Spring 11 MASTER.indd - Thunderbird Magazine

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government organizations: Friends of the Earth
and Amazon Foundation. And they meet agriculture
researchers at PricewaterhouseCoopers
and the Cane Technology Center.
When possible, Zerio incorporates Thunderbird
alumni into the curriculum. Guest speakers
during the 2011 trip include Luiz Maia ’81 from
Brookfield Asset Management and Luiz Villares
’92 from Amazon Foundation.
Zerio sets up the course and delivers the opening
lectures in São Paulo. Then he watches from
the sidelines, putting each site visit into perspective
as opportunities arise. By the time the bus
reaches its final destination in Rio de Janeiro,
the professor spends more instruction time with
his students than the norm they experience during
traditional courses on campus.
“We possibly do much more in this program,
in terms of contact hours, than what should
be required,” Zerio tells the group. “But that
is good. We made the effort to come to Brazil,
and we are going to use all the time possible to
learn.”
SOCCER, SAMBA, FEIJOADA
The students also take time to immerse
themselves in Brazilian culture, which revolves
around soccer, samba and tasty feijoada. “You are
going to experience events where we have lots of
fun,” Zerio tells the students. “That is the culture
here.”
São Paulo alumni chapter leader Pedro
Carvalho ’94 joins the group for its first cultural
adventure on Jan. 7, 2011, at Rosas de Ouro
samba club. Sewing machines whir in a back
room of the warehouse, where workers stockpile
costumes for the upcoming Carnival in Rio de
Janeiro.
Out on the main dance floor, hundreds of
men, women and children move in rhythm to
live music from drums and horns crowded onto
a large stage. Traditional full-time MBA student
Joshua Niederman ’11 ventures onto the dance
floor, while other Thunderbird students watch
safely from the sidelines.
The next evening, Carvalho and other São
Paulo alumni introduce the students to Brazilian
food and drink. Glasses clink as students
make toasts with their first caipirinhas, the national
cocktail made with sugar and lime. Then
come large bowls of feijoada, the national dish
made with beans, beef and pork.
Rio de Janeiro Alumni Chapter leader Luciana
Araujo ’09 and other alumni help cap the
course with a similar feast on Jan. 18, 2011. In
between, the students round out their Brazil experience
with visits to shops, restaurants, tourist
sites, beaches and other venues.
The key to understanding Brazilian culture,
Zerio explains, is to let go of rigid schedules and
expectations. “Go with the flow,” he tells the students.
“Forget about time.”
Brazil Winterim students
gather around guest
speaker Luiz Villares ’92
from Amazon Foundation
and Thunderbird Professor
John Zerio, Ph.D., on the
hotel rooftop in Rio de
Janeiro.
(Photo by Daryl James)
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