10 Struggles For An Australian Living In Porto Alegre, Brazil

A coupe of weeks ago I wrote a piece about the 10 things I love about living here in Porto Alegre. Now, in the interest of balance, I'm writing about the things that I have struggled with over the last 12 months. 

I hope this list doesn't offend anyone as that isn't what I'm here to do. However, any time you live in a different country (or at times just a different city) there are going to be certain differences that take some effort to deal with. It has been true of every country I've lived in. 

When I lived in Canada I couldn’t handle the crazy cold winters (-39 degrees, that is crazy), when I lived in England I struggled with the bars closing at 11pm, while in Ireland I found there was very little to do socially other than drink. 

Meanwhile, even being back in Australia doesn’t make me immune to these issues. The last time I was back in Australia I missed being able to watch Canadian hockey, drink English beer and do whatever it was that I did in Ireland for a year (seriously, I know I had fun, but I can’t quite remember). 

Every country has it’s positive and negatives, and Brazil is no different. 

Some of these are minor inconveniences while others are more serious, but they are all a struggle!

1. Brazil Lacks Food Variety

I’ve mentioned this a few times, but having come from Melbourne it is very difficult to get used to the lack of variety in dining available here. The food that is available here is generally very good - Churrasco being the best example. But if you want to get something that isn’t meat with beans, rice and salad there aren’t many options, especially if you also want something other than burgers, pasta and pizza. I have found a few great restaurants that offer something different, but I miss being able to go around the corner to find Thai, Vietnamese, Indian, Mexican, Afghanistani or Polish food

2. Security In Brazil Is A Problem

This is probably the most serious of my struggles here. While, like any other big city in the world Melbourne is not immune to crime, coming to Porto Alegre is a completely different level. In Melbourne I can walk around late at night without more than a passing thought to my safety. Here, when going out at night it has to be the front of your mind. Even going to a place just minutes walk away from your house means you have to think about your travel. The situation here appears to be getting worse too, with funding cuts to the police department, meaning this is going to stay a major concern.

3. Brazilian Beer Is Mostly Terrible

The major beer producers in any country are generally not great (VB in Australia or Budweiser and Miller in the US) but here in Brazil it's even worse. The big brands here such as Skol and Polar are close to undrinkable. Thankfully the local custom is to serve them estupidamente gelado (stupidly cold) which means you can’t really taste anything. If you get a slightly warmer one though, they’re practically undrinkable. 

There is a great craft brewery scene in the country now, and especially in Porto Alegre. Unfortunately though, the costs are relatively high due to the cost of importing the quality ingredients. Life is too short to drink bad beer!

4. Expensive Imported Goods

It isn’t just the cost of quality barley and hops that is expensive here. Due to a combination of being far from the rest of the world and government taxes and fees, importing products into Brazil is an expensive business. If you’re craving a taste of your home country there are import shops here in Porto Alegre, but you’ll definitely be paying a premium for it. A 200ml bottle of maple syrup recently set us back about US25. High import prices are across the board, with electronic goods up to twice the price as they are back in Australia. 

5. Brazilians Like To Keep You Waiting

Getting anything done here takes time. If you’re waiting on some government paperwork that will take some time and usually result in you having to visit two or three (or possibly more) different government agencies to get things sorted. You’ll get used to waiting rooms, lining up and waiting for public transport. Schedules are merely guides rather than rules to be followed. 

This doesn’t just relate to companies or the government either. Your friends will keep you waiting too. There is a different relationship to time here, whereby saying you’ll meet for dinner at 7pm means sometime after then. Possibly even hours after then. They’re no being rude, that is just the way it is. 

I've realised that it is an adjustment that I need to make rather than them (I am in their country) but I do still struggle with it. I’ve lost count of the amount of times I’ve made my wife get ready in a hurry and then been the first people to arrive at a party - including the hosts. 

6. Overly Attentive Shop Assistants

Because a lot of people who work in shops get paid by commission it is almost impossible to look around without workers following you around trying to help. They’ll sometimes give you a shopping basket or bring random things for you to look at, but most of the time they’ll just follow you around the shop hoping you’ll need their help. I find it very creepy and often I’ll leave the store as it makes me feel all kinds of awkward. Again, I know they're just working within the system they've been given, but it doesn't make it much easier to deal with. 

7. Brazilian Communication Is Difficult.

Communicating with Brazilians isn’t easy. Now, don’t get me wrong, a lot of this is on me. If I made a better effort to learn Portuguese it wouldn’t be as much of an issue. I am learning, and I am definitely getting better and more confident, but that still isn’t the only problem.

The more I understand, the more it becomes apparent that Brazilians don’t communicate well to each other. Every single conversation seems to take detours which only serve to confuse the message. 

Rather than asking a direct question, Brazilians first need to chat about the weather or how work is going. Then, when someone finally asks a question, they’ll leave out a crucial piece of information which changes the context of the entire conversation - then they’ll get confused when the answer doesn’t make sense but still not actually question it. 

Meanwhile, directions of “get on that bus and get off after an hour when you see the supermarket” are very difficult for someone expects a street name and number.  

8. Infrastructure

This has a lot to do with the economic issues, but infrastructure problems here - specifically electricity and water - have been a struggle for me here.

This is definitely a “first world issue” for me, but I can’t get used to not having hot water from every tap in the house. For a hot shower you need a “power shower” where you often need to make the choice between water pressure or heat. In the depths of winter that can be tough. And that is assuming your power hasn’t gone out. 

A lot of homes here appear to have had their wiring done in an ad-hoc manner which means you’ve often got all kinds of different sockets and wires all over the same house. Many of which don’t work. This isn’t just in houses either. If you’re walking around the streets you’ll see a mess of power lines tangled up everywhere. It seems as though when lines go out, rather than taking away the old lines the city just adds new ones. This haphazard approach means there are long power outages almost every time there is a storm, or wind or rain...or heat. 

9. Public Affection

What is wrong with a good handshake? Brazilians are very affectionate people, which is great, but I sometimes feel a little overwhelmed by it.

If you meet up with someone you know or are meeting for the first time it is expected that you show some affection. If you’re meeting a girl you’ll likely be expected to kiss on the cheek (usually once, but often twice - I still don’t know the rules!) and even with guys there’s an embrace that is somewhere between handshake and hug. I still don’t know what I’m supposed to be doing. 

Then, even if you’ve met someone in the street and spoken to them for 30 seconds, you’ll be expected to embrace them again before you walk away! Don’t even get me started on arriving at or leaving parties! 

I often feel I'm being cold or standoffish when I don't fully embrace this part of the culture, but it is difficult to undo 36 years of living!

10. Brazilian Politics Is A Mess

The political and bureaucratic system here in insane. You have politicians who have been convicted of actual crimes acting as innocent patriots during the impeachment of the nation's president. Then other politicians taking kick backs while not paying government workers including police and teachers, and a bureaucracy that features a tangled mess of government agencies (and semi government agencies) who seem to make up the rules as they go along. 

No country is perfect, obviously, and governing 200+ million people is no easy task. Having said that though, it seems as though much of the government system in this country is interested only in keeping the status quo, There are so many real problems facing the country that they could be focused on, and yet self preservation and "what is in it for me?" seem to be the only priorities.