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PTSOTL is a travel guide now. Fantini Blake is a "21 year old Anglo-Brazilian university drop-out and occasional blogger." He lived in Brazil until the age of 5, then moved to the UK, before returning 7 years ago. He explained what it's like to live in Brazil for us. I'm too American/lazy to fact check any of this stuff so let us know in the comments if he's spot on and/or way off! (Check out previous entries on what it's like to live in Colombia, Canada, Qatar, New Jersey, Illinois, and suburban Mass). Live some place weird and/or not weird and want to tell us about it?
Brazil is the only country in South America that speaks Portuguese. Every Brazilian believes he is also fluent in Spanish; the hybrid lingo we use when trying to communicate with Spanish speakers is dubbed ‘Portunhol.’ Brazilian Portuguese and Portugal’s Portuguese are probably as similar and mutually intelligible as a New Yorker and a Scotsman trying to communicate.
Brazil is the main political power in South America and sees itself as destined for greatness as a major world power. Cultivation of historically strong ties with Africa and the Arab world is just one of the means by which Brazil seeks to consolidate its position internationally. The USA, UK and EU are regarded with both awe and suspicion; gaining leverage over them and sending clear messages of “not yo bitch!” are considered of primary importance. The time for Brazil to take its rightful place as one of the major players in the international system is at hand.
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In political and economic importance my home Belo Horizonte (“Beautiful Horizon”), the third most important urban center, pales in comparison with Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo. Together the three form the south-eastern triangle which comprises the real hub of everything that matters in Brazilian affairs. The actual capital, Brasilia, is a complete non-factor, other than housing our politicians (when they can be bothered to show up, that is). São Paulo alone generates a gross national product superior to that of many countries; if independent, the metropolis would be the 40th richest country in the world. It’s the 10th richest capital in the world and projected to creep up towards the top five in the next decade or so. Generalizing, the Paulistas are the most worldly and sophisticated of the lot. Breathing problems are common because of the awful pollution. Cariocas (natives of Rio de Janeiro) tend to be active, sporty, happy-go-lucky life of the party folks. Girls wear less make up but gym and beach culture ensures everyone has rocking bods. Alas, Belo Horizonte has no beach and its people are incredibly backwards when compared to the natives of the latter two. Girls are generally well regarded because of the cute accents and demure, country girl ways (less forward than the Cariocas and less imposing than the Paulistas). Each region has its own culture, traditions and history, enforcing the general acceptance of regional stereotypes – i.e., everyone from the north is considered amiable, but lazy, slow and perhaps even a bit dim-witted. Regardless of the region, for all Brazilian women long hair and a J-Lo butt is a must.
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| The artificial lake of Pampulha in Belo Horizonte |
The first thing that really hit me about Brazil is how warm and friendly everyone is. Actually, scrap that. What really hit me hard was how warm and friendly salespeople are. The minute you step into the store they are ALL over you like a hot rash. That shit CRAY. It’s purposely meant to be a bit overwhelming and pressure you into a “friendship” with the salesperson, so that you will either be pressed into buying from them now, or at least feel compelled to seek them out specifically next time you swing by. As distasteful as this might seem at first, cultivating these relationships can actually be mutually profitable, especially in terms of getting greater discounts (from salespeople wanting to secure you as "their" client. These salespeople are generally badly paid and chasing unrealistic quotas, earning only minimal commission (it varies, but for example, 3% under quota, 5% after hitting sales quota). Bartering is widespread and not considered offensive; often you can get a nice discount just by paying for things with cash up-front. When out buying, be sure to ask the price, then ask again if you were to, hypothetically, pay in cash. If they give you the same price for both cash or otherwise, telling them “thanks but that price doesn’t work for me, I’ll have to look elsewhere” can often do the trick. Also after buying consistently from the same place and having cultivated a quasi-friendship you can often buy things now and pay for them later. This is true for local amenities like take-aways, bakeries, butcheries, chemistries, vets, etc, and not for shopping malls or big supermarkets.
I have learned not to take Brazilians or what they say at face value. Unless an invitation is specific with a set date, time and activity, it is not an actual invitation, but mere courtesy. Whenever you meet someone you are acquainted with, the social convention is to agree to get in touch and go out. The Brazilian interpretation of being polite usually means being warm and friendly, with your social superiors or inferiors. Dishonesty permeates Brazilian culture, from politics to the church, to school to the police. As they say, “tudo é conversado” (“everything is spoken”, as in, “everything is negotiable”). If you’re a good talker, you can get and achieve pretty much anything here. If you want to survive, you need to develop your own hustler mentality and always foresee every single possible way in which you might end up being taken for a ride.
It’s quite common for many Brazilians to not have any qualms about showing up at your house uninvited, at which you are required to receive them graciously, entertain them for a good few hours and provide them with food and drink. Failure to do so, or letting them know not to swing by uninvited, is seen as being inhospitable, arrogant and standoffish. Generally Brazilians do not like being told "no" or having any kind of limits or boundaries in relationships imposed (i.e., “not your business”, “respect my privacy”, etc). On the other hand, this works both ways and Brazilian people will treat you like a king when you swing by their house. Foreigners especially receive the red carpet treatment wherever they go.
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The second major thing to hit me about Brazil is how widespread and dominant religion is. Traditionally a Catholic country, Protestantism has seen huge exponential growth in the last few decades (26 million in 2000, almost 43 million in 2010), forcing the Catholic church to reform itself and put on Protestant copy-cat services to attract youth (Catholic doctrines about the Virgin Mary, saints, and pretty much anything Protestants object to are ignored in these services, so as to make them as agreeable as possible). Afro-Brazilian cults – related to voodoo, Santeria, etc – are also widespread, though members often identify as Catholics. This is primarily due to syncretism – basically, each African god is identified with a specific Catholic saint, allowing them to worship according to African rituals but also attend Mass. It's not uncommon for Afro-Brazilian priestesses and followers to walk down the street singing their songs of praise. Their offerings can often be seen at cross-roads and by water. Spiritism is also widespread, often practiced in conjunction with nominal Catholicism. A hybrid Protestant-Spiritist church called Igreja Universal do Reino de Deus (“Universal Church of God’s Kingdom”) is insanely popular among the lower classes; they purchased one of the major TV networks and exert significant influence on the masses. Baptist mega-churches are also increasingly common, with membership into the tens of thousands, generating popular music ministries with multi-million album sales. Complete atheism is rare, though more common among the new generation.
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The third really major thing that hit me about Brazil was the contradicting messages on sexuality and nudity. Celebrities from all fields unashamedly pose naked – the men for gay magazines and the women for Playboy or Playboy-copycats. It’s very rare and considered noteworthy for a celebrity to not pose naked at some time in their career. Usually every contestant from the Big Brother house will pose naked and grace the covers of adult magazines until the next batch come along. Recently when one contestant received no invites, she felt publicly snubbed and rejected. Fees can reach up to R$2 million (roughly a million dollars) although usually much lower, depending on the level of celebrity. Of course, there’s additional income to be made from major media exposure – these photo shoots are usually shown, censored, on all the major news sites and gossip shows (private parts are depicted, no matter the pose, covered only by tiny little strips or stars for decency’s sake). During carnival time Rede Globo – the #1 TV network – has “Globeleza” (pictured above), traditionally a "mulatta" who is featured dancing frenetically butt naked with only body paint and a small metallic “tapa-sexo” (“sex-concealer”) covering her labia. She appears several times a day during day time – apparently there’s no issue with children watching this. Likewise there are contests for the chief dancers of the various carnival floats, shown on TV, during daytime, in which everyone is naked save some body-paint and sex-concealers.
I mean...?
Prostitution is legal. Many prostitutes are men. That said, Brazil is incredibly conservative when it comes to sex. Gays or lesbians are generally absent from TV, appearing generally as caricatures, and same-sex kissing is considered absurd, shocking and inappropriate for the average viewer. A same-sex kiss is unimaginable before watershed. Sex and drugs are generally depicted in a very caricature and stereotypical way – gritty, realistic shows like “Skins” or “Misfits” have no place on Brazilian TV whatsoever. There is greater leeway when depicting the favelas however – they’re apart from “us”, so it’s OK to portray them more graphically than you would the white middle class.
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| Favela and upper class apartments |
There is a lot of poverty everywhere in Brazil, perhaps more blatantly so than in the UK, but the average middle-class Brazilian will have all the same things as you guys have over there (wherever you’re at) and is most likely better informed of the world around him than you. Extreme poverty often exists side by side with extreme luxury. Race has a lot to do with class, primarily due to historical reasons – the slaves were set free, only to find work doing the same menial jobs they had been doing beforehand. I have not yet met a black doctor or lawyer and I can count the number of black classmates with one hand – at least half of which were only there as bursaries. Public education is a mess, a complete and utter joke, and even if provided with opportunities, the general mentality of the lower classes is averse to education – why send your boy to school, when he could be in the field playing football, hopefully becoming a multi-millionaire playing for some club away in Europe and giving you the life you’ve always dreamed of? Alternatively children of the lower classes will inherit their trades from their parents – the girls becoming house cleaners and the boys becoming painters, builders, plumbers, etc. Uneducated parents rarely value education and pass this on to their children – also, why send a child to school when they can be out working and contribute to the family income?
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| Neymar, Brazil's newest football superstar |
All in all Brazil is a damned amazing nation – a young country of continental proportions with a short but eventful history, abundant in natural resources and blessed with a soil and climate which yields pretty much anything. I’ve lived in Brazil (properly spelt with a ‘s’, but whatever) for seven years now. I was actually born here, but left at the age of 5, so it doesn’t really count. Not to me, anyways. I’m from here but not really and one of them but no thanks. I grew up primarily in the UK so that’s where I’m looking to when drawing the bulk of my comparisons. Obviously I’m writing only from my personal perception and others’ experiences could be vastly different. For random factoids and tidbits y’all can hop on over to Google and check pages like this. I reckoned it’d be more interesting to highlight some things people rarely notice, so there you have it.
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11 comments:
needs more chicks
Not Sheriff Racist or not.
How good is the coke though?
Yeah, good question. What all kind of drinking and drugs do the people up there get on at up to?
Ha ha. PTSOTL from the top down asks the burning question. What's the Brazilian phrase for "Are you holding?" Oh yeah we got this crazy jungle root that grows everywhere that will get you higher than shit.
Nice job throwing your last name on the signature. I was almost positive you were just going to put Fantini. They love those single names. Paula (#4 Olympic volleyball team) can do it all day long though.
Road trip, Luke? I'll get you a male prostitute. They say you haven't lived until you've pounded the South American leather Cheerio. Me? I'm cool. I'll just watch.
Bullshit aside, you paint a pretty nice picture of Brazil, Fantini. Thanks.
People drink a lot. A LOT A LOT. Social life in Belo Horizonte revolves around getting hammered at barbecues, bars and night clubs. Beer is cold, the colder the better. I think in Rio, Sao Paulo, etc, people drink slightly less, because they have better things to do. A few years back my friend was buying 1 gram of weed at R$1, something like 50 cents. Cocaine and crack are probably the most common besides that. A friend once mentioned that some are rarer here than abroad, but can't remember if it was speed or acid or MDMA or whatever.
Anonymous, the only Brazil-specific drug I can think of is loló, which is some solvent thing they used to use in olden time carnivals to flirt (like, they'd spray it on each other, idk). I think nowadays it's mixed with nail polish, acetone, glue, whatever. It's the most popular drug here, brought over from countries where it's not illegal, and has short but strong effects.
That Paula chick's surname is Pequeno, if you had need of it for whatever. Maybe international coverage doesn't use them 'cos they can't pronounce that shit?
I probably shoulda mentioned it but the male prostitutes dress up like women, so, yeah. I reckon I don't even want to know what a leather cheerio is...
Anyways, thanks anon.
YES! YOU ARE PROBABILY ON JAIL. HATING BRAZIL LIKE THAT AND STILL LIVING THERE! SHOW YOUR FACE `` SABE TUDO``
you are not old enough to opinionated about that. let this to the experiment
lol!
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