Let the game begin!

Good Luck with your trip ... Keep us posted, would be glad to hear your experience in a new place

All the Best

Hi Ga Cracker and welcome to Expat.com!

Your thread has been moved to Goiania forum for better visibility.

Harmonie.

Hi Keith,

You will love Brazil for sure, and if you're into country music you will love Goaiânia which is Brazil's capital of Sertaneja music.

One recommendation is that you find a school or private teacher in Atlanta and try and learn at least some basic Portuguese before you arrive. While the city is the state capital you won't find it easy to locate someone who speaks English should you have any kind of emergency this could be a real problem.

Cheers,
William James Woodward - Brazil Animator, Expat-blog

Thanks WJ...I have been reading a number of your posts which I find very helpful.  I was in Goiania for a month last year with my wife who was my translator, but this time I am solo and will have to learn the language or DIE.  I have been studying for several months rosetta stone's Portuguese and yesterday I started listening to Pimsleur's audios while exercising, driving, etc...so I hope to hit the ground running.

I grew up on country music but have transitioned over to delta blues.   I try to play the guitar and sing a little, and I am very interested in learning the music scene in Goiania. 

I hope to spend about 3 weeks (March, 2013) visiting Montevideo area, BA, and may have time to get over to Cordoba.  Mendoza area would be next, and maybe Chile next year.  I would love to learn enough Portuguese and Spanish to be able to travel independently and intelligently thruout SA for about half of each year, spending the other half in Ga....Atlanta and south Ga (home).

I may ask for advice on some specifics if that's OK? 
Keith

Hello, GA Cracker.

Welcome to Goiânia. You will like it here. But you will end up looking for things to do because our city is very dense, the weather is not very good and most interesting things here are in the neighbour small cities and farms. But we have good night life options to enjoy.

So, please feel free to send me e-mail so I can help you find things to do and places to go. I am not in my best agenda days due to several professional and family issues, but I'm promptly able to help you via e-mail.

I have friends in Marietta and even have remotely worked for a company there, but have never been there, so it will be good to have a new friend in GA.

Before you get here be sure to get in touch with people at AFS, Rotary International and/or other interchange communities. When you get here you will find good people at some ESL schools like CCAA, BRASAS, Cultura Inglesa, and CCBEU. i am sure you will quickly make friends here.

Here are some cool online Portuguese learning resources:

http://www.easyportuguese.com/http://www.learningportuguese.co.uk/hom … urses.htmlhttp://www.frenchspanishonline.com/begi … guese.htmlhttp://www.livemocha.comhttp://www.bbc.co.uk/languages/portuguese/

Good luck!
Pedro.

wow!  Thanks Pedro, I will definitely follow up on your suggestions.  I am not much of a tourist type.  I like to watch people, and enjoy simple things...their food, just everyday things Brazilian people do. In addition to learning the language and customs of the people of Goiania, I also intend to be on a self-improvement journey (exercise, lose weight, become more healthy).  I hope to make a friend or friends to make my experience more enjoyable. 

Keith

No problem Keith, ask anytime you need.

Cheers,
William James Woodward - Brazil Animator, Expat-blog

No problem Keith. When you get here be sure to drop me a line.
All the best!

Ga Cracker wrote:

wow!  Thanks Pedro, I will definitely follow up on your suggestions.  I am not much of a tourist type.  I like to watch people, and enjoy simple things...their food, just everyday things Brazilian people do. In addition to learning the language and customs of the people of Goiania, I also intend to be on a self-improvement journey (exercise, lose weight, become more healthy).  I hope to make a friend or friends to make my experience more enjoyable. 

Keith

Hi Keith,

Just a thought, don't forget that your tourist visa will allow you an initial stay of only 90 days. If your plan is to visit for any longer than that you will have to apply at the Regional Headquarters of the Federal Police nearest where you are staying for an extension (prorrogação de estado). You should do this about 3 weeks before your 90 days expires. It's always good to take somebody who speaks Portuguese with you if this is at all possible. Getting the extension is actually quite a simple process.

Cheers,
William James Woodward - Brazil Animator, Expat-blog

If I leave Brazil during the initial 90 days and visit Argentina for example, then come back into Brazil a week or so before my departure time, would that take care of the 90 day limitation, or would I have trouble coming back into Brazil?  My return airline ticket out of Brazil is greater than 90 days from when I arrive, so I knew that I would be there for more than 90 days, but I thought, if I leave Brazil within 90 days and go to another country for a few days, then I could come back into Brazil, and pack up, move out of the apartment, and leave on the originally scheduled departure date....BUT I MAY BE OVERLOOKING SOMETHING??

Hi Keith,

I presume your visa indicates that it is for 'MULTIPLE ENTRIES' in which case you will have no trouble re-entering Brazil. You are permitted to stay in Brazil for up to 180 days per (rolling) year. How you use those days is entirely up to you. You could enter Brazil any number of times during the year until they are used up.

The rolling years system essentially works this way...... the day you enter Brazil the computer goes back 365 days and starts to count any previous days you were in Brazil (incl. day of arrival and day of departure) during that period, then subtracts that figure from the total number of days you are allowed to be in Brazil (180), if you've never been in the country during that period then you are issued a 90 day visa which you can extend for a further 90 days making a total of 180.

If, for example, you had previously been in Brazil for 90 days then you would only be issued the inital visa of 90 days which you would not be able to extend by virtue of your previous 90 day visit.

It's really a complicated system, which I have fully explained in other threads about visa stays if you want to find out further information you can check them out.

Cheers,
William James Woodward - Brazil Animator, Expat-blog

Yes, it is a 10 yr visa with multiple entries allowed, and I have not been in Brazil within the last 365 days, so if I stay 87 days, then go to Argentina for one week, then come back into Brazil for another 10 days or so before I depart, I think I should be fine.  Thanks for you help.  Keith

Hi Ga Cracker. IŽm José Carlos from Spain and every year I spend over one month in Goiania on January or February. I have a son there and I go to visit him. I have brazilian friends that help me enjoying my stay and with anything I may help. If you want to join us at anytime, or need some kind of help, you can contact me here.
If you already know the city, you know it is an easy place to enjoy.
Have a nice time there!

José Carlos

all the best, and most welcomed to learn new language.