Offering help

Hi and welcome on the forum LiluB

Thanks for offering your help. I'm sure your advices will be helpful to other members

Regards
Armand

Dear LiluB,
i like your idea to help the people. I also like the idea that more and more people come to Brazil and find out about the country and the culture. The stereotypes will disappear...

I would need a small help - which actually does not cost money.
I am starting with a new website. I would like to include there as many places of interest as possible. I am looking for places which might be interesting for guests in Rio de Janeiro. I already included museums, cinemas, shopping centers, some sports, etc.
So, if there are some ideas about what else I could include, I appreciate every tip.

Kind regards

Jorg

the link: oi-rio.com/rioapartments/pt/busca.html

Hi,
How wonderful to find your post!  Maybe you can help me with some advice.  I'm and American architect and I've been living for 18 months in Porto Alegre with my wife.  Her academic job and the decline of the US building market both brought us here, and I wanted the adventure as well.  I know this city is far from you, but maybe you can help.  I just met an American recently who told me how nice it was that he goes to a churrasco and meets 10 more people who invite him to a churrasco.  This sounds great, but my in-laws here are not so well-connected.  I'm eager to network and find friends and expand my own work beyond the limits I have.  Would you recommend professional organizations, or some kinds of groups?  They don't seem to be as popular here as in the US.  I'm not religious either, so one more door is closed to me.
Thanks!!
Erik

Hello Eric,

Professional organizations really aren't that popular here, unless you are a lawyer, a civil servant or a doctor. However, there are many clubs such as Lions and Rotary were you could meet people that could help your network. I believe they would be very receptive at any rotary club with you and it wouldn't take long for them to invite you to join as a member since they need help with the orientation of youth exchange students who come to brazil and can't understand the language very often.

In Porto alegre you could also try the CTG - Centro de Tradições Gaúchas (Gaucho Tradition Center) which is very, very popular (personally I hate their traditional music, but the parties are very fun).

As an Architect you can join the architect union of Rio Grande do Sul(saergs.org.br/site/) or the architect association aairs.com.br/index2.htm)

Another good way for anyone who wants do make friends in Brazil is to join "orkut" and find a 'community' of your interest in Porto Alegre. Every now and then the people in these foruns/communities schedule meetings in local bars.

You could also start a course, learn something new and make friends. A great place for that is 'SENAC', there are many units of SENAC in Porto Alegre (portal.senacrs.com.br/site/index.asp). I strongly recommend the 'churrasco' course and all the gastronomy related, my brother tried it when he moved to another city and it helped him making great new friends, you'd lerar how to make a brazilian barbecue and meet people. There is a very fun course in Porto Alegre called "men in the kitchen", which I believe your wife would approve of you taking... lol...

Best of luck with your stay in Brazil

Lívia

Great list of ideas, thank you!  I'm definitely going to act on these.  -Erik

Dear LiluB,

we are Germans considering retirement in Brazil. Is it a lot of hassle to obtain a retirement visa? My husband is 76 years, I am 43, our income is sufficient as to the Brazil visa guidelines.

Would you think it a good idea to move to Recife? As we hear, Recife is very advanced in medical services (considering my husband's age, that would be important for us).

Have you any idea what the rent in Recife would be? We need a 300 sqm house, high standard.

What would be the best strategy to find an appropriate house? Should I call an agent - I have found more than 20 in Recife - or should I proceed otherwise? (Notabene: I don't speak Portuguese yet, only English - will learn Portuguese soon, I promise.)

Thank you for advising me,
best regards,
Sabine

Hi Sabine!

Welcome on Expat.com

Regards
Armand

Hello Sabine

It's not very complicated to get a retirement visa, you can get all the information on paperwork you will need at the Brazilian embassy.

I'm moving to Recife this july, but I sincerely don't recommend it as a place to live. My father's family is from Recife, so I know te city very well. My advice? check out Joao Pessoa, another city near Recife.

Recife is known in Brazil for being one of the dirtiest and most dangerous state capitals. For you to have an idea, all of my 5 cousings have beem mugged at least once in the past five years. The traffic it's also terrible and it's an expensive city to live.

However, Joao Pessoa, wich is the capital of the state of Paraiba is just about one hour drive from Recife and it's a perfect place to retire. It's a calm, peacefull city by the sea, with beautifull beaches and lovely people. Living in Joao Pessoa you would get all the benefits of Recife's structure, since it's not very far, without the headache of living in a chaotic city.

I can't give you more information today because I don't have much time to be in the computer. I'll give you more information on both cities as soon as I can.

Hi LiluB,

thanks very much for your response. Joao Pessoa sounds interesting enough - I will love to hear more about the city from you.

Is there any other city in Brazil you can recommend? We look for a calm place at the seaside, not too far from a bigger city, not too hot and humid.

I await your further notices and thank you for today,
Sabine

Hello LiluB,

after discussing the subject with my husband, who is interested in culture, let me be more precise:

Can you recommend a place/city 'near' Rio de Janeiro? Can be a place as far as 100-200 kms away from Rio.

Also, would the cost of living be very high? Can you recommend a place not too expensive?

Thank you so much, Sabine

PS: In case you can offer help with visa and/or finding a suitable house, I would certainly pay a honorarium.

sabinerossbach wrote:

Dear LiluB,

we are Germans considering retirement in Brazil. Is it a lot of hassle to obtain a retirement visa? My husband is 76 years, I am 43, our income is sufficient as to the Brazil visa guidelines.

Would you think it a good idea to move to Recife? As we hear, Recife is very advanced in medical services (considering my husband's age, that would be important for us).

Have you any idea what the rent in Recife would be? We need a 300 sqm house, high standard.

What would be the best strategy to find an appropriate house? Should I call an agent - I have found more than 20 in Recife - or should I proceed otherwise? (Notabene: I don't speak Portuguese yet, only English - will learn Portuguese soon, I promise.)

Thank you for advising me,
best regards,
Sabine

Hi Sabine

Recife is a city that is becoming bigger and bigger. And right now its hard to find apartments in good neighbourhoods. But a 2 room apartment is around 1200 reais and above per month, you can find cheaper places but its in not so safe areas. Recife is a very tough city. And its a very expensive city in brazil, why i dont realy know. the beach is not so nice and its famous of having lots of sharks.

as a tourist you should take kare alot it exist man people that target tourist when they are looking for apartments, and offer you shit apartments very expensive. the best thing to do is to go there first and look around.

sabinerossbach wrote:

Hello LiluB,

after discussing the subject with my husband, who is interested in culture, let me be more precise:

Can you recommend a place/city 'near' Rio de Janeiro? Can be a place as far as 100-200 kms away from Rio.

Also, would the cost of living be very high? Can you recommend a place not too expensive?

Thank you so much, Sabine

PS: In case you can offer help with visa and/or finding a suitable house, I would certainly pay a honorarium.

Brazil is not a cheap country to live in anymore, the reais is very strong. and i dont think it exist any safe cheap places to live in to be honest, depend on what you mean by cheap. but i think the price of living here is like in europe. some things are even much more expensive then europe so. so my advice is to plan your move very carefull. brazil will only get more expensive.

Hallo Sabine, kann ich auf Deutsch schreiben?
Mein Name ist Jörg Kramer, ich wohne seit 2,5 Jahren in Rio und kenne die Gegend ganz gut.

Ich könnte vielleicht ein paar Tipps geben oder Gegenden ausschließen.

Wenn ich richtig verstanden habe, suchen Sie etwas in der Nähe einer Großstadt, bis 200 km Entfernung ... Ich denke, Rio wäre eine gute Wahl. Leider ist der Ruf von Rio noch immer bescheiden.

Wenn Sie außerhalb wohnen wollen, gibt es logischerweise drei Richtungen. Richtung Hinterland führt Sie in die Berge, (wo leider die starken Regenfälle für schlechte Schlagzeilen gesorgt haben.)
Hier ist es etwas kühler, frischer und feuchter. Es gibt schöne Ecken, große Grundstücke und gute Wohngegenden.

Richtung Osten kommen Sie in 2 Autostunden nach Buzios - vielleicht das Sylt von Brasilien. Die Landschaft ist hügelig und die Region entwickelt sich stark. Vielleicht 20-30 km von Rio entfernt könnte eine Lösung sein.

Richtung Westen kommen Sie zu einer schönen großen Bucht mit vielen kleinen Inseln davor. Schauen Sie doch mal in google nach Bildern von Angra, Parati etc.

Also, wenn ich was beitragen kann... Ansonsten wünsche ich eine gute Entscheidung.

Viele Grüße

Jörg

Hi Jorg Kramer,

Can you please write in English in this English forum so that members can understand and participate in this discussion?

Thank you very much.

Dear LiluB,

I am extremely grateful to find such a helpful offer! I am a 24 year old single female from London. I'm running away from my present to Rio to adopt a new culture and new way of life. My main worries are that I'm very young and will be moving out alone.

I will be visiting this year to get an initial taste of the city and then if all goes well, move out next year.

I am a fluent English speaker and plan on completing a teach English abroad qualification so that I can teach English when I arrive.

Am I crazy to throw myself in the deep end like this?

Please help!

Hello TanyaGo

It probably won't be very difficult to find a job as an English teacher here in Brazil, but you would have to live on a budget because teachers aren't very well paid in here, specially if you don't speak portuguese (the only english teachers that make a reasonable amount of money around here are the ones who also work with official translation). You would be able to support yourself paying rent for a small apartment, buy groceries and going out on weekends to places that aren't expensive, and maybe even travelling somewhere inside Brazil once a year through the agency cvc that has good price rates.

If you are planning an adventure just to live in a different culture for a while, without any luxury, just the basic, you will have a great time here. If you decide to stay for a year or two and learn portuguese you could have a confortable life in a smaller city (capitals such as Rio de Janeiro are expensive places to live), even by the beach (I have some friends who were dentists and decided to become engish teachers because the money was better, but they are portuguese-english speakers).
I wish you all the luck if you decide to come here to live! Feel free to ask for anything...

Thank you all for the great advise. It has been very helpful.

I will follow the ongoing discussion.

Sabine

Hi all!
   I'm planning a 5-6 month trip to Brazil at the end of the month, and would like to network with those already living there before I arrive. I'm not looking to work, just looking for a change of scenery from life in Canada. I'm 28, single guy. Ideally I'd like someone who has a place I can crash (even the couch) because I don't have enough money to rent a place of my own. I'm willing to safely earn my stay and contribute to cost of food. I'd really just like to blend in, and not really looking to do all the touristy stuff. I'm a fast language learner and a graduate (if that makes a difference) with work experience in Sales and Marketing. I like music, dancing, soccer, and martial arts, just to name a few. I'd really appreciate some help with getting connected with the right people.

Cheers!
Freddy

Hi Pelimo,
it will not be easy to find a budget accommodation at the "Zona Sul" (Copacabana, Ipanema, ...). I have rent the guest room in my private house several times. If you like this idea we can agree something. But this is about 45 min from the touristical places and 30 min from the centre (but still in the middle of Rio)

Otherwise, I don't have an idea where to go...

Good luck.

Jorg

PS. Dear Christine,
sorry, I did not know about this.

pelimo wrote:

Hi all!
   I'm planning a 5-6 month trip to Brazil at the end of the month, and would like to network with those already living there before I arrive. I'm not looking to work, just looking for a change of scenery from life in Canada. I'm 28, single guy. Ideally I'd like someone who has a place I can crash (even the couch) because I don't have enough money to rent a place of my own. I'm willing to safely earn my stay and contribute to cost of food. I'd really just like to blend in, and not really looking to do all the touristy stuff. I'm a fast language learner and a graduate (if that makes a difference) with work experience in Sales and Marketing. I like music, dancing, soccer, and martial arts, just to name a few. I'd really appreciate some help with getting connected with the right people.

Cheers!
Freddy

Hi Freddy

I would not recommend to go to Brazil with a low budget, when prices changes all the time here and things are not realy cheap.

Were in Brazil are you going?

No hablas español?
Mi ingles es bien pobre...
Mi direccion de correo es elierlora@yahoo.com y la tuya?
Podemos conversar?

Gracias.

Hi elier lora!

As this is the anglophone forum you have to post in English!
There is also a hispanophone forum if you want to interact in Spanish.

Regards
Armand

DEAR LILUB
I AM AN ITALIAN MALE THAT WISHES TO MOVE FROM ITALY TO BRAZIL.
HERE IN ITALY I HAVE A SMALL RESTAURANT BUT AFTER A VACATION IN BRAZIL(2007 FEB)I AM DREAMING TO MOVE TO YOUR COUNTRY.
WHAT DO I NEED TO GET A PERMANENT PERMISSION TO LIVE IN BRASIL.
MY IDEA IS TO BUY A RESTURANT OR SOMETHING ELSE WHO PERMITS TO LIVE AND WORK THERE ( OVVIUSLY IF A GET IN BRASIL YOU WON'T PUY IN MY RESTAURANT RISOS RISOS, IF I GET THERE).
I ALREADY LEARNED A BIT OF PORTUGUES ( ONLY WRITEN).
BEST REGARDS
MASSIMO FLORIS

Hi Massimo, I experienced something similar. I left my business in Germany and now I live in Rio. But of course, living here is not like holidays ... You will start a new life in a different world.
If you want to have a permanent visa for your business, you already should know, what and where. There are special services for this on the market. You will need 50.000 US$ cash to transfer officially to Brazil. This money you can use for your business. But it will be controlled... I got my visa because of my daughter.
Good luck.

Jorg

Hello massimo59!

You should lower Caps lock when you write.

Thank you,
Harmonie.

Dear LiluB,

Thanks for your offer!  To what extent are foreign documents recognized in Brazil?  We are considering moving there with our family.  My husband and I have a marriage certificate from Egypt (he is Egyptian/Brazilian and I am American).  Will that be recognized or do we have to go through a process to get it certified there.  Additionally, I am assuming we would have to draw up a new will there?   I am sure those are other documents I will think of, but for now those two stick out.

Thanks!

Hi LiluB,

Thanks for your offer! Well i am a residence of Pakistan i would like to relocate in Brazil soon, so give me suggestions and advices at which city i'll relocate? and what about the job market there? actually my profession is Finance, so i'll find job easily? and how i come there?

Your suggestion will highly appreciated.

Thanks,

Zeeshan