For International Relations and Global Studies (IR&GS) student Daria Ivanova, Brazil has long been much more than just a place on the map. Since her first year at HSE University, she has studied Portuguese and hoped to build a career connected with the country. An exchange programme gave her the opportunity to turn that ambition into reality. In Florianópolis, Daria studied at Santa Catarina State University (UDESC), travelled across Brazil and beyond, made friends from around the world, and immersed herself in a culture she had long wanted to experience first-hand.