Bruna Tolomeli (Brazil)

I am Bruna Tolomeli from Brazil studying MA Post Production Editing. Life in Bournemouth has been going smoothly for me since I arrived directly from Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro.

The beach life style

One of the reasons that attracted me to study in Bournemouth was the beach. I had the feeling that it would make me feel closer to home and I was completely right! In Rio de Janeiro the beach was part of my daily routine. I passed by it on the way to work, I exercised on it and it was where I went to relax. In order to feel closer to the routine I used to have in Rio, I decided to exercise at Bournemouth beach. Twice a week I run by the beach. Feeling the wind blow in my face and hearing the sound of the waves makes me feel right at home.

Successful hunt for Brazilian produce

Although the beach makes me feel at home, the food doesn’t. Brazilian and British food are very different. It took some time to find a place where I could buy ingredients to cook in the Brazilian style. Eventually, I discovered a small Brazilian shop where I can buy “Pão de Queijo” (Brazilian cheese bread) and the manioc flour, used to make what we call “Farofa”. Finding this store made me extremely happy and enabled me to cook food that I am more familiar with. It definitely put a smile on my face!

The people: different but welcoming

Brazilians tend to be very warm and there is always some concerns when moving to a country where the people are considered to be “cold”. To be fair, there are differences in our cultures, but nothing that cannot be understood and accepted. English people are extremely polite, kind and warm hearted. Therefore, there is nothing to worry about, Brazilians! Since Bournemouth is packed with international students, people who live here are used to the diversity and cope well with it, in a very positive way.

The Brazilian community in Bournemouth is not that big, but everyone I know is happy to be living here and sharing experiences with people from all around the world.

By Bruna Tolomeli, Brazil, MA in Post Production Editing, 2017/18