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, specifically Rio de Janeiro and the Northeast, 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.


The American Society of São Paulo

Are you an American citizen living in São Paulo? Join the American Society and enjoy our monthly get-togethers (pub nights, caving trips, eggnog parties, etc.) and our monthly 16-page Forum magazine, all the while helping contribute to the Society's important community assistance programs in the city. AmSoc is great way to meet new people: families and singles. The American Society is a civil, non-profit association with no political or religious affiliations. Any United States citizen and his or her spouse is eligible to become an active member. Citizens of other countries may apply to become associate members. To join, visit www.amsoc.com.br.


Brazil: Lone Robot at Rio's British Consulate

By Brian Hazlehurst
Recently, wishing to make a simple enquiry regarding renewal of my UK passport, I was appalled to find that I could not speak to anyone by phone, not even a receptionist, at the British Consulate, Rio de Janeiro.
Try it yourself now (before they hastily remove it). Ring (21) 2555 9640 & 9600 to see what irritation you face. And it's the exactly same nonsense whether it's in their extremely narrow office-hour window or not.
Moreover, email enquiries to consular.rio@fco.gov.uk (which their robot actively encourages) are simply ignored. I have proof, however, that mine were received over a period of 3 days.
…click here to read the rest of the article>>


Brazil: Laid Back Lula Finally Gets His Team (Almost) Together

By John Fitzpatrick
Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva must be the world´s most relaxed president. Almost six months after winning the election and three and a half months into his second mandate he has only now announced (most) members of his new government. During this period he has behaved as though he was running a stall in a street market rather than a country the size of Brazil. Does it matter? Probably not. Brazil is not run by a coherent government, coordinated by a president or prime minister, but by a grubby grouping of vested interests out to enrich itself. The creation of the government has little to do with improving the lives of Brazilian citizens or helping the country move forward and achieve its potential. Instead it is a giant trading session in which the parties compete to see how much patronage they can grab and share amongst themselves. The prizes are rich - the right to plunder the public coffers.
The main difference between this latest ministerial team and its predecessor is that Lula has had to make space for his new main ally, the PMDB which has the largest representation in Congress and holds nine of Brazil´s 27 state governorships. Lula was generous and has given the PMDB five heavyweight ministries - health, mines and energy, communications, agriculture and national integration. In fact, he may have been overgenerous since the PMDB leader, Michel Temer, said he had not expected to gain so much. Lula´s own Workers Party (PT) has more or less kept its share of the cake and retains powerful ministries such as finance, planning, justice, environment and the chief of staff office. Other ministries and subsidiary posts have gone to other parties within Lula´s alliance.
…click here to read the rest of the article>>


Understanding Brazil: Sworn Translations Part 8

By José Henrique Lamensdorf
Here's the eighth and final part of José's article about sworn translations in Brazil, subtitled "Almost Everything You Wanted to Know About Certified/Sworn Translations in Brazil". To read the previous parts click the link at the end of the article.
22. I did my studies in some other country, now I am in Brazil. I brought my school records, but didn't get them consularized there. I would like to resume my studies in Brazil from where I stopped. What should I do?
First, check at the institution where you intend to proceed with your studies if they require the consularization. If not, you may go for a Sworn Translation of your docs. But if they demand consularization, there are two alternatives. One is to have the documents consularized by the Brazilian embassy or consulate with jurisdiction over the place you studied by mail or courier, and the other is to get the documents authenticated by the Brazilian Red Cross (Cruz Vermelha Brasileira): http://www.cvb.org.br . There is no information about this service on their web site. You should contact directly the CVB office in the state where you are. You will find their phones and addresses on this web site however.
…click here to read the rest of the article>>


Santiago: Gateway to the Chilean Experience

By Marilyn Diggs
Flying Chile‘s longitudinal air routes displays this slender country‘s unbelievable geographical diversity bordered all the way down by the majestic snow-capped Andes on one side and coastal beaches on the other. Between this fabulous framework is a myriad of colors as you fly southwards over the ochre desert, emerald valleys and indigo lakes to the aqua glaciers. No matter your destination, a stopover in Santiago is a given. It is not only the capital, but the gateway to these varied landscapes. On a 2-day stopover between Patagonia and Easter Island, I wanted to see the most in my limited time. Here was my solution along with some tips and insights.
Before leaving home, I hired professionals to show me Santiago. Being met at the airport by a guide and driver freed me from wasting valuable time looking for a taxi and I could already start learning about the city. Traveling to my hotel I noticed the contrast between old and new, high-rise constructions and low earthquake-proof buildings (my guide said 20 per day), and the scads of trees, especially beautiful in the spring. Seventy per cent of the trees are of European origin brought back by wealthy Chilean families. Most are decorative; some are functional like the oriental plátano (maple tree family) that absorbs the pollution through its bark and then sloughs it off. The marked French architecture in public buildings constructed after the 1810 Independence Treaty from Spain is not a coincidence. The rebellious colonists wanted nothing to do with the mother country and even tried speaking only French for a while.
…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, specifically Rio de Janeiro and the Northeast, although other areas as well. 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

Thanks to those who responded to our request for interviews. We've almost run out though, 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!


Gringoes Poll

Last week's poll was on President Bush's visit to Brazil. Did you think the visit would strengthen ties between the USA and Brazil, or would it make no change, or even worsen the relationship? The favourite answer to that question is "not really" with 36% of the vote, with "perhaps" in second place with 24%, and "definitely" and "no change" in joint third with 15%.
This week's poll is on swimming costumes. Are you daring enough to wear a speedo (sunga) or bikini to the beach, or do you opt for shorts or a swimsuit? If you haven't yet voted go to our homepage and look for the poll in the left-hand column. If you can't stand our poll ideas and have better ones, or are curious about some aspect of the Gringoes.com readers, then send your ideas to us at mark@gringoes.com with "Poll Idea" in the subject. If we choose your poll you will get a credit in the newsletter, as well as the satisfaction of seeing what the answers are!

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.

Competition! Submit An Article

There's another chance to win our regular fortnightly competition, for budding writers who just needed some extra incentive to put pen to paper (or finger to keyboard). Each fortnight we'll give a prize of a R$150 voucher for the Tabu Restaurant located in the Sonesta Hotel, in São Paulo.
To win the prize you need to submit an article by 28th March, which must be about São Paulo, and have a topic that would be be of interest to foreigners living, working and/or travelling in the city. Next fortnight we'll open the article topic out to anything about Brazil. Note this is open to both new and regular contributors.
Send your articles to mark@gringoes.com with "Competition" in the subject. Note that the article needs to be your own work, and cannot have been published previously.


Weekly Quiz

Last week's quiz question was from Alex Magnus (thanks Alex!) and was: what link does James Mason, a former valet of the British ambassador in Ankara, have with Brazil? Congratulations to Jacques Allain who replied with: James Mason plays 'Cicero', codename for a spy during World War II covering up as valet for the British ambassador in Ankara, in the 1952 movie 'Five Fingers'. He photographs secret documents and, with the help of a refugee Countess, sells them to the Nazis. When rich, he wants to retire to Brazil with the Countess as his wife.
This week's quiz question is from Laize de Lima (thanks Laize!) and is: in 1871 a big association of enormous importance for the time was formed in São Paulo. What was its name, and what purpose did it serve?
Do you think you can stump the Gringoes.com readers? If so then please send your quiz questions 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 Miss Liberty and was taken by Andrea Guimarães in Avaré, São Paulo state. Click here to see the photo.
Thanks to all those who've sent in photos based on our request, but we can always do with more. 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 traditional shots of beaches and sunsets. Please 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

Our tip of the week comes from Jon Stinson (thanks Jon!) and is: I´m a first time traveler to Brasil and to finance my trip I brought my good old Visa credit card and travelers checks that I got from AAA. My tip is that travelers checks are very difficult to use around Brasil. Forget about them. Most small cities don´t have a bank that will cash them. In big cities only certain banks will cash them (such as the main branch of Banco do Brasil, NOT any branch you see). Almost no businesses take travelers checks if they take any checks at all (there´s a lot of forgery here). The best way to pay as you go is with a Visa or Mastercard. Most (but not all) places you want will accept them. Many places (like some gas stations) ONLY accept debit cards not credit cards. If you only have a credit card, ask before you fill up the tank. You will always be asked whether it is a debit or credit card when you pay. The good thing is that you can go to almost any bank and get money out of the ATM (if your card is set up to use ATMs). Also it may help to have an American Express card. For some reason some places (like some major Brazilian airlines and some hotels) only accept American Express cards.
We've run out of tips, so a special request to Gringoes.com readers for more! 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.


Understanding Brazil: Shopping Centres

By Ricky Skelton
Possibly the most baffling aspect of Brazil for me is the incredibly high regard that every man, woman, child and dog has for shopping centres. Wow! Shopping! It's as if they are some kind of mythical, magical place like Oz, the Disney castle or The Hanging Gardens of Babylon. People always ask with eyes wide and shining 'Quer ir ao Shopping?'
Now I thought a shopping centre was somewhere you went if you needed to buy clothes, shoes, something for the house, or a present, but it seems that I was wrong. Some serious marketing work has been done on this one. They have managed to convince people that a trip to a huge square building with exactly the same shops as every other Shopping, with piped chemical fragrances, playing piped chemical music, and all the happy atmosphere of a fog-bound airport departure lounge is a social occasion! Just by having air conditioning! Genius! Add a few twinkling lights, don't allow people in with holes in their shoes (even if they have enough money to buy new ones) and all of a sudden the place takes on a glamorous mystique akin to Paris in the 20's or Hollywood in the 40's.
…click here to read the rest of the article>>


Foreigners Through Brazilian Eyes

This week in our continuing Foreigners Through Brazilian Eyes series we have an interview with Adriano Abila. Read on as Adriano tells us about his impressions of foreigners, and gives some helpful advice also.
1. Where are you from in Brazil and what do you do?
I am from the city of Rancharia, west of São Paulo state. At moment I am just studying but I have worked in different fields, from Finance to Production. I worked in Process Engineering for the last six years, five abroad in Europe and Asia.
2. What are the main obstacles for foreigners in Brazil?
Based on experience of my former girlfriend I would say it is the immigration law. I did not know it was so difficult for a foreigner to stay in Brazil more than three months (via the tourist visa). Other obstacles would be the social divide and its consequences such as violence, low level of education, etc. But one more thing that comes to my mind: bureaucracy, I think it is the first and the biggest one.
…click here to read the rest of the article>>


Brazil: Weekly News Roundup

Lula Decides On Debt Slaves Bill
President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has to decide today whether to sign or veto an amendment to a bill that will hinder those who are victims of debt slavery. Debt slavery is the situation where workers are given increasing bills by their bosses, such as food and rent, but earn less that the combined bill forcing them into a form of slavery. Those working in the northeast creating charcoal are typical victims of this, and it is estimated 25,000 people are in this situation. The amendment to the bill, which was designed to eliminate bureaucracy, was originally intended to help the media recruit freelancers.
Varig Collapse Caused Loss of Tourists
Brazil's Ministry of Tourism revealed that there was a significant fall in tourists visiting Brazil in 2006, compared with 2005. The collapse of Brazil's flag carrier Varig is believed to be the reason why, although charter flights jumped over 20%. The tourists that did visit made up for the loss though by spending around R$12 billion, the highest figure since 1998.
…click here to read the rest of the article>>


On the (Brazilian) Road

By Jeremy Spencer
This article is the second to win our competition to submit an article and win a R$150 voucher for the Tabu Restaurant located in the Sonesta Hotel, in São Paulo. For more details on how to enter the competition read here.
"Brazilian drivers are either joyous madmen or icy sadists."
- Albert Camus, 1949
In Jack Kerouac‘s On the Road, Sal Paradise and Dean Moriarty (the two main characters actually based on Kerouac and Neal Cassidy) drive from coast to coast numerous times crossing America and finding adventure. If you have read the novel and remember Kerouac‘s descriptions of Dean Moriarty‘s driving skills, then you can begin to visualize and have a sense of how it is to drive in Brazil. Just imagine a whole country full of Dean Moriarty‘s. Getting behind the wheel of a vehicle in Brazil is not for the faint of heart. Even just getting in an automobile in Brazil takes some courage. To the average Gringo, it may seem that Brazilian drivers are to put it mildly, unsafe. But like many other first time experiences in Brazil- food, drink, samba, etc., if you relax, are open and accept the rules (or lack thereof) of the Brazilian road, you may have a pleasurable experience and enjoy yourself. I think the best way to describe Brazilian drivers is a way many describe Brazilians in general - passionate.
…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 "How many of you have found a job?" started by the user Guarauno in our "Living in Brazil" forum. The post is discussing about the ease of finding straightforward work in Brazil.
If you have a recommendation for Post of the Week then send an email to mark@gringoes.com with "Post of the Week" in the subject.
Note that foul language and abusive posts in the forum will not be tolerated. The forum is intended to be a constructive and lighthearted place for discussion about Brazil.

Forex

The US dollar is again slightly down over the week, currently at R$2.06, compared with R$2.09 a week ago. The Euro has followed a similar trend and is also down slightly to R$2.76, versus R$2.77 a week ago. The British Pound has again dropped slightly to R$4.05, against R$4.06 last week.