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.


João Pessoa Meet Up

For readers in João Pessoa there's a meet up this Thursday, 22nd November, at 9pm.
The meet up is at Sanduba Lanches & Refeicoes, the large restaurant at the end of Avenida Mar Vermelho (apparently for those coming by taxi just ask the driver to go to the Taxi rank at the end of this street and the place is right next door).


Around South America: Road Trip through a Forgotten Land - Aisén, Chile

By Marilyn Diggs
November 19, 2007
Until five years ago the Aisén Region (also spelled Aysén) in northern Patagonia wasn´t even mentioned in the Chilean weather report. Like most travelers, I´d visited southern Patagonia and the Lake Region, completely oblivious to what lies in between. Lately the area‘s potential as a hydropower source has called national attention. Time to see this untamed area, now, before nature is harnessed.
After a 4-hour flight from Santiago, we touch down in Balmaceda Airport, just meters from the Argentine border. My driver/guide picks us up in his SUV, and the trip begins into the most pristine and wild part of Chile. Even though Aisén Region‘s land surface is the second largest in country (representing 14.2% of continental Chile), it has only 100,000 inhabitants - nearly half living in Coyhaique, the capital. Most of the towns are scarcely 50 years old since the government only promoted colonization of the rugged terrain in the early 20th century.
…click here to read the rest of the article>>


São Paulo: Breakfast with Santa

Come and enjoy a Pancake Breakfast, set in a Christmas wonderland while your children shop at the Elf Shop for kid priced gifts geared for the whole family. Santa will be on hand to speak personally with each child and have their picture taken together. With your reservation you will receive Santa‘s Letter to bring along filled with your child‘s Christmas wish list.
Date: December 1, 2007 - Saturday
Venue: Monica‘s School in Alto da Boa Vista
Time: 9am to noon
Pancake Breakfast: R$10 per person; children 5 & under eat free
Elf Shelf gifts: priced R$2 to R$8
Professional Photos by Horia Coman
RSVP & Info: santainsp@hotmail.com
Or call Sydnee Voigt Tel: 5093-2612
Gold Sponsor: Monica‘s School
Rua Santo Aristides, 101, Tel: 5686-5263
To Benefit CAMHP - Apoio à Criança Com Câncer


São Paulo: Graded's Annual Thanksgiving Celebration

Graded, the American school in São Paulo, is holding its annual Thanksgiving celebration on November 24th, 11am - 4pm. There will be games, shopping and a great turkey dinner.
Tickets: Adults - R$30, Children (4-12) - R$20, Children under 3 are FREE.
For tickets Contact: Denise Sauer 5687-8899 or Leneth Fajardo 3773-4213.


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.
An extra addition this week, as we've had a couple of article suggestions that none of the Gringoes.com staff feel they are capable of writing. So the hope is that a reader out there would be interested. The two topic suggestions are:
1. Renting Cars in Brazil - covering say any license requirements, insurance (and any related peculiarities), and perhaps a summary guide on the oddities of driving in Brazil
2. Brazilian Swear Words and Slang - we're a bit wary of this topic in case we offend more sensitive readers, but it could also prove a useful guide to not saying the wrong thing (we're aware that Tamashin has already written a large slang guide).
If you are interested in writing then contact mark@gringoes.com.
Equally if you have any article ideas that you'd like to see written, then feel free to drop us a line.


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

This week's poll, continued from last week, is on opening a business in Brazil. Would you consider it, do you already have a business, or would you think it was madness? So far the majority of you are "definitely considering it" (53%), with a reasonable number already in business (20%), although some (11%) would "take a lot of persuading", and equally some (11%) would never open a business. 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.

Weekly Quiz

We've run out of quiz questions so a special request for more. 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 titled Sunbathing taken by Andrea Molnar Szego in Costa do Sauipe. 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.


Brazil Through Foreign Eyes

November 16, 2007
Meet Jim Adams, from the USA, who married a Brazilian and visits Brazil regularly. 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 am originally from Charlestown, Indiana. A small town just north of Louisville, KY. I attended college locally and work for large US based brokerage firm as in investment advisor. I am married to a Brazilian who was an exchange student in the US. We have been married 5 years and have one daughter who is 18 months old and another child on the due in March of 2008.
2. When did you arrive in Brazil and what brought you here?
My first trip to Brazil was in 2000. My most fond memories at the time was the exchange rate. If memory serves correctly the Real was near 4.5 to 1 US dollar. Those were the days. My wife and I were just dating at the time for a couple of months. My first time in Rio was a culture shock, to say the least.
…click here to read the rest of the article>>


Brazil: Psychotherapy - When and Why

By Samara Klug
November 16, 2007
Many people wonder when and why should they seek psychological help. This usually happens in two ways: when someone‘s in a hard situation, feeling lonely, needing outside help and family and friends can‘t seem to support that anguish or when the person wants to know themselves better, and reflect about certain aspects of their life. Both situations that can occur for a "gringo" abroad.
How does this move forward? Self-knowledge begins with a person‘s own interest. A classic example is when a teenager comes to therapy dragged by his family. In this case, until the teenager is convinced that he/she will benefit from the process, therapy doesn‘t work. That‘s because they are not there of their own volition, but there to fulfill someone else‘s need. The main material the therapist works on is whatever content the patient brings to the sessions.
No matter what the therapist‘s technical and theoretical approach is, the most important thing is that the patient can trust the professional. Sometimes this doesn‘t happen at the first session, but that is not a reason for one to give up. A good way to find a psychologist is asking for references, but the search has a lot to do with affinity and empathy.
…click here to read the rest of the article>>


Ask a Brazilian: Picking Teeth

November 15, 2007
This is our regular column called "Ask a Brazilian", the idea being that you can quite literally ask a question of a Brazilian for those issues you aren't sure about but perhaps dare not ask someone else. It is meant as a bit of fun and answers should not be construed as expert opinion or the definitive reply on the matter. For that reason we ask you to please send comments and experiences in order to add to our replies.
Most questions I have had, have been covered in this section. But one still puzzles me. Picking Your teeth. This is no big deal, certainly in western Europe and certainly in the UK, in normal society any, you can pick your teeth openly, maybe not in high society. Here in Brazil it seems to be an art form involving both hands to cover the mouth. People are obviously picking there teeth so what's the reason.
All the best
John
Oi, John
First of all I'm glad most of your doubts have been covered in this section. But now let's try to answer this one.
…click here to read the rest of the article>>


Brazil: "Tristeza Não Tem Fim" ("Sadness Has No End") Part 1

By Joe Lopes
November 15, 2007
A Testament to Black Orpheus, Bossa Nova and the Partnership That Started It All After sitting in silence for nearly three quarters of an hour, an agitated audience member suddenly let loose with an unexpected outburst that completely filled the main hall: "It‘s an outrage, an outrage I tell you! See what they‘ve done to my piece!"
In the middle of the film‘s premiere presentation in Laranjeiras (a well-to-do Rio de Janeiro suburb), the person deemed most responsible for its worldwide success had just stood up from his seat and was headed briskly for the nearest exit.
"No, wait! Don‘t go!" cried the movie‘s producers after him. "Tell us, what‘s wrong? Let‘s talk it over. Give us a chance to explain. Wait, wait.come back!"
But it was to no avail. They were unable to calm their irate guest down or prevent him from leaving the scene in that infuriated fashion. To make matters worse, the now thoroughly seething citizen was suspected of having gone all the way home to his apartment complex in Rio, overlooking the gorgeous Guanabara Bay, and drowned his sorrows out by getting "comfortably numb" in his bath.
…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.
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 has risen this week, from R$1.73 to R$1.78. The Euro has also risen, from R$2.54 to R$2.64. The British Pound continues the trend, at R$3.67 compared with R$3.56 last week.