Did you know... (Brazil Curiosities - part I)
- Brazilian cats have only seven lives, not nine! (Gato tem 7 vidas...) What happened to the 2 missing lives?- Building floors are counted from one above ground level. The first floor (primeiro andar) in Brazil is one above ground (terreo) level, not at street level as in US. Most buildings do have a 13th floor.
- Almost all houses in Brazil have internal water tanks, since public water supply may not be reliable. These water boxes are usually in the attic and hold about 1000 liters. Water pressure is low, so toilets don't flush as strong as in US. Paper waste is usually not put in toilet bowl, but in small basket in bathroom. (I am sure you really wanted to know this!!)
- Also, most houses to not have hot water tanks. Hot water is usually reserved for showers and is produced by an electrical heater attached to the shower head, wired at 220 volts. Nobody can consider themselves to have experienced the real Brazil until they get a 220 volt shock while standing in a puddle of water in their bare feet. It is very rare, but I know of people actually electricuted in the shower.
- Kissing upon greeting is common, except in work environments. Men kiss women. Women kiss men. Women kiss women. This is often done at first "How do you do" (muito prazer!). You may find yourself kissing perfect strangers. Oh yes, kisses are usually double cheek one two actions, the exception being in Sao Paulo where unmarried women will sometimes kiss each other a third time and mutter "para casar" (a charm to get married).
posted by nscafuro @ 6:33 AM
5 Comments:
Hi, I´m brazilian and I´d like to some corrections:
First: Brazilian people are very superstitious (supersticiosos), but the number 13 here means nothing.
Second: The warter tanks are a way to save water, every country (if possible) should try to do the same.
Third: the majority of showers here n BraSil works at 110 volts. Depending where you live here, trust on me , you wouldn´t like to have a hot shower...
Fourth: In Italy men greet each other by a lip to lip kiss. Don't try to do the same here!!!
I am Italian and here men never kiss on the lips!
I'm also Brazilian. The text is not clear: in fact, when we kiss, it's on the cheek. And only ONCE. Normally, the lips do not really touch the cheek, but go to the air, and the cheeks of both people kind of touch for a second. It's true that men+men don't do that, they shake hands, and when they are more friends, they put the hand on the back at the same time (kind of a semi-hug)... But father and son kiss the cheek, and also brothers... In the other cases, it's correct that a woman kisses the cheek of a woman or a man, even if they've just met. But of course it's accepted as a habit, but take me for instance. I don't like to kiss everyone, or all the time, like work colleagues. But I like to kiss and hug my friends. And most families kiss many times a day: when wake up, when go out, when arrive home, when go to sleep (I was like this with my parents, at least).
Veronica
May I add another comment? it is very natural in Brazil to live with the parents until getting married, unless you go to study in another city (but still, if you graduate, it is normal to go back to parents' home). And it happens even if you are 30, 32... and so on. It is not considered to be a loser living with the parents, and it is unnatural to live with roomates (in part because the families are very tight, but also because economic is different, so people don't earn so much to afford living alone).
Veronica
eu amo meu pais brasil sou feliz aqui mas eu gostaria de conhecer os E.U.A
http://glugu.blogspot.com
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