After a six-month exchange in Iceland, the Canadian student Allison Crawford decided to visit Brazil. She and six other academics from Concordia University of Edmonton arrived at Univates in the morning of May 14th. Since the beginning of the month on Brazilian land, the group of students seeks practical knowledge in courses related to health.

After a week of activities at the University of Santa Cruz do Sul (Unisc), the students will stay for a week in the region and, after, they will visit La Salle University, in Canoas, where they stay until the end of the month. "In Iceland I had a very good experience, but it was very restricted to the academic environment. I want to meet new people, to know new cultures. That's why I had an interest in coming here", explains Allison.

The student comments that it is common to find Brazilian students at the Canadian University and that their proximity to them has aroused her interest in the local culture. After a week on Brazilian land, Allison already risks talking about her first impressions on the country.

“There, Brazil is seen as a third world country. Of course, as happens anywhere in the world, within a country there are differences between one region and another. But I'm surprised by what I've seen here. Culture and customs are very similar. The brands used are similar. The region is well developed and can be compared to Canada”, says Allison Crawford, a student at Concordia University of Edmonton.

During the week, the group of students has toured the campus and the city of Lajeado, participated in Portuguese classes, accompanied the university extension projects, cultural activities, and also a barbecue workshop.

“Here our health students learn directly from people and there they are accustomed to working with dummies. Then it will be a new and very useful experience for them”, says Magali Grave, director of the Center for Biological and Health Sciences at Univates.

For Allison, the activities should open up new possibilities for action. "We have a different education system. Then I will have the opportunity to see things I would not see there. In addition, the activities are also related to some research projects that I do at the University", she concludes.