Welcome!
Posted in Brazil Facts on 06. Jan, 2010
Hi, my name is John. Welcome to JohnInBrazil.org.
John out clubbing
I am from the US but left late in 2008 and now make my home in Brazil. Currently I reside in Rio. Truthfully, I don’t generally care for big cities and didn’t think I’d like Rio as much as I do. But as my friend Greg (a frequent visitor to Rio) and I like to say: It doesn’t suck.
You probably don’t know all that much about Rio and Brazil, and some of what you think you know probably isn’t all that accurate, so this first post will present some basic facts about this wonderful place which I now call home.
Factoids:
- Brazil is the fourth-largest country in the world by area, after Russia, Canada, and the US.
- Brazil is just about half of South America, whether measured by area, population, or economy.
- Most of the Amazon basin lies within Brazil.
- Buenos Aires is not the capital of Brazil, it is the capital of Argentina, one of Brazil’s neighbors to the south. The capital of Brazil (spelled here “Brasil”) is Brasilia. The original capital was Salvador, and later Rio was the capital for many years, but in 1960 the seat of government was moved to Brasilia, a planned city, in an effort to open up the interior of the country.
- Spanish is NOT the language here. Portuguese is. While related, they are distinct languages. Curiously, Brasilians (I prefer the local spelling these days) can understand a lot of Spanish if it is spoken slowly. Spanish speakers, however, tend not to understand much Portuguese. The accent seems to confound them.
- Contrary to what you saw in “Blame It on Rio”, women do NOT go topless on the beaches down here. Sorry to disappoint you. However, they do wear some of the skimpiest swimsuits you will ever see. The smallest are called fio dental, which translates as “dental floss”.
I first visited Brasil in 1993, and fell in love with the place. The natural beauty of this sprawling country is awe-inspiring, the people are friendly and welcoming, the food is fresh and flavorful, the music diverse and often entrancing, and the women… well, they are entrancing also.
Brasil is wonderful on many counts. The wonder is that it took me so long to make the move here.
Brasil gets a lot of negative press, but the media are typically biased because negative and sensational stories are more entertaining than positive and balanced reporting. So I will strive to be fair and balanced in my posts. Brasil and Rio aren’t perfect, but neither are they the places you probably imagine them to be.
I plan to post a few times weekly, so please come back often. You can subscribe to receive RSS alerts when new posts are made.
Topics will cover lots of things. I’ll give travel advice, updates about the coming Carnival, keep you up to date on the 2016 Olympics, give you some insights into the culture here, teach you a bit of Portuguese, and show you through words, photos, and video some of the places I’ve visited and things I’ve done here. And I may post some guest submissions from readers, so let me know if you have reminisces about Brasil.
Welcome to MY Brasil.
Um abraco (a hug)
John
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Hello John,
Love everything I am seeing here…maybe I will come join you in Brazil soonest. Thanks for all those advise and pics
God bless!
Hi John,
Your insightful and wonderfully written postings about life and culture in Bra(s)il are providing me with a welcome distraction from typing up my PhD in not-so-colourful, not-so-sexy Germany. Keep your elaborations coming on everything from Brasilian cuisine to current affairs! I look forward to reading more and coming to visit as soon as my thesis is finished.
Take care, comrade!
Cute! The question is, “what’s the REAL (I mean real reason) you moved to Brazil? Can you dare to dig in?
Hi Val, There are many things I love about Brazil, but the 2 at the top of the list are 2) the friendly people and 1) the incredible natural beauty of the country. But do I love a beautiful bunda showcased in fio dental? Sure, I’ll own up!
Nahhhhhhhhhhh John… Really? # 1 and #2 would cross my mind. But the beautiful bunda showcase? Nahh… I would never guess… Lol!
nice work champ….
loved the movie, “blame it on rio”
rw
Hi john, just wanted to say thanks. I love this site.
one Day…ONE DAY I will be headding your way.
LB
Hi Lawrence, I’d like to extend a personal welcome to you. I hope that one day you will find your way here, and if you do, please let me know and let’s try to meet. I was recently contacted by another reader. I met up with her at an InterNations meeting here. Last Sunday we tramped around Sta Teresa. I actually found her a place to stay with friend here. Anyway, I love showing folks around.
BTW, I am planning a webinar within the next month to try to encourage folks to come visit here. It will focus on nuts and bolts and things to do in and around Rio. If you’d like to receive an invitation, let me know. No charge.
Hey John, just found your page. Good stuff! Great organization!
Hi Rachel! I am always happy to welcome new readers to JohnInBrazil. I see that you have your own blog. Let me check it out and maybe we can exchange links if we have similar readers. Thanks again your “stopping by”. If you have suggestions for content, I am always open to reader suggestions. John
Brazil has a lot more good and beautiful things.
visit my blog
santanaandfriends.blogspot.com
Hi John,
Great site – love your musings and sense of humor!
We’re in TN now, but my husband is from Rio. We have property near Joao Pessoa and are hoping one day to spend 4 months a year in Brazil. I couldn’t agree more about the bureaucracy in Brazil. It has taken us 13 months to close on our property!!! Insane delays..bank strikes, post office strikes, holidays, corrupt lawyers, you name it and we’ve now experienced it! But we still head back for more Brazil experiences:) Beautiful country and great family lifestyle. Thanks for making us smile while providing useful info.