Brazil: Travel guide, visas and free housing · 2026

BBBekarys Buitekovbekarys.buitekov · Jan 9, 2023Read

Let me start by telling you a little bit about myself. My name is Bekarys, but my friends call me Beka. I am 19 years old. I was born and live in Almaty. I study at the T. Zhurgenov Academy of Arts, majoring in feature film directing. Choosing a creative path at a conscious age was, for me, the first step toward achieving the goal I dreamed of as a child while falling asleep every night. I have been practicing Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu since I was 11. I found this sport so fascinating that I trained in the gym almost every day with my brother. Now I have a blue belt and many awards from international and national competitions. Thanks to this sport, my hobby, and hard work, my first independent trip took place in 2019, when I was 16, for the World Championship in Abu Dhabi. Of course, at that time, the first goal I pursued on this trip was the competition, and only then did I think about traveling. But it happened that on the second day of the competition, I couldn't beat my opponent from Brazil. The only thing left was to follow the second goal: to travel, walk around, and explore Abu Dhabi. I made friends with the guys from my team, and we started enjoying carefree and bright days together. Our daily routine started with breakfast; we tried not to miss it. After breakfast, we rushed to the beach to warm our bones, listen to the sound of the waves, and relax. We walked a lot. The weather was quite hot, around +33;+36°C, but do you think that would bother a 16-year-old boy who had traveled abroad on his own for the first time? We spent more than half the day like that, and in the evening, we went to the pool located on the roof of our hotel. Thus, I visited the Sheikh Zayed Mosque, the Louvre Abu Dhabi, Ferrari World, and much more. I liked everything—both the Louvre and the mosque, it is simply wonderful. I definitely recommend visiting them. What emotions did this trip bring? Agree, the mere anticipation of an upcoming trip brings joy. And during the trip, you have plenty of opportunities to experience positive impressions. You can enjoy the beauty of nature, man-made cultural monuments, and architecture. On a trip, you will be surprised, admire, and experience a huge range of bright emotions, and you will learn new things. This is how I visited another country on my own for the first time and accurately experienced everything I described above. On this trip, I felt like an adult who takes full responsibility for his life.

ANAziz Nadjimutdinovanadjimutdinov · Feb 1, 2015Read

One of the most positive aspects of the trip was sports, or more precisely, actively watching them. It's long been known that what they call "soccer" there—which we call "football"—isn't interesting to them, but they do watch the FIFA World Cup and actively support the USA during the tournament. 2014 was no exception, so for a whole month, the male staff at our restaurant and a few of the women were glued to the screens, enjoying the action on the pitch. In this situation, we Europeans and Asians felt a slight sense of superiority over the Americans, as they didn't really understand the game, knowing only the basics. But it was still incredibly fun. It's worth noting that the World Cup was held in Brazil during the day, which meant a bad time zone for Europe and Asia, but a unique time for the States. So, personally, working the evening shift, I watched football in the morning and then went to work in the afternoon, missing only 1 out of 3 games a day. Unfortunately, our satellite went out right before the start of the championship, so on some days, we had to watch games with a picture like this from various reviews. The excitement of the game, of course, led to bets among us. Very small ones, a few bucks per match or per goal in the final minutes, but again, things that added a pleasant interest to the game. Well, and here I was lucky that I had a day off on the day of the final, so I was one of the few who got full enjoyment from the game and won $20 thanks to Mario Götze's goal. And in September, in turn, the new season of the NFL begins, which glues the eyes of millions of Americans across the country to the screens. This is what American football is here. I don't know what the hype is like here for baseball, rugby, or basketball, but it seems to me that the NFL is the most popular league. Almost every American knows the channels that have the "Sunday game day" package. And every Sunday, they head out in groups to bars or friends' houses with the essential elements of the day: a team jersey and beer. In bars, of course, you can't drink if you're under 21, but they rarely ask for ID. I, for example, didn't look my almost 20 years, but I wasn't going to take risks in public places. And soda here, for example, is free. I had a funny situation with a bartender: I took a glass of soda (thinking it cost 1 buck) and gave him $10, and he silently gave me the change back. Thinking it was $9, I took the money and the glass. Later I wanted more and took out the same change, and it was indeed change, but still a ten. It turned out that soda is free, and the bartender just broke my 10. In such moments, you really want to leave a tip for such nice bartenders, which, in fact, I did. It's very difficult to get into the rules at first. You have to watch and understand as the game goes on. Over time, I understood the essence and even really wanted to try playing it myself. In short, you need to carry the ball from your side of the field to a special zone on the other side. But there are checkpoints of a kind, as well as several attempts for each of them. Just watch the game and you'll understand everything yourself. It's just that in my restaurant, almost every American was a die-hard fan of one of the league's teams. Even the female Head Chef (we'll talk about her later), if you argued with her about football, she could put you down in a minute. I'm serious. And, of course, I couldn't do without a few typical souvenirs in the form of a ball and jerseys. Yes, by the way, another sport organized in our dorm was poker. One of our waiters was from Vegas, who had worked in casinos for a long time; hearing this, we suggested organizing poker sessions with small buy-ins. At the beginning of the season, we only played with 4 people, as the dorm was half-empty, but after the Romanians arrived, the game sometimes reached 8-9 people at the table. And you know what? It's an incredible pleasure to take all the winnings at the end of the game when a guy

TZTatiana Zubarevatatyana.zubareva.0807 · Feb 1, 2015Read

1. Americans of any age, gender, or skin color are very generous with compliments! There wasn't a single day that a stranger didn't say something nice to me: a seven-year-old girl liked my swimsuit, a woman near the airport liked my eyes, a man at Walmart liked the healthy food in my cart! And guys and men certainly won't stay silent if something catches their eye)) The coolest compliment was from a girl walking towards me on a street-lit road: 'Your legs look so beautiful shining from afar!' I wish it were like that in Russia! Personally, I often want to say something out loud if I really like something about a person, but I can't, what if they don't understand... 2. They sit on the floor anywhere! They walk into a store and sit on the floor to play with toys on the bottom shelf! No, it's not just small children; parents also sit their butts on the floor right next to them! On the street, at the Greyhound station - anywhere they sit on the floor, and it's perfectly normal. 3. Americans are very sociable! While I walk 20 minutes from work to home, some guy is bound to try to get to know me, and just as I barely get rid of him, another one pops up! Moreover, they aren't bothered by the fact that I'm walking while talking on the phone or listening to music in headphones and can't hear them – they still insist on getting my attention! Persistent guys, though! Once, I was talking on the phone in a park, a group of Black teenagers was walking nearby, they stopped about five meters from me, then one girl came up and started asking where I was from, what language I spoke, how old I was, and what my name was! I had to get off the phone and answer her! In addition, she even said: 'Ooh, by the way, I have a Russian friend! Can I hug you?'. Sure, no problem! It's hard to imagine that in Russia, don't you agree?! 4. The way Americans dance in clubs shocks all girls from post-Soviet countries! I'll describe it in three words - sex with clothes on! 5. Black youth have absolutely no complexes!!! They do makeup like for a Brazilian carnival, they wear any clothes on any figure! They don't care that their hips are 150 cm in circumference if they want to wear a pencil skirt or leopard leggings! They don't worry that their stomach is far from flat if they want to wear a crop top! Where do they even get clothes in the 'for skinny' category but in such giant sizes? I think they are freer from the opinions of people around them, and that's great! Guys, in turn, amuse with their habit of wearing pants at the level of the middle of their butt so that their underwear is visible! One guy once had his pants fall down to his knees, he calmly pulled them back up to the same place and walked on, all hip-hop style)) In conclusion, I want to say that this summer will never leave my memory; it overshadowed many earlier important events in my life with its brightness! For the first few months after returning to my homeland, we were all going crazy with longing for our summer of 2014! No matter how many difficulties and complexities there were, they faded against the backdrop of unbridled fun, drive, and euphoria that you experience there! This is a separate chapter in the book of life, titled 'Unrepeatable and unforgettable three months in the States!'. I hope my blog will be useful to someone) I will be glad to help and answer questions) Good luck, friends!!!

ККсенияTrix33311 · Aug 10, 2012Read

Yesterday, August 9th, was a holiday in South Africa. Women's Day, or International Women's Day. I was wandering around, waiting for a call from the club where I wanted to get a job. It never came. My mood was really, really not great. Although, some nice guys at a shop gave me a pink badge that says "I am a super extraordinary woman!" It's a small thing, but it was nice. By the evening, I felt really sad because everyone around was celebrating, and I was just wandering the city alone. I got to the hostel and started complaining about life to my friends. It's embarrassing, honestly. I'm here in South Africa and still complaining. But what can you do! Anyway. A new roommate moved in. A very sweet girl from Brazil named Lígia. And what do you think? My sadness was blown away like the wind! Because she invited me to go out and have fun)) I'll tell you about our night out in the next post)

Gguest_16006Oct 1, 2009Read

Day Two Wake uuuuup!!! It's 9:00 AM. "Yeah, gotta get up!" I'm trying to stick to the diet I started back in Moscow. For breakfast: cereal with nuts and raisins, soaked in kefir (I can't have milk), butter and cheese sandwiches (instead of cottage cheese), grapefruit-flavored green tea (so delicious, I've only started drinking it in such quantities here), sometimes nut butter (nothing special, but I bought it, so I have to eat it), and DanActive (they don't have Actimel here, but they have this. Basically the same thing, just "no fat"—Americans are obsessed with cutting fat in every conceivable way, but they rarely do it systematically. They'll eat burgers and donuts, wash it down with Coke, and finish with a DanActive, like, "There, I'm watching my weight and health"). Today is a full day of work. Maybe they'll let me cut some meat. I'll introduce the main characters now so I don't have to keep explaining: ADILIO - Honduras, my boss, a good guy like many gauchos, helps me out a lot, loves Spanish and Mexican music, wears a black shirt; EDUARDO - Brazil, my teacher, does jiu-jitsu, 43 years old, built like a tank; PACO - Brazil, grills meat, always cuts a piece just right and shares if you want; NATALIA - Brazil, Helber's best friend, a bit chubby but pleasant; ANDRE - Brazil, one of the 3 managers, understanding, sociable, just a good person; DAVID - Mexico, one of the 3 managers, cunning, likes to hug girls when his wife isn't around, sees me and Vova and yells: "Russians!", a bit "slippery"; MATTHEW - Brazil, waiter, a bit overweight, which makes him the target of constant jokes, but otherwise he's like Oblomov, just with a desire to work; VLADIMIR - a Russian guy from Magnitogorsk, helps with everything, explains things, we've become good friends; HELBER - Brazil, gay, chatty, can ask you anything he wants, offer you anything, ready to tell you what, how, and with whom he's been. On the very first day of "real work," I ran into one not-so-"joyful" customer. Two guys came in with a grandmother, one was quite large, curly hair, potato nose, glasses. So, this guy started teasing me: that the meat was burnt, my English sounded weird, etc. I ignored him, of course, because: a) he's a customer, and the customer is always right; b) I have to work here until September; c) what do I care, let him say what he wants, life has already punished him enough. As Sasha told me later, "let him eat and say whatever he wants, the main thing for me is the money." Another girl, when I brought her pork sausages (she was with her boyfriend), asked: "Sausages? Whose sausages?" Her boyfriend replied: "Sausages? Oh! Good! She loves sausages, this is just for her!" I naturally laughed along with him (see rule a)). Actually, it's not hot in my uniform, there's AC everywhere, but I'm wearing boots. And when it's +30 outside and you're in boots on your feet all day, they start to swell. At first, it was hard, and I asked to go home an hour early. Andre didn't mind, and I happily left my "almost real" workday. As mentioned above, there are many Southerners in Atlanta. Being on the subway, I was the second (!!!) white person! Everyone else was Southern. It feels unusual, of course, especially after Russia. Upon arrival (50 mins from work to home), we headed to the Kroger store in Sasha's car. I knew Americans loved to eat, but not to this extent. Super cheap products, even without converting to rubles (say, 500g of M&M's for $7, bread for $1.5-3, but don't forget the average salary is $9-10 an hour), others are cheap even when converted (Pringles $1.3, milk (3.8L) about $3). You know, I like buying large packs—they last longer and are cheaper, but they... Can you imagine dry cat or dog food in a huge bag (about 16 kg)? Well, they sell chocolate balls and cereal for humans in the same size containers here! 12-liter buckets of ice cream, 5-liter juices. Also, they don't sell drinks individually in large stores, just 1 bottle. You have to buy 12 bottles of 0

ККсенияTrix33311 · Aug 11, 2012Read

GUYS! I danced salsa today! All night long! Wooooooooo It's so awesome! A Brazilian girl and I were invited to dance! And I was taught to dance by... a Spaniard! Oh my god, dancing is incredibly cool! Salsa for everyone, yo)) When I get back to Russia, I'll make everyone go dancing with me! It's decided! Get ready))

ККсенияTrix33311 · Aug 10, 2012Read

From Thursday to Friday night, we hit up three clubs! The last one was definitely the best. Great vibes and decent music. Plus, it's only a hundred meters from our hostel. Only now do I realize I'm living right in the center! A few funny moments: My Brazilian friends told me I look like... wait for it... Nicole Kidman! They instantly won my heart and boosted my confidence)) Yay, yay! By the way! All my neighbors and friends are bugging me with the question: "Do you have a boyfriend?" At first, I just answered: "Yes, I do." But then they started asking to see photos... so I showed them)) I won't tell anyone whose photos my foreign friends saw. It's a secret. But at least they think I have a boyfriend! Yay, yay) Actually, all evening yesterday, a Brazilian guy threatened to call my boyfriend and tell him what I'm up to here! Oh, it was so scary)) Guys! For some weird reason, my photos stopped uploading to the blog! Everyone head over to VK! There's a whole album there! Link: http://vk.com/album6843576_160102988

ККсенияTrix33311 · Aug 10, 2012Read

So, a few words about the Brazilian girl! She works as a journalist (!!), came from Madrid on a business trip to South Africa. She lives in Johannesburg and just flew to Cape Town for the weekend. She is very beautiful! I helped her a bit, and she gifted me a bottle of African wine! I will definitely bring this bottle to Russia and share it with you, friends) Then we went to look for a restaurant because we were hungry. We found one (it was only 11 PM). There was ONLY ONE restaurant open in the entire Waterfront area! It's an entertainment district. Can you imagine? So, first of all, I met a Ukrainian woman in the restaurant) I'm lucky with Slavic brothers! Secondly, I ordered a "classic Caesar" salad there. And what do you think they brought me?)) I'll tell you now! Lettuce leaves dressed with Caesar sauce (so far so good), sliced boiled egg on top, and !attention! pieces of dried fish instead of chicken!! Something amazing, in short) Then we headed to a local trendy club called Jade, which hosts parties on Thursdays. Yesterday was Thursday) We met our hostel neighbor there, also from Brazil! He and Ligia spoke Portuguese so funnily. I didn't understand a thing, but it was hilarious) It was just a club, too glamorous. I tried to explain that I don't really go to places like that. But nobody cared)) It was filled with tall girls in tight dresses, men of all nationalities of this world, and a bunch of other random people) We found more Brazilians there! I guess it's my destiny)) They forced me to drink a shot of Jägermeister. Tried it for the first time.. it's disgusting) Also, a group of people offered us all kinds of alcohol, and when they found out I was from Russia, they pulled out a bottle of vodka from somewhere and forced me to drink straight from the bottle! I'm Russian! All Russians do that! And you know how I got out of it? I said that we, meaning Russians, only drink our own vodka! The highest quality! And their vodka, the African one, is bad)) That's how it went!