Those 'desperate' Gals...

[NunoEFSilva]

I don't feel LAm Gals are, as a rule, 'desperate' to get to the 'First World'. Even to North America.

Healthy Curious they certainly are...

IMHO, once out of LA, the pretty half of humanity soon finds that the expenses (between up here and down there) are not so hugely different to the wages. May be they saw too much of Hollywood's wares and never really took a critical view of 'how come that temp office assistant lives in (owns?) a palace'?

That (mild) disappointment will soon fade away and be replaced by explorations: the sightseeing, new social rules and so on. Then a point of long-lived surprise will always be the confidence with which one can wall about, shop and entertain oneself at a typical city center up north.

Then we will get to a series of doubts and concerns with the cold at the beginning of autumn - we will delightfully oblige and offer to protect her...

In a couple of years that too will fade - Oh, well...

NOTE: Having known much more Brazilians than other LAms, I caution you not to take my generalizations at face value.

Good post and well written, thanks NFS. I think this is for the most part, all true.

[LastLion]

I agree with much of what you say NFS. I have a hard time getting used to those cold showers even on hot day! I like my 500 channel line-up and that fact that I can go into the country and feel safer than when in the city. And fast food is actually less expensive than a good meal!

Strangely enough I met some women in Cali, that have never ventured far from the city!

I think they are more exploited in there work wages and have to work more hours are average may be 40 hours, but I would bet theres is 50 or more! There are pros and cons to there lifestytle, which are very attractive to me. #1 being that what is really important, is really important ex:family, love and happiness!

I think are number 1 is money, which in turn we think we can buy their 3 (family, love & happiness) but if you are on the board for similar reasons as I, you know or have learned this is the
"Big Lie!!"

By the way, I am referring to CAM and Colombia, I am not sure if all this relates to Brazil!

[Cubafro]

NFS, I agree with your words...most of gals or peoplo in general were sparked by the ``american dream``and hope to touch it once in their life but for a lots while here the true story comes-up.It was a good post buddy

CUBA [img]smile.gif[/img]

[NunoEFSilva]

Thanks a lot people! You have all been very kind! [img]smile.gif[/img]

I may as well warn all that I will be away till the end of this month (on the boss's dime) and will return in November, when I hope to start recounting my experiences (and MO, ho, ho!) and sharing links, resources and searchable Maps on Brazil (some only in Portuguese, sorry), maybe in a non-discussion repository thread?

IMHO, maybe the biggest difference - aside from language - between Brazil and Other LA Countries is the absence of guerrillas in the countryside. That inverts the security outlook between Big (anonymous) City and the Small Village where everybody knows each other.

The extreme poverty that is the food (but not the source) of Guerrilla Movements elsewhere, expresses itself as opportunistic theft up until organized crime in Brazil.

When on a Brazilian road you will notice those sparkling decorations going into the many wheels of the trucks. Those are NOT decorations! Those are part of a system of compressed air feeds that, should a tire blow (or be blown), will keep it under pressure - hopefully until a safer place is reached!

So while a gathering of people (a Village) means safety, the roads in between do not!

I'm knowledgeable of the Brazilian roads because as a Portuguese I am allowed to drive there with my original driver's license (the language again, and also the 'special relationship' similar to the one between the UK and the US), strait out of the plane.

If I lived in Colombia (or Venezuela where there are a sizeable community of Portuguese in the hundreds of thousands), I probably wouldn't want to leave the relative safety of the city for the 'free for all' countryside - unless I was a merchant.

But in Brazil, as long as I travel in broad day light with a good map, a (hidden) VISA and my eyes peeled, I'll be safe. If night gets upon me, I will stop near a BR (Brigada Rodoviária) with a dinner and sleep in the vehicle.

To LastLion: the cold shower, although standard in the 'interior' is not mandatory - a 'Lorenzeti' is very common in Brazil wherever there are water and electricity. A 'Lorenzeti' (originally an Italian brand) is an electric shower head to heat one's shower. It is a very inexpensive implement and quite secure, don't get shocked. As I've never saw a Brazilian Gal that did not took at least three showers a day (which I do subscribe in that climate), this will be a good way for you to flash some bucks and make your girlfriend's life better, as well as your own while there - just remember the 'gold digger effect'.

In my experience, if we help them in utilitarian and discrete ways like that above - rather than luxurious ones - gratitude will have a lesser chance of befriending greed. To get her a Cable TV subscription would be a luxury - ergo...

Don't get me wrong, I like my cable line-up and that is no luxury in Portugal - but it is classifiable as such in Brazil. And as we all know, Money Can't Buy Love (but its total absence can cause grief and stress in any relationship). Theory of relativity.

Nothing of note about working hours and wages - I'm usually good for some 55+ hours a week here - and that is one reason I'm thinking about Brazil as a means of slowing down, especially in places where a IT guy with 30 years of experience on his back will be an employers asset or a slam dunk as self-employed. Did I mention that if you'll find yourself unemployed in Europe after you're 35 years old, you're as good as dead?!

To CUBAFRO: When I go searching in Brazil (and I'm about 50 years old) I'm going after 'Tender, Love & Care', not primarily Hot Sex (later, later).

Once in that 'wave' and in the rural innards of the land - taking caution not to patronize people with our monetary power - I find it a LOT easier to get the girl thru her heart, not her eyes or her ambition.

And you're absolutely right! After waking in the wee hours and milking the cows, getting the chores done before breakfast, helping all day in the fields (even if I am an 'almofadinha da cidade') instead of loafing around (and gaining the respect of parents & neighbors), I can take her to stroll, shop and the beach in the Big (Brazilian) City. THEN I can fly her in to introduce her into my 'First World' environment - without the Girl getting 'starred eyed' and stepping out the reality altogether. By that time their eyes will be able not only to absorb our Western Societies and Grand Dreams, but will also pick up those dark alleys we wouldn't like publicized.

You have to break them gently...

With patience and sensibility, in a couple of years we can build a great, intimate and reliable partnership as long as I don't spoil her...

[El Capitan]

Jajajaja....Great post NFS!!

As for the Lorenzeti, just make sure you don't reach up to "blindly" (with a face full of shampoo) adjust the showerhead while IN the shower...my tall Gringo (i) made that mistake only once at a hotel in Natal!!

Have a good trip, and we all look forward to hearing more of your insight!

[NunoEFSilva]

Natal, hum? The State Capital with the least crime.

ElCapitan, you are knowledgeable indeed!

Did I mention the innards of Rio Grande do Norte is where I've been lately?...

BTW was the Hotel the Alimar?

[El Capitan]

...actually it was the Hotel Natal, right downtown, across from the Cathedral.

RN is a pretty interesting area to visit, with some of the most fantastic coastal sand dunes you can ever imagine.

Ceara is another favorite of mine.

[Texas Cowboy]

Great post NFS....keep em comin' Ai que saudade eu tenho pra O Brasil...

[El Capitan]

NFS...how about a sleepy little village called Guamare?