Finally, here’s my first „real” blog. Today I’m going to tell about some differences between German custom and Brazilian culture.
If you grow up in a town where everybody knows everybody and everything, you will be impressed when arriving in Belo Horizonte. And with impressed I mean „Holy SH*t!“. So many lights, so much travel, so many people of different kinds. So…You know the series „How I Met Your Mother“? When Marshall, as a kind person, is walking through the streets greeting everybody? Yep, that’s me. Pardon, that WAS me.
I have learned a lot since I moved here, whether it is to be much more patient or just to relax. None of this is easy for a German (my German fellows, you know I’m just kidding ;-) )! So here, I’m going to share some experiences with you. If you’re going to visit Brazil, it sure will help you!
Get used to nicknames like „Querida“ (=darling) ou „flor“ (=flower). No, normally they don’t want to hook you up, it’s just their way to be nice. What started with weeks of confusion (honestly, until today I don’t have the courage to respond equally), is nowadays completely normal and I don’t want to miss it!
If you have a dinner with friends, PLEASE do eat at home first! Dinnertime in Germany is about 7 PM, but in Brazil you don’t eat before 10 PM. Guys, do me a favour and grab a snickers for your GF ou she will be mad because of hunger. Believe me, I was hungry. Very, very hungry.
When you want to buy a snack from Bahia, a city in the north-east of Brazil, „quente“ (=hot) doesn’t‘ mean hot. It rather means very spicy. Like Hot sauce.
When you’re in Minas Gerais, the state where I live, don’t order food just for yourself. Mineiros usually share their food, for example: You order meat. Probably it already will be cutted for everybody to take a bit. Seems cool, but remember when I told you that dinnertime is at 22 pm? I already was dying of hunger and then my meal came. Cutted in slices and everybody in our group ate MY meal! Until today I really don’t know how I made it that I didn’t kill anybody that night for „stealing“ my food when I was hungry!
So you see, there are some things to know when you visit Brazil. Of course there‘s much more to watch out. But I think that’s enough for today
