Final Reflections from Brazil

Location: Brazil

Time: Tuesday, November 2, 2011

In Portuguese, the word “saudade” is unique in that there is no direct equivalent of this word in English. However, the renowned, extremely accurate Wikipedia attempts to explain saudade in the following way:

“Saudade describes a deep emotional state of nostalgic longing for something or someone that one loves and which is apart. It often carries a repressed knowledge that the object of longing might never return.”

As I spend my last afternoon in São Paulo packing for my bittersweet return trip home to the United States (and trying to figure out how I can smuggle back four bottles of cachaça) – I am starting to understand what this saudade feeling is all about.

I am going to miss Brazil.

But, before I leave, here are some final, brief reflections from my some travels around this ridiculous country:

Entertainment in Brazil: Eleven Men and One Secret

The dance floor is covered in a layer of "samba farts"

Entertainment junkies (like myself) will find a lot to love in Brazil. Not only is this country the birthplace of unique musical genres like bossa nova and samba, but Brazilian cinema and television are also currently on the rise.

By living in São Paulo for three months, I was fortunate enough to get to sample all different types of Brazilian entertainment – many of which reminded me I wasn’t in America anymore.

My observations below:

Movies

It’s not very hard to find a movie theater in São Paulo. Every shopping mall has its own theater, and there's a shopping mall on every corner (which is only a slight exaggeration). The theaters are state-of-the-art, complete with stadium seating, high-definition projectors and moveable armrests (so that couples can partake in Brazil’s favorite pastime: making-out).