On hospitality and floods
I feel like I should write someting super insightful but today is my day off so I'm afraid this will be rather basic. I even had a great idea for an intercultural journal entry (which is what this doubles as by the way) but it has totally disapeared into thin air so I will write on hospitality instead.
One difference I have noticed between Brazilian and Canadian culture is how we entertain guests. Brazilians do a lot more entertaining in their homes and they feed you super well but they do not constantly entertain you. Life carries on in the home and you simply get to be a part of it. Yes, they may have cleaned and cooked for you but that is not the main point and it is much more acceptable to just drop by. It is normal to have the TV on during the visit and your hosts are perfectly content to leave you in one room while they go to the kitchen to continue cooking. You are welcome to join them in the kitchen or stay in the living room watchign TV, your choice. If you feel like going and lying down you can (of course at homes where you know people a bit more) and it is not considered rude. There have been times where I have almost felt ignored and then others where I have been the center of attention at a meal fielding questions about Canada left and right. I never know quite what to expect. The last home I was at the hostess barely let anyone get a word in edgewise but she was very entertaining.
In Canada we would never welcome our guests by ushering them into the living room turning on the TV and then retreating to the kitchen to finish the meal. A guest is someone you are responsible for and so you must keep them company for the duration of the visit. The duration of the visit also varies greatly between the two countries. Here I have been invited for lunch and then ended up staying until supper time. I know this happens back home too but it is not as common since we are so time conscious. An evening visit can also go until midnight and your host will still insist that it is early. Brazilians would be apalled at how straightfoward we are with our company sometimes.
Food is another key factor in a visit and I often feel like I must overeat in order to assure my host that the food is good. It almost always is but sometimes I do not want to eat more but they are very insistent and I am still learning how to politely refuse without offending. Politeness is valued more than honesty in a lot of cases. It would be very humiliating for your host to lose face or to think that they were not a good host or that you did not like the food. A bit of flattery goes a long way. Since I am not always so great at this sometimes people wonder if I really had a good time. I am not quite sure how to convince them of this except by sincerely telling them that I honestly did have a lovely time.
I think those are some of the main differences I have observed. I like the more laidback style of hosting that the Brazilians have but I appreciate the directness of the Canadian and the fact that is o.k. to say that you do not like a certain dish or that you are full. Brazilians love to have their house neat and tidy but do not necessarily make this a requirment for having company. I feel like a lot of Canadians hesitate to invite people over because they are afraid of what others will think of them if the house is not spic and span. Anyways, those are my observations.
Church on Sunday was a real blessing. Our worship leader has stepped down for 3 months so I was asked to sing (but not lead - which is fine by me). Wasn't too sure how it would go but it was fine and God's presence was very real. I love that about Vila Andrade, how real and near God feels there. In the morning during Sunday School we had a bit of a situation since the room where Andre gives computer lessons was flooded. A pipe had burst so a bunch of us rolled up our pant legs and used rags and brooms and whatever else was available to get water out of there. Please pray that not too many of the computers were damaged. One of the guys got electrocuted but is fine. He touched a power box that was sitting in the water before shutting off all the circuits. I have pictures of the flooding that I will post soon. Adventures never cease that is for sure. It was neat to see everyone rallying and working together and the flooding reminded me of one of the apartments we lived in in Brazil that was always flooding. Yet another 'typical' day in Brazil. Good times.
One difference I have noticed between Brazilian and Canadian culture is how we entertain guests. Brazilians do a lot more entertaining in their homes and they feed you super well but they do not constantly entertain you. Life carries on in the home and you simply get to be a part of it. Yes, they may have cleaned and cooked for you but that is not the main point and it is much more acceptable to just drop by. It is normal to have the TV on during the visit and your hosts are perfectly content to leave you in one room while they go to the kitchen to continue cooking. You are welcome to join them in the kitchen or stay in the living room watchign TV, your choice. If you feel like going and lying down you can (of course at homes where you know people a bit more) and it is not considered rude. There have been times where I have almost felt ignored and then others where I have been the center of attention at a meal fielding questions about Canada left and right. I never know quite what to expect. The last home I was at the hostess barely let anyone get a word in edgewise but she was very entertaining.
In Canada we would never welcome our guests by ushering them into the living room turning on the TV and then retreating to the kitchen to finish the meal. A guest is someone you are responsible for and so you must keep them company for the duration of the visit. The duration of the visit also varies greatly between the two countries. Here I have been invited for lunch and then ended up staying until supper time. I know this happens back home too but it is not as common since we are so time conscious. An evening visit can also go until midnight and your host will still insist that it is early. Brazilians would be apalled at how straightfoward we are with our company sometimes.
Food is another key factor in a visit and I often feel like I must overeat in order to assure my host that the food is good. It almost always is but sometimes I do not want to eat more but they are very insistent and I am still learning how to politely refuse without offending. Politeness is valued more than honesty in a lot of cases. It would be very humiliating for your host to lose face or to think that they were not a good host or that you did not like the food. A bit of flattery goes a long way. Since I am not always so great at this sometimes people wonder if I really had a good time. I am not quite sure how to convince them of this except by sincerely telling them that I honestly did have a lovely time.
I think those are some of the main differences I have observed. I like the more laidback style of hosting that the Brazilians have but I appreciate the directness of the Canadian and the fact that is o.k. to say that you do not like a certain dish or that you are full. Brazilians love to have their house neat and tidy but do not necessarily make this a requirment for having company. I feel like a lot of Canadians hesitate to invite people over because they are afraid of what others will think of them if the house is not spic and span. Anyways, those are my observations.
Church on Sunday was a real blessing. Our worship leader has stepped down for 3 months so I was asked to sing (but not lead - which is fine by me). Wasn't too sure how it would go but it was fine and God's presence was very real. I love that about Vila Andrade, how real and near God feels there. In the morning during Sunday School we had a bit of a situation since the room where Andre gives computer lessons was flooded. A pipe had burst so a bunch of us rolled up our pant legs and used rags and brooms and whatever else was available to get water out of there. Please pray that not too many of the computers were damaged. One of the guys got electrocuted but is fine. He touched a power box that was sitting in the water before shutting off all the circuits. I have pictures of the flooding that I will post soon. Adventures never cease that is for sure. It was neat to see everyone rallying and working together and the flooding reminded me of one of the apartments we lived in in Brazil that was always flooding. Yet another 'typical' day in Brazil. Good times.
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