A Paradigm Shift

As always, I have to apologize for the delay in posts. It seems that the longer I live in Brazil, the more I get accustomed to a the very relaxed culture where urgency isn't exactly a top priority. Plus, it's summer time so cut me some slack! There are a few distractions to say the least. Haha. With that being said, I'm glad I am finally taking the chance to sit down to think and write a little something....

As I sit on my patio writing this, I can't help but think about how much the world is changing as a result of the global crisis. When I decided to pack up and move to Brazil, things were still relatively fine back in the US. The banks were still intact, the markets were volatile but not dire, and the housing market was still holding on. I know there were a handful of doubters who thought I must have been crazy to do what I was doing because I was leaving a great job and what you might have perceived was a good path to happiness (whatever that may have meant at the time). As it stands now, I think there has been a dramatic paradigm shift. I can't look at the status updates on my Facebook without seeing that another person was laid off. It really bums me out because I think losing your job is an incredibly unfortunate situation. From my perspective, what I have seen is that this has affected people very dramatically because suddenly people are realizing that jobs aren't guaranteed and that any day a good job can disappear. What does this mean exactly? I guess that's tough to say because it depends on the person. However, what I have seen first hand is many, many people saying, "Screw this. I don't need this and I'm going to make myself happy." I get at least 3-4 emails per week from people around the globe (usually friends of friends or someone who came across this blog) who have decided that they are going to move to a foreign country (obviously most are reaching out because they want to live in Floripa) and want some advice on how to go about it. For the first nine months I lived here, I probably received just a couple emails about this so certainly I can see how much things have changed in the past few months. I think a lot of people have realized how vulnerable their jobs and lives can really be. You can dedicate yourself to a company, work your ass off for it for years, plan your whole future based your job, and then come in one day to find out that you are expendable. It's definitely a shame because the last thing I want to see is someone's security being pulled out from under them. However, it happens and you have to find a way to deal with it, and it seems that everyone has decided that Floripa is the solution. Herein lies the dilemma.

Floripa is an incredibly beautiful and special place, and I always want to protect that. That last thing I want is for Floripa to lose its charm by being overrun for foreigners, but at the same time, it's tough to be selfish about it because I don't want to be a hypocrite since I am already a foreigner living here. The one thing I do tell people is that this place is not easy to find work. Between the language barrier, the work visa issues, and just the overall job market here, there are a lot of big obstacles. However, as with any emerging country, there is still plenty of opportunity if you are willing to be creative. Just don't expect to get off the plane and start working. If that's what you are looking for, then this is not the place. It takes time to get accustomed to the way things work and to do all of the things that you need to do before opening a business or whatever is you are looking to do. And if you need any advice, please feel free to reach out to me. I will be starting Packard Consulting Co. ASAP!

The most important things when coming to Brazil, whether it be to live here or just for a visit, is to have a very open mind, be patient, and be respectful. Anyone with this kind of attitude will enjoy Brazil (and any other foreign country for that matter) much, much more. I have had such a blast meeting all of the people that have come through, and it seems that the large majority of them have the right attitude (although unfortunately there are always exceptions to everything - the self proclaimed "Hebrew Hurricane" definitely takes the cake). The right attitude takes you far any place but even more so here because Brazilians are so open and warm that it's important to be the same way. On that note, I received a good email today regarding Brazilians. I did not write this so I can't take credit for it but I wanted to pass it on because I thought it was pretty accurate....

Brazilian Friendship and Hospitality

"Humans are in many ways the same the world over. I have lived several months to more than a year in a dozen or so countries and have visited a few dozen more. While sweeping generalizations can inaccurately portray the people of one nation, I have found that people can have “tendencies” to congregate around certain behavior and characteristic traits that change from nation to nation. These characteristics will also change within the borders of a nation from place to place."

Having appropriate qualified what I am about to say, - Brazilians tend to:

Be extremely kind and generous.
Make great friends.
Embrace and welcome foreigners into their homes and circle of friends.
Be at ease with themselves and those around them.
Seek a spiritual (not necessarily religious) community of like-minded people.
Place a higher priority on quality of life than they do on quality of work.
Place less importance on material wealth and consumption.
Seek peaceful solutions to conflict.
Be respectful of the rights and differences of others.
Exhibit patience in situations that would bring others to rage.
Be more likely to gather socially to celebrate whatever occasion they can muster up for celebration.
Celebrate sexuality and sexual expression more so than people of other nations.
Very fond and knowledgeable of music.
Love the beach and go to great lengths to spend time there.
Smile often, - they have beautiful, healthy smiles.