Reality Check: Life in Brazil through the eyes of a foreigner is an observation of life in modern Brazil. Mark Hillary is a British writer who moved to Brazil in 2010, bought a home, started a company, and has experienced the difficulties of navigating the legendary Brazilian bureaucracy as well as the joys of life with Brazilian people in a land of sport, sun, and endless beaches.
The book covers a range of issues from the difficulties of finding new friends, using a new language, finding a job, and the fast-changing society in Brazil that has resulted in extensive street protests during 2013. It is an observation on modern life in Brazil for anyone planning on living, working, or just visiting the country.
Sections in the book include:
1. Why Move to Brazil?
2. Sorting the basics
3. Handling the language barrier
4. Finding a Home
5. The jobs market
6. A whole load of holidays
7. Getting around in Brazil
8. The health system in Brazil
9. Let’s go shopping
10. A nation paranoid about security
11. The Brazilian climate
12. Going out in Brazil
13. We are not in Kansas anymore
14. Rebuilding your social life in Brazil
15. The 2013 Troubles: Should we be concerned about Brazil?
16. Conclusion & Final Thoughts
17. Appendix: The HuffPo Articles
18. Further Discussion
This book features a foreword by Richard Turner, the UK Deputy Consul General in São Paulo and Deputy Director of UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) Brazil.
Extract from the foreword by Richard Turner:
"This book is a series of Mark’s observations on the realities of living and working in Brazil during this period of rapid change.
Mark has started a Brazilian company, employed local people, bought a house, married a paulistana, and lived in both the big city and the Brazilian countryside. He has often worked on projects for the British Consulate to help promote the UK in Brazil. All of these experiences are captured in the book in a way that is easy to read and yet with an insight into the difficulties of negotiating the legendary Brazilian bureaucracy.
Mark’s book is practical and very perceptive. If I had read something like this before I arrived for the first time then some of his insights would have helped me on my own journey to settling down in this enormous country. I strongly recommend putting a couple of hours aside to read this book if you are thinking about investing in or moving to Brazil."
Extract from the preface to the book:
"What you will find contained here are my thoughts on what daily life is like for a foreigner based in Brazil. What is different about this enormous nation? What is important to know before you make the decision to move here?
From what I have observed in my time here, much of the ‘foreigner-in-a-strange-land’ literature in books or blogs is focused on how much the author hates their new home or how to see 128 tourist destinations in 10 days. I’m not backpacking around Brazil; I’m living and working here, running my own company and taking my dog for a walk every morning.
I hope this book gives some insight for people from other countries that might be considering a move to Brazil, or even if you just have an interest in a foreigner’s perspective of the country. You might be watching the FIFA World Cup in 2014 and just wondering what it’s actually like in Brazil – beyond the stereotypical images of football on the beach.
If I can throw some light onto the reality of life in Brazil for foreign visitors and residents then this exercise will have been worthwhile."
The book covers a range of issues from the difficulties of finding new friends, using a new language, finding a job, and the fast-changing society in Brazil that has resulted in extensive street protests during 2013. It is an observation on modern life in Brazil for anyone planning on living, working, or just visiting the country.
Sections in the book include:
1. Why Move to Brazil?
2. Sorting the basics
3. Handling the language barrier
4. Finding a Home
5. The jobs market
6. A whole load of holidays
7. Getting around in Brazil
8. The health system in Brazil
9. Let’s go shopping
10. A nation paranoid about security
11. The Brazilian climate
12. Going out in Brazil
13. We are not in Kansas anymore
14. Rebuilding your social life in Brazil
15. The 2013 Troubles: Should we be concerned about Brazil?
16. Conclusion & Final Thoughts
17. Appendix: The HuffPo Articles
18. Further Discussion
This book features a foreword by Richard Turner, the UK Deputy Consul General in São Paulo and Deputy Director of UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) Brazil.
Extract from the foreword by Richard Turner:
"This book is a series of Mark’s observations on the realities of living and working in Brazil during this period of rapid change.
Mark has started a Brazilian company, employed local people, bought a house, married a paulistana, and lived in both the big city and the Brazilian countryside. He has often worked on projects for the British Consulate to help promote the UK in Brazil. All of these experiences are captured in the book in a way that is easy to read and yet with an insight into the difficulties of negotiating the legendary Brazilian bureaucracy.
Mark’s book is practical and very perceptive. If I had read something like this before I arrived for the first time then some of his insights would have helped me on my own journey to settling down in this enormous country. I strongly recommend putting a couple of hours aside to read this book if you are thinking about investing in or moving to Brazil."
Extract from the preface to the book:
"What you will find contained here are my thoughts on what daily life is like for a foreigner based in Brazil. What is different about this enormous nation? What is important to know before you make the decision to move here?
From what I have observed in my time here, much of the ‘foreigner-in-a-strange-land’ literature in books or blogs is focused on how much the author hates their new home or how to see 128 tourist destinations in 10 days. I’m not backpacking around Brazil; I’m living and working here, running my own company and taking my dog for a walk every morning.
I hope this book gives some insight for people from other countries that might be considering a move to Brazil, or even if you just have an interest in a foreigner’s perspective of the country. You might be watching the FIFA World Cup in 2014 and just wondering what it’s actually like in Brazil – beyond the stereotypical images of football on the beach.
If I can throw some light onto the reality of life in Brazil for foreign visitors and residents then this exercise will have been worthwhile."
