Veteran's Point of View
Since 2009 I have spent over 14 months in Brazil and the rest of the in between time studying the country. Certain aspects of Brazilian culture still surprise and affect me emotionally and physically but my sensitivity to the more peripheral aspects of the culture has worn down. My boyfriend, Rob, is currently experiencing Brazil for the first time. He arrived on Tuesday morning and will be here for a total of two weeks. Everything is new to him (language, food, transit, people etc.). Rob is currently going through the initial phases of culture shock and I have decided to take advantage of his novice point of view for this post. The following is an interview with Rob. Enjoy.
An Interview
Q. What stuck out to you on the ride from airport to hotel in São Paulo.
R. "The landscape seems very different. The trees are different. The buildings are brightly colored and seem to have been built using different methods of architecture. A lot of buildings seem to not have been kept up with. Traffic was obviously different. The roads were very crowded. Motorcyclists weave in and out of traffic. Many billboards alongside the road were blank, and the ones I noticed that were not blank, advertised building materials like floor sealant, cement and plumbing pipes".
Q. Do you speak Portuguese?
R. "No. I know about ten helpful phrases. like please, thank you, excuse me, sorry, I need..."
Q. How do you feel about not speaking Portuguese in Brazil?
R. I was regretful that I didn't learn more (before coming). It makes me feel nervous, like a fish out of water. It is scary.
Q. What happened at the juice stand?
R. "I didn't speak enough Portuguese to order a soda (Sukita) and the workers didn't speak any English. I had to point at what I wanted and hold out the money I had. It made me feel embarrassed.
Q. Where you able to get your soda?
R. "They ended up giving me the wrong thing. Instead of the soda they gave me a powdered orange juice drink. But it was my fault for not speaking the language. I was embarrassed and just took what I got."
Q. Where have you been in Brazil?
R. Guarulhos, São Paulo, Guarujá and now Piracicaba.
Q. What was your favorite place so far and why?
R. Guarujá because there was a beach there. You (Katie) drank out of a coconut. It had a very tropical feeling. It felt most like a vacation. While Piracicaba doesn't have a vacation feel, I have never been in the presence of such kind people. Brazilian hospitality is great. I don't think Americans are as hospitable in terms of kindness, politeness, openness etc. Taking good care of your guests seems to be more important here than it is where I am from and I love that. Makes me want to be as hospitable in the future to any guests I may have.
Q. Talk to me about Brazilian food.
R. "I like the buffet style restaurants where you weigh your food. I like cupim and vinagrete. Cupim is beef, part of a cow's spine. Vinagrete is olive oil, vinegar and diced vegetables. There is a different variety of fruits here which I have been excited to try. I don't like all of them, but I like most. Meals seem to beserved with less vegetables. Lots of meat and cheese. I am glad beer is popular here like it is in the states. I haven't had a meal that did't impress me. I like pão de queijo."
Q. What fruits didn't you like?
R. "I don't like papayas (mamão)"
Q. Anything you want to talk about?
R. "I like the houses here with open ceilings. With the weather here people leave their doors open. You can't do that in the US. Bugs come in.
I thought it was strange that in the bus station the toilets didn't have seats.
Lot's of stores have English names and a lot of clothing has English words on it. Some of the names seem a little silly, like "Shoulder" and "Metabolic" for stores names. I saw a shirt with "read meats" written on it". I am curious to know if Brazilians went to the US and saw a store named "Ombro" if they would think it's silly.
I don't think Americans realize the implications of having such a large event (In São Paulo) and the infrastructure needed to support it. It's assumed that Brazilians love soccer more than anywhere in the world and it would be a perfect place to have the World Cup and that seems to be where the thought stops. I wonder if the organizers of the World Cup share the same concern of the Brazilian public. There seems to be a lot of concern (by Brazilians) that adequate preparations are not being made".
END
Thank you Rob for allowing me to wake to up for a Sunday morning interview.
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