Tag: life in Brazil

Brazilian Culture: Accents Galore in Brazil

(It says there are many accents in Brazil thus everyone should respect each others)

One thing that has always surprised me about Brazil is the number of accents one can find from region to region and state to state. It often feels obligatory, among Brazilians, to mention certain regionalisms when being introduced in a social setting to someone from elsewhere in Brazil. The differences especially enter the conversation when it's found out that someone is from Southern Brazil, Rio, Bahia and, at times, São Paulo.

Brazilian Culture: Is trust a must?

A brand new study from the Brazilian Institute of Public Opinion and Statistics (IBOPE) says that 62% of Brazilians have little trust in other people, yet 72% have a lot of trust in their family. On one hand, it’s not too surprising that any segment of the population from any country have a healthy distrust of strangers (I consider humans to be tribal at heart). On the other hand, this information can help to better understand Brazilian life.

Life in Brazil: São Paulo’s Big Worm

If the image above looks familiar, you may have seen it in person in São Paulo or in one of several Brazilian films such as Foreign Land (Terra Estrangeira), Not By Chance (Não Por Acaso) or Blindness (Ensaio sobre a Cegueira) which all featured the giant overpass.

Brazilian Culture: Signs you're in Rural Brazil

I was watching a short news report when I realized that within the video are many telltale signs of Brazilian life. The report itself is about the “Macgyver of the Trans-Amazonian”, a 20-year old guy from Piauí who is basically a self-taught auto mechanic. Despite the nickname, Edson has never seen the TV show Macgyver, but a truck-driver once told him about the fictional character and that’s when Edson took the name as his own.

The video (in Portuguese), which you can watch here, reveals life throughout most of Brazil. Below, I’ll list everything I noticed while watching it. 

Brazil: The Land of Yeses

I love going out in Brazil for next to nothing and with next to nothing, in terms of what I carry on me. Back in California, I’d maybe do about two fun things per week. In Rio, when I lived near or in the Zona Sul, I’d go out about 4 times per week! That’s a big difference, especially for an introvert like me.

The Brazilian Bolshoi

When people think of Brazil and dancing, images of samba and forró come to mind. But what about something more classical, like ballet? In the city of Joinville, in northern Santa Catarina, one can find the only foreign dance school to carry the name Bolshoi (meaning “large” or “grand” in Russian). It was born from the famous Bolshoi Theater, Ballet and Ballet Academy in Moscow and has been in operation in Brazil since the year 2000.