• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Street Smart Brazil

We teach smart Portuguese

  • Contact
  • My Account
  • Cart
  • Policies
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms of Service
    • Disclaimer
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
Speak Portuguese With Ease
  • Home
  • About
  • Shop for Lessons
  • Starter Kit
  • Testimonials
  • Resources
  • Blog
Think Global, Act Local

Think Global, Act Local

posted on December 1, 2012

 
(source)

Tourists are kind of akin to actors. They have a role to play, scenes to shoot, you could even say they have a script to read from. Even if they aren’t the typical, camera-wielding, map-checking type of tourist, it’s hard to escape the feeling that you’re being treated differently. I don’t necessarily mean this in a negative sense as half the time it is merely rooted in curiosity on the part of the resident, much like seeing a famous actor. Luckily, there’s an escape route (though not so much if you’re white, blond and blue-eyed).

Having lived in quite a few neighborhoods that were absent tourists, every time I found myself in such a place, I was able to get a better idea of what it is to be a normal person in Brazil, or at least what it means to feel like one. I suppose the type of tourism I’ve long practiced could be considered a new way of traveling. It shall be called “Osmosis-based Anthropological Tourism” and that basically means that I’m interested in how people live their normal lives.

That’s right, I want to know the “boring” stuff like how their morning commute is (by taking it with them) and where they go to get a better deal on certain things (and then go there to save on the same items). Perhaps more importantly, I want to understand both their complaints and conquests in their day-to-day lives. Of course, this can’t be done simply, nor can it be done in a week but luckily most tourist visas allow for at least a 90-day stay and, if you can get away with it in your professional life, I totally recommend it.

This new type of tourism is quite a niche market because it’s basically asking the potential tourist to work most of the year, only to leave their normal life in order to live the normal life of someone else in another culture. It really isn’t for everyone but I find it blows the typical kind out of the park. You know, the kind of tourism where one leaves their normal life so that they can have the comforts of home (hotel, English-speaking staff, etc) while adding a pinch of local culture (ie, a restaurant that has a samba show) to the mix.

So you might be thinking to yourself, “Is that it?”. Well, no. Living like a local means you get to know about the hidden waterfalls that guides don’t talk about or that one place you passed by a few times downtown, the one that has no sign outside but, just up the staircase, puts on the best forró nights in town. Alas, the best times I’ve had in Brazil were when I was led by locals to places I would have never stepped foot in otherwise.

I’ll leave you with travel writer Pico Iyer’s excellent essay on “Why We Travel“. 

—————-

Schedule your Portuguese Demo Lesson.

Street Smart Brazil offers one-on-one and group classes online via webcam. We have a fantastic team of tutors, exclusive class materials, and complete programs from absolute beginner to fluent.  See what our customers are saying.

Related Posts:

  • Brazilian Books You Need on Your Bookshelf
  • Meio or Meia? How to say KIND OF in Portuguese
  • The Power of Rehearsal to Improve Language Learning

About Adam Lee

Adam is a writer and a researcher who has studied Brazilian culture for over a decade and created several Brazil-themed blogs going back to 2008. Having taught himself Portuguese, he put it to practical use by spending three years doing Brazil on a budget (and living in favelas), from Rio de Janeiro to the Amazon.

He now resides in Lisbon, Portugal, developing a startup and dreaming about having a beachside B&B in the Northeast of Brazil.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Stephen Maund

    January 30, 2021 at 1:08 am

    I plan to organise local events in my community in Wales, UK, parallel to the COP26 in November. Would you mind if I borrowed your excellent and expressive logo, please?

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Want to see your pic by your comment? Get a free custom avatar at Gravatar.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Categories

  • Brazil
  • Brazilian music
  • Brazilian Portuguese
  • Business Culture
  • Culture and History
  • Flashcards
  • Food
  • Grammar
  • Idiomatic Expressions
  • Learning Languages
  • Pronunciation
  • Resources
  • Video lessons
  • Visiting Brazil
  • Vocabulary

Schedule a Trial Session

Testimonials

I loved my Portuguese classes! I was enrolled with Street Smart Brazil for a few years and I would continue if I could! Street Smart Brazil makes learning a language fun and exciting while never havin… Read more
Yasmin
As a language lover, I have learned multiple foreign languages through multiple sources and media. I must say that Street Smart Brazil is absolutely the best language program that I have encountered. … Read more
Daniel
Street Smart Brazil has exceeded my expectations. There is a genuine feeling that anyone can learn and improve in any language. The approach is patient, encouraging, and most of all, empowering.
Anuj
I’ve really been enjoying the classes and I’m learning a lot. The classes have motivated me to learn more and more! This is my first time taking classes via Skype – and I’m enjoying the convenience an… Read more
Vanessa

Find Resources

Make your learning fun and easy with good resources.
Learn More

Recent Posts

  • Fruits You Must Try in Brazil
  • Brazilian Portuguese Idiom: Não é a minha praia
  • Brazilian Books You Need on Your Bookshelf
  • How to use ONDE and AONDE in Portuguese
  • Master Question Words in Portuguese: O que, Que, Qual

Search

Cart

Classes

  • Trial Lesson
  • One-on-One Portuguese Lessons via Video Meetings – Subscription
  • One-on-One Portuguese Lessons via Video Meetings – Packages
  • Celpe-Bras Prep Classes with Street Smart Brazil

Footer Subscribe

Footer Full CTA

Book a Trial Lesson today to get started.

Get Started Now

Footer CTA

Street Smart Brazil

  • About
  • Shop For a Portuguese Class
  • Testimonials
  • Blog

Portuguese Classes

  • Trial Lesson
  • One-on-One Portuguese Lessons via Video Meetings – Subscription
  • One-on-One Portuguese Lessons via Video Meetings – Packages
  • Celpe-Bras Prep Classes with Street Smart Brazil


Street Smart Brazil, LLC

phone 415.573.8180
email info@streetsmartbrazil.com
Oakland, California

  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Service
  • Disclaimer
  • Sitemap

© 2014–2023 Street Smart Brazil, All Rights Reserved.