The methods that the Natura scientists use to create each of their fragrances show how important every single molecule of each fruit or plant is in the creation process. These scientists use a technique called chromatography in order to separate every single compound in each part of the fruit or plant. This technique uses a machine and specific solvents in order to separate the compounds based on their properties, such as, polarity and or size. When passed through the stationary phase in the machine, the molecules move slower or faster depending on their properties, allowing the machine to identify and quantify them. This allows the scientists to take the individual puzzle pieces and create a whole new final art product in the form of a scent or product. 

 Although the labs of natura are very technological and sterile, the whole compound exemplified a oneness with nature. There was a koi pond with beautiful fish, there was very diverse and plentiful flora, and it was built in a way to not disturb or harm the wild animals in the area. Although there was a ton of glass windows, the designers of the building kept that in mind and installed fake birds of prey to prevent wild birds from running into the glass. The attention to nature is very visible with how the structures have been constructed, emphasizing that everything in nature is important, and with the right puzzle pieces you can make something beautiful. The building also helps us to see how wild it is that all of the things in nature are made the way they are. For example, this koi fish isn’t beautiful just because it is gold or just because of how graceful it is when it moves through the water; It is beautiful because of the long and flowing fins that glide through the water, the contrast of its shining gold to the background and the way that the color shifts to white just at the tips of the fins. It is not just one piece that makes this fish beautiful, it is the billions of cells that make up the artful puzzle of the koi.

Now, as for first impressions – mine was that this headquarters was something straight out of the Hunger Games. It is absolutely beautifully built, with the aesthetically pleasing tall structures made of glass and cement. The bridge connecting two towers that stretched above the walkway, complete with its own koi fish-stocked river running alongside it, really sold the futuristic Capitol vibe. There were “secret passages” into rooms full of mirrors and mesmerizing lights, opulent tables full of fragrances and oils and their scented objects of origin, and a shop showcasing the large selection of products the company had to offer. Unfortunately, most businesses flash their money this way on architecture and the appearance of grandeur, while behind the scenes their business practices are underhanded and perpetuate socio-economic and climate issues. As I was to discover throughout the rest of the visit, however, this is not the case with Natura!

One of the ways Natura practices sustainability is through the intentional usage of Brazil’s natural resources in their products. In the fragrances most evidently, there is always some sort of plant or naturally occurring substance that is relied upon for the scent. There is even a certain soothing nighttime lotion Natura has that uses passionfruit, and that fruit is picked at 3 AM due to its fragrance and calming qualities being at their peak! This is a great example of intelligence and wealth being used together for good to fund these facilities.

Natura also puts its technology to good use in terms of testing cosmetics and fragrances. There is no testing done on animals – they actually use this machine on the right to create a very thin and delicate skin for product testing. It is much more delicate than human skin is, so if the products being tested do not irritate this synthetic skin, it will be great for any human to enjoy using!

The most beautiful showcase of sustainability and mindfulness about keeping the world clean in my opinion was an art piece in a grassy area of the headquarters. Hundreds of recycled fragrances bottles were arranged to look like a fetus in utero from above, and you can walk through them as well on a spiral path! This just reinforces Natura’s goal of utilizing the natural beauty present in the world around us to enhance the beauty of those living in it, as well as preserving the lovely world we have the privilege to dwell in. This was an incredible visit, and it was such an encouragement to see a business that is putting its customers first in every sense be so clearly successful!

There are few things like a trip that can expose the kind of person you are. Our time in São Paulo has definitely succeeded in doing this. Not only was today full of fun activities, but these activities revealed just how much camaraderie there is between all of us in our group. Today we went to the school ETAPA and participated in a lab, had a samba lesson, and then a tour of the school. The lab was so interesting and not only did we get to look at different plants under a microscope, but we also got to try the fruit jabuticaba, which reminded me of Concord grapes back home. I’m very thankful for my Global Water Use and Sustainability professor because of things I learned in class that I could apply to what we went over during the lab. When it came time for samba class, anyone would definitely be able to tell how connected we are as a group.

During the samba lesson we had a chance to compare samba to music and songs that we think represent the U.S. best. When we were split into our two teams you could tell how well we worked together through how engaged we were with the activity. Each of us had a say in regard to the song we chose and we actively participated. I think our collective desire to have fun and participate in everything has extreme significance in the overall experience we’ve had so far in Brazil. This can also be seen in how committed we were to playing the different instruments, fully participating in the dancing portion, and actively engaging with the teacher as well as each other. Through our experience I think it has revealed a significant aspect of the kind of people that we are. We are the kind of people who give ourselves fully to new experiences and anything we are part of.

To engage with music in a meaningful way requires you to be invested in it in some way. Whether it is listening, playing, or composing, music is meant to be created and experienced on a deeper level than mere surface. I find it so beautiful how as we played the different percussion parts together to form one complete beautiful piece of music we also were drawn together fully invested in one purpose that has formed a beautiful memory we all now share. I find that this reveals how God created us to be experiential beings who were never meant to function or coast on surface level with each other. I could go on and on about how music reveals God’s creation glory to us and more about who we are, but that would take too long for a blog. Even though we were so tired afterward, we created a memory that will forever be connected to who we are and how we experience music both in the U.S. and in Brazil.

“Every song you love, every memory you cherish, every moment that has moved you to holy tears has been given to you from the One who has been pursuing you from your first breath in order to win your heart.”

– John Eldredge

As cheesy and cliche as it sounds, music really does have the power to connect people. This was especially clear when we did a samba workshop on Wednesday May 21! A large part of the workshop was learning how to play different instruments, and playing music together. I have never seen our group more in sync than when we were playing together. Each person had a different part and instrument, and yet we worked together to create music. 

This theme has been present in other areas of the trip, in the music we play on the beach or the songs we sing spontaneously. Music always brings groups together. I think this moment was so special because I was able to connect with people in the group that I didn’t know before this trip. I had never spoken one-on-one with some of my classmates, or ever talked to them outside of a classroom. But when we were creating music together, I could look at any one person in the group and know exactly what they were thinking, because we had this shared experience together. I played the same tambourine part as someone across the room from me, and we had to make eye contact and keep in time. I played the snare drum with another classmate, and we made sure to keep each other in time and lead when one of us fell behind. During this experience I really felt that the group connected as a whole, as one unit. 

This also helped us connect with the Brazilian students, who obviously know more samba than we do. We got to experience a part of their culture that they love, and make music with our friends. I have never seen our group more energized than when we were making music together. Mistakes didn’t matter, differences didn’t matter, nothing mattered except the music we were creating together. 

I could write pages and pages about the power of music, and how it brings people together, no matter their differences. That’s why I’m studying to be a music therapist after all, I know how powerful music can be. It was really wonderful that our group was able to experience it, and grow closer as a result.

Following our language immersion experience, I decided to use my newfound skills to order for myself without the Brazilian students. I chose feijoada even though our host mom had warned us against it since it is very strong. Although we’ve been in Brazil for over a week, I still struggle to order food in Portuguese, but I was determined. I made it through the water and meal portion, but when he started asking me about the sides I would like, I turned with a look of “help me” to Sophia, who graciously stepped in. Another failure! As far as the feijoada dish, I have to say that our host mom was right to caution us. The heavy meat and strong taste were not to the liking of my American taste buds which are used to grilled chicken and pasta.

The afternoon brought an adventure to the Portuguese language museum. Here were a plethora of interactive displays and aesthetically-pleasing exhibits that show the rich history of the Portuguese language. While exploring the various exhibits, it was fascinating about the many different roots of even simple Portuguese words like “pao” and “cidade,” which originate in places everywhere from Taiwan to Mozambique. Hearing different dialects from a display on languages across the world showcased the true diversity of expression that exists even within Brazil itself.

Touring this museum after my day of speaking broken Portuguese revealed the challenge of truly grasping a new language even with all of the resources we have available. Humiliating experiences of mispronouncing words and struggling to order food create empathy for those who have no other option but to learn a language through being thrust into the culture. It has been an eye opening, difficult experience, giving me motivation to absorb as much of the language as possible in the short time we’re still here.

On the first full Monday of the trip, we went out to help a local group called Todo Mundo Feliz. Todo Mundo Feliz is a group focused on providing after-school care for young kids in Santo Andre and even taking care of them in general if they are really young. To help out, we were tasked with painting a couple of the exterior walls of the newly rented property, which was right next door to their permanently owned property.

Now, the task of painting a wall is typically quite boring, and from the start, it was, indeed, boring. Both of the walls were to be painted in a dark gray, which meant we couldn’t even paint anything fun to make the time more enjoyable. Though we did learn that the grey walls would be a base for the kids to leave handprints on, once they were dry enough.

One problem we had was a lack of paintbrushes, so those who wanted to help look after and interact with the children volunteered, but that didn’t solve the problem. So, after I took the above picture for this very blog, our now, Rev. Dr. McPherson, handed me a GoPro-like camera, and said, “figure out how to get this to work.” I soon figured out how to get it to record, and almost immediately turned it into a vlog, with internet brainrot vocabulary included. This actually helped with the energy, as well as some people using their phones to blast songs from the movie Rio, and progress on the walls started flying. Progress went so well that we managed to paint more than we were initially expecting to get done.

In the end, despite how mundane a task we were assigned, we had so much fun doing it. As well as helping a good cause in the process. In the end, we had fun doing something that mattered, turning the boring into one of the most exciting things we’ve done so far.

Within the first half of the trip, I have learned how language is a connector through several instances. My host family speaks very little English, making it difficult to communicate with them. We rely on our body language and expressions to communicate how we feel or what we want to say. Although translation technology, like google translate, is very helpful in assisting our conversations, there is something that allows me to connect with my host family on a deeper level. It is that life experiences supersede language differences. I have grown so close to my host sister because I share a love for many of the same movies, books, and music artists as her. We had the time of our lives watching High School Musical 2 together and bonding over our shared love for Troy Bolton. I have also been able to bond with our Brazilian classmates over several shared interests even though we come from different cultures and speak entirely different languages. 

Lastly, I have bonded significantly with my fellow Roberts classmates, some who I was already friends with, and some who I had hardly spoken to before. Experiencing language and culture with them has allowed me to build a friendship where we share many moments of laughter, and even opening up and sharing some of our more personal details of our lives. This traveling experience has taught me so much about how important it is to share language with others and how it is able to bring people together in unforeseen ways. 

Brazil as a whole seems to be very diverse and I really respect that about Brazil. The diversity shows that people care about each other, not based on looks or appearance, but based on personality and experience. After the park we went to a restaurant and got feijoada. When we got our food she explained that originally feijoda was a type of food made by the slaves with leftovers from the pigs food.

I also respect how Brazilians know so much about their ancestors and their history. In this case it may only be that our host mom is a tour guide and she is supposed to know these things but it still surprises me how much she can remember about the history. While all this was happening, back in America my cousin was participating in a pageant representing Asian culture. In January her family went to the Philippines because her mom is Filipino and they don’t visit much. When they came back she was saying how much she loves her culture and that she wants to learn more about her culture and I am so happy for her that she is excited about her culture. It also makes me sad because because I really don’t know much about my culture and I would really like to start learning about my Italian heritage. I feel Americans don’t really care as much because they are in a good situation and don’t really care about where they came from. I also feel that a lot of people think that they are just American but really they have many different cultures in their heritage and I would like to explore my own.

The project that we completed today, in my opinion, is one the most important things that we are going to be doing while in Brazil. The idea of providing a service to a group of people who are in need is such a rewarding feeling. During the painting there was never a moment where it felt like work, a job, or that it is a burden to me in any way. I spent my whole day laughing, talking, and listening to music with some of my best friends. I think that being able to all come together for such a great reason is a very beautiful thing. Everyone was involved in the project and just so happy to be helping out where we were. The children who I got to meet were wonderful as well. In the music room, our instruments consisted of plastic bottles and tin cans. Each student had an instrument to play and they each wore a smile from ear to ear. Music has the ability to make everything out of hardly anything and this experience showed me just how powerful and important music is for all people. Overall, today showed me how fortunate I am to be given opportunities such as this. There is nothing better than to be in a community completely separate from your own, yet still making a huge impact. This is one experience that I will never forget and it will serve as a constant reminder as to how important it is to volunteer your time for others.

When we started preparing for this trip, I knew that learning Portuguese would be the most difficult thing for me. I love learning new languages, but I have a horrible memory. I knew that I had to put effort in though, because language is something that unites us all. Not only is it polite to try and speak the language of the country you are visiting, but doing so provides the opportunity to connect with complete strangers. Today, May 15th 2025, I connected with people using language in three different ways.

The first was when my friends and I went out to lunch. This was our first time venturing into São Paulo without one of our buddies, and we were excited for the chance to experience the city on our own. As always, it was very clear that we do not speak a lot of Portuguese. The waiter at the restaurant was very patient and kind with us, and used google translate when we couldn’t decipher what he was saying. He helped us a lot when ordering and paying, and was so helpful when we were attempting to figure out who was owed what change. Every one of us making an effort to speak each other’s language not only made lunch successful, but left us all feeling a little more connected with one another.

The second experience was at Shopping Paulista, where we visited after classes for the day. We ordered gelato in shaky Portuguese, and again the employees were very kind to us. My roommate Sidney asked for a second spoon in Portuguese, and the employee smiled very brightly at us. As we were leaving, she told us in Portuguese that we were very beautiful (which our buddy Sophia translated for us). I don’t know what it is about speaking a similar language that makes people want to be kind to one another, but I have seen it all around me in this city.

Lastly, as we were leaving the mall, my friends and I stopped at a drugstore. While inside, we heard someone around us speaking in English. At first we didn’t register it, because that’s normal back in the USA, but then we remembered where we were. We followed the language outside, where we met a group of five exchange students. These students were from the USA and Germany, and had been living in Brazil for about ten months. We chatted about where we were from and why we were in Brazil, and they invited us to eat lunch with them. To me, this was the pinnacle example of how language connects people across all different cultures. We were invited to share a meal with complete strangers just because we spoke the same language.

These three experiences today really showed how language transcends all cultures and locations. I believe that humans always want to connect with each other, but sometimes things (like language) get in the way. By showing the effort to speak someone else’s language, it pushes through those barriers to connect us all.