Kaito Campos de Novais

(he/him)

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Major: PhD student in Anthropology

Home Country: Brazil

How was your transition from your home country to the University of Oregon?

I moved to the University of Oregon on my own. Saying goodbye to my parents, my sister and my dog, being the first of my family to ever move abroad, was emotionally draining. We cried a lot in the airport. After entering the plane, I felt like life was about to change forever. It felt like a disorienting adventure. When I finally got here, I felt happy to start this new life. I felt as a tourist, everything was exciting, from the shape of the houses to the trees, parks, and bike rides. But I also felt very overwhelmed! I arrived in Eugene in December 2020, in the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, so I had very few opportunities to meet people in-person and make friends. The most important thing I learned from my lonely quarantine period was that I needed to establish a community here.

What were the most helpful resources to you during your transition?

My advisor was a very important figure in my transition from Brazil to the U.S. It is very important to keep a clear and regular communication with advisors and ask them for advice and basic information. They can help you to find the information you need when you are unsure. During the orientation week, which happened online in 2020, I participated in several trainings and interesting mixers with current graduate students, who could answer my questions about housing and culture adaptation. My advice would be to join everything you can in the first weeks: orientations, workshops, and social activities.

What is your advice for future international students preparing to come to the University of Oregon?

My advice is to reach out, do not fear asking for support, do not fear sending messages, and asking to make a connection. You will need friends to help you navigate the academic life in Eugene. Grad school at the University of Oregon has been a very fun and challenging journey. Good relationships will make the experience better. Start meeting people before you arrive. They help make the journey to the U.S. a little easier. Once you are here, the people you connect with can show you around and introduce you to things that can make Eugene more comfortable for you.

Who did you contact when you were feeling overwhelmed by the relocation process?

During my first term I had a very tough time organizing time to study, work, and figuring out how to run my new everyday life. I had to learn how to figure out how to settle a bank account while reading academic books for my seminars. Everything felt exhausting, even talking in English – my tongue was tired of contorting to make such atypical sounds! At first, I had very little confidence to speak up in public, but with time I learned to embrace my pronunciation style. Everybody around me also brought with them beautiful accents and rhythms, so there is no single way to speak. I remember calling my friends and family from Brazil almost every day to just talk in Portuguese, and they helped me to decompress and get through this period. Also, I contacted the UO Health Center, which put me in contact with a therapist through my health insurance. I still go to therapy with the same counselor every week! I feel like taking care of my mental health is fundamental for my personal and academic well-being.