One of the fun parts of reverse culture shock is constantly and suddenly realizing things about your home country you hadn't necessarily considered before, things that have become relevant to you for one reason or another.
Here are some of my mine.
Women's attire: Cleavage in Brazil is acceptable in almost all settings, except perhaps an important business meetings, though I've seen plenty of cleavage in big offices there, so who knows? Women tend to dress more formally, even just to leave the house, but showing skin is generally acceptable. Here, at least in New York and most of the urban and northern US, that's not always the case. Offices always require you cover up your boobs, and any formal or business setting imply that you not show skin. We even have an expression for it, "showing skin," as if our thighs were somehow something dirty and forbidden. I now find that I check myself before leaving the house to make sure I don't make anyone uncomfortable.
Public safety than the possibility of : I'm always on guard when I leave the house in Rio due to the many dangers the city has. So when I came back to New York, I felt relieved, as if now I could really relax. That was until one day on the train on the way to Manhattan, when I was suddenly struck with intense, cold fear. We may not have a serious homicide problem here, but terrorism is always a threat, especially on public transportation in New York City. And oddly enough, the small possibility terrorism scares me much, much more than the considerable possibility of being mugged.
Drinks to go: I really missed this while living in Rio, since people just don't consume things on the go. This was the main reason I missed Starbucks, missing the feeling of a hot drink in my hand as I walked down the street. Here, people always carry around water bottles and Nalgenes, as if there is a definite and imminent fear of them dying of thirst. You rarely see this in Brazil, unless the person is going on some sort of hike or trek.
Pedestrians flaunting wealth: In New York especially, people love showing exactly what they have even if they're just walking a few blocks: their handbags, their cell phones, their sunglasses, their jewelery, their clothes. (This, incidentally, helps make peoplewatching in New York really entertaining) In Rio, the rich love to flaunt their wealth but know better than to do it in the street, and restrict their flaunting to the privacy of their enormous homes.
Great post! You are right on. I had some of the same thoughts when I was back in the US a few weeks ago. Enjoy your trip this weekend!
Posted by: Lori | July 03, 2008 at 09:54 AM
What I find really stomach churning are people, usually females, who find it necessary to display their anus. I've had the unpleasant experience of looking up from my desk or climbing the stairs in the subway to look up and suddenly be faced with someone's butt crack at eye level. It's truly nauseating. There oughta be a law. If you want to look like a baboon in heat, do it in a club or other private venue with other similarly minded hominids.
Now in addition to airing their anuses, women are now baring their mammaries. A natural result, I suppose, of the increase in fake boob-jobs. If you're going to spend that much money on the installation of silicone sacs to your chest, then I guess you are wont to flaunt them. While I'd rather not look at their new silicone implants, it's at least 1,000 times less disgusting than encountering their anuses.
To me, all tattoos are ugly and belong only on ex-cons and merchant marines and not much else. I wouldn't propose banning them as I would ban public exposure of the anus but man, they are damned ugly. There's plenty of ugly to go around without having it tattooed on your skin. Not to mention, the new overly tight shirts which are now are being sold to all of us, regardless of our weight or age, which outline the countless fat rolls of our big, fat American bodies. Ugh.
Posted by: Bel Gazou | July 06, 2008 at 10:18 PM