PART 1 Sunbathing in my balcony and writing a blog.
PART 2 Writing a blog in freezing cold wearing all of my clothes
What to do in Brazil to avoid being an illegal immigrant and other stuff
To get things right in Brazil you have to do some waiting in lines on several offices. For exchange student is needed a personal identity number CPF what is possible to make in bank with a passport and visa type IV. I had some problems because of banks internal server problems. So I had to visit a bank a few times and an office named receita federal to acquire my CPF. Service is in portuguese. Luckily there is a bank or two in almost every block and they serve from 10am to 4pm. Some of the big banks here are ITAU, Banco do Brasil, HSBC and Santander. People are very helpful and very friendly even though they don´t speak the language.
On arrival to airport police stamps the passport and starting from that moment there is 30 days to sign in to Policia Federal to get a personal identification document RNE - Registration for strangers. For an exchange student it is an official ID inside Brazil so after getting that there is no need to carry a passport in most activities. Applying the RNE is very difficult and bureaucratic process. All the forms are in Portuguese so one will need local support or a strong language skills to get everything done. Inspired by my few problems and the love for Brazil I made a list for a Finnish exchange students or anyone interested in travelling to Brazil to take a look. It can be found in here: WHAT TO DO IN BRASIL
Housing
To find a place in Curitiba was rather easy. The rent prices are close to Finnish standard. I found a shared flat with 5 apartments for 600R$ month, which is around 300€ . The price includes taxes,gas and a poor wireless internet a shared kitchen,bathroom and a living/dining room. The location is very good near the old center close to the first university in Brazil. My flat is a big one with own balcony and it was the most expensive one in the apartment. I had help from my friend for getting the place and it was needed because landlord speaks only Portuguese. But my French roommate told me that it is possible to get a place here not speaking a word of the language! He is a living example.
For a Finn who is used in very high quality for interior a student place in Brazil might be a shock. The water coming from the tab or the shower is not always very warm. The structure of the wall is one layer of bricks. No thermal insulation, not very airtight. But it will not be seen on the electricity bill because there is no heating. Air temperature changes almost with the air surrounding. Nights are cold at least in the winter. But it is reasonable because the temperature stays above 0 most of the time. This is of course just a one example of a cheap student construction and the quality changes a lot between different construction companies, budgets and the age of the house just like in Finland.
Curitiba
Curitiba seems like a modern, multicultural and a fast growing city. There are construction sites everywhere around the city. Traffic is pretty well organized. I saw the Brazilian traffic for the first time in Curitiba actually the first different traffic from Finland and it seemed pretty wild. You better get used to it. Curitiba is also been awarded for the ecological capital of Brazil. It is visible in the streets which are clean. People recycle, public transport is working very well and there is a lot of green in the city parks and trees. In Curitiba you can find longest bus working in public transportation. Also the tourist information and guidance is clearly been worked on and access to the cities sights is made easy. Also the nightlife is active and varied. Beverages are cheap in the mercadoramas ( a market) but nightlife is quite expensive with high entrance fees.
There is a lot of different restaurants in different prizes, qualities and specialties. I have enjoyed especially lanchonetes, sushi and churrascaria. Churrascaria is a kind of a buffet restaurant where is a buffet table of cheeses, fruits, salads and other starters. When starting the dining several waiters circle around the hall with a selection on wide selection of various, delicious pieces of grilled, excellent meat. My friend told me that there one will eat a lot even not hungry. Now I know why. Churrascaria is an experience worth trying!
BRAZIL!
The Federal University of Parana has been on a strike, so my classes has been delayed for 3 weeks. So I have had four weeks just to know the city and its atmosphere. After a month in Brazil I am really starting to enjoy Brazil. My street-wisdom is improving. Everyday life is starting to get easier. Also my Portuguese is improving little by little although it is still difficult. I have learned to know many people around me, found friends and hobbies. I am also learning Brazilian cities and sights. The places I would like to visit are:
Foz do Iguaçu in Parana
The capital city Brasilia
Rio De Janeiro
Amazones
Buenos Aires, the capital city of Argentina. Plans are still open.
I have already travelled to Sao Paolo with my friend for 2 days. It is the 3rd biggest megalopolis in the world with nearly 20 million inhabitants in its area. But on Thursday morning at 5 it was as quiet as any city. It is a city worth of seeing. A view from the towerhouse shows human works as long a the eye can see. It is amazing. I also enjoyed the architecture in the new center The avenue Paulista.
These are the happenings here for now. Soon I will also post pictures to cheer up this boring text!
´til next time! Ate logo!
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