From: adriance@ax.apc.org
Newsgroups: soc.culture.brazil
Date: 03 Oct 92 17:18 PDT
Subject: Re: Looking for contact in Brazil
Nf-ID: #R:1992Oct1.181612.1@vaxb.acs.unt.e:344981224:ax:1191000064:000:4720
Nf-From: ax.UUCP!adriance    Oct  3 17:18:00 1992


 
>Friends,
>
>I'm seriously considering moving to Brazil to continue my
>educational
>research and teaching, and a friend of mine had nothing but good
 
It would be helpful to know what is your specific area
of research and teaching. That would help to determine
(1) whether Brazil is the best place to be and (2) what 
part of the country you should come to.  My field is 
sociology, and in that area Brazil is a great place to
be, both in terms of a wealth of fascinating social,
cultural and political phenomena to learn about and in
terms of the presence of colleagues with a keen sense of
critical analysis.
 
>things to say about the country. He had lived in Sao Paulo for
>over 8 years, and recommended I really think about living and
>working
>there.
 
I passionately love Brazil and Brazilians and am presently
in the middle of five months of research and teaching here.
However, I cannot honestly say that I have nothing but good
things to say.  How long ago did your friend live here?
The present state of the economy is absolutely depressing.
Large numbers of people are literally going hungry, and
even the middle class is losing ground. The infrastructure
leaves a lot to be desired.  Many public services (such as
water treatment and street repair) are poor.  Getting a
telephone installed can be a nightmarish exercise in trying
to avoid being swindled.  There are everyday frustrations
that would make life difficult for someone who did not have 
strong reasons for wanting to live and work here.
 
On the other hand, what makes being in Brazil really special
for me is the Brazilian people -- their warmth, their
kindness, their generosity, their vibrancy and their sense
of humor in the face of impossible situations.
 
>I don't have a particular place in mind, does anyone have
>suggestions or comments about places to live, the economy in 
 
It depends what you are looking for. If you like big cities,
if you are looking for an especially strong academic envi-
ronment, if you don't mind pollution and chilly, rainy 
winters in a place where central heating and insulation
do not seem to exist, then Sao Paulo may be your utopia. 
Personally I prefer Recife.  The air is cleaner, the
weather tropical, the popular culture fascinating and the
academic environment quite good.  There is also a great
beach.  Curitiba and Florianopolis are fine if you would
like a more European environment.  At the risk, however, of
having all the sulistas in this newsgroup send me nasty 
messages, I have to say that the Brazil that I love is a
mixture of Portuguese, African and Indigenous peoples and
cultures that are in short supply in the South, as are warm
winters and palm trees.  ("Minha terra tem palmeiras onde 
canta o sabia'".) I caught a bad cold in Curitiba last month.
 
As for the economy, I'm getting along O.K. because I'm 
being paid in American dollars, which leads me to think 
about retiring to Brazil in about 15 or 20 years.  If you
want to know how tough it is to live on cruzeiros, however,
with an inflation rate of over 20% per month, note the 
large numbers of Brazilians who are migrating to the U.S.
 
>general, and other people I might contact about this?  I know this
>is not alot of information for you to give comments on, I'll be
>glad to answer questions you need to ask.  Thanks very much.
>
>Robert Hunter
>Dallas, TX
 
My suggestion would be to start with something temporary.
Since your first paragraph would seem to indicate that you
are an academic, have you considered applying for a Fulbright?
If that doesn't fit your situation, how about arranging for a
long vacation?  The value of the dollar is soaring in Brazil
right now, so you should be able to get by on about a third
of what it would cost in many parts of the U.S. The air fare
is quite high, but if your trip is between three weeks and
three months, you can get a special deal through agencies
that specialize in travel to Brazil.  Try the Brazilian and
American Cultural Exchange in Washington (BACC).  They have
a toll-free number, but I don't have it with me.  My husband
recently booked a flight through a Brazilian travel agency
in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and came here for a little 
over $800.  Anyway, a stay of a month or so would give you
a chance to make contacts in your field of work and also get
some sense of what it would be like to live here.
 
Best wishes in your decision.
 
Madeleine Adriance
 
P.S. I no longer read this newsgroup regularly -- electronic
networking is expensive in Brazil -- so if you have further
questions feel free to contact me by e-mail.  My present 
address is <adriance@ibase.br>.  After the first week of
December it will be <adriance%umbsky.dnet@ns.umb.edu>.