"It is hard to describe in a few words all the things I experienced in Brazil," declares Doug Fager '68, returning AFS student.

Doug first left for Brazil last January and returned this January 15. His first stop was Rio de Janeiro where he spent nine days in a language camp. Here Doug worked seven hours a day to learn the fundamentals of the Portuguese language.

"After three months in Brazil, I was able to indicate my thoughts sufficiently, and after five months I was fluent in the language. The training camp, though, had given me a good background," Doug explains.

From the language camp Doug was sent to Anacayuba where he stayed eight months with the F. A. Riberriro family. The family owns seven cattle ranches in three different states. The family consists of two boys, one 17 years old and one 11 years old, and a girl 16 years old.

"A lot of my spare time was spent in ranch work," says Doug. "One time we inoculated 3,000 cattle for hoof and mouth disease and branded them also. It was an exciting experience."

The last four months Doug spent at Santos with the Joao Batista family. Santos is used as a seaport for Sao Paulo, Here Doug was able to do a lot of surfing at the beaches.

Some of the fads in Brazil, Doug recalls, are "motorcycles and big posters." "Also," says Doug, "the Brazilian teenagers are crazy about American music. Basically, the Brazilian teenagers like the same things as American teenagers."

Doug believes, "From my experiences, my whole being was improved. Also, I feel I have come to understand people better."