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Brazilian Students Jump into Co-op Life

By Jess Dell

Three years ago, Marcus Westphal was a quiet, hardworking student who traveled from Brazil to UC Berkeley for an exchange program, not knowing quite what to expect. He had never lived in a group environment before and was about to move into the co-ops. According to his professor from Florianopólis, Paulo Lovato, Marcus returned to Brazil a changed man. He loved the social environment that Kidd Hall had provided. He liked working with others to prepare dinner and enjoyed sitting around the table, amongst a whole house of friends.

Since Westphal came in 2003, 21 more exchange students have come from their universities in Brazil to study at UC Berkeley and 18 of them have lived in the co-ops. Juliana Ricarte, Juliana Salome, Fabio Schiessl, Carlos Muller, and Aline Lima are all here for the semester in order to study agroecology, the science of sustainable agriculture, with Professor Miguel Altieri, a distinguished expert in the field.

They travel here, leaving behind friends, family, and, as they jokingly point out, soccer, in order to further their studies in agroecology. According to Ricarte, agroecology “considers the environment and the natural resources in the field and manages all of the things together, without using chemicals. It is better economically, socially, and environmentally.” Salome echoes this sentiment, pointing out that agroecology is concerned with the best quality of life for both the farmer and the consumer.

When Schiessl graduates, he hopes to work with farmers to help them raise crop production safely, while Lima is anxious to work in a non-governmental organization in the south of Brazil. The NGO is focused on working together with the indigenous people, and Lima hopes to gain new perspective on social and economic issues, not strictly environmental science issues. She hopes to gain a deeper understanding of the relationship between humans and nature through her work.

Ricarte, who lives in Ridge House, commented on how welcoming her housemates are. She even said that she is closer to the people in her co-op than the people in her classes, which she found surprising. Lima, who also lives at Ridge, says her housemates have eased her transition to America. “I like it because it is calm...it’s familiar and ambient, which is important because here we are without family and friends,” she said.

Muller, who lives in Cloyne, appreciates how much diversity the co-ops offer. He compares it to the ultimate international experience because he lives with “people from all over the world.”

Although they enjoy life in their homeland, they say that there is not that much time to miss Brazil, because they are always doing something fun—either through their co-ops or their classes. As Salome says, “Everything is very different: the food, even the drivers here are different. They are very respectful of bicycles, so we can bike around. People here really like to talk in class, which is so amazing–in Brazil, it is hard to discuss things in class.”