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Hello Rio Gringa readers!

I'd like to hear from you! Let me know:

1. Where you're from

2. Why you're interested in the blog

3. Your connection to Brazil.

Rio Gringa's readers come from all over the US, Canada, the UK, and Brazil, as well as Europe, Australia, Asia, and Latin America, with a sprinkling of readers in Africa and the Middle East.

Comments

[Ze do Charuto]

HA!

I'm the guy from Venezuela! I'm actually a gringo, working at an American school. I've lived in Rio, and am married to a Brazilian. Next year we'll be headed back to Brazil. Your blog is great, and it's true, I drop by every day!

[Ty]

Oi Gringa,

I really enjoy reading your blog(s). I'm from Atlanta, Georgia and considering moving to Rio. Keep up the good work.

[Alexandre]

Hello

Very nice blog !! , i just stumbled here after looking some sites and i loved it. I couldnt stop looking each post :P

As a brazilian im really happy that you are enjoying being here :)

Im from São Paulo

Abração

[John Hemmeter]

I have visited Rio six times, and plan to come back often. I am from Knoxville Tennessee. I enjoy reading your blog.

[Victor]

Hi Rachel, my name is Victor and I’m from Recife (where apparently you have being). I lived in America for about a year couple years back(as an exchange student), in a small town called Dothan, Alabama. Since then, a growing desire of living abroad has grown inside of me. I’m planning to expend some time in Canada or Nederland as soon as I graduate, what would be about seven months from now.

[Ingve Roren]

Hi gringa.

Just discovered your Blog by accident. I don't even remember what I was actually googling for.
Anyway It's pretty cool and have given me quite a few good laughs allready.
I'm Norwegian, 29, and have stayed in Rio (Niteroi) Brazil (working offshore) since 2003. I allready married a carioca and we have 2 kids.
During my five years or so here, I have seen all the faces of this City, believe me, good and bad. I'll for sure miss it if we decide to move up to the cold (and safe) north.
Keep up the good work on your blog!

-Ingve Roren

[Henrique]

I must say your perspective of Brazil is surprisingly too Brazilian!!!

Percebe-se que você se tornou uma brasileira de coração. Apenas não fique tão paranóica com a violência e seus próprios mecanismos de segurança.

Eu sou nascido em São Paulo, mas agora moro no interior de São Paulo, em uma cidade chamada Indaiatuba. Aqui não há tanta violência, razão pela qual nos mudamos de São Paulo, além de buscarmos melhor qualidade de ar no interior.

Ontem eu tive a felicidade de ficar lendo seus "posts" e achando incrível tudo o que você escrevia... Era como se eu dissesse o tempo todo "É verdade!!!"

Parabéns, Congratulations and keep up the good work!

Henrique.

[Magdaline]

Hey Rachel, I can't tell u how I stumbled across your blog, but all I can say is wow! Seems that you and I both share a similar life story, except that I am from Australia! Although I have spent a bit of time in Brazil previously, Im about to embark on a more permanent move to Rio, and at 26 years old, with 2 degrees and a great job behind me, the same crazy thoughts are running through my head as I take a few steps backwards to be with the one I love....its funny how life turns out!! Anyway I have got to say that I love reading ur daily entries, and it is truly giving me a good insight into what I am about to get myself into! Keep up the good work, and u never know, perhaps one day we will cross paths in Rio!

[Uma Brasileira nas Arábias]

Hey there!
I have no clue how I got here, but just loved your blog.
I'm a carioca currently living in the Middle East (Bahrain). I miss Rio so much and loved to see you had something to share with us, Brazilians, that most of the times we don't see for ourselves. Thanks for sharing you experience. And please, keep us posted!
Cheers!
Paty

[Meredith]

Houston, TX over here, I love your blog! I had two hours to kill, found your blog after random searching and then read it straight for two hours! Very entertaining. :) :)

[Russell Towle]

Hello, Rachel, what a nice blog! I found you while trying to discover just what this word "botafogo" means, inasmuch as it arose in a poem by Vinícius de Moraes, and all I can say so far is that it seems to have something to do with soccer, and it may be the name of a famous soccer team.

The poem, incidentally, was "Olhe Aqui, Mr. Buster," very amusing and incisive.

You are amazing, I admire you!

[Ann-Christin Brause]

Oi Rachel,
I am from Germany but I will come to the BST in September to work there like you do. Everything sounds so maravilhoso.
Please write me. I would like to get some information and talk to you about the project and so on.

[Flavia]

Hello Rachel,

Your blog is great, very informative and interesting. I'm brazilian living abroad (lived in the US, now living in London with my family) and it's fun to read what people living in Brasil think of my country.

All the best and I'll keep coming back!

Boa Sorte no seu futuro no Brasil!

Abracos, Flavia

[David Pittle]

Wow. If that's your photo, you even look Brasileira. From Northern California by way of Texas, Japan, Brazil, Mexico, NYC, and a whole lot of other places. My Carioca daughter (35) keeps me on track and her Brasiliera friends keep me surrounded in estrogen and Portuguese overload.

[Marcelo Reis]

Well, I am liking the site a lot. It is interesting to me to see some of the things that I am kind of accostumed through another person's eyes. So, this means that I am from Rio and, actually, I continue living here. It is good to have some subjects discussed with a person who has a different perspective. There are lots of things here to be ashamed of, but it is a proud to see that the positive things that exist here are being known worldwide through this site. I noticed some values that are "typical" brazilian (although not only brazilian), which, some, are quite beautiful (that's the word). I don't know how you find time to write here, but I hope it continue this way!

[Chester Wallace]

Hi Rachel,

Thanks for making this site. I enjoy this blog so much because it tells first hand from someone who speaks English about the beautiful country of Brazil. I have been a fan and performer of Samba and Bossa Nova since college (which has been 15 years now). I teach piano for a living in Atlanta, Georgia and play Brazilian music on piano and guitar with Portuguese lyrics. I have been learning Portuguese a little at a time and have pretty much learned the songs phonetically. Tom Jobim has been a major inspiration in my life concerning music. From Samba I have studied and branched out on other Brazilian music and love the wonderful singer Elis Regina. To me she was the greatest singer in the world and was so diverse and talented. It's a shame she was taken from us at such a young age. I'm starting to enjoy learning about the culture and wish to visit sometime. Thanks for your stories!

Chester

[Susan]

Hi Rachel, I enjoy reading your blog. I lived in Belo Horizonte for 6 months this year and loved every minute of it. I am soaking up anything I can read about Brasil and how foreigners view the country and people.
AND I lived in Moose Jaw for 10 years in my youth!

[ads]

Olá Rachel, I'm Portuguese, living in Venezuela for many years now. Latin America is something special, huh? I really like your blog, I'll be visiting a lot.
Muita sorte. Beijos.

[Flavia Brandao]

Hi Rachel, wow girl, I just loved ur blog!
I'm brazilian from São José dos Campos, about 90km far from São Paulo but I am living in Australia with my australian husband and I just found out ur blog amazing, since helps me heaps to explain to him about Brazil... Serioulsy, I have to thank you, now it's a bit easier to explain to him my obsession about cleaning the house with desinfectant, my 2 showers per day and why I carry my tooth brush with me to work. All my co-workers go crazy and ask me why I brush my teeth after lunch in the office... I just answer: it's how we do in Brazil! And they get all confused! lol...
And yes, I do hate when people come to talk with me in spanish, for God's sake!
I have a british friend that told me today: "my friend went to Rio de Janeiro to learn spanish, Flavia!" and I answered him back: "well, sorry to inform but he wasted his trip!" Fala sério!
=]

[Wagner]

Hi!
I found your blog on Yahoo's site. Nice blog!
I'm Brazilian from Rio de Janeiro but now I'm living in Madrid.

Keep writing!
Bye

[Marcio]

Sou carioca, descobri o seu blog qndo foi anunciado no yahoo e achei bem interessante. Voltarei mais vezes.

[Linda Sugar]

Hey Rachel, I have really enjoyed your stories on Rio. I have always wanted to visit. It is nice to hear about it and see it from your eyes. I have thought we would visit each year..but we don't make it. Hopefully in the near future. I am from Western Colorado. Linda Thanks

[Eraldo Vilar]

Hi Rachel!

Como voce entende portugues, farei meus comentarios na minha lingua nativa.
Seu blog eh muito rico por causa de suas impressoes, que sao verdadeiras e
que sabem reconhecer, com justica, as coisas boas e as coisas ruins do
Brasil, sem preconceito, sem parcialidade e sem condescendencia.
Uma visao justa, afinal.
Ha muitas coisas que admiro em voces, americanos, mas ha duas qualidades
que voce tem de sobra e que admiro muito: a falta de preconceito e a capacidade
de sentir compaixao, estas virtudes tao belas quanto raras. Parabens.

E quando, voce e seu namorado, quiserem conhecer Aracaju, esta pequena capital
do Estado de Sergipe, no nordeste do Brasil, nao hesitem em nos contatar, pois
seria muito agradavel hospeda-los e mostrar um pouco desta parte do Brasil a voces
(Aracaju, Maceio, Salvador e Chapada Diamantina) não hesitem em nos contactar.

Saudacoes nordestinas

Eraldo e Sandra

[ZÉ CARIOCA]

Eu sou nativo do rio(já morei em algumas comunidades da zona sul e hoje eu moro na zona norte,rodo o rio todo).Sou iniciante nos estudos da língua inglesa e adotei seu blog como material de estudo ,porque achei interessante como é o ponto de vista de alguém "de fora"(apesar de ver como uma carioca 'desde criancinha')de coisas e fatos tão cotidiano para mim!
Continue ,por favor!(e talves se eu puder te ajudar com alguma coisa ,vai ser um prazer para mim)
see you around!

[ajoy]

I just stumbled upon your blog as I was researching travel to Brazil. I am totally in love with Brazilian music an would travel there just for that (an Ed Motta show would be a real treat!)... although there are many other things I want to experience as well like a Nos do Morro production (they have some amazing actors!). Your Blog is awesome you seem to present a more realistic portrait of Brazilians, which is refreshing. I will be contacting you when I am ready to start planning a trip to Rio!
Thanks,

AJoy