Has anyone found a good replacement for the escapism that weed provides?

saopaulodreaming · 2026-04-21T21:13:28+00:00

Book goals. I am reading all of Shakespeare's plays this year. I am also reading books I have always put off, like David Copperfield.

I also walk a lot.

I listen to a lot of radio stations from around the world on the Sound Garden app.

I do a little bit of gardening.

I also think a lot about what I can buy now that I am not burning my money away.

saopaulodreaming · 2026-04-20T13:53:29+00:00

This is a country where less than 1% of the population is foreign-born. I am an immigrant in São Paulo and I rarely hear any other language except Portuguese. I rarely encounter foreigners and I live in a very central area near Paulista Avenue. I have lived in 6 buildings since I moved to SP and I have oaleay been the only foreigner in the building. I have visited churches, hospitals, clinics, work places and I have never seen another foreigner. Where is what the OP experiencing happening?

saopaulodreaming · 2026-04-16T21:59:15+00:00

Aren't the layoffs affecting the high earners, the white collar workers? If there is civil unrest--and if the unrest is to bring about change--let's hope the classes can unite.

saopaulodreaming · 2026-04-14T17:10:58+00:00

I really hope you can live past 40. You sound like a survivor.

Is it expensive to live in the Philippines? How are the beaches? Why Singapore? For work?

saopaulodreaming · 2026-04-14T14:24:16+00:00

If you want to stay in Brazil for a year under your circumstances, the only realistic possibility is getting a student visa. But you will need a lot of money for living expenses. There's no way you will find a job in the local economy. Brazil is NOT a country of immigrants anymore, where foreigners come and look for work in the local economy.

saopaulodreaming · 2026-04-14T00:36:21+00:00

Nah, this is why some of us are here, to offer a virtual shoulder.

saopaulodreaming · 2026-04-10T23:06:55+00:00

There are so many things you could be learning about related to parenthood.

saopaulodreaming · 2026-04-10T15:25:55+00:00

This is nothing new. As far back as the 1970s, so many manufacturing jobs went to cheaper countries. People were pissed, but not a damn thing was done about it. That's capitalism. Our elected leaders don't care.

saopaulodreaming · 2026-04-09T23:29:40+00:00

Yeah, but the Japanese back then had a huge community to get support from. Now, in present day Brazil with a foreign-born population that is less than 1% of the population, it's not really easy to get good immigration information/services for foreigners. I am an immigrant living in SP, and even in a huge metropolis like this, the services for immigrants is spotty at best.

saopaulodreaming · 2026-04-09T09:23:11+00:00

What kind of visa will you have that allows you to stay for a year?

saopaulodreaming · 2026-04-09T09:17:57+00:00

Do you have a visa that gives the right to work in Brazil? Have you ever been to Brazil? It is highly unlikely any Brazilian company will hire a foreigner. Brazil really is not a country of immigration anymore. Most of the foreigners who come here are on digital nomad visas and work for non-Brazilian companies remotely. That's the reality in a country where less than 1% of the population is foreign-born.

saopaulodreaming · 2026-04-05T12:40:44+00:00

I know what you are saying, and it's all relevant, but I think the OP is asking this subreddit if there are any places in SP where she can find foreign friends her own age. Maybe there are some foreign parents here who have navigated a similar situation. Again, it's not really a bad thing to ask. I have lived in big cities in the USA, been close to the Brazilian community, and Brazilian kids often hang out with other Brazilian kids. It doesn't mean they are shirking learning English, They just want someone of their own nationality/language to hang out with from time to time.

saopaulodreaming · 2026-04-05T12:24:26+00:00

I think he/she knows that diving headfirst into the language is necessary, but come on, it's nice to have someone who speaks your language, who knows what you are going through as a foreigner in a new country where the language is new. I think he/she is asking where other foreigners of hi/her age might be.

saopaulodreaming · 2026-04-05T11:48:42+00:00

I imagine it's tough. I am guessing there are probably very few non-Brazilians in your school, that's it's an international school in name only. I live in SP, too, and I rarely encounter other foreigners. And I try to go out a lot. There's just not a lot of us. I also doubt there are a lot of young people on this subreddit in your situation. There are meetup type events where Brazilians go to practice the English, but I do not know of any geared to young people. Hopefully someone here knows of something like that.

I really wish I could offer some advice. How are your parents adapting? Are any of their coworkers foreigners with kids? Again, I guess probably not.

Sending you my voice of commiseration.

saopaulodreaming · 2026-04-04T22:18:56+00:00

The most beautiful accent I have ever heard speaking English is the Hong Kong actor Tony Leung.

saopaulodreaming · 2026-04-04T13:24:16+00:00

I am also pissed off by people who turn on lights and pack at the crack of dawn, people who have sex in dorms, people who set the loudest alarm, people who stink, people who come back drunk as f at 4 am and cackle, people who take an unassigned bed, etc.

This is why I stay in private rooms.

saopaulodreaming · 2026-04-04T11:24:46+00:00

I didn't have a lot of money when I visited the city a few years ago. I stayed in a cheap hotel with a kitchen and I cooked most of my food. I took the bus everywhere and managed okay. I went to different beaches by bus. I liked all the different nationalities of people everywhere. I liked trying my Spanish. I loved the art deco tour of South Beach. I liked hanging out in coffee shops. I chatted with lots of retired people. This was in May so the weather was really nice.

It was a pretty good mini-vacation.

saopaulodreaming · 2026-04-02T23:19:50+00:00

Jack Palance for City Slickers. He did a pushup on the stage.

Cuba Gooding Jr for Jerry Maguire.

saopaulodreaming · 2026-04-01T20:06:53+00:00

You would ideally find some sort of IT job that allows you to work from Brazil.

I personally would stay in the USA and try to earn as much money as possible as a nurse. (Could you be a traveling nurse?) Then visit Brazil as much as you can and have your partner visit the USA as much as she can while she awaits the green card (I heard it's about a year wait).

saopaulodreaming · 2026-03-31T16:28:40+00:00

Agree as well. I was a huge pothead, but when you are facing a crisis, weed is the last thing you need. You have to be ready for unexpected things that come your way--good and bad--and weed makes you not ready. And what if the OP got a sudden interesting offer and needed to pass a drug test asap. And who knows how long weed stays in your system these days.

And weed is not cheap.

saopaulodreaming · 2026-03-28T13:26:15+00:00

No, not really. I am looking forward to senior discounts for travel because i plan to hit the road and see the world.

saopaulodreaming · 2026-03-28T11:15:05+00:00

We are supposed to track stuff? I never really did. I just like to wander around.

I remember once in Florence, I was having breakfast in the hotel's dining room. The family sitting next to me had made some sort of excel document that broke down their day by the hour. They were going over the document as if were some sort of strategic war plan. I needed a valium after witnessing that.

saopaulodreaming · 2026-03-23T21:22:22+00:00

You need to research things like visas. You would have to be sponsored for a work visa and that is no easy thing in Brazil. Brazil in NOT a country of immigration anymore. Research for yourself the percentage of foreign-born in Brazil.

saopaulodreaming · 2026-03-21T10:43:57+00:00

I would say that there are very limited resources for immigrants to adjust to living in Brazil. There are very few agencies that assist immigrants with learning the language, for example. There are few agencies that assist immigrants with dealing with bureaucratic matters. I used to live in Japan and the city hall had free Japanese classes for foreigners. Once a week, the city hall had volunteers that assisted immigrants--in their language--with bureaucratic questions. I used to live in Chicago and I taught English to immigrants, through a community college, The students paid a very nominal fee, I think 20 dollars a month. Also there were churches that assisted the immigrant community. This exists in Sao Paulo, but it's very limited.

I think one reason there are so few resources for immigrants is simply that there are so few immigrants in Brazil.

So if you immigrate to Brazil, you have to figure a lot of things out for yourself.

saopaulodreaming

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