Your neighbours in Brazil

Well, I do have a good story. In the light of so much mumbling about crime in Brazil and the Brazilian population I have a good story.  My Brazilian wife and I live in a very small village of 2,500 in North Eastern Brazil. Yesterday in a rush to meet my wife before she left the house i rapidly crossed the street from the park to our house and in the process dropped my I Phone 12. My wife and several of our neighbors helped me look for it. As this was happening another neighbor came by and said she found it in the street. Very Happy to have it found and glad to know I have such good neighbors.

Roddie in Retirement

P.S. I am the only American for miles away and unless I open my mouth no one knows. Lots of people know me now because of my wife who is extremely

        popular in the village.

This is a nice thought to ponder and I have to say that I have been very fortunate that most of my neighbors in three diverse settings (large southeastern city, medium northeastern interior city, rural northeastern hamlet).

I also know the horror stories: the neighbors with the all-night-long parties; the "wall-of-sound" neighbor who likes to "share" his/her music with the world; the careless neighbor that lets trash accumulate and mosquitos breed in their neglected yards; the neighbor that purposely takes their dog for morning walks to poop on your piece of street-front. Most everybody can relate to the problems that neighbors can create and it is understandable the flight into tall security rich buildings or walled communities sporting strict condominium regulations.

That said and in recognition of the wonderful good (yet sometimes bad) neighbors from my hometown in Wisconsin, some of my best neighbor interactions have occurred here in Brazil and in all three settings (stated above). Many factors are in play in relations that neighbors have. While in some cases stable economic conditions (people with money) can lead to harmonious relationships I have also seen the reverse be true (expectations to conform to unrealistic or fabricated attitudes). Communities of impoverished show both the misery and desperation of some and yet have also shown me the character of creativity and cooperation to overcome those challenges that poverty causes.

Being able to experience Brazilian cultural "neighborliness" as contrasted to what I experienced back home has been a rich experience and while both cultures offer different attributes I would be hard pressed to choose one over the other.

mberigan

As I live in a multi-story apartment condo, I do not know my neighbours.........just my porteiros.

Got lots of local friends though from the city.

@mberigan They are not neighbors but they will come by your house. Our house is on the main street / highway of a small village and we often have the truck with speakers loaded on the back playing music or advertising or the one with the car offering it in the Brazilian Lottery.

Roddie in Retirement

I live in a very calm neighborhood where each one just goes on with their own lives and just have small talks when running into neighbors. However, when being introduced to one it would spread around that there is a foreigner nearby and would be glad meeting and inviting you to their homes to have afternoon coffee and some parties with them. They are very welcoming and friendly. As well, there was a moment when I was visited by some city hall's staffs asking if there was support or assistance I need.

It goes hand in hand if you would like to build relationship with them, need to have the initiative as well and Brazilians are easy to approach anyway.

    I live in a very calm neighborhood where each one just goes on with their own lives and just have small talks when running into neighbors.
   
    -@Elleza11

Let me share a funny story. I am a very handy kind of guy, I can build or repair anything. I have built several homes from scratch and started life out as a tool and die maker and welding instructor. But, in Brazil, I lead a very calm, quiet life.  I speak almost no Portuguese living only half-time in Brazil. When in Brazil, I love to drive, to see new places, but I do have two home base apartments.   

Anywhere I go, it only takes a few days before people I cannot even speak with are asking me to do their honey-do chores. From working on their cars and motorcycles to hanging shelves, painting rooms, changing faucets, repairing heated shower heads.. whatever, for people I cannot ever speak with. I must have the word "Handyman" tattooed on my forehead. I've gotten more free BBQ's that way.

One of the really cool things about living in a big city, is that you can literally locate someone, who knows how to do something, tomorrow at 900AM......wiithin a 3-4 block walk of where I live.

A "centro do bicos."

Our doormen are the ones I ask first, because, every apartment building (ours has 40 suites) will sometimes have a person doing whatever it is you want, out of their place for cash.

Our doormen are the ones I ask first, because. every apartment building (ours has 40 suites) will sometimes have a person doing whatever it is you want out of their place.
   

    -@Gasparzinho 777

Oh yes, good doorman are great! Always tip them at Christmas

In Rio they expect an envelope. They have an open book with the names and R$ amount on their desk. So, you can see who gave what. It's the 14th salario kkkkkkkkkk

We usually toss R$1,000........3 doormen.....40 suites......if everyone gave R$500 that's an easy R$7,000 + your 13th salary on top if it per person.

Well my Brasilian neighbors back in 1990 at Caioba Bch. In a triple sobrado I purchased a retirement unit for a future  beach life as I was in my 30's then with my girlfriend then my neighbors two of them wanted to do a business with me and I felt they were trying to exploit me and my fria enamorada de Curitiba wasn't liked by my two neighbors either.

I met my wonderful warm loving wife four years later and sold my sobrado and moved to Floripa and all my neighbors in our complexo in our coberturas kind of clickish but friendly and very nice to us and our best and great neighbors are in Gravatal águas termales where we live between both residences.

I live in one of  48 3-bedroom apartments in a secure 12-floor building. We have 2 elevators,  the "social" and the 'serviço " . Dogs and deliveries are consigned to the serviço,  but anyone can use it.  My dog has been my key to meeting neighbors, both in the elevator and on the streets of the neighborhood, during our twice- daily walks.  I'm the only expat in the neighborhood and one of VERY few in the city (pop. ~260,000). I have a couple of good friends in the building, and a couple of others whose names I know.   Almost all the others I know by sight and we always exchange greetings, sometimes brief conversations, when we meet.  I dare say a majority of them know MY name.  My  main social group, however, comprises my pickleball friends.