2012 | Live Inbrazil Live in Brazil

Motoboys, Brazilian Motorcycle Couriers and How to Use One

Dec 27 2012

Today, I’m going to talk about one of the craziest yet most useful things in Brazil: the Brazilian motorcycle couriers or “motoboy” as they are locally referred to.

If you’ve ever tried navigating the infamous traffic chaos of São Paulo or any other medium to large city, then you’ve seen the seemingly invincible motoboys zigzagging in and around traffic jams as if they were protected by some magical, untouchable force.

Though on the border of being clinically insane to drive a motorcycle in the city of São Paulo, these motoboys have their place and can be quite useful for getting things from point A to point B in a courier capacity.

And not too mention that they are cheap to use and can save you hours of headaches.

Let’s say that your car breaks down and that you need a new part for it, after your mechanic looks at it, you soon find out that the part you need is on the other side of the city.
You need the car right away and it will take the mechanic a few days to get the part through his traditional channels.

What do you do?

Happy Holidays from Live in Brazil!

Dec 23 2012

I would like to wish you a happy holidays and thank you for sticking around with me on this site.

I wish you tons of happiness and success and look forward to helping you out even more!

As a little (not) treat, here’s a little Kevin Gangnam style:

Update: sorry, took away the video as it was slowing the site wwaaaaayyy down! 🙂

See you around!

Bom natal,
Kevin

P.S. apparently the video won’t work on iPads or iPhones due to it being a flash video, my apologies!

Christmas in Brazil, Another Excuse for You to Party + Some Wisdom

Dec 21 2012

Imagine sitting around a warm fireplace with your loved ones, while you exchange presents and holiday treats. As you stare out the window, the snow flakes float down from the heavens.

Now, imagine throwing all of that out the window and partying until you get heat stroke, then you have the Brazilian Christmas.

In this post, you are going to get a good idea of what the real world Christmas is like in Brazil and what you should expect.

Note: this is a generalization and your personal results may vary 😉

An Introduction to Christmas in Brazil

I will never forget my first Christmas in Brazil.

Picture being on the other side of the world and in a place where new summer heat records are being set.

Where the 24^th of December is spent swimming, bbqing, hanging out and drinking cold ones while working on your tan.

Tons of hoots and hollars can be heard from the neighbors’ houses while loud party music is blaring.

Sounds like a typical Brazilian party right? Well, it pretty much is – just a huge one.

Yeah there is some history behind the , but I’m going to focus on the practical stuff here – having fun!

What to Expect During a Brazilian Christmas

Part 4: Prices for Giving Birth in Brazil

Dec 17 2012

Dreaming of giving birth in Brazil?

Today, I am going to give you a great idea of how much it costs to give birth in Brazil.

This is part 4 of The Giving Birth in Brazil Series.

When considering giving birth in Brazil, the first questions I usually get is about how much it costs.

And this was actually one of our main concerns and questions when we considered giving birth in Brazil – it is an important one!

Here is what I am going to address in this post:

How much a hospital birth costs
How much a home birth costs

And in the next post I will cover insurance options.

Let’s get this ball rolling!

Vivastreet Classifieds 101: Brazil’s Craigslist

Dec 13 2012

Classificados Brasileiros In this post, I will tell you how to use one of the least known and most powerful tools you have at your disposal – .

This will especially be beneficial if you’ve been looking for a way to find housing at Brazilian prices for free or looking for a way to advertise your English teaching.

What is Vivastreet and Why Should You Care?

Know of ?

If not, it’s the USA’s largest free classifieds site and totally free and the place to look for anything.

Well, Vivastreet is Brazil’s answer to Craigslist and the main classifieds site for Brazil.

And it is a powerful and Free tool at your disposal.

Part 3: Finding a Doctor and a Hospital to Give Birth

Dec 09 2012

Hospital Ilha in Florianópolis, one of the private hospitals we recommend.

The absolutely most important part of your pregnancy and birth in Brazil, is to make sure that you have a great Doctor or midwife that you can trust.

And along with that comes the hospital you choose. So how do you find a great doctor and hospital?

Today I am going to tell you how.

This part 3 of the Giving Birth in Brazil Series – make sure to check out the main page to catch up on earlier posts.

Time and time again, I’ve heard stories of people who think they found a great doctor to later discover that he is out to serve his own best interests.

Our experience was wonderful and I owe that to the advice I’m about to give you.

Electricity in Brazil: Outlets and a Powerful Trick to Accommodate Your Electronics

Dec 05 2012

As you can see in the photo to the right, outlets are extremely confusing and it can be tough as a foreigner to figure out how to accommodate your electronics at home.

Today I am going to break down how to most effectively make sense of the outlet jungle and give you a powerful trick in order to convert your power at home to accommodate any electronics!

As you are probably already aware, electronics in Brazil are expensive and the voltage difference from city to city can be quite a nightmare.

See this post on how to figure out what voltage is available in what areas + how to deal with power surges.

Well let’s put this nightmare to rest and figure it out!

Dec 02 2012

What is the best and safest city to give birth in, in Brazil and what about housing and logistics?

Today I am going to continue the Giving Birth in Brazil Series and lay out what I believe to be the best birthing cities in Brazil as well as give you my advice on optimal housing and logistics for your pregnancy and delivery.

Brazil is a huge country with a lot of variety, and included in the variety is hospital quality, doctoral care (which I will cover in more detail in the next post), and accessibility for a pregnant woman.

And by accessibility, I’m referring to how easy it is to get to and from the hospital and how what will allow you to be able to live as worry free as possible being pregnant.

So what is the best combination of city + housing + logistics to facilitate your pregnancy and delivery?

The Shocking Truth About Electricity in Brazil – 220v or 110v?

Nov 27 2012

Brazilian electricity Brazil From city to city, voltage varies from 110-220v and could fry your electronics when travelling if you haven’t learned what I’m about to tell you.

It’s not uncommon to arrive in a city to find out that the voltage is 110v and then to travel 1 hour north just to learn that it’s 220v in that particular city.

This is the sad and frustrating truth of the electricity situation in Brazil and on top of this, you add the element of unstable electricity due to storms and you have a quite challenging situation for your electronics.

Today, I will lay out exactly how you can find out what the voltage of a city is and what you need to know to avoid any frying of your equipment.

Part 1: Planning to Have a Baby in Brazil – What You Must Know

Nov 23 2012

What are some things you must know when planning on having a Baby in Brazil?

In Part 1 of the Giving Birth in Brazil Series, I will be covering must knows such as: Birthing in Brazil in a nutshell, being pregnant in Brazil, flying while pregnant and immigration, what kind of visa you should have.

Maybe you are currently in Brazil and the thought of giving birth there is not so foreign or maybe you aren’t in Brazil and the thought of giving birth there is very foreign?

Either way, there are some very common things that you must know in order to avoid problems and make everything as smooth as possible.

No matter what though, the most important piece of advice I can give you to start with is to keep your eyes on the goal: delivering a beautiful, healthy Brazilian baby.

If you aren’t sure why you should have a Baby in Brazil, make sure you check out the hub page for this series titled “Why Have a Baby in Brazil” – instant citizenship for the child plus permanent residency is a couple of reasons.

Birthing in Brazil in a Nutshell

In most countries, the common and preferred method of delivery is via natural birth.

I once heard a statistic claiming that up to 90% of births in Brazil are delivered via Cesarean. Wow!

Archive - 2012