Drift Reality

One of the reasons we had such a great time down in Rio is because I had the good fortune to know a few cariocas beforehand through a good friend of mine in the US.  We all corresponded via e-mail before we arrived and the evening of our arrival they drove down to pick us up at our hotel before taking us to one of the more popular clubs in Lapa.

Throughout the week, our amazing hosts took us to a variety of places throughout Rio that we would have never had the opportunity to visit otherwise and because of them, we managed to have a depth of experience beyond what most tourists to Brazil (who are here for one week) can expect. 

In addition to their sense of hospitality and warmth, here are a few other traits I have noticed:

1. Cariocas are laid-back: Cariocas remind me of people I met when I was living in San Diego (except they are more genuine).  They wear sneakers when they go out at night, they love to drink beer, and they seem genuinely relaxed and comfortable with their surroundings and themselves.  This comfort extends to their physicality, as it is not unusual to see overweight men and women in Rio wearing tightly fitted clothing in clubs or small swimwear on the beach with no real sense of self-consciousness. 
2. Cariocas are affectionate - It is really amazing to walk around the city and see how many young couples are physically affectionate with one another in public.  I recall walking down one street and in-between each car on the street was a young couple embracing.  Also, the scene in many of the clubs resembles a high-school party after about 2 in the morning with everyone making out.  In addition, it is common practice for men to greet one another with two kisses, something you rarely see in the States.
3. Cariocas work to live - Although some of the people we met seemed genuinely interested to know more about what we did professionally, the topics of work and/or business rarely came up in social situations.  Most of the time, people seemed interested in cracking jokes or telling stories that really had nothing to do with what they did at work. 
4. Cariocas are passionate - We became particularly good friends with one of our hosts, who managed to spend practically every evening with us despite the fact that he was working a fulltime job and taking classes.  By the end of the week I feel as though we had developed an extremely strong bond despite the short amount of time we had known him.  I get the feeling that people here aren’t as guarded and reserved with their emotions.  If a carioca likes someone then they will make no bones about it.

At any rate, I am sure that more observations will pop into my head but I wanted to jot down some of the more obvious characteristics I have noticed.  If anyone has anything to add, please feel free to leave a comment!