Orientation Information for the SEE-U Program in the Atlantic Forest, Brazil
General Information about SEE-U in Brazil:
- Course Location and Weather
- Money and Shopping
- Site Contact Information and Postal Address
- Tourist Visa
- Medical Information – Insurance and Immunizations
- Language and Culture
Course Location
Setting –
The Brazil class is hosted by the Instituto de Pesquisas Ecológicas (IPÊ) at its Center for Conservation Biology. The Center is in a rural setting near the city of Nazaré Paulista; Nazaré is in the state of São Paulo – an hour or so by car to the northeast of São Paulo’s Guarulhos International Airport.The landscape is a mosaic of Mata Atlântica (Atlantic Forest), pasture, eucalyptus plantations, and other rural land, and a reservoir. There’s a diffuse network of backcountry roads running through small valleys and over what can be very steep hills. These offer excellent routes and views for hikes and mountain bike riding. The reservoir is open for swimming and kayaking. Adjacent to IPÊ is an small organic farm, which is the source for much of the great variety of fresh vegetables used in meals prepared for the class.
Weather –
The course in Brazil is held during their winter, which is cooler and drier than the summer. We can expect fairly warm days, but nights may be chilly. Typically, when the sun is out during the day, it is warm enough for shorts and a light shirt. However, dorm and lecture rooms can remain quite chilly – buildings in Brazil are not usually heated. Most nights, you’ll likely want a pile sweater and/or a light jacket. During the course it will likely rain on some days – rainfall can be quite heavy, but usually lasting only for part of the day. The first SEE-U session is usually cooler than the 2nd, but both generally are filled with sunny days.To get an idea of what the temperature and precipitation will be, at least soon after arrival, look at a web site for local weather conditions (for example www.weather.com or through www.cnn.com). Use São Paulo as your reference (the course site is further inland and a bit higher than São Paulo). Also remember that temperatures, weights, and measures are in the metric system.
There will be limited opportunities for shopping during the course given that the field site is in a rural area. However, we will have occasional trips to nearby cities for shopping and Saturday nights out. In general, most items you’re accustomed to seeing in stores are available in Brazil, but brand names might not be the same and sizing is different for shoes and clothes. Prices are generally lower for locally produced goods, but imported items will be fairly expensive, with electronics being ridiculously expensive.
In addition to shopping and going out, you will need cash for extracurricular activities hosted by IPÊ (e.g., horseback riding, capoeira classes), telephone charges (international calls can add up to be quite expensive), and other extras such as sodas and sweets. You can also use a VISA credit card to pay your IPÊ account.
We recommend that you convert your US dollars into Brazilian currency (Real or R$) when you first arrive into the country. The Real (pronounced ‘hey-al’, roughly rhyming with total) floats against the US dollar, and at present (May 2004) the exchange rate is approximately 1 US$ = 3.0 R$. On your arrival, you should change money at the São Paulo International airport (Guarulhos) before we pick you up and whisk you off to IPÊ. Exchange rates at the airport are generally better than you would get in your home country. We strongly urge you to change as much as you will think you will need for the duration of the course at the airport because there will be few opportunities to change money once the class has begun. See previous students’ suggestions on how much to cash by going to The Brazil Course Companion webpage.
Credit cards are not as uniformly accepted across Brazil as they are in the US. They are taken only at some locations in smaller communities that we’ll be visiting and at most stores in large cities as São Paulo. VISA cards are more widely taken than MasterCard and AmEx. However, do not rely on using credit cards. Traveler’s checks are generally not accepted at stores, but can be cashed at currency exchanges (as at the airport), some banks, and at large tourist hotels. The exchange rate for checks can be less favorable than US cash.
Additionally,
you should not rely on ATM cards,
as systems differ greatly between countries. Some ATM cards will work
in
some banks in Brazil, but not all. You might inquire with your
card
issuer. Previously, students have had good results at the ATM at
the HSBC bank in downtown Atibaia, the city closest to IPÊ.
Another
bank that seems to accept nearly all US-based ATM cards is
Citibank.
If you are traveling before or after the class, there are many
locations
in the city of São Paulo and branches in Campinas (refer to the Citibank
website for specific locations). Note that we will not
be making special trips to Atibaia or other locations for changing
money. As
suggested above, change as much as you will think you will need for the
duration of the course at the airport.
Site Contact Information and Postal Address
The telephone and fax number at IPÊ is:-
For
calls from outside Brazil: +55 11 4597-1327
where 55 is the country code and 11 city code
For calls from within Brazil: (0xx 11) 4597-1327
with (0xx11) dialed for calls outside of the São
Paulo area,
where xx is a phone carrier, such as 21:
021 11 4597-1327
(Most popular travel guides provide detailed explanations of
Brazil’s
telecommunications system.)
Mail and packages can be sent to you during the course at IPÊ. We advise not sending packages by regular mail as they can end up in customs (and difficult to retrieve) – in the past students have had better results sending packages by FedEx.
The postal/delivery address is:
IPÊ
Rod. Dom Pedro I, km 47
Nazaré Paulista, SP, BRAZIL
Caixa postal 47
12960-000
Tourist Visa
Your will need a current US (or other nationality) passport good well past your date of arrival. US citizens need a visa to enter Brazil; other nationals should check with the Brazilian embassy or consulate. Additional information regarding visas will be outlined for you in orientation materials provided by CERC/SEE-U (email James Danoff-Burg <jd363@columbia.edu> for more information). Please note that you will need to apply for a visa well in advance and that you should request a tourist visa, rather than a student visa (which you would need only if attending a university in Brazil, which you are not for this class).Medical Information
Please fill out and submit to SEE-U the medical information form provided during course orientation sessions or emailed to you.Insurance –
You are required by the SEE-U program to have medical insurance that will reimburse you for medical expenses (in case of accident, illness, for example) while in a foreign country. If you do not have such coverage, you can purchase a short-term inexpensive insurance from a Brazilian carrier through the SEE-U program (email James Danoff-Burg <jd363@columbia.edu> for more information).Immunizations –
It’s a good idea – and required by the course – to have a tetanus shot or booster. Best not to be in a situation where you need such a shot in a foreign country. Be certain that your tetanus immunization is current.No immunizations are required for entry into Brazil if you are arriving from the US. If you are arriving from another country or recently visited other countries, check with the Brazilian consulate or embassy about what vaccinations are required for entry.
If you are traveling to other parts of
Brazil
or South
America before or after the course, we suggest going to the CDC
site for travelers and/or The
World Medical Guide. We recommend getting a Hepatitis
A vaccination.
Hep A is a food and water-borne disease – while this is not a problem
on
campus, it’s important if you are to tour after or before class.
A yellow fever shot (it’s good for 10 years) is also a
good
idea, but not necessary.
Language and Culture
The official language of Brazil is Portuguese. Obviously you don’t need to know Portuguese for the class, but many IPÊ staff members and other members of the local community don’t speak English – so knowing a few phrases goes along way. If you know Spanish, that will help you get started. Newcomers to Portuguese usually find the differences between these two languages significant.We recommend that you learn a bit about
Brazil
and its
culture before heading down here. A ready way to do this is to
pick
up a copy of a popular travel guide for Brazil such as those by The
Lonely Planet and The Real Guides (Penguin USA,
publ.).
What to Bring:
General Information
The following is a list of suggested personal items for your stay at IPÊ, as well as some mandatory gear for class and field work. The best advice is of course to travel as light as possible, especially as quarters in the dorms are a bit tight.Information technology – If you own a laptop that you would be comfortable bringing to Brazil, it would be a great idea. We have only seven computers for the course and a crunch for computer access often comes at the end of the course when people are finishing their individual projects. Security at IPÊ is great; we’ve never had a problem with thefts. IPÊ lecture and other common rooms are equipped with wireless network access. Internet access is limited to these rooms and can be slow at times, so you shouldn’t count on doing a high volume of email and websurfing.
To read what previous years’ students suggest as far as what to bring and their other advice, see The Brazil Course Companion webpage.
Laundry service is provided by
IPÊ once a
week, with about a 5-day turnaround time (clothes are air dried).
So bring enough clothes to have enough on hand while a set is in the
laundry.
Mandatory Items
- Journal or field notebook
- Compass – Your compass must have a clear base plate, rotating housing, etc., as the Silva Polaris 177 Compass ($10.00, e.g. Item #408040 at http://www.rei.com/) or similar ones by Suunto and Brunton. Ones with a mirror are more useful for fieldwork but are also more expensive (e.g., Silva Ranger CL $55.00, REI Item 408031).
Personal Gear – A Packing List
| Clothes | Toiletries, Medications, etc. | |||
| For cold weather – For the field – Optional but recommended – |
Optional but recommended – |
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| General – | Other Key Items for the Field/Lab | |||
| |
Optional but recommended – |
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Information about the Atlantic Forest, Brazil:
These links are selected as a starting point for learning about the Atlantic Forest (Mata Atlântica) and its conservation.- The World Resources Institute, a Non-Govermental Organization based in Washington D. C. has some nice general information about use and conservation of natural resources all over the world, has a reasonable amount on Brazil. It also has a nice slide show on the use of natural resources worldwide.
- There are several useful sites dealing with deforestation in Brazil
- Some others dealing with Brazilian Biodiversity:
- Biota from FAPESP
- Centro de Referência em Informação Ambiental
- São Paulo State Biodiversity Taskforce
- Brazilian Network on Biodiversity Information
- Brazil’s National report on biodiversity
- Climate Change in Brazil:
- Developmental Issues and National Statistics:
- Additional links can be found on The (SEE-U) Brazil Course Companion webpage