alexanderstephenlange
American expat in Brazil
Forum posts
50
About me
American
Registration: 09 May 2026
My expat journey
Brazil
USA
Activity
Moving to João Pessoa This Winter Looking to Connect by Adam Moulton
I’m an American planning to move to João Pessoa this winter and stay for at least a few months. I’m currently learning Portuguese and would love to connect with people who already live there, both expats and locals.I’m ...
@Adam Moulton > João Pessoa this winterJust FYI The next few months are summer, since you'll be in South America :-) Read More
Looking at moving to Joao Pessoa by CT Nordestes
Hi, we are looking at moving to Joao Pessoa and wanted to see if anyone has some advice before we move. My wife is from Recife, but me moving from the USA, I have questions.
@CT NordestesTo my understanding (somebody correct me, please. @abthree?) , if you are a resident of Brazil, you need to file taxes, but if you do not make any money in Brazil, and your income is strictly from outside the country, you do not pay ... Read More
Looking at moving to Joao Pessoa by CT Nordestes
Hi, we are looking at moving to Joao Pessoa and wanted to see if anyone has some advice before we move. My wife is from Recife, but me moving from the USA, I have questions.
@CT Nordestes What are your questions, sir? Read More
Rental nightmares in Brazil by Cheryl
Hello everyone, Finding a place to live in Brazil can be exciting, but it doesn’t always go as planned. From misleading listings and apartments that look nothing like the photos to strange landlords, hidden rules, unexpected roommates, or ...
@KenAquarius > just expect to be taken advantage ofAlguns brasileiros beliscam,Outros mordem,E outros engolem inteiro.Some Brazilians nibble,Others bite,And still others swallow whole. Read More
Sistema de agendamento: no appointments available by Kurterino
I have to register my visa (that I made in my home country) at the polícia federal, and a really weird thing just happened to me: I filled out the form until I got to the final page that I have to print out and to present at the PF (together ...
@Kurterino Hi,I suggest you telephone that PF agency to tell them in advance of your coming over, and why, and to see if you can manually make an appointment. If not, try another agency. Read More
João Pessoa by mikewelke
Hello everybody just wondering if there's any expats living in JP like I am? Hopefully I will get some results. I am from the US my name is Mike and I'm married to a Brazilian woman
There's also an Expats in Joao Pessoa group on Facebook, which you can join. Read More
União Estável/Stable union with German partner? by seamonster12
Hi everyone,First of all I'd like to thank all the experts of this forum, as I've read many of your contributions and they are extremely helpful. However, some of the info I read is either out-of-date or doesn't fully apply in our case.I'm a ...
@seamonster12 Seems through to me, similar what I went through to get formally married in Brazil.It might be useful for you to see Google's take on the process, which (for example) says you need to bring two witnesses to the cartorio, which you do ... Read More
João Pessoa by mikewelke
Hello everybody just wondering if there's any expats living in JP like I am? Hopefully I will get some results. I am from the US my name is Mike and I'm married to a Brazilian woman
@mikewelke There's a lot of ex-pats in Jampa. Read More
Moving to Brazil with kids by Priscilla
Hi, Moving abroad is an adventure for both parents and children: settling overseas is a challenge for each family member. How was the move to Brazil for your kids? How did they manage to adapt to their new environment? Share with us ...
Nice post. Insightful.about 250,000 words in total. To be fluent in Portuguese, one only needs to know roughly 5% of themWe had an interesting discussion on fluency, which might be interesting to you. Many quantitative, differing views. See ... Read More
Assimilation: when is enough enough? by alexanderstephenlange
TL; DR some thoughts on plugging in (or not) to the culture/society. All comments welcome! How important to you is assimilation into Brazilian society? Do you even find yourself contemplating it? Is it self-imposed or something unconscious you don't ...
Like I said, I am not sure I qualify. This has been my life, the only one I know, since I was 10, no plugging in necessary. Roddie in Retirement😎 - @Roddie SimmonsYou definitely qualify! You were assimilated very young, the best time to ... Read More
Word(s) of the day by alexanderstephenlange
Queijo no queixo faz uma queixa!Please add to this thread, friends.
@CariocaNY awkward - dictionaries suggest "canhestro" but this is an anti-left-hand bias - @mberiganGoogle translates as desajeitado, which seems to me in keeping with the theme of jeito. Read More
Best Supermarkets and/or Walmart equivalent by jasonlovesdogs
Does anyone know the cheapest supermarkets chains in Brazil to shop? Right now I'm shopping at Dona de Casa but I heard it's a expensive place to shop. I think big box is also about the same. Are there any other chains that are cheaper?Also is there ...
@John_D Here in Bessa, there's a Sam's ... Read More
Word(s) of the day by alexanderstephenlange
Queijo no queixo faz uma queixa!Please add to this thread, friends.
@CariocaNY Thanks, CariocaNY, we can also add:jeitoso Read More
Is it hard to become fluent in Brasilian Portuguese ? by hagece8690
FWIW I've passed the Celpe-Bras exam, and can watch videos, read, and communicate verbally with pretty much anyone here like a native, except people from Bahia KKKKKK, and when encountering regionalized slang. The reason I am asking this question, ...
I no longer refer to “feijoida" as “brazilian stew dish” but as “feijoida” Someone once asked me, "How do you say 'feijoada' in English?"My response was that you say "feijoada",Thanks for explaining the psychological ... Read More
Noisy Brazil? by alexanderstephenlange
The other day, speaking with a native, she said: Brasil é muito barulhento, né?! (She had lived in Germany for a long while... .)In my area, so far, it's really noisy only when something big is happening, like the Copa and other ...
@Ivair Gontijo I had to install double glazing windows to get rid of the noiseYikes!"happiness in a soundwave"Matthew B also told me this bird's name. Thanks! Your wife's description is very poetical! Read More