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Brazil Through Foreign Eyes
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A special interview this week with Kieran Gartlan, the owner of Gringoes.com. Kieran has lived over a decade in Brazil and has plenty of experience of what it is to be a foreigner in Brazil, particularly from having owned the web site. Read the following interview where he tells us about some of his most memorable experiences from Brazil and gives some useful advice to newcomers.
1. Tell us a little about yourself, where are you from, what do you do etc.?
I‘m from Co. Monaghan, in the Rep. of Ireland. I was bitten by the travel bug right out of college and lived for periods in New York, London and Paris, before making my way to Brazil and settling in São Paulo. I graduated from University College Dublin with a Masters degree in Economics in 1990, but have worked at everything from builder to banker, whatever pays the bills. In Brazil I started out teaching English, moved on to translating, worked in banking before finally becoming a financial reporter. I founded Gringoes.com in 2001, but continued in journalism to pay the bills. I currently work for a US agricultural news agency called DTN, reporting on Brazil‘s soybean sector.
2. When did you arrive in Brazil and what brought you here?
I arrived in Brazil in 1994. I had been living in Paris for a couple of years when a friend invited me on a round the world trip. After crossing Europe, Asia and Australia I had planned on spending a few months in Buenos Aires to learn Spanish. I wasn‘t impressed with BA (it was like a poorer version of Paris) and decided to see more of South America. I packed a small bag, leaving most of my luggage in Argentina, and headed for Brazil. Twelve years later I am still here.
3. What were you first impressions of Brazil?
When I arrived in July 1994, Brazil had just won the World Cup and there was still a buzz in the air. The country had also just introduced the Real Plan and there was a lot of optimism regarding the economy. One consequence of the new currency though was that shop keepers never seemed to have change, you would get a hand full of candy instead of coins. I was most impressed by how friendly and chatty people were. When waiting at a bus stop somebody would always start chatting to me. It didn‘t seem to matter that I didn‘t speak Portuguese, they just keep talking.
4. What do you miss most about home?
Family and friends, but I usually get back once a year to "matar saudades". I miss Irish tea and sausages as well as affordable Guinness, but in general I have become very "Brazilianized." I tend to miss more stuff about Brazil when I am not here.
5. What has been your most frustrating experience in Brazil?
It has been mostly positive, but dealing with officials and some petty theft has been the only frustrating experiences. After just a few days in Brazil I had my few belongings stolen while on an overnight bus trip to Salvador. I was literally left with just the clothes on my back.
My first contact with the federal police was also a disaster. When going to renew my tourist visa (which I assumed was for 90 days) it turned out I had only been given a 7 day visa when I entered Brazil. I had to leave the country right away, pay some fines and fill out a lot of paperwork, but it eventually worked out.
6. What has been your most memorable experience in Brazil (specific incident)?
On a personal level, the highlight was my marriage to my wife Rose, which was a beautiful ceremony at the Botanic gardens in São Paulo. We had an Irish piper and a Brazilian samba band. Also the birth of my twins Ryan and Naomi, who are now a year and a half, and quite a handful.
On a more general note, my first time to Rio was a magical experience. I was nervous before arriving because of all the stories of violence etc. so I guess this heightened the emotion. I remember sitting along Copacabana beach at the end of a warm afternoon sipping a caipirinha just watching life go by and thinking how great it was.
7. What do you most like about Brazil (in general)?
I like that most people are good humored and friendly. I also like the weather.
8. What is your favorite restaurant/place to hang out here?
Although I am normally not a big seafood fan, my favorite dish is the "Moqueca de Camarao" at Soteropolitana a Baiano restaurant in Vila Madalena. I also like Oba in Jardins, Fogo de Chao and the Japanese restaurant Sushi-Ya in Pinheiros.
8. Do you have any funny stories/incidents to tell about your time in Brazil?
A friend of mine, who had just arrived in Brazil, was invited to spend a weekend at the beach. The house was in a slightly wooded area and walking back from the beach someone asked him what he thought of Brazil. He said he was surprised he hadn‘t seen any snakes yet, as per the stereotype. Later that evening he showered in a little outhouse behind the main building, and when he was wrapping himself with the towel he felt something long and wet against his leg. He dropped the towel and ran screaming into the garden, completely naked. His Brazilian friends, who were sitting around having a drink, were first surprised, but later thought it hilarious when they realized what had happened. He had accidentally wrapped the rubber hose, standard on most Brazilian showers, around his leg!!
9. What difference between your homeland and Brazil do you find most striking?
As Bono once said the Irish are Brazilians who can‘t dance. There are actually a lot of similarities between the two countries if you forget about weather. Both nationalities are very friendly and welcoming and like to have a good time.
10. How is your Portuguese coming along? What words do you find most difficult to pronounce/remember or are there any words that you regularly confuse?
Before coming to Brazil I had no clue about Portuguese. in fact I don‘t think I had ever heard a word of Portuguese. I was surprised that very few people here speak English. I remember the first few weeks going to restaurants and pointing at things on the menu with no idea of what I was ordering (luckily I eat almost everything).
Now my Portuguese is fluent, but I still have problems with the difference in pronunciation between oleo (oil) and olho (eye). I remember getting strange looks once in a supermarket when I asked if they sold "eyes", and when I tried to explain further saying it was for cooking they sent me down the street to the butchers.
11. What advice do you have for newcomers to Brazil?
Relax. Leave your stress at home. A good sense of humour will get you a long way in Brazil. Be prepared that some things take a long time or don‘t work here. Always use a "despachante" (courier) when possible, this is the best money you will ever spend. I find it odd that a lot of foreigners are reluctant to spend money on this sort of service and insist on filling out forms and dealing with the bureaucracy themselves, and then later complain about how difficult it is. Also try and live within walking distance from work to avoid stress with traffic and public transport.
12. What are some things that you would recommend for a visitor to do in São Paulo (or anywhere else in Brazil)?
Go downtown and walk around. This is a different Sao Paulo than Jardins, Brooklyn or Morumbi. It is normally safe during the day as long as you don‘t stand out too much.
Are you a foreigner who has lived in, or is living or travelling in Brazil? Are you a Brazilian who has a lot of contact with foreigners and/or lived outside of Brazil? Are you interested in telling your story? If you would like to volunteer for our interview series, or if you would like to recommend someone, please send a blank email to gringoes@gringoes.com with "Interview" in the subject. We will send you the interview questions by return email.
To read previous interviews in the Brazil Through Foreign Eyes series click below:
Bryan Thomas Scmidt - USA
Emile Myburgh - South Africa
Bob Chapman - USA
David Barnes - USA
John Milan - USA
Chris Coates - UK
Matthew Ward - UK
Allison Glick - USA
Drake Smith - USA
Jim Jones - USA
Philip Wigan - UK
Atlanta Foresyth - USA
Lee Gordon - USA
Carmen Naidoo - South Africa
Lee Safian - USA
Laurie Carneiro - USA
Dana De Lise - USA
Richard Gant - USA
Robin Hoffman - USA
Wayne Wright - UK
Walt Kirspel - USA
Priya Guyadeen - Guyana
Caitlin McQuilling - USA
Nicole Rombach - Holland
Steven Engler - Canada
Richard Conti - USA
Zak Burkons - USA
Ann White - USA
Monde Ngqumeya - South Africa
Johnny Sweeney - USA
David Harty - Canada
Bill McCrossen - USA
Peter Berner - Switzerland/Brazil
Ethan Munson - USA
Solveig Skadhauge - Denmark
Sean McGown - USA
Condrad Downes - UK
Jennifer Silva - Australian
Justin Mounts - USA
Elliott Zussman - USA
Jonathan Abernathy - USA
Steve Koenig - USA
Kyron Gibbs - USA
Stephanie Early - USA
Martin Raw - UK
Sean Coady - UK
Hugo Delgado - Mexico
Sean Terrillon - Canada
Jessie Simon - USA
Michael Meehan - USA
Thales Panagides - Cyprus
Tammy Montagna - USA
Samantha Tennant - England
Ron Finely - United States
Bob Duprez - United States
Peter Baines - England
Youssef Bouguerra - Tunisia
Van Wallach - USA
Lesley Cushing - England
Alexander von Brincken - Germany
Hank Avellar - USA
Ed Catchpole - England
Penny Freeland - England
Yasemin de Pinto - Turkey
Amy Williams Lima - USA
John Naumann - England
Marsye Schouella - Eygpt
Rita Shannon Koeser - USA
John Fitzpatrick - Scotland
Liam Gallagher - Northern Ireland
Lorelei Jones - England
Adam Glensy - England
Tommie C.B. DeAssis - Japan
Aaron Day - Canada
Graham Debney - New Zealand
Silke Tina Tischendorf - Germany
Tanya Keshavjee Macedo - Canada
Frank de Meijer - Holland
Carl Emberson - Australia
Kim Buarque - Wales
Damiano Pak - South Korea
Jonas Helding - Denmark
Pari Seeber - Iran
John Milton - England
Ken Marshall - Australia
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1/26/2007
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