Living in Rio

A Real-Life Guide to Living in Rio de Janeiro
By Tom Glaister, Freelance Writer

There are few more alluring places to go and live than Rio de Janeiro. La cidade de Maravilha (the Marvelous city) is famous for being the party capital of the world and draws more tourism than just about anywhere.

And that’s the problem. There’s so much hype about carnival, the girls on the beach and the national obsession with football that it’s hard to really understand what’s going on. If you’re going to live here you need to get past these clichés and get to grips with the reality of life in Rio de Janeiro.

The Language

To begin with you need to learn Portuguese. This is a good deal easier than Spanish and there are many excellent language schools in Rio. Once you begin to pick up some of the lingo then you’ll be able to hit the nightlife downtown where few people speak English.

Learning Portuguese is also an excellent way of not appearing like the usual
gringo in Brazil. When you take one step towards the Brazilians then they will take two steps towards you! To live in Rio you need to think like a local and that means more than just wearing skimpy swim suits to the beach.

Accommodations

To find an apartment you can either walk around the neighborhood you want to live in and ask around or else you can check the classifieds in the many Rio newspapers – Get a Brazilian friend to help you translate.

To live near the famous beach of Ipanema you’ll probably pay around $200-300 a month and it’s a safe and clean place to live. It’s cheaper ($100-200) in the nearby Copacabana but things are sleazier there as you’re in the tourist red light district. If you feel really streetwise then you can live in downtown Lapa or Flamengo but you will really need your wits about you...

Beaches

The most beautiful beaches are all near the South zone of the city. Here the most beautiful bodies in the city come to show off in the sun and it’s the closest thing you’re ever likely to see to Bikini Heaven. The beaches are not very safe at night however, and you should never leave your belongings without someone else watching them.

Safety

Rio de Janeiro can be a dangerous city as the drug traffickers battle it out with the military police in the favelas. The latter are community slums perched on the hilltops and supply most of the cocaine to be found in the city. They are not safe to enter alone but you may take a favela tour with a professional guide and experience a whole other side to living in Rio de Janeiro.

Tales of mugging and violence in Rio are abundant but generally no one here has any interest in harming you. The Brazilians are genuinely one of the friendliest people in the world and the street crime that exists stems only from poverty and drug addiction. If someone holds you up they only want your money. You give it to them and they leave. It’s as simple as that.

The main thing is to avoid the situation in the first place. Don’t walk around with expensive jewelry or Rolex watches and you don’t go strolling down dark streets at night. You’ re best off taking taxis when coming back from a night out but if you do walk then move with attitude and stay away from shadowy doorways where someone could be hiding. Above all, don’t walk home drunk as you’re an easy target that way.

Nightlife

Making friends in Rio de Janeiro can take time; it’s easy to meet people and strike up conversations but the people here are famous for their fickle nature. ‘I’ll call you!’ they say. But they don’t even have your phone number. Still, it’s easy enough to go out and make a whole bunch of new friends for the night. Just don’t expect them to remember your name the next day.

In the bars of Ipanema and Leblon such as the Irish Pub you’ll tend to meet the more privileged Brazilians who speak English and have traveled abroad. A more bohemian set can be found in the downtown Lapa street parties – ask the taxi driver to take you to Lapa after 10pm on the weekend and you’ll be in for a wild time.

Many people who come here may have expectations of wild love affairs with the Brazilians who are amongst the most beautiful people in the world. You may well find love in Brazil but beware no one is taking advantage of you. The prostitutes in particular can be very Machiavellian and are best avoided. There are plenty of other girls and guys who will see a relationship with a gringo as something exotic. (In Brazil, all foreigners are gringos!)

Although Rio has a fair deal of wealth there are also stark contrasts with the poverty and it can be a challenging place to live. Some things here meet the standards of first world countries whilst others bear more resemblance to the developing world. Leave your prejudices at home and make the effort to think and live like a local.

And maybe then you’d never want to leave.

Useful Websites

Language Schools
http://www.amerispan.com/language_schools/Brazil/Rio_de_Janeiro/3543language

Accommodations
http://classificados.oglobo.com.br/

Favela Tours
http://www.anythinginrio.com

The Irish Pub
www.theirishpubrio.com

General Information
http://www.gringoguides.com/brazil.shtml

Tom’s Website
http://www.roadjunky.com/brazil/guide_brazil.shtml