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.


São Paulo: Peyote at Finnegan's Pub

Tuesday, August 19, at 9 p.m.
Cover charge: R$8.00
Rua Cristiano Viana, 358 - Pinheiros
São Paulo, São Paulo
Reserve a table: (11) 3062-3232
Visit: www.peyote.com.br



Brazil: Café Bom Dia

August 6, 2008
In a small community in Brazil’s coffee country, teachers at a non-profit school have no library, no laboratory, and space for just half the students who want to attend their school.
Despite these challenges, the school has delivered quality education to the region and awarded scholarships to children whose parents are farmers for the local Fair Trade Certified™ coffee cooperative.
This year, however, the school has finally outgrown its rented buildings and desperately needs a permanent home for the students.
We need your help to build this school.
Please join Café Bom Dia in supporting a new school for the teachers and families in Poco Fundo, Brazil. Your donation is needed for construction costs and building supplies, as well as educational materials. More information can be found at:
www.cafebomdia.com/educatepocofundo
On behalf of the teachers and families in Poco Fundo, thank you for supporting quality education in the heart of Brazil’s coffee country.



Brazil: João Pessoa Meet Up

Well it seems like only yesterday that we had the last get-together at the Arquipélago restaurant, but it really was two months ago. Pictures from the last meeting can be viewed here.
The next meeting is going to be on Sunday 31st August in Tambau, at Giramundo Restaurant, this is right on the beach about 300 meters from the Tambau tropical hotel (heading towards Cabo Branco).
The restaurant is going to open just for us, so I hope lots of people turn up and make it worth their while.
They will open at 1pm and close around 7pm, and the full address is: Giramundo Restaurant Avenida Almirante Tamandare, in front of the house number 654 (Pizzeria Lion near Hotel Imperial). More and less in the middle between Avenida Epitacio Pessoa and Hotel Tambaú.
Please send a Private Message on the forum to London Lad for more details.



Where is Brazil´s Barack Obama?

By John Fitzpatrick
August 2, 2008
The US presidential candidate, Barack Obama, has just made a triumphal tour of Europe during was he was feted by the region´s political leaders and cheered on by crowds in Germany. Whether Obama becomes president will depend on American voters and not foreign fans and his race will undoubtedly play a part. It has taken a long time for a black presidential candidate to appear in the US. In Brazil, which is said to have the largest number of people of African descent outside Nigeria, there are no black or mixed-race political leaders with any chance of standing as presidential candidates in the foreseeable future.
While the US has never had any president with black blood that we know of (although George Washington and Thomas Jefferson are believed to have fathered mulatto children) this may not be the case in Brazil. President Fernando Henrique Cardoso once said that he had a "foot in the kitchen", a way of saying that he had some slave blood and his features confirm this. There have been almost 40 presidents since the Republic was established in 1889 and some are bound to have had African (and/or) Indian) blood. Artur da Costa e Silva who was military dictator between 1967 and 1969 is one example of someone with non-white blood. It is unlikely that any of them would have seen this heritage as an advantage or boasted about it in public. (It may have been different in private as Brazilians are often proud to claim Indian ancestry.)
…click here to read the rest of the article>>


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 fortnight's poll was following on from Ricky's article "The Great Brazilian Animal-Off". We can't quite fit in all Ricky's choices, but have gone for his seven favourite. By far the favourite choice was "Onca Preta" with 47%, with "Bicho Preguiço" in second place with 21%, and "Anta" and "Tatu" in joint third with 11%.
This fortnight's poll is for gringoes living in Brazil, and on the topic of citizenzship. Would you consider becoming a Brazilian citizen, are you one already, or is it something you would never contemplate? 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.

Photo of the Week

The photo of the week is titled Mercado Central taken by Andrea Molnar Szego in Manaus. 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

August 2, 2008
Meet Ben Pearce from the UK who has travelled to Brazil several times, and more recently moved here. Read the following interview in which he tells us about some of his 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.?
I am a 27 year old lad from the South coast of England (a town called Bournemouth), who after growing up by the sea sought the bright lights and greater opportunities of the city. I moved to London 4 years ago to complete a masters degree at LSE and have since worked in policy, affordable housing, city regeneration and on London employment and training programmes, funded by the EU.
2. When did you arrive in Brazil and what brought you here?
After 4 years in London I have just arrived in sunny Belo Horizonte, in mid July 2008, to begin the next chapter of my life. I left London on a high and I came primarily to be with my long-suffering girlfriend Ana, a Mineira, after over a year apart between here, Stuttgart, Bournemouth and London! I also always harboured desires to live abroad, and to learn another language fluently. It was now or never!
…click here to read the rest of the article>>


São Paulo: Charity Masquerade Ball - August 15th

Aug 2, 2008
*Find a marvelous mask, and wear it well. So your true identity, no one can tell.*
Your presence is requested for an evening of intrigue, fantasy and wonderful entertainment, as we wine, dine, bid on art... and help a very worthy cause. The Masquerade Ball, hosted by the International Newcomers‘ Club and the Canadian International Women‘s Society, will include a cocktail hour, followed by a 5-course dinner with music and dancing. It will also include a silent art auction, featuring some of Brazil‘s finest artists, raffles with amazing prizes, and much, much more!
Get prepared, we will have a Mask Contest with great prizes for Best Mask, Most Creative Mask and Best Couple - Queen and King! 50% of the proceeds will go to each club‘s charities. This year, INC has elected as its beneficiary Casa Assistencial Maria Helena Paulina (CAMHP), a home in Morumbi for children battling cancer and other lifethreatening diseases. CIWS has selceted as its beneficiaries Casa do Menor São José, Associação Odonto-Criança and Projeto Sol.
…click here to read the rest of the article>>


Brazil: The Search for the Perfect Waterfall Part 1

By Laurie Carneiro
Aug 2, 2008
Laurie Carneiro lives in Orlando, Florida and teaches High School English. Her husband, born and raised in São Paulo, works for the administration of a community college in Orlando. They travel to Brazil almost yearly to visit family, and in this story, Laurie writes about a trip they took to the state of Minas Gerais in 1995, one of her most memorable trips to Brazil.
My husband had not seen his older brother for at least ten years, and knowing it was difficult for his brother to travel, we decided to visit his family in the small town of Vespasiano, in the state of Minas Gerais. We knew it was approximately ten hours from São Bernardo de Campo (where we were staying) in the state of São Paulo and that the roads would be bad. All in all, the trip turned out to be quite an adventure for our family!
After a few days of visiting family and friends in the São Paulo area, my husband, our three children (ages 10, 8, and 6), and I started our trip to Minas Gerais. We had already done some sight-seeing (nice day trips) to entertain our children: Casa da Pedra, the city of Itu, and the Simba Safari (Now reopened with a new name "Zoo Safari") and they were more than ready to doze off for a while in the car. Fortunately for us, our kids like to sleep on car trips and enjoyed playing several versions of favorite car games when awake, so traveling with them usually was not like the miserable experiences of Chevy Chase and National Lampoon Vacation!
…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! If you've got some burning question about Brazil, or just want to discuss a particular topic, then you're bound to get an answer there.
There's also a forum which allows you to comment and give us feedback 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, abusive posts and certain types of advertising in the forum will not be tolerated. Make sure to check the Read This First area first before posting. The forum is intended to be a constructive and lighthearted place for discussion about Brazil.


Forex

The US Dollar is unchanged over the fortnight, at R$1.58. The Euro has dropped, from R$2.48 to R$2.44. The British Pound has also dropped, from R$3.15 to R$3.08.