Questions with Pedro Von Simpson

Questions with Pedro Von Simpson

-                -transcribed by Isabel Lauby

1.     Q: How long did you live in Brazil?

A: I lived in Brazil for four years.

2.     Q: Why did you move?

A: My dad got transferred.  He was working in Brazil for a company and a spot opened up in Atlanta and they transferred him to it. 

3.     Q: Do you still have family in friends in Brazil?

A: Yes, all of my family lives in Brazil.  All of my close family at least:  my aunts, uncles

4.     Q: What was it like learning a new language?

A:  Well I learned them both (Portuguese and English) at the same time really because I was still learning Portuguese when we moved.

5.     Q: Do you consider yourself fluent in both English and Portuguese?

A: Yes, but I’m definitely better at English because I take classes for English.

6.     Q: What do you miss most about Brazil?

A: Probably the climate.  It’s warm year round and I hate cold.

7.     Q: Where do you prefer to live and why?

A: Probably here just because it’s safer and the quality of life is overall better.  Like here you don’t need as much money to live as nice of a lifestyle.

8.     Q: What is your favorite thing about the US?

A:  I think that here we have a really good government.  A lot of people don’t recognize that, but compared to other governments in the world we have one of the best.

9.     Q: What are some advantages and disadvantages you have from once living in a different country?

A:  Advantages are the perspective I get.  Like I get a different perspective on government, society, all those things.  Another advantage is probably college.  Here colleges like people from other countries.  It also helps a lot with learning other languages like Spanish.  Disadvantages…just racism.  Just whenever someone is prejudice towards people from other countries.

10. Q: Do you ever want to live in Brazil again?

A: Maybe.   I mean it really just depends on how well the economy is doing.  If the economy continues to grow down there and Brazil gets to a place where there is more opportunity than America, then yeah.

11. Q: What was the biggest challenge about leaving your home in Brazil?

A: Probably leaving all of my family because now I never see them, like I see them once a year.

12. Q: What do you do when you visit Brazil?

A: I travel all around Brazil.  I go see my family, but I’m constantly traveling.   It’s like a tour not a vacation.  Normally we stay for about four weeks so we’ll try to take like one or two weeks to try to go the beach or something.