"Jeitinho Brasileiro" or "Lei de Gerson"!!!

Dear friends, I really missed writing posts here. I have been thru a roller coaster of emotions in the past month, happy, sad, busy, busy, busy. Not an excuse for my absence, I could have found a little time to write, but honestly, I lacked inspiration to write anything.
I will write more about this crazy freaking MAY of 2012, later.
Now, the reason for this post, is to try and clarify a concept, or rather, a couple of concepts often misunderstood by foreigners in Brazil and sometimes even by some Brazilians.
The famous or infamous "JEITINHO BRASILEIRO".
Let me explain to you, the trail of comments and post that inspired this post.
First I read THE COMMENTS AT THIS POST WRITTEN BY DANIELLE, then I found out about THIS BLOG POST, and couldn't sit here and watch without having any response.
This is the comment I wrote at Brazil Phenomenon's Blog, her blog is moderated, so the comment probably hasn't been posted just yet, but you can read it here first hand:  :)


Ray says: Your comment is awaiting moderation.

May 16, 2012 at 3:10 pm

Dear Cipriana,
I read your post about “jeitinho” and have to say, unfortunately, even after all these years in Brazil, you have been misinformed about “jeitinho”.
What you are describing above, we “Brazilians” call “Lei de Gerson” which means “to take advantage” over every one else. I don’t know where you got the idea that it is tolerated, it is not, it is hated by most Brazilians I ever knew. And the cutting in front of the line issue, I never saw people putting up with it, anywhere, in Brazil, in a Developed country or any developing country, this is a human being issue, nobody is an idiot to watch someone cut in front of them and sit idle without any reaction.
The case of the corporations described by you, happens EVERYWHERE, including in the good ol’ US of A, where I have lived for the past 15 years.
Jeitinho Brasileiro is a creative way to solve a problem. It is the creative way Brazilians find to overcome difficulties, not a way to take advantage of others, that is NOT what jeitinho Brasileiro is, not at all. What you are talking about, we call it LEI DE GERSON, “Gerson’s Law”, which is taking advantage of others.
Please don’t take my comment the wrong way, I just can’t sit here and read such a wrong conception of such an important part of Brazilian culture.
“Jeitinho Brasileiro” is supposed to describe a positive treat of the Brazilian culture, the creativity of the people to overcome adversity, not at all the bad habit of many, to take advantage over every one else.
Abracos
Ray


So, friends, here it is, JEITINHO BRASILEIRO is NOT a negative treat of the Brazilian culture, it is a very much the opposite, it is positive way, a creative, innovative way Brazilians find to overcome their problems.
Whatever they may be, from a problem that arises at a factory, to a group of friends trying to built a place to barbecue, using blocks, sticks and stones found at the beach.
Jeitinho Brasileiro is a creative solution for a common problem, not otherwise thought before by other people.

Shopping cart and random bricks turned into a perfect improvised grill!

Barbecue in the flood! Nothing will stop us from having fun!! :)

The piece of foil placed your TV rabbit ears antenna to improve reception ( Jeitinho Brasileiro), the guy who used a plastic string extracted from a random package to repair his Volkswagen Bug's engine, so he could drive to the mechanic and save money for the Tow Truck.

You are out of Gas, problem, you still have electricity!! :) 

The biggest "Jeitinho Brasileiro" I know was the invention, or implementation of the Alcohol project in Brazil in the 1970's. After the crisis of 1973, the Brazilian generals of the time ( yes, the country lived under a dictatorship), realized that if they tried to fight the system ( Shell, Exxon, Texaco) they would loose, and would not be able to implement Alcohol fueled cars as a viable option.
So their "Jeitinho Brasileiro" solution was: "Se nao pode vencer, junte-se a eles", translation: "If we can't win, let's join them."
And they did, and that is why the Brazilian Alcohol project was so successful. The government gave the existing owners of the distribution infrastructure the privilege to distribute the new alternative fuel. Shell, Exxon, Texaco and others joined the Brazilian government in the efforts to implement the new alternative fuel. They financed renovations in every gas station in the country to accommodate the new option for fuel. New fuel tanks in every gas station in the country. We watched the long process thru most of the 70's and 80's. Today, if you own an Alcohol fueled car, you can find both fuels in EVERY gas station in Brazil.
The "Jeitinho Brasileiro" didn't stop there, years later, they realized that with fuel prices fluctuations, people who had Alcohol powered cars could be in a disadvantage. So once again, the Brazilian creativity and innovation "JEITINHO BRASILEIRO" came up with a great solution: FLEX FUEL cars.
Yes, my friends, the FLEX FUEL technology that you see in cars all over the place nowadays, was invented in Brazil. This way, Brazilians could take advantage of whatever fuel had the best price on any given day.
To add to this wonderful tread of great alternative fuel solutions, Brazil started implementing NATURAL GAS for cars, from factory. Yes, my brother drives a FORD ESCAPE, in Brazil called FORD ECO SPORT, and his car can be powered by GASOLINE, ALCOHOL or NATURAL GAS.
On the opposite side of this example, you can witness the difficulties the ETHANOL industry in the United States is having to implement distribution of their alternative fuel. In my opinion, they have a hell of an uphill battle, see, they are trying to create a whole new distribution network for ETHANOL powered cars. They didn't partner with the companies that already have a heck of a great distribution network around the country such as SHELL, CHEVRON, EXXON, TEXACO, and in my opinion, if they had, they would probably be far ahead on offering the American public with alternatives for fuel.
Wow! I can get side tracked like nobody's business.
Ok, back to our main topic, JEITINHO BRASILEIRO is often misclassified and misunderstood. If you read Brazilian Literature and learn a little deeper about the culture, you will see what I am talking about.
JEITINHO BRASILEIRO is not breaking the law, finding a way around the law, cutting in front of the line, or anything anyone might do to gain advantage over others.
That is what we call "LEI DE GERSON", "GERSON'S LAW". A "Lei de Gerson" is what us Brazilians HATE more than the devil itself. The notion that Brazilians tolerate poor service or long lines is wrong, we HATE people who take advantage of others, come on, we are NOT IDIOTS.
If someone in Brazil is putting up with poor service is most likely because they have no reference of anything better or worse yet, they have no option, and have to put up with whatever crappy product or serviced offered to them.
I have to say one thing, Cariocas and Paulistas do not put up with crappy service or products. We are usually known as BIG MOUTHS around Brazil!
We are the ones complaining at restaurants if the service is not impeccable, we are the ones with high standards for food and many other products.
So, just to be crystal clear, TAKING ADVANTAGE of others is NOT JEITINHO BRASILEIRO, this is what we call LEI DE GERSON.
Please forgive me, I am a little edgy today, I know. Gilson has been in Brazil for the past 3 weeks, and I am not having the best of times. And just for the record, I am not yelling at anyone in particular, it's just my dramatic "Brazilian" way to put emphasis on a certain point. ;)
So, as soon as I get a little more inspiration. I will describe the roller coaster of emotions, adventures and hard and good times we have faced in this unforgettable MAY of 2012.


PS: I also recommend this great post written by our friend and Brazilianist Alex: "LEI DE GERSON IN THE USA"

Forte abraco a todos

Ray

New Job! 21 days training in Houston!! :)

Dear readers,

              Despite the fact that I haven't written anything lately, I have been right around here. I read as many posts as possible, and even make my opinionated comments from time to time :)
              It turns out during my quest for that so desired Brazilian job, I received an awesome offer from a great company based in Chicago and accepted...my new job will be based in Boston!! So we are not going anywhere for a little while! :)

Happiness by accident!! :)

              The new company is expanding and growing and needed me to hit the ground running, which is my specialty, but this time it was really crazy. I accepted the offer on a Thursday and on Friday they made all the arrangements to send me to Houston for a 21 day training marathon, on Monday.
              The new job is in the same Industry, but this time, I will have an opportunity to expand my experience in other areas and increase my future chances to find that dream job in Brazil.
              What is incredible and amazing all at the same time is that my new boss in married to a Brazilian and they have an apartment in Rio, where they spend most of their holidays and vacations, the boss is also trying to learn Portuguese. :)
               I have been working for this company for two weeks only and I can already tell you it's the best place I have ever worked in my life, yeah, it's that good. Everyone I talk to in the new company tell me they dream in retiring here. I will even be able to put Gil on my health insurance, full benefits for same sex couples, believe it or not, it's 2012 and it's the first time we have a chance to do that, to say that we are happy is an understatement.
               So, it turns out I have been in Houston since February 20th and will stay here until March 12th.
               I hadn't been in Houston for a couple of years and they were always fast trips, you know, your run of the mill, Aiport-to-Hotel-to-Office-Back-to-Aiport trips.
               This time I feel like am living here, 21 days is a long time and it's giving me an opportunity to get to know Houston again, since the last time I was here often back in the 90's. I am even absorbing some of the southern Texas draw and I think I am more polite than before already  ;)
                My "born again" impressions of Houston are great! I am in LOVE with all the awesome ethnic food options in Houston, Persian restaurants are all over the place. I am trying a different one everyday. Lebanese restaurants too. I love Lebanese food, we grew up with many awesome Lebanese restaurants in Sao Paulo.
                It turns out Persian and Lebanese are very similar. I have pictures and will make a nice post with more details, soon, soon, I promise.
                As most of my regular readers know, I don't like talking about negative stuff but this was a very personal close call to me and there is no denying that Houston is far more violent than my quiet life in coastal New England.
                I watched on the news that a 20 year old shot an 18 year old at a Karaoke place next to the Hilton where I am staying this past Sunday.  
                The scary part is that I almost went to the Karaoke place on Sunday night, because I didn't want to drive and I could walk to the place, which is also a Mexican restaurant specialized in Sea Food.
                 It was all over the news, they were drunk, one didn't like the other's choice of song for the Karaoke singing, this is Texas, everyone and their mother have a gun, bam, murder, too close for comfort if you ask me. I thanked my guardian angels profusely Monday morning when I watched about this tragedy on the news.
                 What really scares me about crime in the US is how totally random it can be. I am staying in a "apparently" nice part of Houston, near the fancy "Houston Galleria Mall" and something horrible like this happened right at my door step.
                 In Brazil, I know the areas to avoid, most crime in Sao Paulo happens in far away poor areas, near or inside favelas and it's usually drug related. Avoid favelas and avoid beeing involve with the drug business and you should be fine.
                 On another note, Houston, as many of you know, also has a HORRIBLE traffic, I don't get it, they have GIGANTIC freeways going in every direction. I noticed that most streets don't go under or above the freeways, they end in the highway. So there are very few streets that allow you to "cross" to the other side of the freeways. This is just my simple quick observation and speculation. I could be wrong and the heavy traffic here happens for a completely different reason.




A picture of Houston's typical traffic jams, they are everywhere, all.the.time!!


                 I also noticed lots and lots of super expensive luxury cars, like I have never seen it anywhere else. It's ridiculous, again, my plain superficial speculation could allow me to say that it's either a lot of wealth from "OIL" money or simply because housing here is so ridiculously cheap, people have money to buy fancy cars!! :)          



Porsche Panamera anyone! I see one of these every 5 minutes and I am not even exaggerating!!! :)

                On the other hand, in New England, not as bad as New York or California, but still way up there, real state prices just make it nearly impossible for people to do much more other than pay for their high priced mortgages or rent!! So we (New Englanders) drive old beat up Volvo's and Subaru's, Gil and I drive a 2003 Ford... :)
               Long story short, I am in love with Houston. Houston has grown into an awesome cosmopolitan city. Maybe it has been for a long time, but I just got to know it better now.
               Lot's of people from every African country you can dream of, Serbians, Croatians, Ukrainians, Lebanese, Iranians, Middle Easterners from several different countries. I went to the Mall on Sunday looking for a pair of Sunglasses, yeah, it's bright here! :) And I heard so many different languages it was amazing. I am really impressed by the great variety of immigrants in Houston.
               You can see it in the variety of options of ethnic restaurants, I am having a great time here!
                I also wanted to thank our dear friendly blogger "Ginger" from "Flowers and more" for the great recommendations of awesome Houston places to eat and visit.
                I will write another post with pictures of the awesome places only an expert local like Ginger would be able to recommend.             
                Thanks again Ginger.
       
       
Abracos to all

Ray

First Impressions: Sao Paulo

Dear fellow blogger Rachel from "Adventures of a Gringa", a New Yorker who lived in Rio de Janeiro before returning home to NY with her Brazilian husband, wrote a great post on her first impressions on our hometown of Sao Paulo.





New symbol of Sao Paulo-Ponte Agua Espraiada

  

Gil and I laughed together as we read about Rachel's first impressions on Sao Paulo as she got it so accurately.
Rachel is a great observer to say the least and a brilliant writer and was clearly very successful in describing her experience in Sao Paulo.

Yes, we are biased and we have read and admired Rachel's blog for years now.
Hope you enjoy it as much as we did.






Jardim Europa, one of the nicest upscale neighborhoods in Sao Paulo, founded by British immigrants 100 years ago.

  

HERE is the link to her blog with the original post and below is the post we are referring to:

February 12, 2012

First Impressions: São Paulo

After living in Brazil relatively close to São Paulo, I'd been curious to visit but never really got around to it. I'd been more eager to see coastal cities, and figured I'd eventually have a good reason to go, since I have lots of Paulista friends and there are tons of events in the city. So last week, when I finally had an opportunity to visit, I jumped at the chance.
I tried not to let me expectations cloud my impressions, to try to go in with a blank slate. But there were so many things I'd heard about the city. Some say it's the New York of Brazil. Gringo friends who loved the city said part of the reason was because they like "complicated" cities. Other friends said they found the city overwhelming. Articles I'd read in travel publications made it seem incredibly cosmopolitan. Almost everyone I know who lives there has complained about how expensive it is. I wasn't quite sure what to expect.

It could have been that I was running on little sleep and struggling with jetlag, but the whole time I felt a little bit as if I was in a strange dream. The city feels like someone took a bunch of Brazilian cities and smushed them together to form this massive urban center. The city is a jumble of so many different forms of architecture, which can feel a bit jarring when seeing it for the first time: there are the gothic churches, the fancy luxury condos, the Niemeyer architecture, the modern skyscrapers, the gritty commercial underbelly, the contemporary mansions, peaking out from behind high walls, the brightly painted boutiques and restaurants, the car dealerships, the endless apartment complexes. I actually thought I might be hallucinating when I saw an enormous, undulating, shiny, very purple building rising over the smaller buildings of a leafy, upscale neighborhood. (I later found out it's a cultural center).

Photo: Tadeu Pereira

The city doesn't seem to end. Everywhere you look, the city keeps going and going. It's just incredibly dense;  if there ever was a concrete jungle, this is it. If you think about it too much, it can start to get a little overwhelming.

The juxtaposition of endless buildings and tropical foliage is somehow surprising; it seems odd that so much green could flourish in such a dense urban space. But beautiful purple trees and flowers and palms pop up all over the city. And even though it has been Brazil's largest and most prosperous city for so long, signs of the country's boom are everywhere.

I didn't have enough time to go to all of the places I wanted to see--there's so many museums and cultural centers I'd love to visit. Also, though I only saw a tiny sliver of it, the nightlife looked great; the bars in hip(ster?) Vila Madalena were an interesting contrast to Rio's Lapa neighborhood. I'd also go back for the food. It's true what they say about food in São Paulo. It's so good. Plus, everywhere I looked, there was mouth-watering food.

But I think what I loved most about the city was the people. I feel really fortunate to have friends there, and it was much more fun to see the city with them as my guides. Plus, the city really is the rainbow of people that Brazilians love to tout as representative of Brazil's diversity, even more so than in Rio, given the large Asian population as well as Latin American and Middle Eastern immigrants. The city makes for great people watching, no matter where you go.
And like Cariocas, Paulistas are warm, welcoming, and eager to show off their city. In that respect, they're not so different after all.

Republican Chokes Up At Gay Marriage Debate In Washington

Seriously, listening to this speech made me proud to be an American today!
Hell, who am I kidding, I am proud to be an American every freaking day... :)
Ok, let's say specially proud and all choked up today! ;)
Proof that not all Republicans are mean zombies!!!  :)

Free dental care and eye doctors for Brazilian school children!!

Expansion of Universal Health Care in Brazil-Moving in the right direction

 
After forming a great partnership between the Brazilian Ministry of Health and Education, the Brazilian government just announced a new program to offer free dental care and eye doctors for children in public schools, they will start a pilot in 20 states and on a second phase of the project they will expand into all Brazilian states.
The program has adapted some large motor home type trucks into a hybrid of dental office combined with an eye doctor's clinic.

Yes, that is a picture of a naked boob without a blanket to cover it, in a national health campaign in Brazil!!  ;)

These trucks will use the University Hospitals as a base for their programs, 2500 or almost half of Brazilian cities will be a part of the initial phase of the program, if the program is successful, it will be expanded into the other half of Brazilian cities towards the interior of the country.
These trucks will rotate among certain regions covering all public schools of certain districts offering completely free basic dental care and eye doctors and free eye glasses for children enrolled in the public schools covered by the program.
I personally think this program has a great chance at success because it is practical and objective, keeping it simple and effective.
I really wish we had a similar initiative in the United States, God knows we desperately need it around here.




Countries with Universal Health Care in Blue

In the US, only Massachusetts has a form of Universal Health Care, it is very simple, if you have a job or if you have money, you are mandated by law to purchase Health Care Insurance, if you are poor, unemployed or don't have any money, the state of Massachusetts buys private Health Care Insurance for you.
It was a Republican initiative created under Mitt Romney's administration to assure his corporate friends increased their profits by forcing everyone to purchase private health insurance and use tax money to purchase private health insurance for those who couldn't afford to buy it.
Funny and disgusting to see the Republicans calling Obama's health care initiative "Obama Care" in a pejorative way, considering it was inspired in the Republican's sucessful endeavor in Massachusetts.
It is enforced by the state's branch of the IRS, when you file for your state taxes in Massachusetts you have to supply your private health insurance account number or you won't be able to complete and file your state taxes.
Trust me, everyone has health insurance in Massachusetts nowadays.



US medicaid overhaul map

I have one thing to say, regardless if you are a Democrat or a Republican, independent, conservative or liberal, we have to agree that Brazil is going in the right direction by investing in the health of our children.
What better way to reach all and to put an extra incentive for poor families already enrolled in the "Bolsa Familia" than to attach this program to children enrolled in schools?
Awesome!!
Below is the original article in Portuguese:

Alunos de escolas públicas terão atendimento dentário a partir de abril

Carolina Pimentel

Da Agência Brasil, em Brasília

Comente

A partir de abril, consultórios itinerantes dentários e oftalmológicos vão atender alunos de escolas públicas em 20 estados.
A iniciativa é uma parceria dos ministérios da Educação e da Saúde. Os consultórios são montados em caminhões, que atenderão em frente às escolas que fazem parte do Programa Saúde na Escola. De acordo com o Ministério da Saúde, são 37 veículos, com até dois consultórios oftalmológicos, e 34 caminhões, onde será feito o atendimento.
As crianças passarão por exames de retina, de fundo do olho e receberão óculos quando detectados
problemas. Os consultórios dentários são equipados para limpeza, extração e aplicação de flúor.
Na primeira fase, o atendimento oftalmológico será feito na cidades com hospitais universitários, onde há estudantes de medicina e residentes. Depois, os consultórios serão levados ao interior do país.
De 2011 até o início deste ano, 2.500 municípios aderiram ao Programa Saúde na Escola, segundo o ministério.

CMTC-Sao Paulo bus history

CMTC stands for Compania Municipal de Transportes Coletivos

HERE  is a cool video of Sao Paulo's Public Transportation Museum, it is located walking distance from the city's largest bus station "RODOVIARIA DO TIETE".
I know Tom Le Mesurier, from Eat Rio should get a kick out of all this, I heard he loves buses, and I am a big bus nerd as well!!!  ;)

Folks,

Here is a little about the history of Sao Paulo and it's buses, since 1946, when CMTC was founded, until 1995 when it was closed.
If you grew up in Sao Paulo like Gil and I, subway and buses were a big part of your life.
A couple of posts ago, "HERE" I described my adventures with my dear grandma, riding the bus all the way downtown Sao Paulo from our little corner of the metropolitan area.
I also always took buses to school and to swimming classes and everywhere else I had to go.
I didn't like buses too much, mainly because they were always packed with people and we had to stand up.
But I have to say I got a little emotional when I watched this short video, buses were a HUGE part of my life and Gil's life as well.
This video shows buses we saw when growing up and buses my mother, grandmother and her mother took when they went downtown Sao Paulo in the 30's, 40's and 50's.
Yes, before you ask, Sao Paulo had double decker buses in the late 80's all the way thru the 90's. I am not sure if they still have them around the city, but they had a hard time with them because Sao Paulo is too hilly and that was hard on these buses engines.
Mayor Janio Quadros loved the double deckers from London and he brought the idea to Sao Paulo, they even painted them red.
I know there are HUGE cool double deckers for intercity travel around Brazil but I am not sure if the city's double deckers are still around.

Hope you enjoy!!!
 
:)

Wear Sunscreen, floss, stretch...be happy!!

I loved this video, it was sent to me today from a great friend from Miami.
Hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Abracos
Ray