Expert: Mark Eberhart - 6/18/2001

Question
Hi Mark- I will be teaching 7th graders geography this year and want it to relate to them. Any information on the culture or teens of Brazil would greatly be apprectiated. Hopefullly some day I will get to visit first hand for myself. Thank you for any information you can share. Lu

Answer
Here are some good websites and articles:

http://hs.houstonisd.org/WestburyHS/SLUMMIT/Best/Brazilian%20Girl.htm

http://www.brazzil.com/cvraug95.htm

http://www.worldpaper.com/Archivewp/1998/March98/castilho.html


My stepdaughter is 16 and from southern Brazil (porto alegre) Teenagers in Brazil are attracted to many of the same things kids are attracted to here in the states. I think that one of the MOST important things to teach your kids is that 95% of Brazilians live, work, study and hang out in well-developed cities like Rio, Sao Paulo, and others. Brazil has winter weather (even snow!) in it's southernmost states.

Contrary to popular belief, the jungle and monkeys are not a daily part of people's lives in Brazil. If you want to see this kind of thing, your best bet is to visit a zoo in Brazil. Most Brazilians have never even been to the Amazon, although the average citizen would tell you that they support protecting it. The larger cities of Brazil are VERY European and remind me of Paris and Italy.

Teenagers in Brazil have more freedom than teenagers in the US. When I lived in Brazil with my wife and stepdaughter, I would drive my stepdaughter (then 13 and 14 years old) to parties at 10 or 11:00pm, picking her up at 3 or 4:00am. She was always very trustful and studies hard even here in the US. These parties are always watched over by adults.

In Brazil (as in most south american countries) it is not a big deal to have a maid in your house 8 hours/day). For about $100/month, anyone can afford to have a maid there. And these maids are quite happy to have their jobs, $100 may not be much in the United States, but remember that your money goes MUCH farther in Brazil. Having a maid in Brazil is along the same lines as having a washing machine and dishwasher here in the US. This is to say thta anyone who has a disahwasher and/or washing machine here in the US would have a maid in Brazil.

Teenagers in Brazil love listening to the same music we have here in the US, but even have GREAT music that is geared JUST for them. There are HUGE parties at most beaches in the summer with music festivals that are geared towards teenagers.

Soccer is followed closely as is american basketball. Brazil has some of the best Atlantic coast surfing anywhere and MANY global competitions are held there every year. Surfing, skating and other activities like soccer are what make for a "cool" teenager.

Shopping malls are ALL OVER Brazil and seem to be a VERY popular destination for teenagers there as well.

Hope this helps ;)

-Mark