New Years in Brazil

2016 marks my first New Year’s celebration in Brazil. Actually, it was my first time ringing in the New Year without having to bundle up in a winter coat so I thought I would memorialize it by writing a post about my experience.

Over the past month I have learned that securing the right outfit for New Year’s in Brazil is a big deal. All through December friends and family will ask if you bought your outfit and shops promote almost exclusively white clothes in their display windows. This is because in Brazil colors represent different wishes for the upcoming year. White represents peace and by far it is the most popular choice. But there are other options as well: Yellow= Money; Red= Love; Blue= Health; and Green= Hope. Of course you can go with my approach and wear a multi-colored dress. Looks like 2016 will be a healthy, hopeful, wealthy, and peaceful year for me!

Different from my experience in the U.S., New Years in Brazil is more commonly celebrated with family, rather than friends. In this sense it is more similar to an American Christmas or Thanksgiving. Families celebrate together with lots of food (typical meals include turkey or ham) and drinks. The meal and the party start late (ours started after 11pm) and similar to the U.S. the champagne toasts and fireworks commence at midnight.

Naturally in a country as big and diverse as Brazil people celebrate in vastly different ways and I am speaking mostly from my observations and experiences in 2016. I celebrated at a family party in a small beach town in Northeast Brazil called São Miguel dos Milagres. The party was simple but fun and filled with food, laughter, and loud music- as people put speakers on their front porches and dance all night long. Those who are up for it go to the beach to catch the sunrise or jump in the sea.

However, even in this same beach town with a population of less than 7,000, people celebrate in completely different ways. For the past three years there has been an influx of wealthy Brazilians who travel from all over the country to party in São Miguel dos Milagres. There are thousands of tickets to the party but they sell out fast, which is saying a lot considering the party costs $1,000 (USD) just to enter. The event lasts several days and nights, and it is quite different from the family affair. This celebration is shared with friends and features electronic music, alcohol, and celebrities. Rumor has it Rodrigo Santoro (the hunk from the film Love Actually) was in attendance this year.

Unfortunately, I did not have the opportunity to strike up a conversation with Rodrigo but the same company that throws the New Year’s party is planning a Carnival party for the first time this year in São Miguel dos Milagres- so we will see who that attracts in February.

I Moved to Brazil and I Was Married

When I moved to Brazil from the U.S. a few months ago, my boyfriend and I moved in together. We share a one-bedroom apartment and in the eyes of most Brazilians this constitutes marriage. While in the U.S. children generally move out of their parents’ house at the ripe age of 18, Brazilians continue to live with their parents until they are married. There are exceptions in both countries of course. Some Americans do not move out of their parents’ home after graduating from high school. And we are seeing a trend with my generation which some call “the boomerang generation” as that many teenagers move out of their parents’ home for college but after move back in with their family. Some Brazilian adolescents need to move to a different city because of their university or job or perhaps they choose to move to a different country. And others are just very independent and choose to live on their own.

However, usually when Brazilians graduate from high school they go to a university near their home and stay under their parents’ roof until life takes them away from their childhood home. And if they are not moving out of their hometown than the most acceptable reason to stop living with their parents is getting married.

Compared to the U.S., dating in Brazil implies a more intimate relationship in which one is already part of the family. This is clear even through language. In Portuguese you do not say “my boyfriend’s mother” of “the father of my girlfriend.” Rather you say “minha sogra” or “meu sogro” translating to mother-in-law and father-in-law. Just dating someone means that you have in-laws. More likely than not, these in-laws live with your significant other so this closeness is not just through language but also through shared time and space. As opposed to the occasional Sunday brunches or family get-togethers, much more is expected from you as your role as a “daughter or son-in-law.”

Though one thing that Americans and Brazilians share is the idea of the undesirable mother-in-law. Brazilians love to tell jokes about the stereotypical mother-in-law. When sharing personal anecdotes they trump Americans in this sense because they have so many more experiences to draw from as they have had many more mothers-in-law.

And so when my boyfriend and I moved in together everyone from the doorman, to my capoeira instructor, to total strangers and even friends refer to him as my husband. If I try to correct them and inform them that really he is my boyfriend, that we are not married, the follow-up question is usually “but you are living together, right?” This is accompanied by a quizzical look and is really a rhetorical question, as though they are asking, “what are you trying to prove?” You live together and that’s marriage, no rings or ceremonies required.

What’s Trending in Maceió

In 2012 I lived in the Northeastern Brazilian city Maceió on a Fulbright scholarship. Afterwards, I moved to New York City and in July of 2015 I returned to Brazil for another year in Maceió. And so I thought it was time that I revive my old blog.

It is always interesting to revisit a place or move back to a city that was once called home. In many ways I expected Maceió to remain stagnant, to be preserved as it was in my memory. Of course that is never the case. Not only has the place changed over the course of a few years but so have I and my perspective.

Over the past few months, while readjusting to life in the Northeast of Brazil, I have recognized many changes since my last stint here. I have outlined a few of my observations below. Of course none of this is based on quantitative/qualitative data of any kind, but rather anecdotal evidence, the advantage of an outsider living in a Brazilian city which does not garner much (if any) international attention, at two different periods of time.

Health Craze

Sitting at a restaurant in New York City shortly before returning to Brazil, some friends asked what food I would miss most. Moving from a city that offers literally every type of food imaginable to the Northeast of Brazil can be a bit of a shock, but I had done this before- I was prepared. I thought about it and then responded that while I would certainly crave a Chipotle burrito I would miss bagels, Thai food, and salads.

When I lived in Maceió in 2012 and even when I came back for a visit in April of 2014 it was nearly impossible to order a salad at a restaurant. If it was on the menu and I tried to order one the waiter would always respond with “acabou” that they were out of salad. But I was suspicious that they even had it to begin with and was curious as to why it was on the menu at all. The only “salad” I managed to get consisted of a wilted piece lettuce and two sad slices of tomato that’s sole purpose was to add color to a plate of rice, beans, and meat.

Yet, to my surprise (and delight) salads have been trending in Maceió. Salads at restaurants and even restaurants focusing on salads and healthy foods like the restaurant Salad Creations have become the new norm. 

In addition to this focus on healthy food there has been an influx of health fitness classes. When walking along the beach to the next neighborhood I encounter no less than four workout classes. Additionally near my apartment there are free dance fitness classes and Maceió even has a free, outdoor, beach gym.

Baby Parties

As long as I have known Brazil, baby clothes and toys have been expensive. Throwing birthday parties for one’s children is nothing new in Brazil. What is new, is throwing parties every month for the first year of their life. Yes, there are actually one-month parties and then two-month parties and so on until each baby has had a total of eleven parties (that they will never remember) leading up to the lavish one-year old party.

Parents are not skimping on these parties either. While I have not yet attended a month birthday party, I have heard stories and seen pictures. I did have the opportunity to attend a one-year old party, and granted the one-year old party is more grandiose than the month parties, but I was still not prepared for what I encountered. The party had a clown, catered food- including a crepe station, and decorations galore; it lasted until about 10pm. Brazilians have had years to practice the art of the one-year old party. According to my friends many one-year old parties are even more extravagant than the one I experienced and go into the wee hours of the morning.

Selfies

To be fair selfies have become popular world, not only in the Northeast of Brazil. However, in my opinion Brazilians have truly mastered selfies. If selfie-taking were an Olympic sport, Brazilians would easily take home the gold. It’s nearly impossible to be around other humans here and not see selfies being taken- whether they are individual, couples, or the large group selfies you can be sure that a Brazilian will document what is going on.

They may even embellish to secure an optimum selfie. I was at a party recently and the woman next to me wanted a drink. I offered her a glass of red wine but she declined, saying that she does not like red wine. Later on at the party the same woman was asking to borrow her friend’s glass of red wine so that she could snap a chic selfie of her with “her drink.”

Needless to say the selfie stick has done quite well here. And you see men walking around selling them one the beach about as often as you would see them sold in Times Square.

English= Still Impressive

Of course not everything has changed in Maceió. For better or worse, many things have remained the same. For example, English is just a trendy as it had been before.

New English words continue enter the (Brazilian) Portuguese vocabulary. Beyond obvious words that relate to technology and are new in any language- such as “selfie” there are unexpected words as well such as “bullying” which Brazilians say in English with a Portuguese accent.

Even Black Friday has become popular here. Throughout the month of November many stores and travel agencies advertise Black Friday specials, pronounced here as “Black-eeee Free-day.” Though many Brazilians lament that the sales are not as good as those they hear about in the U.S. Even people who sell snacks on the bus have started promoting Black Friday specials on Ruffles and Doritos!

I see more t-shirts with sayings written across the front in English than in Portuguese. I often wonder if the owner understands the meaning because there are many instances in which I do not. Some of the shirts were clearly bought in the U.S. or imported. There are shirts referencing bands or movies that you would see New Yorkers wearing on any given day. Then there are the shirts with cheesy catchphrases like “No Pain, No Gain” or “Do what you love and love what you do.” But there are also some confusing ones that I have never seen (nor expected to see) like one I saw the other day “The first name is Hungry. And my last name is Always. Nice to meet you.” Forget the awkward sentence structure and messed up grammar, if you’re going to try that on a shirt shouldn’t the name at least be “Always Hungry” instead of “Hungry Always?”

Moreover, restaurants, bars and other small businesses continue to employ English names to attract customers. There are many examples like the aforementioned “Salad Creations.” Speaking English continues to be a status symbol in Brazil, much like an iPhone 6.

Crooks, Clowns, and Pornographers: What do they all have in common?

It’s that time again folks. . . Election Time!  Not just in the U.S. but in Brazil too.  Though the presidential election is not for another 2 years here, municipal elections just took place on October 7^th.

In case you are unfamiliar with voting in Brazil let me give you a brief history.  The country was ruled by a military dictatorship from 1964-85.  Following the dictatorship, presidents were elected by congress, not directly by the people. Around this time there was a general outcry for direct elections.  In response the president back then, José Sarney, condescendingly pronounced that the Brazilian population was incapable of electing a president.  Despite his best efforts, direct elections were instated and voting was made mandatory in the late 1980s.

Decades later, it appears that politicians have not shaken this false notion that the people in their constituency are brainless tools.  Candidates try a whole host of gimmicks to get votes.  In the eyes of politicians, everyone is a potential advertisement for sale.  People are paid to stand in high traffic areas and hold signs for an afternoon or bike around town bolstering a politician’s smiling face and reference number.  Cars with pimped out speakers parade through the streets playing popular songs that they transformed into “catchy” campaign slogans.  I guess candidates believe the most effective money and time saving strategy is to play your jingle so loud that it drowns out the sound of any competitors while simultaneously reaching different neighborhoods, or by my estimate different states!

This cartoon roughly translates to, “Someone tell them that we have brains, and we will vote for the best policies for our city, not the car with the loudest, most annoying music.”

So back to the original question: what do crooks, clowns, and pornographers have in common?  In case you haven’t figured it out yet. . . they’re all running for office in Brazil.  You don’t have to know much about Brazilian politics to know that it’s a corrupt system that has its share of crooks.  But I was just recently made aware that there is a clown in congress- an actual clown!  His name is Tiririca, and in his commercials he makes such outlandish statements as “I want to get elected to help the people most in need. . .  and also my family.”

You can checkout Tiririca’s commercial here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=myWRb0IWPFY

In Maceió there was even a pornographer in the race.  He goes by the name of Lobão (meaning big wolf) because of his physical likeness to a Brazilian rock star that goes by that same name.  Maceió’s Lobão is famous for filming pornos in common places, such as public buses, parks, you name it.  He’s also known for not informing the public or even the people on the same bus or in the same park that he is filming a porno.  2012 marks Lobão’s second attempt to enter public office.  While he did not win, he came very close. 

Wanna see some more politicians commercials?  Watch this YouTube video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AIjTtvgZElU it shows the most outrageous political gimmicks from this year.  Trust me, you won’t have to understand a word of Portuguese to understand how crazy politics is in Brazil and how relieved I am that elections are finally over.

Ain’t No Sunshine After Five: A closer look at the 3rd most dangerous city in the world

Up until now this blog has primarily focused on positive, unique, and albeit strange occurrences that I have experienced while living on the coast of the northeastern Brazilian city, Maceió.  However, there is a whole other reality in which the majority of Maceió’s residents face everyday.  This reality does not involve paying patronage to the beachside restaurants or ordering a passion fruit cocktail.  This other reality takes place in the interior of the city where the vice is much stronger and more dangerous than cachaça (sugarcane alcohol). 

I took this photo at one of the beaches in Maceió.  While this may be a lovely image of an incredible vacation spot, there are some things that are left unseen in a simple snapshot.  For example, many do not know that the sun sets early in Maceió compared to the rest the country and the world.  It gets dark by 5 o’clock or 5:30 at the latest.  This is something the guidebooks might not always share.  Something else you might not encounter when you look in Lonely Planet, do a Google Image search of Maceió, or even spend a vacation on the coast, is the outrageous crime rate.  Statistically speaking Maceió is ranked the 3^rd most dangerous city in the world, sandwiched between Mexican cities, Juarez and Acapulco. 

The violence is not random.  Much like these infamous cities in Mexico, the violence is directly linked to drugs.  In poor areas where children have far easier access to crack cocaine than a decent education, they get addicted early on.  Their addiction forces them to consume drugs they cannot afford.  When the drug dealers decide to collect and realize that their customers can’t repay their debts they often make an example of them by having them killed.  To get a better idea of the problems you can watch this video report by Brian Andrews that shows police going into shantytowns in Maceió and also interviews locals. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ry7j6RJbqnw

In fact the crack problem has gotten so out of hand that in some areas of Brazil drug gangs are actually prohibiting the sell of crack.  An article in the Times Colonist explains how some drug dealers in Rio de Janeiro’s favelas have banned the sale of this addictive substance.  While crack brings in high profits for dealers, they have found that this drug in particular is simply too detrimental to their communities.  Many remain skeptical of this sudden change in drug dealers’ conscience.  Rather than concern for residents, they believe that this is a way to trick police or that crack is simply causing drug gangs more trouble than it’s worth.  But drug gang leaders insist that as community members they also feel the repurcussions of crack in their personal lives; one dealer explained, "The same crack I sell to your son is being sold to mine.  Everyone is saying we have to stop."
You can read the rest of the article at http://www.timescolonist.com/news/Drug+dealers+crack/7112756/story.html

While I fortunately I feel very safe here and have truly been enjoying my time in Maceió, it is important to remember that several, starkly different, realties exist within this city of about a million people.  In a place filled with stunning sandy white beaches and emerald hued waters, it can be hard to pull yourself away from the coast and draw your attention to the interior of the city.  It is hard to think that somewhere in the dark shadows of this city is a child taking his first hit of crack, a father is unable to pay his children’s debts, and a mother find her son’s murdered body.  Though it is hard, it is important to remember that there ain’t no sunshine after 5, and as stated in the Brian Andrews report, statistically speaking two more people will be murdered in Maceió before the sun comes up.

What Hollywood Teaches Non-Americans About America

The growing interconnectedness of our globalized world is helping shape societies in unforeseen ways.  Movies, TV shows, and music from the U.S., are exported all over the world and in Brazil their presence is practically unavoidable.  I hear more Katy Perry songs and see more Simpsons t-shirts here than I do back home.  And if you go to a typical Brazilian movie theater on any given day, it’s guaranteed that at least 80% of the films being shown were produced by Hollywood.

The American media tends to portray some obvious falsehoods.  Some common ones include the idea that all Americans are rich and beautiful or that the U.S. is an extremely dangerous place.  However, there are some not so obvious results as well.  For instance, a Brazilian once asked me if it is common for Americans to wait to have their first kiss and then immediately have sex.  Nope, that’s Hollywood trying to package a love story into an hour and a half time slot, but now that you mention it that is in a lot of movies. 

Another friend thought that in the U.S. one could drink alcohol in the street as long as you keep the bottle covered by a paper bag.  In reality there are less than 7 cities where it is actually legal to consume alcohol in public places and in those places (New Orleans and Las Vegas to name a few) nobody makes any attempts to hide their alcohol.

Although it can be frustrating to have to breakdown stereotypes that the media constantly reinforces, at the same time, American movies, TV shows, and music can be great teaching resources.  For instance, the show Friends is a better teacher than I could ever be.  I cannot begin to tell you how many people have told me that they learned English just by watching Friends.  Plus it’s the reason why so many South Americans can pronounce my name properly; thank you Rachel Green!

What You Need To Know When. . .

If you visit Brazil no matter how long you stay you might find yourself in certain situations that can get rather uncomfortable fast.  This blog entry is about what you need to know to avoid these awkward situations.

What You Need to Know When. . . you host a dinner party

Obviously time is going to be an issue when you have Americans and Brazilians going to the same function.  I’ve reconciled this by giving Brazilians a fake time.  When I tell them 7 o’clock I would actually be shocked if they show up before 8.  Because I lived in South America last year, when I arrived in Brazil I was already accustomed to this.  There were, however, some other issues that took me a little longer to understand.  For instance, when inviting Brazilians over for dinner one must pay special attention to the drink situation. 

Brazilians are super sensitive to the temperature of their beverage.  If you offer a Brazilian a beer that is anything but extremely cold they will go running for the door.  In fact they have a term for the way they like their beer estupidamente gelado or stupidly cold.  Every bar and restaurant you go to will advertise cold beer.  They try so hard to ensure that the beer temperature lives up to expectations that on several occasions I have had beer that was actually frozen.  It doesn’t stop at beer though.  Even red wine must be cold.  I went to a fancy restaurant and was stunned when the red wine they brought us was colder than my bottled water.

Another thing is if you give a Brazilian a can of beer or soda then make sure you also give them a cup.  Brazilians will not drink anything straight out of the can.  They need a cup or at least a straw.

What You Need to Know When. . . you go out to eat with Brazilians

Just remember this basic Care Bear mantra “sharing is caring!”  You’ll find this in every part of the dining experience in Brazil from ordering to the transportation home.  For starters, don’t expect to get your own menu when you go out to eat in Brazil.  Waiters generally bring 1 menu per table (2 if you’re lucky).  They never make enough menus for a full or even partially full restaurant; I guess that it is just not seen as necessary.  If you go to a restaurant and everyone at your table receives their own menu be warned, this could mean one of two things.  First that the restaurant is expensive or second that the restaurant is no good (which would explain why no one else is there and they have enough menus to spare for a whole table).

Now, if you really want to order your own dish at a restaurant you can.  However, this is the much more expensive option.  Usually plates are made for two or more people; they are made for sharing.  Think Chinese food American style.  Often a main dish will be accompanied by a bunch of side dishes so even if it the menu states that a dish is designed for one person it is usually enough to share.  I’ve resigned to relinquishing any preconceived notions of what I might be eating and let those I’m with do the ordering.  I focus on the only individual part of the meal, beverages.  Though to be honest, this can be a shared experience as well, especially if you are drinking beer.  

Beer tends to come in 21.5 ounce beastly bottles.  Again this is cheaper than the individual option of 12 ounce bottles.  There is a dangerous aspect to this approach as well.  Everyone gets a glass to share the big beer bottle and people are constantly refilling one another’s glasses; so unless you are really careful it’s hard to keep track of how much you actually drink.  The beer that is being drunk at the moment is kept in a giant, plastic-type coozie (of course the beer has to remain cold!) while the empty bottles are put on the ground under the table.  Only hours later when people begin to accidentally kick the glass bottles over because there is no more room for feet, does everyone actually realize how much beer had collectively been consumed.

My main modes of transportation here including walking, taking buses or taxis, and getting rides in friends’ cars, however I have observed a lot of bike riding here.  For a region of Brazil known for being more machismo than the rest, I’m always a little surprised to see two men sharing a bicycle.  Bikes here don’t have pegs so it’s not like what we used to do in middle school where one person pedals and the other stands on the back of the bike, with as little physical contact as possible.  Rather in most cases here one man is pedaling and the other is also sitting on the bike seat or on the bar right in front of the seat.  Pictures coming soon!

What You Need to Know When. . . you are chatting, emailing, or texting Brazilians

Text-speak in the U.S. has become so popular that abbreviations such as LOL, OMG, and LMFAO have made their way into movies, tv shows, and even music.  Thus making them common knowledge to Americans and many Brazilians.  However, the same is not true of Americans recognizing Brazilian text-speak.  There are two abbreviations in particular that I would like to draw attention to.  The first of which is the ever so common “kkk.”  You will likely see this as a comment on Facebook or if you are texting a Brazilian.  Try not to be offended.  Brazil is not raising a whole generation of Neo-Nazis.  Rather, this is the equivalent of writing haha or lol.  In Portuguese a laugh sounds like saying the letter ‘k’ over and over again.  So while there could be string of k’s or simply 2, unfortunately sometimes there are exactly 3, which naturally brings about some not so good sentiments.

Another letter combination that might throw you off guard is the ‘bj’ that is often written at the end of emails or letters.  No, this is not referring to the oral sex act.  It is the shorthand for beijo or kiss.  You’ll se a variety of endearing terms accompanying signatures, including but not limited to kisses, hugs, and big kiss.  It’s true that Brazilians are more informal when it comes to signing letters and emails, even so despite what it may look like nobody has gone as far as to intentionally sign anything “blow job.”

So that’s all I got for now but I’m sure I’ll be back with some more warnings and tips for if you ever find yourself in Brazil or surrounded by Brazilians.