07.05.2008
Why I
chose Joao Pessoa
When it snowed where we lived in the US, we
would often find a wall of ice and snow at the end of our driveway – sometimes as high as 8 feet tall. It had been created by the snowplow clearing
the road. There was no way to get out. Just part of the way of life there.
Here in Joao Pessoa that snow is only a distant
memory. And because we are on the tip of
the NE peninsula of Brazil, jutting out into the ocean, we have breeze and
cooler temperatures than one would expect this close to the equator. Temperatures in the hottest and most humid
times of year are far more comfortable here than in Florida. The weather is pleasant year round – so much so that I can’t even say that I
prefer one season over another.
Before we found Joao Pessoa, we had been uncomfortable
about events and trends in the US, and had been looking for another place to
be. We were leaning toward the southern
hemisphere, since so much was going on in the northern hemisphere around
toxins, radioactive explosions, global warming, and war, and as the earth spins
it drags all that from east to west. So
we investigated one country after another in South America, but everywhere we
looked we found either climate or politico-social reasons not to live there.
But Brazil did check out, and we subsequently
noticed how creative people are in this part of the globe – in their solutions to
ecological challenges (e.g., leading the world in use of alcohol and other
alternative fuels), the architecture, the clothing, the fresh-idea business
start-ups. We noticed the vitality of
the people. We discovered how friendly they
were. People here actually look you in
the eyes. They hold the eye
contact. Then they are quick to a warm
and friendly smile, given any excuse at all – given even a flicker of openness from
us.
The buses here are frequent, and It is easy
to get around town using public transportation.
There are lots of busses, and you
can go most places in Joao Pessoa easily. People over 65 years ride free.
TIPS
Banks: However, my favorite thing about Joao Pessoa
is having to do business at the banks.
Who invented this comedy?
It’s hard to get a bank account here. One bank can refuse you, and the next welcome
you with open arms. It appears that
behavior and decisions in much of Brazil are predominantly relationship-based
(who you know) rather than principle-based (the “rules,” or “right and wrong.”)
Transferring monies from the US or other
countries to Brazil: For aposentados
(retirees), there is a term that allowed us to bypass innumerable
problems/blockades in transferring money:
it is called TRANSFERENCIA UNILATERAL DE PATRIMONIO. As retirees on permanent retirement visas,
this allows us to transfer an apparently unlimited amount of money easily from
the US to Brazil.
Language: Knowing Portuguese is an invaluable asset,
even in small amounts.
Scheduling
appointments with people: When people agree to come at certain times to
do work for you, don’t expect that they will necessarily show up – or even
call. EXPECTATIONS LEAD TO CULTURE
SHOCK.
Buying
Property:
Don’t buy too quickly. There are
factors that may become very important to you; but you don’t know about them
until you’ve found yourself in a lot of different situations. (E.g., ventilation and southeast-facing
locations within a building turn out to be very important to our comfort.)
Lorraine Kirk, Ph.D.
I am retired. My background was in Microbiology as an
undergraduate, and Cultural Anthropology through graduate school. I spent 4 years in Africa – two years in
Ghana and two years in Kenya, doing anthropological research and community
assistance. I kind of went native in
Ghana, learning the tonal language, abandoning English, dancing, wearing the
clothes, and eating as the villagers did.
I wrote a number of articles on linguistics
and cognitive development, which led to tenure after four years of teaching at
the University of Missouri; but shortly
after that I left academics to join the real world – business, computers, video
editing, and web development.
I do tai chi, like nature and hiking, and
love to dance to an Afro beat. I find
new cultures exciting, enjoy the unusual, and can find adapting to a very novel
way of life a definite adventure.
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