Agora, e Domingo da noite. Eu ja fiz 2 semanas de ferias, mas amanha, eu tenho que voltar ao meu trabalho. Estava gostando de minhas ferias, mas agora, eu estou olhando pra o tempo quando eu posso ir ao Brasil. Se eu nao tenho problemas em obtendo meu visto, so tem 5 meses ate eu vou. Nao e muito tempo, mas as vezes, acho que e tempo demais! Eu ja esperei mais que um ano e meio, nao quero esperar mais! Mas a paciencia e uma virtude, ne? Eu me pergunto quanto tempo leva para aprender essa virtude?
Hoje, estou com ansiedade. Ao meu trabalho, tem muitas coisas ruins. Mas, estou sofrindo em silencio, porque tenho que ganhar dinheiro, e nao tenho meu visto ainda. Estou cansado de nepotismo, mentirosos, mulherengos, e gerentes que abusam os funcionarios. Estou cansado de uma empresa que proclama que ela tem uma missao sagrada, mas funciona sem honestidade.
Minha dificuldade mais grande e que a empresa tem produitos que funcionam bem. Esses produitos ajudam muitas pessoas com doencas mentais. Eu era um cetico antes, mas eu vi pessoas que ganham suas vidas de novo por causa desses produitos. Mas acho que e bem desagradavel recomendando produitos de uma empresa como isso. Mas, talvez eu tenho que esquecer meu orgulho. Talvez um pouco de bom poder vir desse mal. Espero!
Estou esperando que posso obter meu visto bem logo. Eu vi muitas coisas ruins - estes coisas aconteceram pra outras pessoas, o maioria nao aconteceram pra mim. Mas se algumas coisas acontecem pra mim, eu quero o poder de parar - o poder de sair. Eu nao tenho um ilusao que meu proximo emprego sera perfeito, mas espero que o proximo sera sem esse corupcao! Ja fiz muitos trabalhos... alguns bem dificil, mas acho que isso e o mais desagradavel.
Mas - o tempo e bem cedo! Talvez eu posso esperar!
Sunday 31 July 2011
Saturday 23 July 2011
Magic Beans!
In my post earlier today, I mentioned family gatherings, and that got me to thinking about one of the other things that I am eager to experience in Brazil. The food! I have already sampled Brazilian food, although not as it is meant to be as Brazilian ingredients are hard to come by in Canada. However, I have tried enough to decide that Brazilians know what cooking is all about. I decided this when I tried something called feijoada.
Feijoada is a black bean stew. Yes, that lowly, boring, disgustingly bland black bean. Or at least that's what I thought it was until I tried feijoada. It's a very heavy, very tasty dish, although what I have had is supposed to fall short of what can be done in Brazil. My friend Priscilla has already told me that when I am there, I need to go to her mother's place, and taste what a really good feijoada is like.
Rice and beans are a staple in Brazil, and I am happy to find out that I like them. However, Brazilian food is not all about rice and beans. I have fallen in love with churrasco. That's Brazilian barbecue. Now, you might say that barbecue is wonderful, but really - how good could it be? And how different could Brazilians really make their barbecue?
One of my friends had a story to tell about this. She lived in Utah for a time. She got invited to a barbecue, and she happily went. Well, first the hamburgers were brought out, but she decided to wait for the rest of the food to come. And she waited. And she waited. And she waited some more. Then, she realized that there was no more food in sight, and the hamburgers were starting to disappear. What she had to say to me was "You North Americans don't know barbecue!"
I have realized that despite not being in Brazil yet, I have become very spoiled. I had a chance to go to a Brazilian churascuria, The Bolero this past Thursday, and came away disappointed. Not because the food was bad, it was actually fairly good - I would have considered it a real treat a year ago. But no, I've already had better. The fire roasted pineapple was incredible and delicious, as were the slices of roast pineapple with ice cream. However, the feijoada left something to be desired, and the meats were under seasoned, and were all quite rare. Not just a little rare. Not medium rare. RARE rare. I know some people love this, but it just didn't appeal to me. However, what really disappointed me was the lack of Portuguese. It's a Brazilian steakhouse, and yet when I asked if there were any Portuguese speakers, I was told that maybe there are in the kitchen, but otherwise no. Listening to the music they had playing, at least some of it was in Spanish too. I guess for your average diner looking for something different, they won't notice the difference, or even care - but it just took some of the excitement out of the evening for me. Oh, and no chicken hearts! Hey, don't know them until you've tried them - they're delicious!
Fortunately, I'm going back to my favourite churrascuria this coming Wednesday. Gaucho Brazilian Barbecue does it right. The meat is more well done, although you can ask for a piece of the center if you like yours rare. It's seasoned the way it should be. And they have chicken hearts. I'm also looking forward to the Guarana - a delciously fruity soft drink.
I think I may have to order some pao de queijo - a delicious bread roll with cheese throughout it - nothing like we have here. And I think I will have to finish the evening off with sorvete de coco com abacaxi assado - coconut icecream with barbecued pineapple.
Anyone else want to go to Brazil with me?
Feijoada is a black bean stew. Yes, that lowly, boring, disgustingly bland black bean. Or at least that's what I thought it was until I tried feijoada. It's a very heavy, very tasty dish, although what I have had is supposed to fall short of what can be done in Brazil. My friend Priscilla has already told me that when I am there, I need to go to her mother's place, and taste what a really good feijoada is like.
Rice and beans are a staple in Brazil, and I am happy to find out that I like them. However, Brazilian food is not all about rice and beans. I have fallen in love with churrasco. That's Brazilian barbecue. Now, you might say that barbecue is wonderful, but really - how good could it be? And how different could Brazilians really make their barbecue?
One of my friends had a story to tell about this. She lived in Utah for a time. She got invited to a barbecue, and she happily went. Well, first the hamburgers were brought out, but she decided to wait for the rest of the food to come. And she waited. And she waited. And she waited some more. Then, she realized that there was no more food in sight, and the hamburgers were starting to disappear. What she had to say to me was "You North Americans don't know barbecue!"
I have realized that despite not being in Brazil yet, I have become very spoiled. I had a chance to go to a Brazilian churascuria, The Bolero this past Thursday, and came away disappointed. Not because the food was bad, it was actually fairly good - I would have considered it a real treat a year ago. But no, I've already had better. The fire roasted pineapple was incredible and delicious, as were the slices of roast pineapple with ice cream. However, the feijoada left something to be desired, and the meats were under seasoned, and were all quite rare. Not just a little rare. Not medium rare. RARE rare. I know some people love this, but it just didn't appeal to me. However, what really disappointed me was the lack of Portuguese. It's a Brazilian steakhouse, and yet when I asked if there were any Portuguese speakers, I was told that maybe there are in the kitchen, but otherwise no. Listening to the music they had playing, at least some of it was in Spanish too. I guess for your average diner looking for something different, they won't notice the difference, or even care - but it just took some of the excitement out of the evening for me. Oh, and no chicken hearts! Hey, don't know them until you've tried them - they're delicious!
Fortunately, I'm going back to my favourite churrascuria this coming Wednesday. Gaucho Brazilian Barbecue does it right. The meat is more well done, although you can ask for a piece of the center if you like yours rare. It's seasoned the way it should be. And they have chicken hearts. I'm also looking forward to the Guarana - a delciously fruity soft drink.
I think I may have to order some pao de queijo - a delicious bread roll with cheese throughout it - nothing like we have here. And I think I will have to finish the evening off with sorvete de coco com abacaxi assado - coconut icecream with barbecued pineapple.
Anyone else want to go to Brazil with me?
Hoquei, Futebol, and Other Greatness
Ever since I decided that I want to move to Brazil, I have wondered what I would do without hockey to keep me happy. One of my Brazilian friends was kind enough to track down some hockey leagues in Brazil for me... and I've toyed with the idea of taking equipment with me, and convincing my friends to try playing with me.
After playing tonight, I'm not so sure if I will miss hockey. But - I already know it's just a phase, and by next weekend I will want to play again. Tonight, my lack of affection toward my favourite game comes from a sore hip. I'm not sure if I sprained the muscles in my hip, or if it just needs a day or two to heal, but what I think my hip is trying to tell me is that I need to realize that I'm 32 years old, overweight, and not built like a goalie. That's right. I play goalie - and anyone who knows me well knows that I am NOT built to move like a goalie. For my friends who are less acquainted with hockey, I'll post a video. Now bear in mind - I'm playing ball hockey, not ice hockey - and I'm not Tim Thomas (the guy in the video). But I'm sure anyone who watches will wonder what on earth possesses Bryan to make him think he can play that kind of game!
Yes folks - that's the kind of game and position I play, although much more clumsily, and with a lot less flexibility.
But... all that aside, I have realized that whether or not I take hockey with me, there will definitely be sports fanaticism to be had. In reality, I think the Brazilians take it even farther than we do. I've heard of people skipping work and school to see the Stanley Cup finals, but I've heard of whole companies and school classes being unattended for World Cup Futebol games.
I can't say that I really understand soccer beyond a very elementary level. I'm not even sure if I like it. But I already know what team I cheer for. GALO!!!! My team was chosen for me, but I like the choice. I cheer for Atletico Mineiro, Os Galos, or The Roosters!
I am eager to experience the Brazilian sports culture, and learn more about it. I am eager to go to friends' houses, and see their families get together and cheer for their teams.
On that note, that's something else that I want to see. My extended family has always been quite close although increasing years and miles between us has eroded some of that closeness. Still, we can pick up like old friends again. That seems to be an oddity here in Canada, but it seems to be quite normal in Brazil. I enjoy that kind of closeness, and I want to see it first hand. I feel very privileged to have friends that want to take me to family gatherings so that I can get to know their aunts and uncles and cousins and parents. Those welcoming arms are going to be very important when I find myself thousands of kilometers away from home.
I think I have chosen the right place to go to. Any strange new country can be a hard place to go to, but I am learning that Brazilians can be very affectionate people. Well, unless you're cheering against their futebol team of course. So hockey or not, I will be going to a place with great new experiences, both sports and cultural, and wonderful new people and friends.
In the meantime, I'm going to rest this injured hip, and get ready for next weekend's craziness. GALOOOOO!!!
Tuesday 19 July 2011
Esta em todo lugar que voce quer estar.
Por favor me perdoe - estou tentando traduzir meu texto ingles, mas e bem dificil pra mim!
Entao - esta em todo lugar que voce quer estar. Isso e uma frase da empresa Visa. Hoje, quero falar sobre um outro "Visa" (a palavra inglesa) - o visto de residento temporario. Para as pessoas que nao sabem, para entrar o Canada, com poucos excecoes, voce precisa de um visto. Por isso, voce tem que lidar com Imigracao Canada.
Em teoria, nao e um problema. Voce prenchar formularios, tem uma carta-convite, talvez um ou dois outros documentos, e tudo bem, ne? A teoria e boa, mas em verdade, ele nao sempre funciona como isso.
Para illustrar isso, minha amiga brasileira aplicou para obter um visto para me visitar no Canada. Ela e professora, ela teve dinheiro no banco, e uma carta-convite autenticada - esta carta indicou que eu convidei-la, que ela ficaria por um tempo definido, que as despesas delas ja foram pagados. E obvio que ela deveria obter o visto, ne? Nao exactamente. Ela foi rejeitado, por causa ela poderia imigrar ilegalmente. Imigracao ilegal e um problema, e paises devem se guardar contro isso, Mas, eu nao entendo como ela e um risco. Como professora, acho que ela poderia ganhar mais dinheiro e tem uma melhor qualidade da vida do que se ela imigrou e trabalhou aqui ilegalmente. Talvez o Brasil nao e pais rico, mas a economia esta crescendo, e ela e uma profissional.
Entao, isso foi a primeira vez que nos tentamos obter o visto dela. Nos tentamos uma segunda vez, com a ajuda de um advogado. Nao sei quando os formularios chegaram ao consulado Canadense, mas acho que se o visto chegou amanha, significa que o consulado teve-los ao menos 15 dias de negocio. O padrao de servico dele e 5-10 dias de negocio. Nosso advogado tentou conversar com o consulado por email - faz uma semana, mas nao tem uma resposta ainda. Minha amiga tentou telefonar o consulado, mas as vezes, ela foi em espera por muito tempo... outras, o consulado nao atendou o telefone.
Bom, por razoes obvias, estou com raiva ao consulado, mas existem outras implicacoes tambem. Imagine sendo um Canadense no Brasil, tendo uma emergencia, e o consulado nao atende o telefone ou diga que voce tem que esperar. Bem, tem pessoas que acham que isso e normal com o governo, mas eu falei com o consulado geral do Brasil em Vancouver muitas vezes, e ele nunca fiz isso. O Canada e suposto ser um pais primeiro no primeiro mundo, mas o consulado e uma piada! Espero que isso desafia ideas sobre o Canda e o Brasil.
Tenho um outra problema com isso. Canada e suposto ser um pais bem acolhedor - um lugar dos sonhos de turistas. Nos somos uma nacao polido e amigavel. Esse imagem e inseguro por causa destes accoes do nosso governo. Minha amiga pode pensar disso como sorte mal, mas ela sentou tratado como uma criminal, uma pessoa indesejavel. Concordo com ela. O dinheiro turista e bem importante para o Canada, mas quem vai querer ir a um pais que trate-lo como um cidadao da teirca categoria do mundo, e humilhar-lo? Tambem, acho que e ofensivo que o unico recurso e tentar de novo, ou ir ao tribuno. Nao ha uma responsabilidade para os cidadoes ou as pessoas de outros paises que querem visitar amigos e familia, e gastar dinheiro.
Bem, agora que eu reclamei muito, por cause desta experiencia, tem ansiedade sobre meu visto enquanto estou me preparar para viajar ao Brasil. Entretanto, eu estou encorajado, porque parece que o consulado Brasileiro funciona melhor do que o consulado Canadense. Com certeza, pessoas da America do Nord se aproveitam dos Brasileiros, mas parece que o governo nao vai assumir que uma pessoa e criminal sem razao. So espero que vou tiver sorte, e que o governo vai me tratar como isso.
Obrigado pelo lendo meu blog! Sei que esse post foi longa!
Entao - esta em todo lugar que voce quer estar. Isso e uma frase da empresa Visa. Hoje, quero falar sobre um outro "Visa" (a palavra inglesa) - o visto de residento temporario. Para as pessoas que nao sabem, para entrar o Canada, com poucos excecoes, voce precisa de um visto. Por isso, voce tem que lidar com Imigracao Canada.
Em teoria, nao e um problema. Voce prenchar formularios, tem uma carta-convite, talvez um ou dois outros documentos, e tudo bem, ne? A teoria e boa, mas em verdade, ele nao sempre funciona como isso.
Para illustrar isso, minha amiga brasileira aplicou para obter um visto para me visitar no Canada. Ela e professora, ela teve dinheiro no banco, e uma carta-convite autenticada - esta carta indicou que eu convidei-la, que ela ficaria por um tempo definido, que as despesas delas ja foram pagados. E obvio que ela deveria obter o visto, ne? Nao exactamente. Ela foi rejeitado, por causa ela poderia imigrar ilegalmente. Imigracao ilegal e um problema, e paises devem se guardar contro isso, Mas, eu nao entendo como ela e um risco. Como professora, acho que ela poderia ganhar mais dinheiro e tem uma melhor qualidade da vida do que se ela imigrou e trabalhou aqui ilegalmente. Talvez o Brasil nao e pais rico, mas a economia esta crescendo, e ela e uma profissional.
Entao, isso foi a primeira vez que nos tentamos obter o visto dela. Nos tentamos uma segunda vez, com a ajuda de um advogado. Nao sei quando os formularios chegaram ao consulado Canadense, mas acho que se o visto chegou amanha, significa que o consulado teve-los ao menos 15 dias de negocio. O padrao de servico dele e 5-10 dias de negocio. Nosso advogado tentou conversar com o consulado por email - faz uma semana, mas nao tem uma resposta ainda. Minha amiga tentou telefonar o consulado, mas as vezes, ela foi em espera por muito tempo... outras, o consulado nao atendou o telefone.
Bom, por razoes obvias, estou com raiva ao consulado, mas existem outras implicacoes tambem. Imagine sendo um Canadense no Brasil, tendo uma emergencia, e o consulado nao atende o telefone ou diga que voce tem que esperar. Bem, tem pessoas que acham que isso e normal com o governo, mas eu falei com o consulado geral do Brasil em Vancouver muitas vezes, e ele nunca fiz isso. O Canada e suposto ser um pais primeiro no primeiro mundo, mas o consulado e uma piada! Espero que isso desafia ideas sobre o Canda e o Brasil.
Tenho um outra problema com isso. Canada e suposto ser um pais bem acolhedor - um lugar dos sonhos de turistas. Nos somos uma nacao polido e amigavel. Esse imagem e inseguro por causa destes accoes do nosso governo. Minha amiga pode pensar disso como sorte mal, mas ela sentou tratado como uma criminal, uma pessoa indesejavel. Concordo com ela. O dinheiro turista e bem importante para o Canada, mas quem vai querer ir a um pais que trate-lo como um cidadao da teirca categoria do mundo, e humilhar-lo? Tambem, acho que e ofensivo que o unico recurso e tentar de novo, ou ir ao tribuno. Nao ha uma responsabilidade para os cidadoes ou as pessoas de outros paises que querem visitar amigos e familia, e gastar dinheiro.
Bem, agora que eu reclamei muito, por cause desta experiencia, tem ansiedade sobre meu visto enquanto estou me preparar para viajar ao Brasil. Entretanto, eu estou encorajado, porque parece que o consulado Brasileiro funciona melhor do que o consulado Canadense. Com certeza, pessoas da America do Nord se aproveitam dos Brasileiros, mas parece que o governo nao vai assumir que uma pessoa e criminal sem razao. So espero que vou tiver sorte, e que o governo vai me tratar como isso.
Obrigado pelo lendo meu blog! Sei que esse post foi longa!
It's everywhere you want to be!
It's everywhere you want to be - that's Visa's slogan. However, I would like to talk about another kind of Visa. The Temporary Resident Visa. For those who don't know, if you are a foreign citizen, and you want to visit Canada, unless you are from a select group of countries, you need a visa to even set foot in the country. This means that you will have to deal with Immigration Canada.
Now, in theory, this shouldn't be a big deal. You fill out a form, get a letter and a couple of documents, and you're good to go, right? The theory is great, but in practice, it doesn't always end that way.
To illustrate the point, my friend applied for a visa to come visit from Brazil. She is a full time teacher, she had money in her account, and a notarized letter from myself indicating that she was invited to stay for a set period of time, and that her expenses were already taken care of. Should be a no-brainer, right? Well, no, not quite. Her visa was rejected on the grounds that she was a threat to immigrate illegally. Now, illegal immigration does happen, and a country does need to protect itself from this threat. To this day however, I fail to understand how someone with a recognized, trained profession, from a country with one of the fastest growing economies in the world, is a threat to immigrate illegally. Brazil may not be the richest of countries, but a teacher is bound to make more money and have a higher quality of life there than an illegal immigrant working under the table here in Canada.
So, that was the first attempt at the visa. We tried again, this time with the assistance of a lawyer. I don't know for sure when the application actually made it to the Canadian consulate, but based on what I know, I am guessing that if the response were to arrive tomorrow, it would mean that the consulate held onto the application for at least 15 business days, probably more. Their standard of service is 5 to 10 business days. Our lawyer has attempted to correspond with them through their official email address - we have waited a week without response. My friend has tried to call the consulate, and they would either put her on hold for excessive periods of time, or not even answer the phone.
Now, this story does greatly anger and bother me for the obvious reason, but there are other serious implications here. Imagine being a Canadian citizen in a foreign country, and getting into trouble. What are you supposed to do? You are supposed to contact your consulate. What if your situation is an emergency, and you get put on hold, or worse yet, you can't even get the consulate to pick up the phone? Now, people may say that this is a normal occurrence for a government office, however I have had to contact the Brazilian consulate in Vancouver several times, and they have never put me on hold, and they have always answered the phone. Brazil has a reputation for being a corrupt third world country, and yet they are doing the job right. Canada is supposed to be one of the most advanced countries in the world, and yet it doesn't. This should challenge some notions about both Brazil and Canada, and should raise concerns over how our country is being run.
Another problem I have with this is that Canada is also supposed to be a very welcoming country - a place for tourists to dream about visiting. We are a polite and friendly nation. This image is threatened by this kind of behaviour from our immigration system. My friend is willing to accept that she has just had a bad experience, but she has felt that she has been treated like a criminal, and I agree with her. Tourist dollars are very important to our country, but who would want to go to a country that is going to embarrass them and treat them like 3rd rate citizens of the world? I also find it offensive that the only recourse is to either apply again, or challenge the decision in court. I would love to assume that these workers as a whole are trying their best to do a challenging job, but the reality is that they have no accountability to us the public, or to foreign citizens who wish to visit friends and family, and spend their money here.
Now that I've gotten all of that out of my system, this experience definitely leaves me nervous as I prepare to obtain my visa to Brazil. However, I am encouraged by how much more functional their consulate in Vancouver appears to be. Now, North Americans most definitely do go to Brazil, and take advantage of the citizens there, but the Brazilian government appears to be willing to trust that you will behave if they see no reason to think otherwise. I just hope my luck holds, and I am treated the same way.
Well congratulations to anyone who read through my entire rant. I'm long winded. If I get motivated, I may try to post this giant wall of text in Portuguese too.
Now, in theory, this shouldn't be a big deal. You fill out a form, get a letter and a couple of documents, and you're good to go, right? The theory is great, but in practice, it doesn't always end that way.
To illustrate the point, my friend applied for a visa to come visit from Brazil. She is a full time teacher, she had money in her account, and a notarized letter from myself indicating that she was invited to stay for a set period of time, and that her expenses were already taken care of. Should be a no-brainer, right? Well, no, not quite. Her visa was rejected on the grounds that she was a threat to immigrate illegally. Now, illegal immigration does happen, and a country does need to protect itself from this threat. To this day however, I fail to understand how someone with a recognized, trained profession, from a country with one of the fastest growing economies in the world, is a threat to immigrate illegally. Brazil may not be the richest of countries, but a teacher is bound to make more money and have a higher quality of life there than an illegal immigrant working under the table here in Canada.
So, that was the first attempt at the visa. We tried again, this time with the assistance of a lawyer. I don't know for sure when the application actually made it to the Canadian consulate, but based on what I know, I am guessing that if the response were to arrive tomorrow, it would mean that the consulate held onto the application for at least 15 business days, probably more. Their standard of service is 5 to 10 business days. Our lawyer has attempted to correspond with them through their official email address - we have waited a week without response. My friend has tried to call the consulate, and they would either put her on hold for excessive periods of time, or not even answer the phone.
Now, this story does greatly anger and bother me for the obvious reason, but there are other serious implications here. Imagine being a Canadian citizen in a foreign country, and getting into trouble. What are you supposed to do? You are supposed to contact your consulate. What if your situation is an emergency, and you get put on hold, or worse yet, you can't even get the consulate to pick up the phone? Now, people may say that this is a normal occurrence for a government office, however I have had to contact the Brazilian consulate in Vancouver several times, and they have never put me on hold, and they have always answered the phone. Brazil has a reputation for being a corrupt third world country, and yet they are doing the job right. Canada is supposed to be one of the most advanced countries in the world, and yet it doesn't. This should challenge some notions about both Brazil and Canada, and should raise concerns over how our country is being run.
Another problem I have with this is that Canada is also supposed to be a very welcoming country - a place for tourists to dream about visiting. We are a polite and friendly nation. This image is threatened by this kind of behaviour from our immigration system. My friend is willing to accept that she has just had a bad experience, but she has felt that she has been treated like a criminal, and I agree with her. Tourist dollars are very important to our country, but who would want to go to a country that is going to embarrass them and treat them like 3rd rate citizens of the world? I also find it offensive that the only recourse is to either apply again, or challenge the decision in court. I would love to assume that these workers as a whole are trying their best to do a challenging job, but the reality is that they have no accountability to us the public, or to foreign citizens who wish to visit friends and family, and spend their money here.
Now that I've gotten all of that out of my system, this experience definitely leaves me nervous as I prepare to obtain my visa to Brazil. However, I am encouraged by how much more functional their consulate in Vancouver appears to be. Now, North Americans most definitely do go to Brazil, and take advantage of the citizens there, but the Brazilian government appears to be willing to trust that you will behave if they see no reason to think otherwise. I just hope my luck holds, and I am treated the same way.
Well congratulations to anyone who read through my entire rant. I'm long winded. If I get motivated, I may try to post this giant wall of text in Portuguese too.
Before the Journey
Hello to anyone and everyone who cares to read my blog.
I've created this blog to be my own journal, but anyone who finds it interesting is more than welcome to read. Most people who have been in touch with me over the past year know that I plan to go to Brazil. Assuming my visa and planning works out, I should be there after Christmas 2011. I may post in English, or Portuguese, or sometimes both.
I still have a lot to prepare, but thus far, I have began learning Portuguese, and have tried to immerse myself in the culture - as much as I can from small town Southern Alberta. So far I have learned that black beans can taste incredible if Canadians aren't cooking them. I have learned that North Americans don't know how to barbecue. I have also learned that Brazilians are incredibly friendly, very helpful - and very bad with time. The women are extremely gorgeous and affectionate - and VERY sick of Galinhas (you - know - that guy who goes from woman to woman, and after he's gotten what he wants, moves on to the next one).
Despite a reputation of corruption, they also run their consulates far better than we do ours - but that's a long story. That's not to say that their offices don't have their own problems too - I applied for my Cadastro de Pessoas Fisicas (CPF) in January, and supposedly the Secretariat hasn't received my application yet. I might have to reapply when I'm there.
All told, I have been very impressed with what I have learned so far. Brazil sure has some of it's own downsides, but it has a lot of great things about it too. It seems to be a country with a lot of potential. I am eager to go there, the learn, and to hopefully adjust to living there. So far, I am lucky enough to have already made friends with some very kind people who will help me settle there.
But man, does 5 or 6 months seem like a VERY long time!
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