Day 19 - Friday, June 5, 2009: The Trip – A Summation

by Joshua Nightingale

Professor cummings promised us that the Brazil study-abroad trip would be an “amazing intellectual and cultural feast,” and the experience certainly lived up to that billing. As the other bloggers’ posts abundantly show, we did amazing things, met and interacted with great people, and forged close bonds among our group of travelers. With so much of the learning being “hands-on,” it is easy to overlook the profound educational experiences that occurred during our seminars and lecture periods. While we may have grumbled a bit at the size of our reading packets and grimaced at the 50+ page reading assignments we were sometimes given, the reading assignments and class discussions were enlightening and allowed us to better appreciate and learn from the ongoing, first-hand cultural experiences.

The environmental law readings and lectures during the Amazonas portion of the trip brought to our attention some of the difficult questions concerning deforestation and environmental justice – should preservation of the Amazon’s natural resources be pursued at the expense of Brazil’s economic development? What can the United States and the rest of the world do to help address this problem? Should the United States and rest of the world even have a say? Floating down the Rio Negro, we did not see any evidence of the slash and burn deforestation methods so prevalent elsewhere in the Amazon, and it was only through the reading assignments and engaging seminar discussions that these important issues reached our consciousness.

The reading assignments and seminars also provided fascinating comparative studies of American and Brazilian law and culture. In Vila Velha and Rio de Janeiro, we discussed differences in the countries’ court systems, civil and common law legal systems, treatment of racial and socioeconomic issues, and constitutional protection of religious liberties. Professor cummings’s discussions on the global financial crisis and Professor Taylor’s lectures on First Amendment religious liberties were also noteworthy because they demonstrated to the Brazilian students the Socratic Method of class discussion, which is not used in Brazilian legal education. The law review articles, newspaper articles, and book chapters in our reading packets provided the springboard for the engaging and often intense class discussions that took place at the University of Vila Velha and Foundation Getulio Vargas.

Throughout all of the lectures and seminars on a myriad of different topics, a common theme emerged: the world is incredibly interconnected. Just as the collapse of the United States’ housing market has had incredible effects on the global economy, so does the deforestation of the Amazon rain forest in Brazil have profound consequences on the rest of the world via global warming. Similarly, our lectures reiterated the fact that important issues, such as racial inequality, poverty, and religious freedom, are common the world over. Learning about the differences between the countries’ treatment of these issues was not merely an academic exercise but rather an opportunity to investigate and learn from each country’s unique approaches to the challenges presented.

When you’re catching rays on the beautiful beaches of Rio de Janeiro or becoming engulfed in the fascinating world of the Rocinha favela, spending a few hours hitting the books may not seem like the most appealing thing. Needless to say, however, the readings and lectures were a crucial part of the educational experience and truly pushed the trip to the next level by giving us an understanding and awareness that we would not have otherwise had.

Day 18 - Thursday, June 4, 2009: The Brasilian Perspective

by Giovanna Valli Calmon Pitanga

I want to say thanks to everybody and an especial to Professor cummings, to make this fifth Brazil-US Colloquium on Law, Culture and Politics happen. Definitely I can say that not only the American students but the Brazilian students from UVV and the hosts experienced a wonderful cultural and knowledge exchange. I was one of the lucky persons to participate in all of the lectures and seminars and learned more about court systems between Brazilian and American. I loved the classes, as they were much different than the classes we have in Brazil Law Schools. The Socratic Method is very stimulating and enriching with important issues about our current affairs and intense class discussions. I learned a lot! This was an incredible experience for my studies in law school.

The experience of hosting an American student, Kurt Doiron, was wonderful. He was very conscientious with me and my family. He is a smart guy and it was great to keep him in my house. I was very happy to have the opportunity to talk with him about the Brazilian legal system and American legal system, and it was amazing when he shared all these information and his cases book. I can remember the last breakfast that we had, we talked about Civil Law system as practiced in Brazil and the Common Law system practiced in United States; and the criminal procedure, penalty between Brazil and United States, how much it is very different.

I can imagine how much experience each American had in Brazil. Our country that contains so much diversity cultural, social, economical and nothing could be better than a good exchange program between Law Schools to come here to study and appreciate “Brazilian Life”. The exchange was three weeks, and explored three completely different places in Brazil. First, the Amazon rainforest with all of its natural richness, not only for Brazil, but it belongs to all of us. So that is the reason we must protect the Amazon! Then, Vila Velha/ Vitoria –ES where the students could meet the daily life of Brazilian families, visit the court of the State of Vitoria-ES, learn how the Brazilian judicial system works, experience classes at UVV interspersed with Brazilian teachers and American teachers, with excellent discussions and case studies. And to finalize the trip, the wonderful city of Rio de Janeiro-RJ. I can imagine how these three very different views of Brazil could lead some to a cultural shock, as one experience such large contrasts of Brazilian society. What a unique experience for all life.

I will never forget all of my experiences with the American students as they were mixed with funny activities and rich cultural opportunities. I will always remember when KJ and Kurt played guitar and drums on stage. It was marvelous. On a Wednesday night we had a memorable show in a local bar here in Vitoria with all American students. KJ and Kurt played a lot of music from West Virginia, and all of those WVU's students sang together. The “Country Roads” was Surprising!!! The local band played Brazilian music and some times American music. While the band stopped for a break, the guys took the guitar and drums started to play music from West Virginia. You can imagine that even though I’d been in an exchange program in US, I never had an opportunity to listen to typical, cultural music from some American region, and here in Brazil, in my city I had this privilege.



Participating in the Legal Study Aboard as a host and sharing all of these studies and fun moments was gratifying. I had opportunity at my house to prepare “Muqueca Capixaba” a typical dish from Espirito Santo (my State) together with Kurt, Jonathan, Daniel (Jonathan’s hosts), my mom, my friend Jociane and my cousin Laura. I was very happy to contribute and introduce a little bit of Brazilian culture. I loved to create friendships with Professor John Taylor, Professor Michael Blumenthal, Professor andré cummings and all American students from West Virginia University Law School. And also I still had opportunity to know some life’s histories about some students. Thank you Professor cummings and everybody that shared such experiences and brought their culture. For me, the exchange was only one week, but was One week is forever!!!

Day 18 - Thursday, June 4, 2009: Last Day in Brazil

by Joshua Sheets

Our last day in Rio, so bittersweet. On the one hand this trip has been the most amazing journey of my life, taking me through three distinct parts of Brazil: the Amazon, Vitoria, and finally Rio de Jainero. On the other hand, I miss the comforts of home which have been given so little thought throughout the past three weeks they seem like a world away.

As I awake around 10 a.m. I know that some of my classmates, including Professor cummings, are on their way to the top of a mountain to experience hang gliding. I decided to spend my last morning in Brazil on Ipanema beach, enjoying the sun and thinking about what all this trip and the people I have met along the way mean to me. Before I had too much time to enjoy the hot sun and the cool sand, it was time to get ready for our last mini-adventure: another boat ride.



But this wasn’t simply another boat ride. It was the last hoorah for the group of WVU law students that went on this incredible trip to Brazil. It seemed fitting that we started the trip with a week on the Amazon living on a riverboat, and ended it on another boat, feeling the closeness of friends and the majesty of Brazilian culture. When we got on the first boat in Manaus, I boarded with 26 other people that might as well have been strangers. However, when I boarded this boat, on our last day in Rio, I was joined by people that I can truly call friends. The friendships that we all created cannot be described by words. We spent two of the three weeks of the trip practically sleeping on top of each other, and looking back I wouldn’t have it any other way. Getting to know all of these amazing people, the conversations and experiences we shared with each other, is something that I will never forget.

After a rocky thirty minutes of riding in the boat, we dropped anchor in a calm part of the water. There was a small grill in the back and a man began grilling sausage, chicken wings, and beef. We sat around the outside of the boat and enjoyed the food and recollected about our amazing trip. We all talked about what the trip meant to us and the things that we would never forget. We took this chance to thank the professors for making the trip possible, and thanked Luiz from “Be a Local,” the group that organized most of the events we did in Rio. We ended the boat ride with a group performance of “Country Roads,” which seemed almost surreal sitting on a boat in Brazil, thousands of miles from home.

After the boat ride, we had our last seminar by the pool of the hostel. While the rest of our seminars were academic, discussing various things in comparison between Brazil and the United States, this seminar was about reflection. We took turns saying something about the trip that was important to us, something that we learned. To hear what everyone said sounded like what had been going through my own mind throughout this entire trip. People talked about how humbling the experience was, how lucky we are to have the opportunities that we have in America. People talked about how close they have become with one another. People talked about how even though we lived thousands of miles away, and these people had an entirely different culture, we all still have so much in common. Despite our differences, we are all people, just trying to get by and get the most out of life. It makes me think of all of the close friends that I made in Vitoria. We couldn’t get much more different, yet at the same time we couldn’t be more alike. So if I had to say one thing that I will never forget, or what this trip has shown me, is that we should cherish our interactions with one other. I know that I will always cherish the conversations that I had, whether they were with a classmate on a boat in the Amazon, with my host Raquel, staying up late talking about everything from politics to movies, or with a street vendor on the side of the road using half Portuguese, half hand signals. It is these interactions that make us all human, and what makes life and its journeys so incredible.

Day 17 - Wednesday, June 3, 2009: Foundation Getulio Vargas

by LG Jackson

“The weather is here. Wish you were beautiful.” - Jimmy Buffett

The day started as any day should in Ipanema Beach. I woke up early to spend a few hours on the beach. I was able to round up some fellow Mountaineers and we took to the beach for some volleyball. Tricia Sparks and I totally dominated in the hurricane force winds and rain. We decided to head back to the beach house after an incidental volley into Tricia’s face.

Around noon we made our second trip to Foundation Getulio Vargas for another round of rousing lectures and discussion. Little did I know of the controversy that would erupt. But more about that later. Professor Blumenthal gave the first presentation on Intelligence and the State. What struck me as most interesting was the prominence of writers in Brazil as compared to the U.S. Professor B. claims that writers can be diplomats, presidents, and advisors, but not in the U.S. He blames this on the fact that the U.S. does not take writers seriously. The once sacred profession has lost its shine. The solution, in Professor Blumenthal’s opinion, is to take writers more seriously.

The next speaker was FGV’s own Professor Antonio Carvalho Cabral. He delivered a lecture on intellectual property in Brazil. Professor Cabral works for the Centro De Tecnologia E Sociedade. The center researches the public interest in intellectual property rights in Brazil. Professor Cabral began his lecture with an interesting statistic that is common to the U.S. as well: From 2000-2004, CD sales in Brazil have dropped significantly. This is the result of the internet and the growth of pirating music. Piracy refers to illegally downloading or otherwise illegally obtaining music, videos, software, etc. from the internet. Furthermore, there is no “fair use” in Brazil as in the U.S. Therefore, an individual who buys a CD cannot copy it for his own use. Professor Cabral also mentioned several sites that provide free music content to users who can download and opt to pay for the music they enjoy. For example, Jamendo.com found that 40% of individuals paid $10 for their downloads. In addition to music, users can access research databases for free at sciELO.com. Finally, Brazil uses Creative Commons which is a public license that allows the creator to specify what can be done with the works. This is an alternative to a purely public license which would allow any manipulation or modification of an individual’s work.

The final and most heated lecture of the three weeks in Brazil was given by West Virginia University Professor andré douglas pond cummings. The lecture was on the global financial crisis in Brazil. Following up on a previous lecture in Brazil, the class reiterated the reasons for the global financial crisis. The Brazilian students then gave their input on the crisis. The Brazilian opinion was that the wave of fear did not affect them and the students did not feel like they were living in a crisis. Furthermore, the students felt the banking and car industry was the hardest hit in Brazil and as a result, President Lula was taking steps to become independent from U.S. markets.

The debate intensified when Professor cummings began the discussion on the role of minorities and the Community Reinvestment Act in the crisis. Conflicting views were strong as Professor cummings described a widely held and erroneous view that minorities were to blame for the crisis. Two West Virginia University students claimed it was only fringe views not widely believed and cited the lack of news coverage on the issue. At this point, one West Virginia University student became so upset that he left the classroom never to return. As the debate waged on, I felt John Floyd made an excellent point that the issue was politically motivated in an attempt to take a swipe at President Carter, who supported the Community Reinvestment Act, and President Clinton, who pushed the act with deregulation. His point was followed up by Steve Broadwater who explained that the issue was raised right before the election of President Obama and was potentially used to stir voters. Professor cummings, responding to the opposing views, stated that this was not a fringe view and that he had heard the position raised by economists, politicians, professors and laypersons from across the country. Despite the controversy, all agreed that it is wrong to blame minorities for the current financial crisis.

Following the intense debate, the evening mellowed out as we made our way on the subway to Ana Luiza’s house for dinner. Although public transit is frightening and we had to ask several people for directions, we finally made it. The food was excellent. Our hosts had prepared a traditional Brazilian dish made of several different meats. After thanking Ana Luiza and her family for the wonderful meal, we made our way back to the hostel. Lying in bed, it hit me that we only have a few days left in Brazil. A mix of emotions shot through me. While I cannot wait to get back to my own bed and American food, I would love to spend another three weeks in Brazil. There is nothing left to do but take in the remaining days and be thankful for an amazing trip.