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Brazil Through Foreign Eyes
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May 30, 2008
Meet Jeni Bonorino from the USA who has recently arrived in Brazil. Read the following interview in which she tells us about some of her most memorable experiences and gives some useful advice to newcomers.
1. Tell us a little about yourself, where are you from, what do you do etc.?
My name is Jeni Bonorino and I am from Reston, Virginia. I have spent the last 5 years traveling the world as an international wine buyer for a retailer in the US. Today I run my own company, wine4her.com, which specializes in interactive wine tastings for private events in Brazil. Soon we will be adding luxury wine and spa tours in South America.
2. When did you arrive in Brazil and what brought you here?
I arrived in Brazil 3 months ago and have been living in-between Sao Paulo and Rio. My husband, who is from Rio, recently expanded his company to Brazil. This is a great time for me to be in here as the interest in wine seems to be growing. I also believe there is a very bright future for the Brazilian wine industry!
3. What were you first impressions of Brazil?
I loved it! I am an active, outdoor person who loves the beach so Rio was a paradise for me. Any place you can go jogging in your swimsuit and nobody blinks is very close to perfect in my book.
4. What do you miss most about home?
Really large cups of coffee.
5. What has been your most frustrating experience in Brazil?
Traffic in Sao Paulo.
6. What has been your most memorable experience in Brazil (specific incident)?
Shopping! Rio is the best place on earth for me to shop. It is the only place where the clothes actually fit me!
7. What do you most like about Brazil (in general)?
I love the attitude of the people. They are very social and know how to enjoy life!
8. What is your favorite restaurant/place to hang out here?
In Sao Paulo I love eating pizza and drinking wine at La Forgalia do Macedo in Itaim. In Rio I love to drink beer and eat chicken at any galetos. I could live on pizza and chicken!
9. Do you have any funny stories/incidents to tell about your time in Brazil?
During my first week in Brazil I understood everyone to say "Brazil" when we first met instead of "prazer". I kept answering "Estados Unidos" thinking we were announcing where we were from!
10.What difference between your homeland and Brazil do you find most striking?
The price of every day items being at least double what I am used to paying in the US!
11. 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?
While I understand most things my speaking is coming along slowly. I still get Spanish mixed in my Portuguese. I have taken up reading the newspaper everyday and asking questions as a way to force myself to learn more. I still can‘t pronounce the word "trabalhar" properly due to the intense nasal sound.
12. What advice do you have for newcomers to Brazil?
Enjoy yourself! Remember that you aren‘t going to understand everything in a week or a month. Baby steps are best way to take it all in.
13. What are some things that you would recommend for a visitor to do in São Paulo (or anywhere else in Brazil)?
Rio: Walk/run along the beach in the morning. It is truly a gift of nature.
Sao Paulo: Eat your way across the Itaim Bibi neighborhood. The Italian restaurants are amazing.
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:
Eric Jones - USA
Bill Martin - UK
Bernard Morris - USA
John Graves - USA
Deepak Sapra - India
Alison McGowan - UK
Brent Gregory - USA
R Dub - USA
Tara Bianca - USA
Jack Hurley - USA
James Woodward - Canada
Tony O‘Sullivan - Ireland
Anna Belavina - Russia
Jim Kirby - USA
Linda Halverstadt - USA
Michelle Monteiro - USA
Chris Mensah - UK
David Sundin - USA
Stephanie Glennon - USA
Julien Porisse - France
Hans Keeling - USA
Jim Adams - USA
Richard Murison - USA
Will Periam - UK
Jan Sandbert - Sweden
Jim Jones - USA
Mike Stricklin - USA
Edward Gowing - Australia
Adrian Woods - USA
Kevin Raub - USA
Pierpaolo Ciarcianelli - Italy
Zachary Heilman - USA
David Johnson - Bermuda
Cipriana Leme - Argentina
Timothy Bell - USA
Patti Beckert - USA
Timothy Bell - USA
Paul James - USA
David McLoughlin - Ireland
Pat Moraes - USA
Richard Dougherty - USA
James Weeds - USA
Tom Sluberski - USA
Peter Kefalas - USA
Sylvie Campbell - UK
Kathleen Haynes - USA
Matt Bowlby - USA
Alan Longbottom - UK
Eric Karukin - USA
Eddie Soto - USA
Kieran Gartlan - Ireland
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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5/30/2008
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