Sao Paulo
------------
Warning: I am very sarcastic in my post so take all that i say with a grain of salt.
Well....It's been awhile. I am posting from West Africa at the moment having been working here for a few months on a property development investment. I took about 11/2month off to hang out with one brazilian I was introduced to by an australian. We became very good friends. So when he went back to brazil he invited me to Sao Paulo (I think that means Saint Paul, Since the word SAN is the substitute for SAO), but later I took a rather short trip to Rio for a couple of days (I mean how can you tell someone you went to SP and not Rio). I wasn't in Rio long enough to get any observations but I can comment on Sao Paulo
Firstly Brazil is a huge country, the size of the land is as large as the USA. The population is nearing 200 million people, but that may infact starting to reduce as now it is reported that Brazilian women only have 1.9 children per family
. Of course we have the telenovela culture and women wanted to be part of the workforce to thank for that. This isn't necessarily a bad thing though because it negates overpopulation. So in effect it is below replacement level. I suspect though that they are holding off having kids till their thirties instead of twenties (sound familiar
)
There are cities that could be literally cut out and pasted into a first world country like the USA and you wouldn't even think that the land was once in Brazil. At the same token go to any place on the outskirts and parts of Africa would probably look better. It's a land of huge opposites Brazil like most of Latin America and the developing world is socially (and racially because of the the history of slavery) divided.
I am told that different regions can slightly different cultures, which should be fairly obvious to anyone that has traveled abroad.
It's damn expensive .No kidding! São Paulo is cosmopolitan. Think London! Perhaps alittle quick paced! Not as laid back as Rio I am told but probably not as serious minded as London. It's a financial center with stock exchanges similar to those found in the developed countries. It's fill of the professional middle and upper middle class. You will see lots of variety regarding race, although the Southern European look is a bit more noticeable with a few having slightly noticeable native american features, like the sliky jet black hair for instance. This I absolutely love. Girls here don't appear to be interested in playing Suzzy Homemaker. It's business and being a professional and career.
BUT that doesn't discount the need for kids. OH yes kids are definately in the mix if she can find the perfect guy, with the perfect looks, resectable income and comes from a similar social class or better. Of course she wouldn't be doing any house chores (God Forbid) because Fernanda the housemaid will be doing that. Can't have professional women lifting a finger in the kitchen...No that's beneath them.
If you fancy sampling the nightlife I got news for you.There is a booming nightlife here. Dress sexy and look your best because Brazilian men can dress. Bring your A-game. GQ style if possible. Girls are mostly in heels and dress well. The good news is English is common so you don't have to learn that much portoguese. it wouldn't hurt to learn a few phrase to impress the girls an excuse to get a fine lady to teach you a few words
As a gringo trying to scope out the dating scene I found a few things out. Girls here like a guy that is going to stick around and have kids later. So for us men looking for a partner that wants kids that is good. No need for serious game just pitch the family idea (Which I assume most of us guys want) Be prepared for a barrage of questions concerning your personal life and background. ie Your religion, how far you went in school? your job? your income? house size? rooms? the works. it may come off abit materialist for some but they need to know your a suitable partner.
These are the pros and cons of what I observed about the Paulistas and the city
Pros and Cons
----------------
Pros
-----
*Probably some of the friendliest women I have met in Latin America. (but can be snotty if they don't know you)
*Personal Hygiene is very important to these ladies.
*Love to Dress
*Very polite
*Quite visually appealing and easy on the eye (Especially ladies that have resources to take of themselves if you know what I mean)
*Felt safe
*Importance on family is strong still
*Vastly more feminine then women from the US or UK
Cons
------
*Not very domesticated (bear in mind the women I got to know were mid-class so to speak)
*A bit too clingy and looking for constant PDA ( not that I mind kissing and hugging but let me breathe damn it!)
*alittle crazy
*Younger ladies not as receptive as I had hoped but I could chalk it down to the lack of time spent. Although most couples appeared to be in the same age bracket.
*Materialism is evident here. BB's & iphones. All the latest tech and accessories
CONCLUSION- definitely not the kind of place for a man like me whose looking for the more traditional setup of male bread winner and female homemaker. Girls are not domesticated and could probably burn water. Definitely not the place for large disparity between ages either. perhaps the smaller cities surrounding SP may be different. There is some importance on religion but it's not taken all that seriously.
Overall though Brazil is a solid 9/10 for culture and beauty if nothing else. And if your Catholic like me and you love catholic culture you will love Brazil.I will definately want to come back to Brazil and explore more. I hear Minas Gerais and Vitoria are good. Also need to go up north and experience there too.
It's 3am here so I am going to crash but I will look out for replies and questions in the morning.
Later
