Here, hugs and kisses are common greetings and send-offs. For the most part, it doesn't matter how well you know the person (first-time meeting or BFF) or how brief your encounter is (even a 30-second conversation between the hi and bye), it will warrant a kiss on the cheek for females and a hug for males. The formality of the relationship is also irrelevant to this social norm. My obgyn (a woman) kisses me hello and goodbye at each prenatal visit, though I suppose she does know me well. Professors and students hug and kiss if they run into each other on campus.
You should also write and say it. Females sign emails and text messages with "kisses" and males with "hugs," in lieu of "sincerely" or just "goodbye."
And, if the person is not present to accept the kiss or hug, it's verbalized. For example, my tough-as-nails pilates instructor (a male, who also knows Geoff), will tell me to pass on a hug to my husband for him. I laugh every time. Ok, drill sergeant, will do.
Like a native: We've been here for 10 months now and the switch has flipped for Eri, 3. She speaks Portuguese like a champ. It really is amazing to see her in action, not to mention pretty adorable. To hear her converse, we like to linger at drop-off and pick-up at her preschool, which is all-Portuguese except for the few hours a week of English class that I'm pretty sure she could teach. Interestingly, she switches easily between the two languages without confusion or hesitation. She replies to whatever language is spoken to her, and is aware of the difference. She often asks how to say a word or the name of an object in Portuguese.
English is tough, too: I have lost count of the number of Brazilians who have asked me about the difference in pronunciation of "sheet" and "shit," which are difficult vowel sounds for the non-native tongue. This seriously comes up a lot. Brazilians are extremely worried about asking for a shit of paper or shits for the bed on their next trip to the United States.
Never a rush: Living here and fully integrating into the culture (i.e. we don't live on a military base and we all attend schools with Brazilians), makes you realize a lot about your own country. Americans are always in a hurry, always multi-tasking, always off to the next whatever. Here, life is more calm. When a class at the university ends, no one bolts for the door. The students and professor hang around, chat and leave whenever. During lunch time, everyone sits down and just eats, no working through the mealtime or running errands. And when lunch is a social engagement at someone's home, it is a five-hour commitment by the time the meal is served, followed by a walk, more conversation, dessert, coffee and more conversation. Then the host asks why we are leaving so early. Well, because it's dinner time.
A few pics:
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| Ahhh, life is pretty good here. |
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| One little girl on the back; one little boy inside the front. Happiness. |
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| My two favorite things in Brazil. |
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| Eri at our favorite pizza restaurant. |
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| Only in Brazil! We saw this sign on a jet boat docked at the lake in Florianopolis. |
