Meet Daiana, an outgoing and sweet “fake” Brazilian Imet during mandarin class. Even though she is Russian, she is married with a Brazilian and speaks Portuguese almost as a native! A fun fact about her husband is that he is from the same place as me in Brazil, in the very south, and I actually have family members from the city he is from!
From leaving her home country at 18 years old to study in the United States, Daiana started her life abroad with an opened mind and heart. In one of her trips she traveled to Brazil and fell in love with the country, she wanted to move there. With a degree in Mechanical Engineering and because she can speak multiple languages, she was able to get a job in a big Brazilian company that needed someone to come work in China. It was a perfect opportunity for her that blended Brazil, Russia and China!
After 13 years in China, she fell in love with the country. She shares her struggles with learning mandarin, and why it is not the same way of learning other languages, even though she can speak almost fluently 5 other languages. Daiana is also a mother and she shares her experience of having children growing up in China and how is the education system for international kids in the country, as well as the peculiarities, perks and expectations of kids in the Chinese society.
From being a daughter of the world, Daiana has a vast understanding of cultures and how to adapt in different societies. We chat about the cultural aspects that stood outthe most to her when she first arrived here and how now she implemented a few Chinese habits to her lifestyle. We expand on stereotypes, society systems and expectations, safety, accessibility and all the specificities that make this country her choice of living for the foreseeable future.
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