How in the world do you choose where in Brazil you want to go?

The Fulbright program sent me a list of about 60 different federal universities that I could potentially be placed at.  We were to choose two universities that we would like to be placed at and one that we would not like to be placed at.  We also had to give reasons for our decision.  When I got the long list, the only thing I could think of was, “How in the mundo (world) am I going to be able to decide where to go?”  I mean, it’s Brazil, isn’t everything just beautiful weather and beaches nearby (jokes)?

For those of you who don’t know, Brazil is MASSIVE (see map) and has a wide variety of climates.  It is the fifth largest country in the world, and encompasses almost 48% of South America.  From the Amazons in…