My Insomnia - what do you think about Brazil?

[adamitj]

I am a little wrathful today. I have insomnia. Maybe because I can't find a way to become a millionaire in a easy way, or maybe I have a lot to do tomorrow morning at work (and for the unbelievers, the standard work time of Brazil is from 08:00 AM to 12:00 AM, and them from 01:30 PM to 06:00 PM - this means I need to wake up near to 07:00 AM).

By the way, my english sucks. And this firefox spelling checker sucks too - I don't want to know if "english" is writted with capital letter "E". Even its own name "firefox" cannot be recognized!

Farewell... I have a "very important" subject to discuss with some intelligent people. So here I think is the best place to do it.

Last year I was just living at the city of Curitiba and working for a USA satellite radio, remotely. There I had to speak with some european and north-american guys. So... I don't know why, but this remembrance came to me right now: what the europeans and north-americans think about Brazil?

When I talked with them (the "north-americans"), I was surprised to hear what they imagine about Brazil. They really think that here is an immense jungle countrywide, with a lot of monkeys jumping over the tree branches and we (the "natives") running from their "chocolate" (just because this forum don't let me say it) that falls to the ground at each movement.

Besides, some of them always asked me if broadband internet arrived here... others asked me for the "volcanos" and lava rivers of the Amazon (really I think these ones lost too much time playing PS One Twisted Metal game).

Many of people around the globe associate at most four things when heard something about my country:
1) Carnaval (Rio de Janeiro);
2) Soccer (Ronaldo, Kaka and Ronaldinho);
3) Beautiful women (sometimes this means: easy paid sex - and is not fully wrong);
4) Little chimps jumping over the treetops;

And now... I want to hear something from you guys... what do you think about Brazil?

[chucky chuckaluck]

if i make it to 90, and all my loved ones are gone, i'm going to liquify my assets, fly to rio, party til my money runs out, then blow my brains out on the beach (hopefully preserving the smile on my face i went out with).

[CraigPaleo]

Well, I've never thought you all had to constantly dodge monkey poop. I do imagine a large jungle with 90% of the population concentrated in Rio de Janeiro.

I associate the Amazon with Brazil and yes, beautiful people. I think of the Brazilian butt-lift.

I think about the language - about how different Brazilian Portuguese is from European Portuguese. I once witnessed speakers of each resorting to English because they couldn't understand each other.

I imagine, as such a large country, that one part can be very different from another.

[CraigPaleo]

if i make it to 90, and all my loved ones are gone, i'm going to liquify my assets, fly to rio, party til my money runs out, then blow my brains out on the beach (hopefully preserving the smile on my face i went out with).

Now that's going out with a bang! One things for sure, though, You'll never make it to 91 if your loved-ones are gone!

[toupeiro]

Batida de Coco
Some of the biggest flash downpour rainstorms I've ever seen in my life
Copacabana on New Years
Feira Hippie!
Praia Vermelha
Iguacu Falls
Buzio's
Ouro Prieto
Petropolis / Teresolopis
Araras
Casa de Pastel in Shopping da Gavia
Chopp
Mil Fruitas
Mineirinho
Matte
Flumenense!!!!

;) Its my country too!


I do imagine a large jungle with 90% of the population concentrated in Rio de Janeiro.

Rio Metro Population: 14,387,000
Sao Paulo Metro Population: 22,105,060

Sao Paulo, population-wise is much more dense. Rio, population wise, is much prettier ;)

[billgoldberg]

Poverty, high crime figures in the cities at the one hand, nice beaches and jungle at the other.

[CraigPaleo]

Batida de Coco


Sao Paulo, population-wise is much more dense. Rio, population wise, is much prettier ;)

Maybe it was more like 90% of the population live in 10% of the country or something like that. I can't really remember the details - just that a small part is densely populated and the rest, sparsely populated.

[gnomeuser]

I am engaged to a lovely brazilian girl who happens to currently live in Curitiba. Yes that does get a little problematic having to travel back and forth but it's only for a little while.

During the daytime Curitiba feels very friendly, it is hard to communicate since only a select few speak English and my Portuguese still doesn't extend beyond "Hello, My name is David" - also they tease me that I speak with a posh accent like I am from Portugal.

The food is great, coming from a country where really fresh fruit is a rarity unless it's apples the wealth of taste is really amazing. I never knew had anything except one kind of banana before e.g. Additionally Brazil is the place in the world where I have had the best meat.

The downside is definitely the poverty, I hear that Curitiba is one of the better places in this regard but still you find beggars and people sleeping in the street. As a result every house is gated which coming from Denmark where we pretty much run in and out of each others gardens without more reason than to say hi seems sad and a bit scary. I learned pretty quickly that when we go out at night it is wisest that I don't say anything since speaking in English makes myself and everyone around me targets for mugging, as well taking a taxi instead of the bus for a speedy and safe return to home.

Nature can kill me, I hate spiders and while at home in Denmark they are only creepy, in Brazil I have to remember to check the bed and the shoes.. or I will die in horrible pain.

Dogs aren't allowed in the house, here we treat dogs like our children. They sleep in our beds or at least in their own little basket somewhere inside, and that seems natural to me. In Brazil dogs are alone outside all day and seem to be very untrained. They also seem to serve as a deterant for burglars more than pets. This also tends to make every neighbourhood extremely noisy, with dogs barking around the clock to the effect of driving you mad.

Religion is everywhere, coming from a country where 46% of the population are declared atheists (and much of the rest have a sort of hand wavy new age god is energy without any disernable dogma kinda approach to religion) this does seem a little different. I am an atheist and my fiancée is catholic, it's not so much strange as just an observation. It does however feel religious in a much friendlier manner than when I was in North Carolina a couple of years ago, there aren't any signs saying I will burn in hell (if they do I can't read them) and people aren't pestering me in the street about finding Jesus also I have to admit the churchs can be very pretty to look at. That really goes for a lot of older buildings, I enjoy the style.

It is a country with a lot of scars, walking down my main street the I could tell people that this place used to be a baker. Walking down the street in Curitiba, I am told horrifying stories such as "Sweetie, see that quaint shopping center? A couple of years ago that was a prison where the government would have people tortured and killed". I am continually amazed at how well people there are dealing with this transition.

Bus drivers have no fear of death, yet surprisingly few accidents occure. Being on the public busses is fun and scary at the same time. One gets the feeling that for a country as laid back as Brazil, bus drivers have a unique sense of urgency. It's like a 1.90 BRL daily rollercoaster ride, which is best avoided during rush hour as it becomes incredibly stuffed.

Brazilians value education more than any other people I have ever met. It is clear that there is a joy in learning and a feeling of obligation since there were given the chance to learn. It seems like they are knowingly trying to pull their country up in rapid progress by their bootstraps. This determination to do better and fix the countrys problems really seems to shine through in many aspects of society. There is always roads being mended, hospitals being built, little betterments going on every day - and yet the corruption has so permiated everything it must be an incredible uphill battle to fight it.

It is a strange place, in one way I feel like an alien there and yet it does also feel like home. There are many things I miss about Brazil when I am here, and also things I miss about Denmark when I am there. In that sense I am torn between two homes.

[Northsider]

I'm going to Sao Paulo in June...I definitely don't think of jungles and chimps

[CraigPaleo]

Humans should be the only apes in Brazil, outside of captivity anyway.

[glotz]

I really like the Terry Gilliam film. It's a must see.

[notwen]

I really like the Terry Gilliam film. It's a must see.

Came here for the film reference. Leaving satisfied.

http://www.criteriondvd.com/images/front/s51.jpg

[adamitj]

Brazil in fact is not the best place of the world, but also is not the worst. We have a lot of contrasts, in special regarding people's economic conditions.

Only who stayed here for at least a couple of days can understand it. "David" gnomeuser wrote the best analysis I ever read from a people outside our reality with a "surgeon precision" (even he talked about one of the best cities).

At least we don't have problems with war, religion discrimination, economic crisis (here it's being a little breeze), earthquakes, twisters...

However, we have real problems with the government taxes (about 47% of all our incoming money - 1st in the planet), basic services as wealth, security and education.

... and we still saying this is the best place to live so far.

Thank you for your opinions.

[Tibuda]

You better sleep. I'm brazilian too, and don't know why you worry about this.

And we do have problems with economic crisis and natural disasters too.

[wingnux]

I'm Brazilian, insomniac and a 2mg pill of Rivotril solves all my nightly problems =)

[BuffaloX]

However, we have real problems with the government taxes (about 47% of all our incoming money - 1st in the planet), basic services as wealth, security and education.


Denmark just beat Sweden to having highest taxes in the world. :(
Try ask gnomeuser about that. ;)


Beautiful beaches.
10% own 90% of the wealth.
Abandoned children living in the streets.
Most are Catholics.

Oh yeah did I mention beautiful beaches?

Just some stuff I heard on the news. I have no personal experience.

[Chilli Bob]

I mostly associate Brasil with Formula 1. GO BARRICHELLO!!!!

Edit: Good track too.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VwvxdWxyAAc

[wingnux]

I mostly associate Brasil with Formula 1. GO BARRICHELLO!!!!

Did you know that EVERY SINGLE PERSON in Brazil hates Barrichello?

[Chilli Bob]

Did you know that EVERY SINGLE PERSON in Brazil hates Barrichello?


But everyone else on earth loves Barrichello!!!!

GO Brawn GP!!! ( I was a fan before the start of the season, honestly)

[Yashiro]

There's been a rise in spam and ssh probing from Brazilian based IP's lately.

[Tibuda]

Did you know that EVERY SINGLE PERSON in Brazil hates Barrichello?

It's impossible to like Barrichello if you have seen Ayrton Senna (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ayrton_Senna).

[adamitj]

You better sleep. I'm brazilian too, and don't know why you worry about this.

Don't worry, it's just a... "cafe talking".
Sometimes when you can't sleep even the simple questions in your mind makes you suffer a lot and needs an answer :)


And we do have problems with economic crisis and natural disasters too.

Indeed. But not too much, you have to agree.

[Tibuda]

Indeed. But not too much, you have to agree.
No, it is serious. Maybe not for everybody, as Brazil is a heterogeneous country. The floods in this last summer (jan-mar) were terrible in SC and MG. The unemployment is rising in the big cities, and many small cities (with a export-led economic activity) are just stopped. Some industries are fine right now, but we are yet to see what is going to happen. USA got around 1/4 or 1/3 of the world's GDP, so their crisis is a global crisis and can't be ignored. I just hope the inequality and the poverty keeps falling like in the last years.

[Ambly]

Worst - Crime rates
poverty
favelas
corruption
soap operas (i hate them)
pop music (samba, forro, pop, etc)

Best - everything else
people
language (lol im Portuguese)
bundas (lol)
beaches
jungle
food
sun
some movies
country view
some musicians (jazz mainly, not pop jazz)
Hermeto Pascoal
Sepultura (long time ago, lol)
R*D*P
soccer player (Kaka is the best ever)
guarana
sand surf
leite de coco
chopp (portugues beers is better)
cachaça
caipirinha
brigadeiro
meat (churrasco maminha and picanha, dam its realy good)
seafood (fresh)
etc (endless stuff, after all its such a big country)