My first night in Rio de Janeiro
Feeling smug at overcoming fear and feeling relieved at finally being on my way to the hotel where my husband was waiting, I mulled over the lessons and experiences I had learnt during my first couple of hours in Brazil.
A Carioca is a person who lives in Rio de Janeiro as close to the beach as possible, always professes to be between the ages of 15yrs and 39yrs (regardless how old they really) and likes close body contact. It was a complete give away in the arrivals hall who were tourists and who were locals by their body language and body contact.
Body contact on greeting seemed to be very important – kissing for women and handshakes between men followed by jabbing the forearm, caressing the upper arm, tapping the shoulder and squeezing hands. This seemed acceptable regardless of your gender (but please note – men do not kiss men!).
Another tourist give away was attitude. The Brazilians (regardless of whether they were Carioca or not) had looks of confident serenity while the tourists looked tense with competitive expressions. This was also noticeable in how the two groups walked. The Brazilians seemed to dawdle while the tourists rushed from place to place. Standing in queues for Brazilians seemed to be a time to catch up with friends or strangers (basically talk to the person next to you) while the tourists grumbled in impatience at being held up.
The easiest give away to spot was the pale coloured skins of the tourists which can easily be fixed by a day in the sun!
Trying to find a way round a problem seemed to be second nature to the locals giving a tourist an interesting show. This is a fine tuned skill involving delicate manoeuvres, well timed words and body contact. It is first and foremost about creating a friendly atmosphere wherein a mutually agreeable solution could be found. How unlike my culture which is first about exerting our own rights and proving the other is wrong. For the Carioca’s it was about building relationship and for us about getting our way.
As the taxi drove up to the hotel entrance I realised I had a lot to learn if I wanted to act like a local. It was going to be more challenging than I expected. I was definitely up for the challenge… but first I wanted a hug from my husband and long luxurious sleep!
At first the amount of body contact Cariocas make, made me uncomfortable – even in work enviroment. But I soon appreciated it. I would be greeted with a kiss and a hug by every team member or if I was out on a social engagement I would be greeted as if I was a long lost friend. I felt more welcome in a strange place than at home! Interesting experience and it changed my mindset a lot!
I lived in Rio for a year and the Cariocas did have an interesting attitude and they call it ‘jeitinho‘ – the Brazilian knack of getting round anything. I remember being told that I will know when I am a true Carioca when I can stop a bus even though it isn’t at a bus stop! This attitude can be frustrating in the work enviroment because it feels like they don’t take responsiblity. Once I learned to relax – I found that Cariocas always try to find a way round a problem sometimes coming up with unique, creative and effective solutions.