PUC-Rio was created in 1940 by the Jesuit Order with the objective of developing knowledge based on humanistic values. The university now has 20,000 students who come from a variety of religious, ethnic and social backgrounds. The Pontificia Universidade Catolica do Rio de Janeiro (PUC-Rio) is recognized worldwide as one of the most important doctoral research centers in the country. The campus is located in Gavea, a charming neighborhood located near the forest and the beach.

The University took two days of integration for the exchange students. During those two days, they explained us what was Rio, what was a Carioca, how to behave in any situation, where to go and not go, what to see and not see. An integration made in Portuguese so not the half of the exchange student was able to understand fully the content of those two days. They also took a lot of time to explain us the administration of PUC, the classes and the add and drop session.

The campus of PUC is big; there are three main buildings, different restaurants, gymnasium, 23 departments, 13 labs, 7 libraries, 3 auditoriums, computers labs, bookstore, a church, banks… It is cross by a river and surrounded by tropical trees. If you are patient you can have the chance to see a monkey in the campus.

I am in English classes, so I do not have classes with Brazilian students, only exchange students mostly from the US. So in class, it is very quiet, but the teachers are Brazilian. The classes start usually late and end early. We can arrive at any time; no one will notice you are late. 90% of the class is done at home, with the readings. Classes are just a help, where you can ask your questions to the teachers.

Mainly, PUC is a wonderful place to study, unfortunately, as the whole Brazil; it has some issues with administration. Nobody knows anything, everything is complicated. For example, going to the library can be hell. You have to ask for a code, they give you a locker where to put your bag (you are not allowed to bring any bag inside, you have to redo this operation every 4 hours, and if you lose the key, you have to pay 5$R), you pass the security portic. To find a book, you have to go to a computer, which will give you a reference (if you find a working computer) and after 20 minutes, if you are lucky, you have your book in your hand.

To anyone ready to wait for anything, welcome to PUC!