Colorful street music and noisy traffic, the perfect alarm to our first morning in Belo Horizonte. We had the privilege of learning from a Brazilian sociologist, Dr. Jorge Neves, who gave an intriguing lecture of Social Inequalities in Brazil. Various topics were covered such as the roots of Brazil?s authoritative government which were set in 1808, the change that came following the renovation of the Brazilian Constitution in 1988, the importance of status rather than class within the Brazilian society, and the differences between Brazil and other countries according to their tax revenue and Gini Coefficients. We now know the human development within Brazil has had a dramatic increase between 1990-2014 but is now stagnant and, according to Dr. Jorge Neves, will most likely remain stagnant throughout the incoming years. The initial splash of Brazilian culture could be felt right past the doors of the hotel. Graffiti art littering the street walls, mosaic stone covering the pavement, and the ease of Portuguese words slipping through the mouths of the native people was overpowering. The energy walking through the city was enlightening with new faces and unfamiliar sounds. Chelsea Fuentes RTGAmbassador
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