Ex-Pat Ambivalence

Hi all,

Well, I recently celebrated two years living here in Brasil (local spelling). And next week I head back to the US for a few weeks with the family.

So perhaps it is natural that I’ve been doing some ruminating about my two countries – because I really do belong to them both now. There are things I like and dislike about each, and sometimes I seem to prefer one, at other times the other.

One seemingly trivial example: This morning I was working out at my gym. They were playing some music in English. For some reason that I can’t quite explain, I wanted to listen to Brasilian music at that moment. I switched on my iPod to listen to Gilberto Gil, a popular Brasilian performer.

Now, there are definitely times that I prefer English, like when I arrive home tired at night. It’s simply easier. But I recall that when I visited the US last year, I missed speaking Portuguese and hated that I could find no one to speak it with.

Some things have changed in the two years I’ve been here. When I first arrived I would frequently initiate conversations with English-speaking foreigners. These days I find that I am more apt to skirt them. Their comments frequently seem inane, their attitudes arrogant and uninformed.

I can’t say how much of this is just me, but I suspect many other ex-pats share similar sentiments.

Surely every country and culture has its good points, its things to offer. Here is a quick list of things I like about Brasil:

The food, especially black beans, the farmers’ markets, mamão (papaya), and requeijão (a spreadable white cheese, kind of like cream cheese, but not really). The incredible natural beauty. Friendly and helpful people. The fact that beaches are public, open to all. And that everything comes to you at the beach; you rarely have to go in search of anything. The fact that you can generally tell pretty easily whether a girl really likes you or is just cadging drinks. The incredible natural beauty. The sincerity of (most) of the people. The wonderful variety of musical styles, many of them simple and inviting in their simplicity. (Though I recommend bringing an iPod loaded with your favorite American tunes if you come for an extended stay; the familiar music will hep get you through the tough periods.) The incredible natural beauty. The flare for style. The willingness of people to listen to other viewpoints without immediately assuming that they already know everything. (Yes, gringo, that was a shot.) The incredible natural beauty.

There are, of course, things that I miss about the US:

Lines are shorter; this one must top the list. Inexpensive clothing that does not fall apart after 5 washings. Tennis shoes at less-than-astro-freaking-nominal prices. Clothes washers that really and truly get clothes clean, without the need to pre-soak and scrub everything. And clothes dryers, oh my god, clothes dryers! My jeans and towels never are as soft or smell as fresh as I’d like here. The fact that people tend to walk to the right, the same as they drive, so that you aren’t constantly trying to guess whether that other pedestrian is going to cut right or left. (Attention Choque do Ordem: Start handing out tickets for cutting left!) An infrastructure that (despite the fact it is aging) generally works pretty well.

So, you might ask, if there are things that I clearly prefer about the US, things which clearly annoy me about Brasil, then why have I chosen to live here?

Because no place is perfect, and, yes, the US is also far from perfect. Many things there are broken, and there are many things I prefer about Brasil. I prefer the people here overall. I love that – you guessed it – the incredible natural beauty. And – this is something to note if you have been hurt by the economic crisis – there are opportunities here in Brasil, whereas I believe that the US will struggle economically for some time to come.

Well, I must away to classes, but those are my random thoughts for now.

Why not pop on down and see if you agree.

Até breve, gente!

John

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