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January 2002
I was invited to attend a wedding in Brazil in February 2002. I arrived in
January with a farm tour group. As they departed for USA, I stayed behind at
the invitation of my Brazilian friend. I stayed in Brazil for 40 days this
trip. In my opinion this is what is takes to start learning the language and
culture. One must jump in the “Deep end of the POOL”. Sink or Swim is the
Motto. I had purchased my 1st set of Pimsleur´s language tapes by this time
in preparation for future trips to Brazil. However, the quickest way
to learn is with some incentive. Being surrounded by beautiful Brazilian
girls everyday of the week, will act as a catalyst for a turbo-charged
learning curve.
If one takes the time to live in Brazil for a month, I think this is when
you will either fall in love with the country or hate it. It is a beautiful
country. Brazilians are very warm and friendly, but you have to know the
language and have solid contacts if you expect to do business here.
 During this 40 day visit I got my Brazilian CPF number. This is like a
social security number. This then allowed me to open a bank account in
Brazil. The one thing that will stand out for anyone that stays in Brazil
for an extended period of time is the amount of TIME it takes to get
anything done. Hours and Days mean nothing at times. If you are a HIGH
STRUNG person and are used to the American pace of things, it is possible
that you will lose your mind in BRAZIL. I use the analogy of a SEMI-Truck
transmission. If you are familiar with a 13-speed transmission and you are
accustomed to living your life in 11th or 12th gear, one must shift into 3rd
gear in order to keep sane in Brazil. This is not all “BAD”, but one must be
aware of pace of things in Brazil. I had my friend take me through a
DRIVE-THRU McDonald's. It was the 1st time he had ever used a DRIVE THRU. I
ordered my #1 and I immediately opened my bag and starting eating in the
car. The others in the car looked at me like I was some sort of barbarian.
Why would anyone eat in their car? They asked. I said the majority of 9-5
Americans with jobs eat at least 1 meal in their car per day. This was a
total shock to them. Brazilians are accustomed to a 1.5 hour Lunch hour per
day.
What is the hurry?
The wedding was rapidly approaching so the bachelor party was of major
concern. As a farm boy from Minnesota, I had no idea what to
expect. I now know what its like to hang out at the Playboy mansion.
The wedding was beautiful and I even participated in the event. Soon it was
time to go home again and ponder the next Brazilian experience. I left
Brazil with some negative feelings this time. I was not sure if I was coming
back. I had seen some of the dark side of BRAZIL business dealings. It was
an experience I needed in order to prepare myself for future missions inside
Brazil.
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