Living in Brazil

One of my friends from Rio sent me this yesterday:

Man. Something bizarre happened yesterday.  I went on my run yesterday around Lagoa.  It was a little rainy and there weren’t many people out.  As I got around Ipanema, I saw a kid riding a bike.  Didn’t think much about it.  Then about 5 minutes later, I saw the same kid riding by me.  Naaa.  Can’t be the same kid.  Then quickly, he tried to grab my gold chain.  He broke it, but he didn’t get it.  I was pissed.  Then I turned around and yelled for everyone to stop him.  Several people tried but there were two few people since it was rainy.  I kept running, and saw the police.  I told them what happened, and he said.  No worries, we already got him.  I’m thinking, that is impossible because it happened less than 3 minutes ago.  That cop was really lazy, so I just finished my run, but I was mad.

Crazy.  My buddy is out for a run in the daytime, and a kid tries a grab and dash with his gold chain.

Let me relate a few more instances of how some crimes have occurred, as related directly to me by friends.

Another friend in Rio was out with his girlfriend in broad daylight in Copacabana.  They were surrounded by a gang of kids — preteens or young teenagers — who grabbed for whatever they could reach like necklaces.  He literally was swinging at punching at kids at 2pm in the afternoon.

Another friend in Rio was walking down the street and a couple of guys walked up behind him and quickly reached in his pockets, grabbing what they could, and ran off.  He cursed at them in Portuguese and they apparently dropped his stuff, saying that they thought he was a tourist.

A friend of mine here in Porto Alegre went downtown to shop in the crowded public market.  He was surrounded by three guys, one of whom had something hard pressed into his side.  They rifled through his pockets and took all his money, middle of the day, middle of a crowd.  They gave back his keys when he asked them, too, but they kept everything else.

Another friend in Porto Alegre has a beach house.  He keeps very little of value there because in the off-season sometimes entire houses will be stripped.  Guys will show up with moving trucks, break in, and take everything.  In his case, they didn’t do that.  Just took the gas tank outside.  He replaced it and put a chain on it.  A month later, they stole it again, cutting the chain.  He then invested in some serious security to keep it safe, just pissed off about the whole situation.

Another friend in Porto Alegre, he got mugged at 2AM in the park by a guy.  That was just asking for it.  It was his first and only time to get mugged, until the very next day on the bus!  The robber in that instance couldn’t believe that he had nothing, but he’d had everything stolen already.

I was in a tattoo parlor in Rio when someone ran in, 5pm, and said a woman had just had her purse snatched outside.  I was in a rental agency in Porto Alegre in the middle of the afternoon when an HSBC bank was robbed — they caught one of the men but the others got away.

I have walked too many streets of Copacabana by myself late at night, never having a problem.  I don’t think crime is common in Brazil — not more so than many large American cities, but it does happen and the odds are high that it will catch you if you frequent the wrong places at the wrong times often enough, and broad daylight isn’t completely safe for sure.  I’ve met people in Porto Alegre and Rio who have never been victimized, living in these cities for decades.

I need to be wiser with what I take with me when I go out and how I carry it.  I’ve already switched my wallet from back pocket to front, and I always make sure I keep some money in more than one pocket.  Really though, I probably shouldn’t be carrying a wallet at all.  I’ve only had a couple of occasions when I felt threatened (one here recently in Porto Alegre walking with a friend at night, with a suspicious guy that got a little too close).

Common sense rules to follow when possible.  Don’t carry your passport, but rather a copy (notarized to be completely legal).  Carry only the money or other items you really need, preferably spread out among different pockets.  Don’t walk alone, especially at night, if you can help it.  Taxis aren’t that expensive.  Keep your eyes open, pay attention, and don’t be too proud to cross the street or even run if you feel uncomfortable.  Don’t flash your expensive goods around, and, in fact, dress down when possible.  Carry the expensive camera equipment in a cheap bag and only take it out when you’re ready to use it.

Criminals really do look for easy scores.  If you can avoid looking like one, your chances of being a victim go down significantly, although they never vanish.  I’ve gotten away with doing some stupid things.  It’s really not as dangerous as it is walking through the graveyards of Sunnydale, but why gamble when you’re only playing to lose?

I am an American Astronomy professor from Wyoming who has moved to Porto Alegre, Brazil to do research with collaborators.  I am also a published science fiction novelist.  I blog at www.mikebrotherton.com about science and science fiction.  Here I will blog about being an American learning to live in Brazil and other issues involving long-term international travel.

I’ve traveled to Brazil a number of times before, but never for the long-term.  I’ll be posting about visas, atms, shopping malls, movie theaters, cell phones, skype, slingboxes, apartments, flats, buses, taxis, fashion, weather, and more.  I’ll try to stay practical and give first-hand information whenever possible.

I already have some other posts on my other blog pertinent to this topic:

Learning a Language with Rosetta Stone.  Here I discuss using this popular software to learn Portuguese and compare it to Pimsleur lessons.  I’ll have more posts about learning Portuguese in different ways in the near future.

Crime in Brazil.  A couple of incidents from a trip in May.  I’ll discuss this one in the near future, too, with tips on how to avoid it.  Mostly common sense, but some specific examples of crimes here, too, from talking with my friends here.

Please be encouraged to comment and ask questions if I haven’t been clear enough.  I’m hoping this will be a handy resource for people.  I benefited a lot from talking with other Americans who have lived here and abroad in other places.

Please enjoy, and welcome to Brazil!