Brazilian Culture in the US - Part One

There are so many different cultural aspects of a culture living in another culture. It is almost like there are two lives living together.
Particularly when we talk about the Brazilian myth of beauty and carnival happiness.
I’m a Brazilian living in the US for about 7 years and per personal experience I can give some insights in the culture.

First there are two kinds of Brazilians living here: the ones that come to try a new life and try to get what they didn’t get in Brazil. The other ones that come here to the US due to married to an American or that came to study or came transferred to work on multinational companies. These are the two profiles that immediately came to my mind.

Talking about the first profile, the ones that come to try their new lives. Inside these profiles we will find all kinds of social class, that goes from the illiterate from the north to south of Brazil to the very educated that just are looking for a new space. These people are the ones that believe in the American dream of success. They came thinking that this land will be the paradise and are ready to do whatever it takes to accomplish it.

When they get here, a big surprise on the life style and what they will be able to do to earn money for survival and also money to send to Brazil. A big disappointment comes when they realize that the sweet dream will be transformed in hours and hours of work for cleaning, working in construction, serving in car washers or working in the kitchen of big hamburgers companies. The happy faces of the coming tourists become heavy worries of what to do next and send money to their families, support their dream of living here and also paying bills here and there from where they come from.

With the “ginga” Brazilian style of living, these survivors are able to spend hours working, working without rest and by the end of the weekend still find energy for a beer with other Brazilian friends and do the famous ” churrasco” (barbecue) in a real Brazilian style. Nostalgia will be part of these parties and the famous ” causos” (stories). Tears and laughs will come together. If works comes to the conversation, it will come in form of jokes, so that everybody can be entertained and not cry for the unusual life of extreme.

The second profile are the Brazilians that come transferred to work or having spouses that are coming to work in the US. This second class of people will be the critical ones, seeing more than only the American dream, but judging better the real world and comparing cultures. These people will look at the US comparing the good and bad things related to Brazil. They will see more the value of Brazil compared to the US. The struggle also exists as the culture differences raise. With the money to pay the bills and no need for a sub work seek, this second profile shares something with the first profile: the nostalgia of being far from their country. In a “barbecue” party or telling the ” causos” all the differences will disappear, even with the American culture.

Next time I will talk about the Brazilian myths of beauty and seduction.