Introduction

Welcome to the Gringoes.com email newsletter!
This newsletter pulls together some of the articles, photos, polls and other information that has been published on the Gringoes.com web site over the last week or so. Don't forget to visit the Gringoes.com site to checkout our article archive, useful information pages, classified adverts, services, forum and other pages. So read on and we hope you enjoy the newsletter. As always if you have any comments, such as what you'd like to see more or less of on the site or newsletter, don't hesitate to contact us at gringoes@gringoes.com.
Please note that although we are based in São Paulo, the site and newsletter are for the whole of Brazil. We are particularly interested in hearing from people outside of São Paulo city, so if you would like to write about your experiences or any topic related to Brazil see our request for "Article Writers" below.
If you're interested to know the origin behind the site name, then read the "Dear Gringo" article here by Dr. G.


Brazil: São Paulo Entertainment Guide

This week's entertainment guide for São Paulo features an Italian restaurant in Higienópolis, a film festival, three recommended films, and a roundup of some other upcoming events.
If you have been to a restaurant, club, park, museum, or anywhere else in São Paulo that you would like to recommend to other readers in future Entertainment Guides then don‘t hesitate to contact us!
Also if you are a bar, restaurant, or night club owner (or hosting any other form of event that might be of interest to foreigners) that would like to be reviewed by Gringoes.com, as well as appearing in our entertainment guide, please contact us to arrange a visit. If you would like to submit an entertainment guide for your city we‘d be interested to hear from you also.
…click here to read the rest of the article>>


Brazil: Newcomers' Club Fund Raiser (São Paulo)

Light changes colors in the tropics. Greens are greener; reds are redder. Rio de Janeiro's atmosphere takes on a pinkish caste, while the colonial cities like Ouro Preto in Minas Gerais are golden. Artists know that. Two, who have been living here for a sum total of over 50 years, have captured it in their paintings.
The International Newcomer's Club would like to invite you to the three-day painting exhibit "Tropical Colors" featuring fine art by Barbara Marshall and Marilyn Diggs. The watercolors and oil paintings purchased during this art show will help INC charities, the majority dealing with at-risk children. Ten percent of all sales go to help over 200 children in 20 different institutions in São Paulo, such as Lar Girassol, Casa da Paz, Vida Joven, Casa do Menor Santo Amaro. It's a win/win situation. Take home a gorgeous picture for your home and help youngsters at the same time.
…click here to read the rest of the article>>


Understanding Brazil: The Permanent Visa

By Volker Ruther
This is the first in a series of helpful articles by Volker which are a collection of information and experiences about how and where to get documents, permissions or how to resolve bureaucratic subjects and matters in Brazil as a foreigner.
Note that some details may not be 100% correct, as the article is based on personal experiences and information that has been collected from various sources like Internet sites, official handbills and exchange of experiences with other foreigners in Brazil. Always check your own situation via a suitable source e.g. consulate or appropriately qualified laywer, before proceeding.
There are four ways to qualify for a Permanent visa (also known as the Permanency Visa, or Permanência Definitiva / Visto da Permanência in Portuguese) for Brazil:
…click here to read the rest of the article>>


Teaching English In Brazil Part 21

By Joe Lopes
Continuing from last week here's the final part of Joe's excellent and epic guide to teaching English in Brazil. To read the previous parts click the relevant links at the bottom of the page.
Tools of the Teaching Trade
When I finally get home, I take a brisk shower to shake off the effects of the subway and bus ride, but wasn‘t really able to relax, not with that HBO video on my mind. After grabbing another bite to eat, I hunker down to commence my laborious transcription.
Wouldn‘t you know it, the telephone rings, only this time it‘s Flora, apologizing for having wasted my time and asking me to please return the video tomorrow, as she has just learned that it‘s not needed after all. Relieved, I graciously thank her and proceed to turn off the computer, television set, and VCR-now I can relax!
Some teachers may be curious as to what tools they might need in order to be set up for the life of a fulltime English-language instructor. Believe it or not, there‘s really not all that much involved.
…click here to read the rest of the article>>


Brazil: Picking up Portuguese

By Liz McDonald
My Portuguese is far from flawless and I will probably never lose my accent. I mess up the gender of words and the conjugations of "ponho" way too often. But I do have a few linguistic achievements I like to revisit to make up for all those mistakes - things I have done in Portuguese that I never imagined I could do when I first arrived. My first few weeks here, I was having conversations reminiscent of kindergarten. "How am I ever going to make (adult) Brazilian friends?" I thought, "when all I can recite is where I‘m from, my age, and my height?" It certainly wasn‘t material for witty banter and much less flirting.
Coming straight out of college, it was hard to accept that my social life was about to take a swift kick in the pants. All those years of learning how to tell funny stories over a beer in someone‘s basement amounted to zero. I had gone from being the thrower of the best parties on campus to the awkward exchange student. When I went out on the town, all conversation centered around how "good" (Brazilians are very forgiving) my Portuguese was and how cute it was to hear me swear. I had to sacrifice up my hard earned identity as the "smart one" in my family for the "clueless gringa" label that was inevitably slapped on me in social settings. In sum: it‘s been a hard road to hoe, and the road might very well have no end in sight.
…click here to read the rest of the article>>


Brazil: Radio São Paulo Part 2

By Steven Engler
Here is the second and final part of Steven‘s article about radio stations in São Paulo. To read the first part click the relevant link at the end of the article.
Radio Picks for São Paulo
Here is a list of radio stations in São Paulo. It is no doubt inaccurate: things change fast in this volatile media market. It is meant just to give a general sense of the broadcast landscape. Most of the stations are available as webcasts. I have listed some personal picks at the bottom of the article.
…click here to read the rest of the article>>


Brazilian Places: Ilha do Santa Catarina (Floripa)

By Ricky Skelton
Florianopolis. Forget it. You haven‘t come to the island to check out the city so don‘t waste any time. Get yourself to the beaches, quickly. Flops is a great place to have a car, even if you can only afford a day‘s rent.
The west coast is of limited interest and the north, as you may have seen from the plane, is touristy, think almost a Costa Del Sol for Argentineans and Brazilians. Only worth a quick look. In the north-east, Moçambique is the island‘s biggest beach. Dunes at the back mean there is no development until the last mile. The surf here has the odd tube to play in. I saw real surfers catching them. This is the place to come for a tranquil afternoon in the sun. And hopefully your car will still have all its windows when you return to it.
…click here to read the rest of the article>>


Article Writers

Are you a "Gringo" (foreigner) living in or travelling around Brazil with experiences you would like to write about, or with advice to offer? Are you a Brazilian who would like to explain about Brazil to foreigners, and help give advice on what to do, and where to go? Perhaps you just write a frequent blog about Brazil, and would be interested in publishing some of this on our site. If you are interested in writing an article, or series of articles, or posting your blog content on Gringoes.com we are interested in hearing from you! Don't be shy! All we ask is that the articles are focused on Brazil, will be of interest to foreigners either travelling or living here, and are written in English.
We are particularly interested in hearing from people who want to write about areas other than São Paulo. If you are unsure about a topic then drop us an email or a draft article. Send your articles or any questions to gringoes@gringoes.com with "articles" in the subject.


Interviews

Our interview queue is running dry again, so if you would like to be in our Brazil Through Foreign Eyes, or Foreigners Through Brazilian Eyes series please send us an email. As you can see it doesn't matter if you're a foreigner to Brazil, or Brazilian, we're still interested to hear from you. The interview series is a fascinating look at how real people are enjoying Brazil, and equally how Brazilians really see foreigners. They also give various tips on what to see in Brazil, and how to survive here.
The interview itself is a set of around 15 easy-to-answer questions, and ideally we like a digital photo of you as well we can place with the interview.
So if you're interested, don't be shy, send a blank email to mark@gringoes.com with "Interview" in the subject. We will then send you the questions, and instructions on how to complete. We'd love to hear from you!

A gentle reminder to those who have been sent questions. Please don't forget to complete and return them!


Book Donations

If you are leaving Brazil and/or have any unwanted books, and are happy to donate them, then Gringoes.com would be glad to receive them! We are considering setting up a book club for Gringoes.com readers if we can get sufficient interest. For details of how to donate your books then please contact gringoes@gringoes.com with "Book Donation" in the subject.
A special request: we've had an offer of around 200 books from a Gringoes.com reader in Belo Horizonte, but we are unable to get the books to our office in São Paulo. If any readers are travelling between São Paulo and Belo Horizonte, and are able to help with transport, then please contact us at gringoes@gringoes.com


Gringoes Poll

Unfortunately there's no change in the poll this week until we can resolve if there is an issue with the database system.

Please send this email to anyone you think might find it interesting. If you have not yet registered with gringoes.com and would like to receive future newsletters click here. If you have mistakenly received this message, or would no longer like to receive mail from us, then please reply to this email with the word 'take out' in the subject line. If you are unsubscribing because the newsletter doesn't meet your needs then please let us know how we can improve it.

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Weekly Quiz

Last week's quiz question, from the Eduardo D’Angelo Silva was: explain who were the following historical figures, whose names were given to highways in São Paulo: Anchieta, Dutra, Fernão Dias, Ayrton Senna. Congratulations to Angel Juarez who has the following answers - Anchieta: Jose de Anchieta, one of the founders of Sao Paulo. Dutra: Eurico Gaspar Dutra, President of Brazil 1946-1951. Fernão Dias: Fernão Dias Paes Leme, Bandeirante, discovered several unexplored parts of Brazil. Ayrton Senna: 3-times F1 Champion.
This week's quiz question, from Chris Hare, relates to the Gringoes.com staff question two weeks ago: although Brazil was named after the red wood found here, where does the Brazil wood get its name from? Send your answers to mark@gringoes.com with ‘Weekly Quiz’ in the subject line.
Thanks to all those who've been sending quiz questions, we've built up our reserves a little but more are always welcome! Do you think you can stump the Gringoes.com readers, then please send them to mark@gringoes.com with ‘Weekly Quiz Ideas’ in the subject line. Don't forget to send the answer to the question also! Remember it needs to be relatively difficult, and not something that can be found from a simple Internet search.


Photo of the Week

The photo of the week is Titanic and was taken by Martyn Wells. Click here to see the photo.
We're running out of photos for our "Photo of the Week, so if you have a funny or unusual photo depicting life in Brazil please send it to gringoes@gringoes.com with ‘Photo of the Week’ in the subject line. Ideally we are after photos that are of something a little different, not normal shots such as beaches and sunsets. Try to send relatively high resolution images (0.5 Megapixel / 640 x 480 or bigger), and let us know where you took the photo and if you have a title for it.


Tip of the Week

This week's tip again comes from Jeremy Clark, thanks Jeremy! Dress down. Look like a local. No visible cameras or expensive watches. Take a Portuguese course. Each time I have gone to Brazil I studied at a local school in the mornings. You meet very interesting people and have a great time. It is not expensive.
Is there something you wish you had known while travelling, or something that makes life easier while living here in Brazil? Then share it, and let our readers know. Don't worry about the subject, it can be either a big or small piece of useful information. Send your tips to mark@gringoes.com with ‘Tip of the Week’ in the subject line.


Brazil: Many Emigrants, Fewer Immigrants Part 2

By John Fitzpatrick
Here is the second and final part of John's article about immigration and emmigration to and from Brazil. To read part 1 click the relevant link at the end of the article.
Cheap Labor in Europe
European countries with cultural and historical links to Brazil, such as Portugal, Spain and Italy, attract Brazilians but there are also large Brazilian communities in the UK, France, Germany and Switzerland. Even Ireland, long a country of emigration, has been attracting Brazilian immigrants. Most of these Brazilians have little to offer the host country except their manual labor.
This does not mean that there are no educated and highly qualified Brazilian emigrants. At one time, there was a lot of resentment in Portugal about the large number of Brazilian dentists there but that problem was subsequently resolved. As anyone who has moved abroad knows, without legal status it is difficult to obtain a professional position no matter how many qualifications you have. Although there are some Brazilians holding high positions in multinational companies, such as Carlos Ghosn, the head of Renault, there are not many. This is not because Brazilians do not make good executives but because Brazil has few native multinational companies. This is changing as companies like the steelmaker, Gerdau, the Votorantim conglomerate and the mining giant, CVRD, buy up foreign assets. All three have substantial operations in the US and Canada but Brazilian businesses are still a long way behind European and American companies in moving abroad. Go-head Brazilian managers generally make their international careers working for foreign multinationals. Ghosn, for example, has spent practically his whole professional life abroad.
…click here to read the rest of the article>>


Brazil Through Foreign Eyes

Meet Lee Gordon, from the USA, who has travelled to Brazil many times, as well as meeting his wife there. Read the following interview where he tells us about 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 American, born in Seattle, Washington, where I live currently with my wife, Eloisa and our 15-month old daughter, Isabella. Eloisa is Carioca from Ilha do Governador, and Isabella became a dual citizen a month after she was born last year. I've also lived in Northern California two separate times. My family is creole, originally from Louisiana.
Originally, my field was biotechnology, where I spent over fifteen years. Now, I have started a company with some partners, one of whom is Cabo Verdeano. We're launching our empire!
My long-term goal is to one day live in Brazil with business in Brazil, the US, Dubai, and other international locations.
…click here to read the rest of the article>>


Two Brazilian Charmers Part 2

By Joe Lopes
Here is part 2 of Joe's article about two of Brazil's most famous singers. To read part 1 click the relevant link at the end of the article.
Prima Donna Par Excellence
Formally trained in Brazil and Europe, and deeply influenced by legendary Polish tenor Jean de Reszke and by her second husband, the Italian baritone Giuseppe Danise, Bidu Sayão was Brazil‘s most well known classical vocal export - and every inch an opera star of the first magnitude.
Although christened Balduína de Oliveira Sayão after her paternal grandmother, she would forever be known by the simple nickname "Bidu." Indeed, simplicity and restraint, in matters both personal and professional, were to become the hallmarks of her fame.
She was born on May 11, 1902 in Rio de Janeiro, to a socially prominent upper-class family, which relocated to the beachfront district of Botafogo when Bidu was five years old. Tragically, her father died shortly thereafter, thus depriving her of a masculine role model and leaving the poor girl to her own juvenile devices.
…click here to read the rest of the article>>


Brazil: Single Gringo Beware!

By Mark Taylor
With Internet romance having rapidly become one of the most likely ways to meet a future partner there are of course those people out there who are willing to use and abuse such things. Those who meet via the Internet, particularly in long distance relationships with those from distinctly different cultures, need to take that extra bit of care in protecting themselves from the very small minority that are abusing it.
A very sad case of this in Brazil recently hit international headlines. A US musician, Raymond Merrill, had got in contact with a Brazilian woman, Regina Rachid living in Sao Jose dos Campos in São Paulo state, via an undisclosed Internet dating site. Merrill had already visited Rachid in Brazil several times, lavishing gifts on her including a car, and back in April came for another trip after being begged to return by Rachid. Unbeknownst to Merrill, Rachid had been planning to rob and murder him, with the help of her actual boyfriend. Rachid managed to obtain the PIN numbers to Merrill's credit cards after drugging him for several days, then strangled him to death with a cable. Rachid and her boyfriend then dumped the body and burned it, in an attempt at disguising the crime.
…click here to read the rest of the article>>


Gringo Blog: The Cleaner

By Gringo Blogger
So recently I joined the Brazilian elite, well the middle class elite that is, and hired a cleaner. Well technically my wife hired the cleaner, as we'd had many "discussions" about who was doing the cleaning in our apartment. Unfortunately there's a culture clash on this topic, as the Brazilian perception of cleanliness, for my wife at least, is equivalent to the type of clean a house in the UK gets when you're leaving it and trying to get your rental deposit back! Something I wasn't prepared to do on a weekly basis. As an aside, I suspect a lot of middle and upper class children have this drummed into them as they come from family homes which have such a high level of cleanliness, albeit due to the full time cleaner.
So a compromise was reached with my wife over how we'd divide up the cleaning... and that is how we arrived at the idea of hiring a cleaner. The cost for any type of domestic staff in Brazil is extremely low. The cost of just getting a cleaner to your house in the UK is equivalent to or more than the cost of both travel and 8 - 10 hours of work in Brazil. Even so the low salary level is not something I was particularly impressed by, albeit even with these wages the cleaner is making 3 to 4 times minimum wage based on working 5 days a week. Low salaries are unfortunately a fact of life in Brazil. So you can either choose to go with it and help those who aren't employed, or take the moral high ground... the dirty moral high ground that is.
…click here to read the rest of the article>>


Brazil: Super Toucans and Little Freddy Seaside

By Ed Catchpole
One of the things I like about Brazilians is that they are lovers and not fighters. I have been here for seven years and my lasting impression is that they are relaxed and amiable, know how to enjoy life and will use any excuse for a party.
So it has always been difficult for me to understand why Brazilians shoot each other with such frequency and why the country has one of the world‘s largest arms industries.
But in the midst of all this I have noticed that the true Brazilian temperament somehow manages to show through.
Take the production of military aircraft for example, like many other industrialized countries Brazil produces jet fighters. In places like the UK and the US these weapons have names like the Tornado or the Falcon but Brazil‘s highly successful jet fighter is called the Super Toucan.
…click here to read the rest of the article>>


Discussion Forum

If you've not had a chance yet then pop over to our web forum, register, and start joining in the discussion about Brazil. There are many forum areas such as Living in Brazil, Teaching English, Visas and Documentation, and even a place to Vent Your Frustrations! There's also a forum which allows you to comment on Gringoes.com, either with your views about past articles, areas of the site, or to make suggestions for future articles and content.
Each week in the newsletter we will choose a Post of the Week to give you some idea of what's happening in the forum, and a good thread to visit and read. This week we recommend the post "Maids" started by the user tamashin in our "Romance" forum. The post is discussing the topic of employing a maid.
If you have a recommendation for the best Post of the Week then send an email to mark@gringoes.com with "Post of the Week" in the subject.
On a serious note, foul language and abusive posts made in the forum will not be tolerated. The forum is intended to be a constructive and lighthearted place for discussion about Brazil.

Forex

There's been a change this week with a steady rise for the US dollar, now trading at R$2.16, versus R$2.13 a week ago. There's been a similar rise, despite a drop over the last two days, with the Euro, now at R$2.71, against R$2.66 a week ago. The British Pound is also mirroring the trend, which is now at R$4.05, versus R$3.97 a week ago.