As soon as I arrived here in S�o Paulo, I started noticing the cultural differences between Brazil and the United States. For instance, people here are very touchy. They LOVE giving hugs and kisses, even if you’re a complete stranger. A kiss on the cheek is customary when meeting someone and you get strange looks if you do the American way which is usually just a handshake. Brazilians are a lot more affectionate and open than Americans. They have no problem making out better than the French do, no matter what the age. Just a few days ago a couple of at least 55 were going at it harder than most young people do. What I find interesting here though is that Paulistas (people from S�o Paulo) are considered to be the coldest, most serious people from all of Brazil according to people who were not born in this city, yet the city still doesn’t feel as cold as most cities in the U.S. They say here that people from other parts of Brazil are even more welcoming, loud, affectionate and festive. 

When it comes to food, there is A LOT it. The amount of food in this city is astounding. Not only is the quantity of food that is amazing to me, it is the quality and variety of food here that is unique. Specialty pizzas, seafood, feijoada (a special Brazilian dish), acai, all types of meat, specialty sandwiches, cheese bread, chicken bread, all the pastries, vitamin drinks and  fruit juices are beyond anything I’ve ever tasted before. I honestly have never enjoyed eating food as much as I have here. In restaurants customs vary as well. Tips are rare to nonexistent. No one ever tips and if you leave money on the table you are likely to be told that you forgot your money. One of the first things we were told here as well was that unlike the states where many young people work while going to school, almost all of the Brazilians who work as waiters, waitresses, taxi drivers, store helpers or any other low paying job all have little to no education. In Brazil, if you are waiter, you will most likely be one for life they told me unless you have the opportunity for school which was a very sad thing to be told. However the country has been booming economically, but change is always slow.

Another difference between Brazilians and Americans is how blunt most Brazilians are. My intensive Portuguese professor, for instance, had no problem in calling people fat or ugly in pictures of people we knew. When I mean we knew I mean people we saw everyday on a daily basis. Many Brazilians just tell it the way it is and don’t sugarcoat things much.

This is just a start to the many differences between countries. I only have two weeks in this amazing country. I have yet to even start real school yet! Tomorrow is my first day at FGV, the school which I will be attending. I am excited to see what the school where the most rich people go to is like. I have been told some students are so rich they come to school with body guards.

In the meantime I post here a photo of me and my Portuguese professor as well as a picture of the girls of my group with a Brazilian girl we became friends with while at a beach at Santos (She loved practicing her English with us). She is the girl to the far right. 

Location: Home, Sao Paulo, Brazil