Sarah Moody is a fifth year Ph.D. student studying Argentine and Brazilian literature from the end of the nineteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth in the Department of Spanish and Portuguese. She has been in Buenos Aires, Argentina, São Paulo, Brazil and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Sarah encountered a few setbacks, to wit, “the Brazilian National Library was on strike, Rio was engulfed in the Panamerican Games during my two weeks there, and almost everything in Argentina takes longer than I imagined.” In Brazil, there were concerns about aviation risks and flight delays. Until Sarah found her niche, she thought Sao Paulo was “intimidating.” Furthermore, the Games in Rio “made finding affordable lodging pretty difficult.”

While researching, Sarah had “wonderful luck meeting people knowledgeable about topics related to my research,” particularly, “Antonio Dimas, an amazing professor of literature in São Paulo who knows almost everything about the period I'm researching.”

When not researching, Sarah suggests, “anything at a carioca juice bar, açai (a rich, purple slushie made of a berry from the Amazon), and, when on the beach in Ipanema on a hot day, a ‘côco gelado.’”

Sarah recommends that future students “Prepare thoroughly ahead of time, and leave some flexibility with your scheduling… And don't forget to bring strong luggage for all those photocopies and books on the flight home!”

To talk to Sarah more about her research and travels in Buenos Aires, São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, you may research her at smoody (at) berkeley (.) edu.