1. Soccer. I hide it well, but I love Brazilian soccer. I feel an obligation to stand up for my US of A when talking soccer and will put that front up any time a Brazilian talks with me in comparing brazilian and american soccer. The USA women are a great team and I took great pleasure in rubbing in our victory while in Brazil watching the two national teams and the USA win….
That being said, Brazilian men’s soccer is an art. It’s beautiful. Whether they win or lose in international games, it’s joga bonito. Is it good when everyone is a star and there are a bazzilion (brazillion?) i’s in team? Not always for the win, but it is great for spectators. But when the I’s all come together it’s more like, “Aiiiiiiiiiiii, galera!"
2. Feiras. I loooooooove these open markets. There has been no experience to date that compares with going to the open market in Porto Alegre in a beautiful park with hand made crafts, jewelry, fresh produce, capoeira groups, adults sitting on benches drinking chimarrao and people of all ages playing soccer. It’s the kind of thing that makes you think that this could maybe, just maybe, be a home– something you could be a part of . And, if not, you’ll at least have some great stuff to take home at a decent price. While my experience with feiras differs depending on the place (the one in Tucuma was slightly less pleasant with the smell of dead cow and blood permeating most of the area), I have enjoyed even the worse experiences, almost always wanting or buying something, thinking that I can take home a little part of my husband’s culture. I will not make the food a separate "like” but I will add that I love walking along the feira with a nice big pastel in my hand and caldo de cana in the other.
3. Fresh fruit– They say they know what they have, but I don’t think they do. When you are making “fresh juice” and watering it down and adding a TON of sugar, you really don’t know what you have in your hands. Like a fresh, right off the tree mango, picked after a horse-back ride with my husband and daughter, it was one of the best moments of my married life.
4. Trying out English: I LOVE when people who don’t speak english try. Not that it’s funny, I’m not exagerrating. I love the effort. And while I didn’t always have people trying to connect with me on my culture’s level, I appreciated when they did. Those who do this, I don’t find you annoying, nor is it an inconvenience nor do I think you’re ignorant for not speaking my language. In fact, I LOVE that you try, I love that you have the desire to reach me on that level even if I am in your country and even though I speak your language. It means a lot to me and you are special for your cultural openness. This also relates to not speaking English, but asking questions and demonstrating a curiosity for my culture.
5. Acts of social connection and culture mixing: This was a hard one to put into words, but I love the variety of cultures found in some of the larger cities and the open expression of German, African, Italian, and indigenous cultures. I think this is something brazilians do not appreciate enough about their own culture, but I LOVE it. But it’s not really about the cultural diversity, because that in itself is sometimes deceptive (stay tuned for my next post), but about symbols of a type of “communion,” primarily my favorite being chimarrao, known to others as mate. It’s different than mate (heaven forbid we say that Argentina and Brazil have common ground), but it is great to sit down with friends, sip chimarrao, serve one another (true chimarrao etiquette implies that you never pour for yourself– you serve and are served). It’s the one moment in time when everyone is sitting, relaxing, talking, but also taking the time to think about each other and, in a small way, showing consideration and service, community and a sense of caring. Who knew a drink could carry so much meaning?
6. This is an extra, and I am only adding it on the end because I couldn’t not include it as it has been an element for my best experiences in Brazil, but also that it is not a prominent or known element of Brazilian culture itself.
Brazilian Nazarenes. This is not to say the qualities I have found in these people wouldn’t be found in other parts of the world (on the contrary, I have experience similar qualities in Germany and Switzerland and here in the USA), nor is this to say other denominations could not offer similar experiences. I had to add this because it was something “marcante,” something that made a difference in my experiences in the various parts and opinions of Brazil. And I needed to acknowledge this experience or I would not be doing my experiences justice. THERE IS NOTHING TO COMPARE WITH the hospitality we received in Rio de Janeiro from a couple who hosted us, whom we had never met before. They sacrificed a LARGE portion of their time to drive us around, to make sure that (even though we were in Rio for legal reasons) we didn’t miss out on the best Rio could offer in our short time there– A great breakfast with pao frances, a cheese I actually liked, and ham, and cafe that I actually liked (i.e. not overloaded with sugar). A trip to Cristo Redentor and another on the tram. A great meal at a seafood restaurant. And great conversation. They wouldn’t let us pay a cent, and my Brazilian husband mentioned that he had never been so well-treated even by his own family. I look forward to the Nazarene Board Meetings every year just for the communion of my Brazilian (and some non-) friends and the amazing dialog and music that inevitably happens as a result.