"Must Know" items that expats should know about Brazil

pastel and coxhinas lol

10/17/23 @Pablo888.  For a nuanced view of living in Brazil as an expat and a retiree -- with light and dark, but more dark than you'll usually find without seeking it out -- I recommend reading through this thread:

https://www.expat.com/forum/viewtopic.p … 98#5390479

For perspective, though, keep in mind that most of the posters still prefer living in Brazil on the whole.

@Mikeflanagan black beans and rice damn near everyday without fail. 😂

As a retiree (female, 75 yrs old, single), living in Brazil since March 2021, I love it.  The thread that abthree recommends was "interesting,"  but it doesn't particularly resonate with me.  My experience in this medium-sized city in the interior of Minas Gerais has been mostly positive and, at worst, neutral. I have good Brazilian friends and i speak Portuguese pretty fluently  (although, I've become adept at sometimes having to fake it enough to pass). Still, I'm ALWAYS aware that I'm not Brazilian and, as the outsider, I know that I'm gossiped about,  the subject of speculation and sometimes exclusion.  That's ok with me.   The social networks I'm now a part of existed long before I arrived. I  am grateful to have been offered the support that's been offered, and thankful to have found that I can generally succeed when I have to seek out support on my own.   (Incidentally,  you folks here in expat.com are part of my support system  so thanks again.)  And, yes, I know I have been and continue to be very privileged.

Just a quick update regarding that thread:  it reports that the amount of cash one can bring into the country is R$10,000 before you have to declare it.  That amount changed last year, didn't it?  I believe it's now the equivalent of US$10 000 (dollars).  Correct me if I'm wrong. 

Must-know items as an expat;  Knowing Portuguese opens doors you didn't even know existed. 

Give a general "bom dia" or "boa tarde" when you first enter a place of business. Don't wait for eye contact. 

@Viajanete, thank you for the tip about languages... Yes, the culture is very woven in the language - and yes, I will be prepared to practice Portuguese at every opportunity.  Since I am fluent in French and Spanish, the rampup should not be too hard.

I read about the Cariocas "Estou chegando" phenomenon and I am wondering if this characteristic is specific to Brazil or is it similar to the Mexican "mañana"?  It's ok to be laid back but I don't know how much is acceptable...

I came across Ana Castela on spotify and she is a great singer.  Not sure if there are other singers that are really popular...  Would love to put those singers on my spotify playlist....

https://www.expat.com/forum/viewtopic.p … 98#5390479-@abthree

This thread was a loaded discussion - a lot more than what I was prepared for at the present time.  However, it's good to know that Brazil is not for everyone.

In the meantime, I am doing my homework....

Thank you for the info link.

@Pablo888 i saw the "loaded discussion" comment and it is true. There are 3 things that you will definitely not read / hear about in most places.

1). City Services are either a mess or non-existent and have ripple effects thorough Brazil, especially in the larger cities.

• Their is no or very rare trash dumps, such as you might have in non-brazilin cities. Therefore the trash tends to pile up on the street. Of course, there is the "don't flush toilet paper down the toilet", so that has to be collected. Since there is no or little organized trash / waste pickup, you will find larger items which otherwise would be carted to a dump, burned on the street or the highways. This is extremely common and natives don´t even give it a second look or try to put it out. Since I was born and raised in the USA and I now live in a little village, where the nearest Fire Station is two hours away, it scares me.

2). Motorcycle Riders barely out of diapers.

• This one I have sort of gotten used to., but still. Motorcycles far outnumber cars and you will often find kids, even babies as passengers on them with no protection whatsoever. It is common to see an adult with a helmet at the controls, with a very young child holding on with absolutely no protection at all. Of course if you are near a school or grocery store, then they also are carrying groceries or backpacks.

3). Stray Dogs are everywhere.

• So there are homeless people in larger cities, but in small village's like I live in we don't have any homeless, but like everywhere else we have stray dogs. It was explained to me that having a dog neutered cost money the population can't afford. This actually also goes for cats. We have one adult cat, that one day gave birth to 3 kittens inside my dogs kennel cage after having drinks with the neighborhood he-cat. The good side to this is that my Simba and my wife´s Pandora are very, very aware of this and are literally more protective and closer to us than professional bodyguards because they know we take care of them.

Roddie in Retirement

@roddiesho Thank you for the feedback. 

I have traveled / stayed in all continents and South America is the next to last one - the last one, Antartica, is not for staying.  The 3 items that you are mentioned do not surprise me at all as I see this often where the actions of the individual vs common good are not mandated.  I see this as an opportunity for the community to come together and address.

That's actually exciting to know that this aspect of Brazil is very similar to some other places in Asia for example....

Keep more of those coming....

I've lived in Brazil since the beginning of this year and some things you should know:

• It's hard to get electronics into the country. The best way is actually to fly out and bring them in because there's a law that says you can buy stuff overseas without penalty but you CANNOT have them shipped in without enormous taxes. In fact, it's cheaper to buy a plane ticket and buy them overseas than shipping
• Government services are absolute junk for foreigners. The Federal Police are okay but the state services are wonky, ESPECIALLY the Detran
• I suggest taking the Duolingo course before coming. I took it though it barely got me 10% of the way there...
• There is a generally mentality of "it can't be done" and delays....gotta get used to that one

I don't want to scare anyone cause there's lots of good stuff too like:

• The pizza has way more toppings (especially meat) compared to how much North Americans put on their pizza
• Pastel...hard to believe other countries don't have it
• It's nice to be away from the cold

ESPECIALLY the Detran
    -@UhOhDetran

What is Detran?  If this is the equivalent of the US DMV, being slow is probably part of the job description as this is a very thorough process.  I would not expect anything less...;-)

Re: cold - a while back I spent several weeks in Spring on the ice of Northern Ontario about 100km from the North Pole - when it was closer to the Canadian territorial water borders.  The temperature was easily -40 but it was sunny, dry, and without wind. 

I was outside with a t-shirt and a track pant and it was just glorious. 

For me, the cold is not the issue, it's the wind and the humidity that makes the cold unbearable.

     ESPECIALLY the Detran    -@UhOhDetranWhat is Detran?  If this is the equivalent of the US DMV, being slow is probably part of the job description as this is a very thorough process.  I would not expect anything less...;-)    -@Pablo888

Yes, DETRAN (DEpartamento de TRÂNsito) is where you go to get your Driver's License and to register your car.  They're all regulated by a federal agency, CONTRAN, and operate under more or less the same rules, but each one in each state runs a little differently.  In most states you can cut the lines with the help of a despechante (a "fixer") or a driving school.  If you settle in a particular state be sure to post it, and a member who's gone through the process in that state can tell you some of what helps and what doesn't.