Ironies and Absurdities...
So far, Sao Paulo has been a place where ironies and absurdities happily co-exist together. For instance, I find it ironic that on the surface the people here are overtly friendly, giving you kisses the first time they meet you, inviting you to coffee or lunch, and then they never follow through. After a few weeks of this, I have learned not to have any expectations based on what someone here tells me. I believe their intentions are good, but their follow through? Not so much.
Similarly, the absurdities of life here leave me mostly laughing and sometimes frustrated. If we begin the process of my permanent visa here in Brazil, it will take 18 months for me to get it. If we begin it in the U.S., it will take 2 months for me to get it. Good for me – that means I’ll be returning to the U.S. sooner than expected to get my visa! To be able to drive a company car here, I have to take and pass a defensive driving course that is only offered in Portuguese. I went to the course this week, and I felt I only understood about 50% of what was said. Fortunately I somehow still passed the practical exam, which means I technically am able to drive now.
Bureaucracy is entrenched in society here – for instance, you can do nothing without your Brazilian social security number (which I don’t have yet). I can’t use a credit card, can’t write checks, etc., until I receive it, which due to the bureaucracy, may be many months. This bureaucracy essentially means that nothing is easy or fast here. I mean nothing. Whatever you want to do, the answer you get is, “It’s complicated. It takes time.” There is a process, and I can guarantee you there are many people whose jobs depend on this process and therefore it’s not going to change.
Luckily, except for wanting to teach Nia and Zumba here, I am not really in a hurry for anything. My husband and I were here for a week before we jointly decided to surrender to the machine rather than fight it. Tired of feeling frustrated and getting nowhere, we decided to make caipirinhas instead and sit on the terrace, picturing where our swimming pool will be someday. Hopefully before we leave…
Similarly, the absurdities of life here leave me mostly laughing and sometimes frustrated. If we begin the process of my permanent visa here in Brazil, it will take 18 months for me to get it. If we begin it in the U.S., it will take 2 months for me to get it. Good for me – that means I’ll be returning to the U.S. sooner than expected to get my visa! To be able to drive a company car here, I have to take and pass a defensive driving course that is only offered in Portuguese. I went to the course this week, and I felt I only understood about 50% of what was said. Fortunately I somehow still passed the practical exam, which means I technically am able to drive now.
Bureaucracy is entrenched in society here – for instance, you can do nothing without your Brazilian social security number (which I don’t have yet). I can’t use a credit card, can’t write checks, etc., until I receive it, which due to the bureaucracy, may be many months. This bureaucracy essentially means that nothing is easy or fast here. I mean nothing. Whatever you want to do, the answer you get is, “It’s complicated. It takes time.” There is a process, and I can guarantee you there are many people whose jobs depend on this process and therefore it’s not going to change.
Luckily, except for wanting to teach Nia and Zumba here, I am not really in a hurry for anything. My husband and I were here for a week before we jointly decided to surrender to the machine rather than fight it. Tired of feeling frustrated and getting nowhere, we decided to make caipirinhas instead and sit on the terrace, picturing where our swimming pool will be someday. Hopefully before we leave…
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