My Gringo Friend in Sao Paulo...

LOVES IT! I just got an email back from him proclaiming his love for the city. Not really a surprise to me, but an affirmation.

He said the people love foreigners who learn Portuguese, and that the city itself is amazing.

I don't have much more to report on other than that, but it just made me happy to have someone that I actually know like it from a non biased view.

..........................
In other news, its going to be 102 degrees with an index of 115 here. Happy happy joy.

Touchy Topic, but It needs to be discussed.

Please don't be annoyed by this topic.

All my life I have been told by the media that Brasil is a dangerous place. I read on the news of the problems with the drug trade, and how recently the country has fallen into another crack epidemic, which sucks.

I know statistically things are getting better with less street crime and significantly less murders, but I have to ask: does it feel safe?

Feeling safe and being safe are two completely different animals. I can walk down the street in Philadelphia or Washington DC and feel safe, but not actually be safe. Hell, Philadelphia has a higher homicide rate than Rio at this point!

But my question to my fellow bloggers is: Do you feel safe walking down the street in "Big City' Brasil? I know its a vague question, but if you have any expertise in the area and any stories to share I would be quite happy to hear them.

I know it's not as bad as they say, but I don't want to be naive either.

Again, fellow Brasileiros who read this blog, please take no offense to this post. It's just something I've been sort of thinking about for a while.

You can call me stupid, but even if Brasil were as violent as Baghdad, I don't think it would change my opinion on wanting to move there.

Abs!
Alex

I might be going to Brasil soon!

Hi everyone,

As some of you know, I have been doing an internship with a development company that owns hotels, shopping centers and commercial real estate. I have been working with the Vice President of the company for a few days, and in the beginning he made a remark about how he is very interested in Brasil and it's economy. I told him that I speak Portuguese, and that I have a love affair with the place and I too believe that its a great place for investment.

                                                                          Skyline - Salvador, Bahia

Well the other day he asked me to start to put together a tour of Brasil for businesspeople! He wants to go to Rio, Sampa, and the Northeast...probably Salvador. I'm in the process of putting an itinerary together, which is exciting! He wants me to go with him because I can translate! I'm not sure when it will be and I don't know if its 100% set in stone as of yet, but it sounds promising! I just hope its before August 16th and after September 1st because I don't want to miss my Hawaii vacation either.

I'll keep you updated!

Picture of the Moment

I'm not one to go and talk about the poverty in Brasil and advertise it to my friends, because quite frankly everyone thinks that Brasil is basically a giant version of Haiti. Obviously that is completely false, but we all know that there still is a good percentage of people living in poverty. I think this is a cool picture, I love the grit and color. It's Heliopolis, the largest favela in Sampa. Luckily, they are urbanizing this favela, like most in the city. Later on I'll post some pictures of the rendering of the new buildings they are placing in the location on former favela barracos.

Outchi Baki

This is kind of random, but I think it's funny that Outback has like a million restuarants in Brasil and they keep expanding. They have 8 locations in Rio (Capital), 9 in SP (Capital) and more in RS, MG, GO, BA and DF. They are opening another in Sao Jose dos Campos and one in Recife in the future. I don't even like Outchi Backi.

                                                                 Outback in Sao Paulo

City vs. City

I am still very undecided where I think I want to live in Brasil when the time comes. Of course, there are close to 1 million factors that come into play, some of which are out of my control including jobs, and possibly romance.

Ew.

But, seriously. if I take all the uncertainties and pace them aside, I have mainly three places where I am really interested in. Of course, the two obvious firsts are Rio and Sampa, but my other is Recife. From what I've seen of Recife, it looks great. I know it has one of the highest violent crime rates in all of Brasil, but like the majority of cities in Brasil the crime is relatively centred in the favelas and drug gangs.

                                                            Boa Viagem, Recife, Pernambuco

So, convince me where to live! Tell me why where you live in Brasil is the best place to live in Brasil. Or tell my why another city in Brasil would be a better place to live. I can still be swayed out of my 3 main choices! I want to hear your opionions! Comment please!

So, Whaddaya think of Portuguese?

                                            (This Picture has nothing to do with content below, I just like it)

When I first heard Portuguese, I honestly didn't know what the hell I was listening to. I remember hearing it for the first time in Orlando, Florida. We all know about Brasileiros and Jizzney. The Brasilian accent makes Disney sound like a dirty word, but we all know Jizzney is a magical childhood place of pleasure (okay, I'll stop with the sexual references, for now.)

But anyway, back on topic. When hearing Portuguese for the first time, I mistook it with French. This is sad because I took French starting in Middle School all the way through High School-shows how much I learned. But I also remember it sounding more beautiful and less annoying than the uppity sound French has a lot of the time. I didn't think much of this "encounter" with the foreign language until about 4 years ago, when I finally identified what I had heard while frolicking through Jizzney years before. IT WAS PORTUGUESE!

Personally, I love the language like no other language on the planet. It is incredibly beautiful. It is extremely diverse in accent. It is a world language that is poised to grow leaps and bounds in the coming years. It can be a difficult language to learn, that's for sure. The phonology is much harder than French in my opinion. Sometimes pronunciations don't make any sense (how did de become ji?), but the quirks make it so exotic.

I love all the accents that Portuguese possesses. I love the accents of Minas Gerais. Paulistas (interior) have a goofy accent that makes me laugh. I make fun of my Paulista teacher for it! Cariocas have a gutteral French influence that sounds great in Bossa Nova and Samba. I have been mistaken by Brasilians as a Belorizontino, which is a compliment and makes me feel like my Brasilian accent is coming along quite well (tootin' my horn here.)

My questions to my blogger friends is: What do you think of Portuguese? What Brasilian accents do you like? What sotaque do you have (or try to have) when you speak Porkandcheese? I look forward to hearing what you have to say!!

Beijos!

Hello Cyberspace!

Hi there everyone!

Don't let the title of this post fool you! No, I'm not looking for you to take your top off on webcam (yet.) Also don't let the mushy name of the blog make you throw up too much. 

My name is Alex, and I currently attending college in the United States.

I'm going to tell you a little about me, whether you like it or not!
Ever since a few years ago, while watching the Victoria's secret fashion show on TV (airs around Christmas), and finding out the good hunk of the beautiful goddesses were Brasilian, I had my eye set on the place. They started the obsession, but I know now that there is so much more to be obsessed with in that tropical land than just the "glamazon" women that strut down the orla. I now am much more educated on the country, and I am madly in love with her. The language, the culture, the people. Just about everything. I know there are significant challenges that need to be faced in Brasil, but I know that deep in my heart Brasil is where I belong. I have saudades every minute of a place I have not yet been to. Sounds a little psycho but don't judge me!

This blog will track the steps that I will be taking in order to make my move imminent move to Brasil. I will use this to hopefully help other people in my position in the future, as well as for my stories that are bound to occur. I hope to make friends this way also, because from some of the blogs that I've read of American expats in Brasil, I am sure we would be great friends!

All right guys, I'm in this for the long haul. I don't graduate for another 3 1/2 years, but with my study abroad program that I WILL take to Sampa, I hope to meet some of you sooner. Oh yeah, I'm still weighing the options of where to live...Rio or Sampa...hard choice, right?

Valeu Gente!