Diving into the world of BRICS: RUDN graduate student became one of 4 participants from Russia at the scientific economic school in Brazil

530 applications, 90 young scientists from 30 countries. Darya Nazarova, a postgraduate student of RUDN Faculty of Economics, traveled 11,276 km from Moscow to Sao Paulo for the International Scientific School on Technological and Innovation Strategies and Economic Development Policy at the University of Campinas (UNICAMP). Darya Nazarova, a young RUDN scientist, writes about scientific research, rafting and the country of eternal carnival.

Capybaras, Japanese quarter and guava marmalade

Traveling to Brazil is a flight of at least 20 hours. A lot depends on the connecting flights in the country. I flew to Sao Paulo via Qatar. In order not to sit in a waiting room all day, I went on a tour of Doha. It was interesting to learn how rapid development has transformed Qatar from a small dot on the map of the Arabian Peninsula into an economically developed country.

I had time for the Bedouin souk of Souq Waqif, a traditional Middle Eastern souk. The camel and falcon markets are next to fabrics, utensils, women's jewelry and spices from around the world.

Already in São Paulo, I realized that this is a very large, multi-million dollar city, the financial capital of Brazil. What makes it similar to Moscow is the same abundance of nationalities, cultures, historical epochs in the city's architecture and different social strata of the population.

São Paulo is home to Orthodox churches, an Old Believers' cultural center, a Japanese quarter, and echoes of Brazil's colonial era. This city is a gallery of modern art! There are both Italian Renaissance paintings and ritual drawings of Amazonian tribes. And bright street colors are concentrated in street-art paintings and, of course, in the local nature - in early summer, the Ipe tree is covered with blossoming pink pompoms.

If we talk about the nature of Brazil, it is amazing and unlike anything I have seen before. In recent years, great attention has been paid there to projects to preserve the natural world and animal habitat in the neighborhood of people. In Brazil, capybaras walk with all their numerous offspring along the river, relax on the grass and chew something appetizing. These huge and cute rodents have learned to cross the road, and people, in turn, have adapted to give way to them.

As for the cuisine, in Brazil it depends on the region. The main food consists of rice, beans and numerous dough dishes, but closer to the ocean you can try seafood. But the most memorable thing was definitely the abundance of exotic fruits. Even Brazilian marmalade is made from guava!