Going to live in a new city, even for a short time is always a worry and with a language problem even more so. I did my research in London before arriving in Curitiba, but did not arrange anything permanently until after I arrived. It is worth checking out the Airbnb website https://www.airbnb.com where you can get a good indication of availability and prices. You may be able to find somewhere for your entire stay, but this is unlikely and it is probably best to book from a few days up to one week. Prices on the website see the screen print below range from R$ 37 – R$ 3,500 per night with an average of R$162 per night. These prices are generally much cheaper than hotels.
If you are planning to attend the full course for eight weeks then there are different options available. The CELIN school keeps a list of host families which you can obtain by sending an email to acordoseconvenios_celin@ufpr.br. Host families provide everyday immersion in Brazilian culture as students share daily life with local people. Sharing an apartment with other students is another good option as many students live in the city centre near to the university and where most of the cultural activities take place. It is worth checking out the following sites www.reicuritiba.org, www.easyquarto.com.br and the Facebook page Curitiba PR-Dividir Moradia.
Needless to say I took a different route. Whilst researching before my trip I came across a great Brazilian site which has an English version www.shortstaycuritiba.com. I recommend this company, they manage over 300 apartments in Curitiba. It is the one I used to rent my apartment. However you have to rent for at least one month. Once registered you can look at the apartment buildings and check out the availability, which changes daily. You can reserve an apartment online and arrange for payment before you leave but I would not recommend this. I suggest you book temporary accommodation with Airbnb, a local hotel or one of the hostels here in Curitiba, check out this site, which, is in English, at the time of writing prices were between R$ 30- 60 per night and most have free wifi. http://www.hostelworld.com/findabed.php/ChosenCity.Curitiba/ChosenCountry.Brazil
You should have already had a tour of my apartment on the blog “Um Tour Pelo Meu Apartamento” if not check it out, I even try to speak Portuguese. Let’s see how much I improve over the next few weeks.
The main reason for not booking a long term let before your arrival is twofold. One, you need to see for yourself the standard of the accommodation and secondly and more important for me was that I wanted to explore the different areas of the city and discover how far CELIN was from each apartment. I looked at about eight apartments before choosing Life Space Sete de Setembro. It is near the centre of town, about thirty minutes walk from CELIN and I can walk to most places I want to go or take a short taxi ride. I haven’t ventured on the famous Curitiba bendy busses but I will and I will give you the full lowdown. Any questions on choosing where to live, leave a comment and I will reply.
The way I worked it out was to use google maps and put the University UFPR or CELIN on XV de Novembro on the map and then draw an imaginary circle with CELIN in the centre. To help you, Shopping Estação is opposite where I live and it takes me 30 minutes to walk to the school.
Eu tenho que fazer minha lição de casa para a escola nesta sexta-feira.
This is Leo Gringo in Brazil
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