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Reality Check: Life in Brazil through the eyes of a foreigner by [Mark Hillary]

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Mark Hillary

Reality Check: Life in Brazil through the eyes of a foreigner Kindle Edition

by Mark Hillary (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

39 ratings

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."

Print length

177 pages
Language

English
Publication date

September 1, 2013
File size

3659 KB
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Product details

ASIN : B00EXBM4X8
Publication date : September 1, 2013
Language : English
File size : 3659 KB
Text-to-Speech : Enabled
Screen Reader : Supported
Enhanced typesetting : Enabled
X-Ray : Not Enabled
Word Wise : Enabled
Print length : 177 pages
Lending : Enabled

Best Sellers Rank: #1,020,110 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #48 in Brazil Travel
- #272 in General Brazil Travel Guides
- #45,156 in Business & Investing (Kindle Store)

Customer Reviews:
39 ratings

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5 star		44%
4 star		25%
3 star		16%
2 star		8%
1 star		7%

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D. B. Hopkins

On the Surface, but OK

Reviewed in the United States on January 11, 2014

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Not bad, and gives you what it says it says...."life in Brasil through the eyes of a foreigner." I bought the book to catch up on what I have missed in the years since I lived there, and while all of the advice and info was useful, there wasn't much new. I was surprised at the author's assessment of crime, not as bad as publicized, but equally wondered why he never mentioned "despachantes" in the pages on getting documentation. I don't know anyone, foreign or Brasilian, who tries to make it through the bureaucratic jungles without the "jeito" that the despachantes can offer. They are specialized and so you go to one for your tax docs, and another for your car registration, etc. Yes, it costs, but not that much when you consider the hours you can spend waiting in lines that are constantly moving back to let in the "malecas" standing in line for the agencies. Details on this are significantly lacking in this otherwise worthwhile book.

5 people found this helpful

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Amazon Customer

Brasilian living

Reviewed in the United States on June 15, 2014

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This is a very well written book which clearly outlines the problems a foreigner would encounter if they wish to live in Brasil. Nothing has been left out and it shows the difficulties encountered obtaining the correct documentation and having it authenticated, this being essential for any official papers in Brasil.
I would advise anyone thinking of coming to live here to read this book, especially if you are looking to obtain work other than teaching English.
You may think that at times he is exaggerating but having been through the process myself I can assure you that the account is accurate, expect to spend a considerable amount of time on paper work.
The country and people are as he describes and it is a wonderful country to live and work in.

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Chitwah

Dependency Theory

Reviewed in the United States on August 16, 2015

Verified Purchase

I enjoyed this book, and it has a lot of firsthand experience information that I think is priceless. I've loved Brazil since my college days in 1968-69, and I still do.

I come from a large city on the Mexican border, and Mark's book really made me see how similar the 2 nations are in drug problems, and in public sector corruption. It's amazing.

But I believe that, romance aside, both national societies are now far too complex for a true "revolution"--too bad.

Change, probably spurred by violence, is; but why would anyone want to destroy a politically democratic structure that took almost 2 centuries to finally institute.

One person found this helpful

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Scott F Ennis

Brazil secrets reveiled!

Reviewed in the United States on November 2, 2013

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I am a expat, living in Brazil, a culture that is very much like a onion, with many, many layers of depth. Mark Hillary, not only gave me many tips and explanations I was foggy on, but his style of writing is top notch and most enjoyable. If you live in Brazil, this short book is a must, if your curious about this wild and fun country, he lays out the landscape with flare and helpful tips.
Actually, these types of books are hard to come by, so I highly recommend it. Its a bargain, short, and when you finish it, your way ahead of the game, as Brazil is much more than it seems on the surface. Boa sorte!

One person found this helpful

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Maira C.

Interesting and useful, but misses some editing (in my opinion)

Reviewed in the United States on February 4, 2014

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I'm a Brazilian (from the central region of the country) living abroad with a foreign partner and thinking about moving back home with him. I bought this book to see Brazil through the eyes of a foreigner and to try to see how living there would be for my partner.

The book delivers what it promises, and I found it quite accurate. So accurate that it was even a little bit boring for me - nothing was new. But isn't that exactly the point? For Brazilians, what he writes there is just common sense. For someone who has never lived there, it is exactly what is needed to go past the stereotypes and learn what is it that the country (or, at least the southeast area, the richest region of Brazil) offers.

It is a self published book, and I think that this really shows. I caught a few wrong sentences here and there (I'm not a native English speaker but I'm quite sure the sentences had to be reviewed). The rhythm of the book was a bit weird, some very short chapters and some long ones; articles published elsewhere put in the middle of the book when they could be just links or appendices (especially because the topic - the June 2013 unrest - is dated and very complex to be discussed in full there).

Overall, the book felt to me like a huge blog post. I think that the content is accurate, clear and very useful, but in my humble opinion this book could be so much better with some more careful editing.

4 people found this helpful

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Christopher A. Monk

Informative and Inspiring!

Reviewed in the United States on September 26, 2013

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Reality Check should be required reading for any foreigners planning to move to Brazil! I read it in one sitting and found the information to be spot on and the content to be captivating. I am from Atlanta Georgia and have been living in Belo Horizonte Brazil for 6 months. Like the author Mark Hillary I have truly fallen in love with this country and it's people. I have also experienced the frustrations of learning Portuguese and adjusting to life in a new country. Mark shares his personal experiences in acclimating to Brazilian life and tries to prepare the reader for some of the positive and negative things they are likely to encounter. It's easy to feel like a stranger in a strange land and become overwhelmed with how different life as a foreigner in Brasil can be and Mark holds back nothing in his honest portrayal of his stay here. Brazil is an amazing place to live and I have found that the positive aspects of life here far outweigh the negative. I also agree however that anyone planning to move here should prepare themselves in any and every possible way and this book "Reality Check" is a great place to start!

4 people found this helpful

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JEL

I learned some interesting and very useful bits in this in preparation for our move to ...

Reviewed in the United States on September 3, 2014

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I learned some interesting and very useful bits in this in preparation for our move to Brazil but the writer gets a bit into policy analysis which wasn't terribly helpful. I skipped most of those parts. It was a fast read though and I definitely walked away a bit more knowledgeable on day-to-day life in Brazil. If you want policy analysis then look elsewhere.

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Top reviews from other countries

Louis-S

An excellent, realistic introduction. Recommended.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 28, 2013

Verified Purchase

Firstly, as someone that has had a very similar experience moving to Brazil I can vouch for Marks' insights.

This is an excellent, short introduction that most importantly is written by an "average guy". Many of the "how to" books about Brazil, like the highly flawed book by Larry Rohter, or the truly terrible How to be a Carioca often focus on high flyers with little to say about the experiences of 90% of the foreigners that move to Brazil that aren't living in Leblon or running an expense account from a multinational news organisation.

The highlights are Mark's genuine understanding of how Brazil works, boots on the ground. This comes from a good, objective understanding of the country's history combined with day-to-day experience. Mark's well founded, critical optimism for the future of the country comes from combination.

His comments on economic protectionism and often unfounded, security paranoia are very astute, and more informed and realistic than many articles from supposedly professional journalists in the financial press that seem more interested in fitting Brazil into their world view than truly understanding the reasons why Brazil is as it is - Olá The Economist!.

Any faults with the book are part of its charm. It's does feel like a sketch for a longer book, but at the same time this is a great example of how self-e-publishing means a book like this can get on virtual shelves without an advance from a publishing house. It is also very fresh. Many of the issues discussed, like the June 2013 protests, are still news. Also Mark's guide to bars and drinks is something maybe only an Englishman would dedicate a chapter to in such a brief guide, however as someone that also lived in London for much of my adult life I found this very useful and charming.

Great stuff and I look forward to more insights on Brazil from Mark in his various articles and blogs.

3 people found this helpful

L. MacL

Boring and hard going.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 16, 2016

Verified Purchase

I read this book ( Reality Check: Life in Brazil through the eyes of a foreigner ) to learn more about Brazil especially with the 2016 Olympics on at the moment.

I found this book hard going and repetitive. It might work broken up into short sections for a blog but as a book it didn't flow. I know it wassupposed to be non-fiction but it just wasn't interesting.

C. I. Wright

Brazil is not for beginners, but this book definately helps

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 26, 2013

Verified Purchase

I enjoyed this book as it did exactly what it said on the wrapping :) Concise, sharp, wry and a balanced perspective on life and work in Brazil. I've got a healthy interest (slight obsession) in Brazil and the author brought it to life with colour and reality.

I'm an expat living in Madrid (8 years) with my own business, own house and married to an Argentinean so I could kind of relate to the author's story.

If i was moving to Brazil this would be one of my first steps before going deeper.

As is often said, Brazil is not for beginners, but this book definately helps!

2 people found this helpful

Ilan Chamovitz

A british entrepreuner in Brazil

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 15, 2013

Verified Purchase

I started to read Mark's articles, about ICT and Brazil in 2012. I like his writing style, as the content, as well. When he suggested me to read the e-book 'Reality Check: Life in Brazil through the eyes of a foreigner', I had just taken a look inside and decided to download it. Mark is a real example of entrepreneur!!! He moved to Brazil and started a new business there, dealing with all challenges of starting a business and considering different cultures in a giant country. In addition, he decides to share his experiences and knowledge! In his book he gives lots of wealthy information according to his personal view considering culture, politics, sports, economy, recent news and the future, in Brazil. A good aproach for foreingners that intend to spend more time in Brazil and for Brazilians who need to improve relations with foreingners, as well.

2 people found this helpful

C. I. Wright

Read it on the plane

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 25, 2013

Verified Purchase

As the description says you can read it on the plane. Its useful and concise. Mark writes well and portrays Brazil through the eyes of someone who maintains a balanced objective view with a wry sense of humour.

Brazil is not for beginners and its extremes make it both immensely interesting and frustrating. Just read some of the forums of expats living there.

Mark captures what its really like to move to Brazil, start a business, buy a house, get married, learn portuguese and enjoy the best of Brazil, the people and the diversity.

2 people found this helpful

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