Being a foreigner in Brazil means being stared at from time to time, particularly a white foreigner like me. It can lead to encounters that are either unpleasant or humorous.
Occasionally as I was walking down the street I had men yell out to me “o alemão!” That is, “hey German!” The frequency of this sort of interaction picked up as the World Cup was approaching in 2002, as the games were heading to a finale between Brazil and Germany. Drunken Brazilian men at corner bars thought it was hilarious, for some reason, to yell “hey German!” to a random white guy. I could have been Brazilian for all they knew. It didn’t matter.
On the other hand, there are often funny or at least more lighthearted conversations. One is when I went with a friend to a local shop to buy some snacks, and the woman behind the counter stared at me with her mouth literally hanging open. She asked my friend, a Brazilian, where I was from. He laughed and said the United States, and indicated that she could talk to me directly. She then asked him, without taking her eyes off me, if I could speak Portuguese. Afterward my friend told me that for some, an American is like something from another world.
A really good memory is of the time I was waiting for a city bus, and a boy in his early teens asked me if I was Brazilian. He had a friendly way about him, and of course I wasn’t offended. I told him that no, I was in fact American. “Oh,” he replied, “we just had a group of Americans at my church last week. Americans from England, Americans from Canada, and some from the United States.” The lad thought that “American” meant “foreigner,” and when I tried to explain it to him, he seemed deeply skeptical.
Now, I’m generalizing based off of experiences in the state of Minas Gerais, and especially in Uberlandia. In more cosmopolitan cities of Brazil it’s likely foreigners don’t get stared at as much. In the south of Brazil so many are descended from Germans and Italians that it could be difficult to tell who was really foreign, until they started speaking.
Overwhelmingly through the years my experiences with Brazilians in their country have been positive. After all, I learned the language largely through self-study and practicing on store clerks and anyone who would speak to me. Most were patient, amused at this gringo trying to gain some mastery of their language. It would be hard, I think, to do the same in the United States, where everyone is in a rush and patience perpetually runs thin. Even the drunkards yelling at so-called “Germans” generally do so out of silly ignorance rather than actual malice.
Living as a foreigner in Brazil, especially as a white individual, often led to a blend of interactions ranging from the humorous misunderstandings to the occasional uncomfortable moment. Despite the odd shout of "hey German!" from locals during the World Cup fever, or the sheer astonishment at my presence in a neighborhood shop, these encounters mostly paved the way for genuine connections and learning opportunities. My journey, particularly in Uberlandia, Minas Gerais, underscored the warmth and open-heartedness of Brazilians, revealing a culture that, despite its occasional perplexity at my foreignness, welcomed me with open arms and patience as I navigated their language and customs.
Uberlândia Development Initiatives is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that promotes community development projects in Uberlândia, Brazil, focusing on at-risk youth and their families. To learn more, visit our website at udibrazil.org.