and peace will be our reality. We have,

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