How did it all begin? The memory is still vivid of a few years ago, three from memory, when, during a lecture on Institutions of Roman Law, we were put in touch with two girls who were in Brazil at the time; they spoke to us from a small dark room, telling us about the programme they were taking part in: an Overworld that allows the attainment of a Double Degree, aimed at students enrolled in the Law Course. The opportunity to attend the third year of the course at the PUCRS University in Porto Alegre, Brazil, is offered.
It was an interesting proposal, but, of course, there was a problem: three years ago we were two young girls embarking on university studies, fresh out of the very comfortable high school reality. The qualms are as obvious as they are natural. Alone? So young! And not just anywhere... on the other side of the world! In Latin America! And the language... probably not many people on our course know Portuguese, and we certainly weren't among them.
But the enthusiasm (or unawareness, perhaps) was too much. University opens up a new world, unexpected stimuli, and we were ready to breathe in this air of novelty. We did not even think too much: we will never be selected, we told ourselves, it is worth a try! A double degree... certainly an unmissable opportunity, but there will be too many people knocking on that door.
And instead, from this bet began the most important journey and the greatest achievement that we can say we have achieved so far.
Having passed the selection, gone through the tangled thicket of bureaucracy, between Application Form, Language Placement Test, Learning Agreement, Visas etc..., we finally took off at the end of July 2019.
Once we landed at the Porto Alegre airport, we were welcomed by our university 'Amigo', a colleague chosen from among the students who volunteer to help exchange students, for example by receiving them at the airport and accompanying them to the facilities where they will be staying, to do their first shopping, to the Policía Federal to register their entry and address, etc.
A first glimpse of the enviable organisation of PUCRS, and the warm welcome we would always receive, as well as an invaluable help for those who find themselves unleashing ten salespeople just to buy a hair straightener, without even knowing why (yes, this also happened...).
But the greatest relief were the smiling, understanding faces that greeted us at the dormitory; the fear, the anguish disappeared in a moment. We still didn't understand each other, but those exchanges said much more than long speeches would have allowed: no matter how different we were, no matter how far we came from the furthest corners of the globe, there was something that united us. Colombians, Mexicans, Swedes, Germans, French, a small world was gathered in those halls. Different ideas, alternative mindsets, but in the end, we all had the same fears and needs. Perhaps, the bonds with the other foreign students are among the strongest and deepest we have established, after all, 'we were in the same boat'.
From here, a few days and we all started to leave the student residence together to go to the university, and so for the rest of the days to come: small groups of exchange students heading to class every morning.
The PUCRS is fantastic, a real campus. In addition to the ultra-modern facilities where classes are held, divided by department, and the largest library in the State of Rio Grande Do Sul, there are bars, restaurants, canteens, green areas, gadget shops, meditation rooms, gyms and alternative facilities. It is immense, all to be explored...
Lessons, in general, are compulsory and very often practical in nature. Curricular internships are also included in the programme, which consist of lectures given by university professors and lawyers, during which you learn how to correctly draft legal documents, almost like a legal writing course. Students are always invited to participate actively, but without forcing. Every useful contribution is considered a common learning opportunity, the rest is not worth the waste of time of hasty judgement. At every moment we felt supported and sustained, professors and colleagues (comrades one might say) stood by our side with every success, and rejoiced as if it were their own. The opportunity of a cultural exchange was perceived and valued by all: we were never strangers to them, but friends who had just returned from a long journey, to whom they felt they could ask what they had seen, whether it was worth adapting that diversity to their reality.
The year is made up of two semesters, divided by a break/holiday period of about three months (between December and March), during which we took the opportunity to travel and discover Brazil and get to know, among other things, the Brazilian Carnival, São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Florianopolis, Espírito Santo, Salvador, Fortaleza, Jericoacoara...
Without wishing to exaggerate, perhaps Brazil really is one of the countries that provides the most stimulation, both professionally and culturally. Considering the important migratory phenomena of the past, today Brazil lives and breathes a climate of multiculturalism, agricultural and sporting traditions almost resemble rituals, and philosophies and religions from all over the world converge. Modernity mingles with the ancestral, sometimes it really does seem as if magic is concealed in the textures of reality.
This culture of confrontation, of aggregation, can only lead to openness towards completely innovative solutions, in every sphere: just think of the practice of family constellations in the judicial sphere. Even the sometimes important differences between our legal systems were sources of reflection of immeasurable value: we will never forget the Júri court session we attended.
To conclude our story, we were unfortunately forced to end our second semester here, in Italy, due to the SARS-CoV-2 health emergency, returning earlier than expected, but managing to complete the year thanks to the online classes offered by PUCRS.
What was the point? The hope surely is that at the end of the five-year course, two degrees will carry significant weight, and that the fact that one was earned abroad, in a developing country increasingly incidental to global politics such as Brazil, will provide important employment benefits. We can say, however, that even if it turned out to be a useless experience in this respect, we would still repeat everything. It is an experience that challenges you in ways you never suspected, and brings out things in you that you never imagined. Nothing teaches you as much about yourself as such an adventure; you become yourself again, but in a new version. And it is with this new awareness that you feel like climbing mountains, knowing that the summit is there for you...
Elisabetta Gherri e Sevil Chetulyan
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