As the war comes to an end, I'm far from the place I call home - in Brazil as a foreign exchange student. I reflect a lot about my first experience of war - as I watched each step on television.

Sometimes I with that I was at home in normal, comfortable surroundings where I'd feel more at ease. But perhaps I am learning more as an American in a foreign country. Even though the major fighting is over, I continue to be bombarded with public opinion in my city, partly, in my opinion, because I am American.

Life in a small city

I live in Horizontina, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, population 17,000; most are of German descent. To me, the city seems well informed and interested in national and international events. People constantly tune in to the news channel or read the daily paper, voicing concerns for the future of their country.

It's my impression that this small community has merely one opinion of the war - opposition. They seem to have reached a conclusion that Americans are enemies of peace, and the true intention for the war is oil. In their minds America is an arrogant nation that desires no more than domination. To them, freeing the Iraqi people is an absurd excuse for the "real" reason for war.

Rarely am I ever asked my opinion, which bothers me - I feel the desire to voice and defend my opinion and personal ideas. Instead it's as though I'm expected to solely listen to what people think about America and its involvement in the war. People seem insensitive to the fact that they are talking about my country and the people who defend it, as well as my family and friends. Possibly my new neighbors are given the wrong impression that I agree with them, because there is barely more than one opinion in the region.

The impact of media

I've come to realize that media plays an effective role in educating and influencing the general public. What you see influences what you think.

Before the war started, a Brazilian newspaper Folha de Sao Paulo stated that "unless the [U.S.] president demonstrates that Baghdad is an imminent threat, it seems more reasonable to believe that the real motives for the war are oil, and U.S. hegemony."

Now after the fighting has subsided, a discussion in my Portuguese class was held concerning a newspaper article that said the American people should have shame because no chemical or biological weapons have been found, and the principle ethics of humanity were compromised by invading Iraq to gain control of the oil-rich nation.

American images

The reputation of America is not being helped by the behavior of some Americans, be they public figures who oppose the war openly or some of the military in Iraq.

I can't count the number of times I have been confronted about the marine who draped the U.S. flag over the head of the statue of Saddam Hussein in central Baghdad. Although, to us, the flag is a symbol of peace and liberty, the world doesn't understand or accept that. This was yet another instance when not only people in my city, but the world, were given a negative view of America on television stations and in newspapers all over the globe.

What I've learned

While in Brazil I realized that people in the world think differently. Some believe that casualties of the war are justified by the freeing of the millions of suffering Iraqi citizens. Others are completely anti-war and see solutions other than bloodshed. I have been introduced to a completely different environment, not only geographically but also morally and mentally. The roads are stone, rarely is there ever pavement, people greet me with "three kisses", the lunchtime is spent at home away from the office and public displays of affection that may not be accepted in my city in the United States is seen as "natural."

Like many of my peers, before I came to Brazil I felt as if I was out of touch with the rest of the world. Now that I have a different international outlook and perception, I must bring my experience back home and try to influence my peers.