Living and Working in Brazil as a White North American!!!!?
Thinking about moving there for about 1 year or possibly more depending how it goes as a skilled worker. The offer is standing and I am interested but hesitant. Me: -White -Male -Mid 20's -No family or significant other -English, no Portuguese yet. -Haven't been out of North America before. -Accustomed to Cold weather. What I know: Brazil is hot as hell. Alot bigger than most people think. Very diverse and populated. They speak Portuguese and alot of the citizens in school will learn Spanish and English but that necessarily means everyone can speak it. I learned French in school and it can barely get me by in a French country. It has its fair share of crime.. Infact a Favela makes Detroit look like Disney Land. So avoid the streets in rough areas at night, try not to stand out so much as a tourist, and definitely dont go in a favela or even near one. Scenario: Opportunity to live and work in Manaus which is a large city. About the same size as Toronto Canada. It is in the Amazonas region and is on the mouth of the amazon river. What are some things I should really look into to save my a$$ in sticky situations. I have thought of 1) Losing passport 2) Losing Visa, cash 3) Losing entire wallet 4) Being robbed of those things 5) Sickness.. I hear you can get diarreah there easily due to climate and water quality. 6) What to wear to seem less of a tourist. I am fairly tanned, I am sure I could fit in as a 'white' Brazilian before they talk to me, so long as I dress like one. 7) How much is like..say 5 bucks Canadian in Brazilian Currency? 8) If I live a very modest lifestyle, how much Canadian money could get me by every month. Id be alone, i dont want to starve, but I dont have to live high off the hog either. Dont need an amazing apartment.. but I dont want to be in the ghetto obviously. I am a white tourist that sont speak portuguese.. Id die lol.. IF anyone can help me that be greatl * 14 minutes ago * - 4 days left to answer. Additional Details If anybody knows Manaus.. What is the nightlife like? What are the girls like? Is it like typical north american girls? Either a pub or a club. Is dancing very big? Rock music? Metal? Hip Hop.. or is it diverse just like here? How are the clubs there? Same dancing style as north america? Alot of bumping and grinding? Or is it like..that latin booty hip shake type thing going on lol.. Are most bars sausage fests? What type of bars would you recommend for a young guy like me that be living fairly poor there lol. 10 minutes ago
Other - Destinations - 2 Answers
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1 :
Oh man...you want to go to Manaus? Well...Manaus is VERY, VERY hot and humid city. It isnt that big. Night life there is not that great during the weeks, on weekends its alright. Food is amazing! For someone that lives in São Paulo like me, I would want to commit suicide in the river by being eaten by piranhas. Brazil is not like other latin american nations, so no you will not hear that latin booty hip stuff you mentioned. We have our own music, and in clubs they play lots of eletronic music and american/british pop crap. Rap is not that big here. Also, I think you are worrying way too much about everything. You need to learn Brazilian Portuguese. Most Brazilians do not know how to speak English, and if you come here trying to speak in spanish, you will also get lots of attitude and you may not be treated very well. Brazil in many ways is very very different from North America. So when you come here just expect different dances, music, ways of thinking, language, jokes...everything dude. You cannot compare. (If I get thumb downs its because there is a retarded portuguese girl that has more than one account and keeps on thumbing down every single answer I give)
2 :
Well, I agree with my friend above, you're worrying way too much. Problem is that people ofter generalizes (bad) rumours about Brazil. It depends on where you are, what time of the day, what you're carrying... I've been to Europe, US, Mexico, Peru and learned that we should take the same care everywhere, same as your mother told you, like, don't walk alone in suspicious places, don't accept anything from strangers, don't walk with your wallet coming out of your back pocket. Apart from that life's the same for somebody that already lives in a big city. Brazil is not damn hot, but Manaus is... so get prepared. You'll be very far away for the main cities (Rio and São Paulo). However it seems they have a nice infrastructure there. Anyway, you'll get the chance of knowing brazilian regions that even brazilians will never have the opportunity to go. Also, about speaking portuguese, I wouldn't worry - I think Brazilians accept foreigners very well and even not speaking the language they'll always try to help, so it's almost sure that you'll have friends and/or a girlfriend soon enough. I hate to say that, but is true, being a foreigner makes you interesting to local girls - don't ask me why... About nightlife, I agree with our friend above too, and any brazilian city has bars, to have a beer, to meet friends, so if you don't like the music or the style, you can always go to a bar. About lifestyle and costs, as you're not living in the major cities, you'll live very well with not very much. Maybe you could contact your embassy here or a travel agency to help you find an appartment and to give you other useful tips. Good luck! : )
