One of the best descriptions of Brazil comes from the great jazz composer Tom Jobim. As legend has it, Jobim, one of the founders of the Bossa Nova movement, once said of his own country, “Brazil is not for beginners”. Rarely is such insight summed up in five simple words. Something nearly everyone with much experience in Brazil tends to agree with, whether foreign or native, is that Brazil can be difficult to navigate and to understand. It is big, diverse, and historically unique from other countries, including its own neighbors in South America.