Foreigners Reveal BIGGEST Culture Shocks in Brazil (Rio)

Foreigners from around the world share the biggest culture shocks they've experienced while living in Rio de Janeiro. From what they love and don't like about life in Rio, to the dating scene and body image, to how Brazil has shaped them as a person. Do you like Brazilian culture?

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0:00 Intro
0:29 Meet the foreigners
1:14 What's your favorite thing about living in Brazil?
2:21 Is it easy to make friends in Rio?
2:52 Brazil vs Portugal?
3:00 Being family oriented in Brazil vs Finland
3:21 What don't you like about living in Brazil?
4:23 What stereotypes about Brazilians are true and false?
5:17 What are your experiences dating in Brazil?
9:32 Are people more jealous in Brazil?
10:08 Body image in Rio
11:34 How has Brazil changed you?
12:54 Rio vs other parts of Brazil

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CREW:
Marina Iakovleva (directing)

Allan (videography)

Oleh Voitovych (editing)

Filmed in:
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

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  • @DatingBeyondBorders says:

    Hey everyone – I couldn’t unfortunately get myself to Rio, so I had my assistant and now co-host Leah take on the interviewee role.
    What did you think about the video? Is Rio de Janeiro for you?

  • @AB-kc2wm says:

    I am married to a German .He loves Brazil and knows the differences that we have over here; all our states;accents, culture,the way of living. The problem is that the video was all about Rio and foreigners living there.I truly like Rio but comparing to Germany (my second home) Rio is the Koln , Frankfurt is Sรฃo Paulo and Munich is Belo Horizonte. We have more than one state here,so donโ€™t generalize a Country just by one state.

    • @jvctr5977 says:

      Mano, sobre qual aspecto Belo Horizonte seria equivalente a Munique? kk

      E Sรฃo Paulo parece mais uma mistura de Berlin com Frankfurt, pra ser preciso.

    • @leticiaostibr says:

      โ€‹@@jvctr5977Brazilian living in Germany here. “Sobre qual aspecto Munique seria equivalente a BH?” My thoughts exactly ๐Ÿ˜… Also I think they made really clear that they are talking about Rio. South Zone to be more specific, where most expats live.

    • @marinadsn says:

      Actually, I’d say Sรฃo Paulo is Berlin

    • @herculanomarques9537 says:

      rio its amazing but i weill nevwer go there i live in Joinville SC i prefer Sรฃo Paulo but brazil its all amazing just have to have money to lknow al the places

    • @kelsivannbrittto8057 says:

      @@jvctr5977 Vc entendeu o que ela quis dizer nรฃo se faรงa de louco

  • @leRoi10 says:

    The finnish lady with the black dress said that brazilians date multiple people at the same time it’s quite strange to me… i’ve lived in Scandinavia and especially in the capitals like Copenhagen or Stockholm young people and young adults date multiple people so much more than brazil.

    • @alexandraferraz4582 says:

      What she said was a bit exaggerated… There are people who do this in Brazil, but generally not everyone

    • @yahyahussein425 says:

      That’s very true so I laughed derisively when she mentioned that and I live in Stockholm. It was complete BS.

    • @sabrynatenorio says:

      She defined Brazil based on slutty Brazilian women and womanizing Brazilian men.

    • @luisamaria3068 says:

      If she is in Rio, the problem is the liberal people. If she moved to inner Middle-West cowboy culture or South Brazil, the problem would be that people are too much traditional and conservative ๐Ÿคจ

    • @sabrynatenorio says:

      โ€‹@@luisamaria3068In Rio there are also conservative and traditional people. And in the south there are also womanizers and sluts.

  • @RamosD1975 says:

    You should interview people in other places than Rio.

    • @gliboperuta9213 says:

      but thats the most likely place she will find foreigners for her foreigner culture shock videos. other places are not as touristy.

    • @V1CTOR07 says:

      โ€‹@@gliboperuta9213There are several other places that have a lot of foreigners Sao Paulo, Northeast, South

    • @renanalencar2369 says:

      Definitely no! There are lots of gringos in Santa Catarina and in states of Northeast.@@gliboperuta9213

    • @leticiabrito762 says:

      Yes Acre and Amapรก

    • @gliboperuta9213 says:

      i never heard about these places. everyone in the world knows rio and the world famous copacabana beach and christ the redeemer. so naturally all tourists who wish to travel to brazil go to the most famous tourist place of brazil because rio is the postcard of brazil and people love that place the most. second most known place for tourists is sao paolo but its not as touristy as rio. other then these 2 places people in the world dont know much else of brazil, they think everything else is just jungle of amazon forrest. i know brazilian people are probably little bit frustrated because they have more beautiful places that they want to show to people but its just how things are in the world. i also live in a country that has only 2 famous places people visit when they in my country and other places which are in my opinion even more beautiful dont exist on their radar. its how people are, they heard or read about how cool some location is from other people and they go there just to say they been there too because its cool location. but safety is also important so these places with lots of tourism are safer then others because governments make sure to not lose tourism revenue from people flocking in to safe cool famous destinations.

  • @fccpaixao says:

    Giys!!! This is just Rio!! Brazil is verrry diverse

  • @NightOwl_30 says:

    Very true. As a Brazilian it also pisses me off how people are late to stuff. It’s so disrespectful. Regarding the idea of not making real friends it’s misunderstood. It’s just that we are nice to people we don’t know. It doesn’t mean we are BFFs. We are just happy people who enjoy other people’s companies and sharing experiences. That doesn’t mean we developed some deep friendship. It simply means we are not a cold dismissive people. The true friendship will develop as time goes on and bonds strengthen. But we won’t give you the cold treatment just because we just met. I think people are too used to that in Europe. Same thing with men who think Brazilian women fancy them when in reality we are just friendlier and more open. More open doesn’t mean open legs. That being said, the region of Brazil also affects the experience. People in Rio are quite extreme when it comes to what is said in the video for sure. In fact, when people from Rio come to my state (Espรญrito Santo) they think we are cold and unfriendly.

    • @sabrynatenorio says:

      It is not normal to be late in Brazil. It is wrong to be late in Brazil

    • @priscillad8 says:

      We do not consider it disrespectful, so if you are in another culture it is up to you to adapt.

    • @priscillad8 says:

      Eu acho o capixaba um povo muito simpรกtico e legal

    • @davidelliott1594 says:

      @NightOwl_30 I have to agree. Punctuality is about valuing other peopleโ€™s time. To value other peopleโ€™s time and schedule and the fact they have other things to do in their day is a universal sign of respect. If people agree to meet at a specific time, unless something unforeseen happens, that is the time they should meet, because one never knows what else that person needs to do in their day.

    • @kaleomariz1000 says:

      @@davidelliott1594 In Brazil, it’s only nowadays that people are understanding the value of people’s time.

      TRUE STORY: my mom had an appointment for a surgery. The doctor (who barely smiled and acted very cold) told her to be at the hospital at 7:00 AM. The guy arrived at 7:30 AM. My mom even joked to break the ice: “hey doctor, you kinda missed the time didn’t you!” He DID NOT apologize; he scolded her saying “EXCUSE ME! I am a human being! I needed to eat a proper breakfast before a hard day’s work. So a few minutes late is not bad! BE CONSIDERATE!”

  • @guilhermewalter says:

    I’ve failed as a Brazilian. I’m an introvert who doesn’t know how to dance nor playing soccer.

  • @Daniel-oc8sx says:

    Finland more nature than Brazil ๐Ÿคฃ๐Ÿคฃ๐Ÿคฃ๐Ÿคฃ๐Ÿคฃ

  • @LudwigFrederickTetzlaff says:

    I’m from Poland and I love Brazil very much, I’ve been there several times and it’s a unique country in the world, I really like Curitiba, Rio de Janeiro and regions like Goiรกs and Minas Gerais. They are cool and beautiful places, I found the interview with the woman from England and Finland very interesting. It’s very impressive that a person from England complains about the way they dress, since in England many girls go out into the street almost naked in the cold ๐Ÿ˜‚, well, it seems that the woman from Finland doesn’t know her country to talk about nature, it was It’s very funny that she said not to trust Latinos and her 2 children, hers are Latino, it’s a bit hypocritical I think ๐Ÿ˜‚, I’ve been to Colombia and the way women dress isn’t very different, not to mention that in Colombia women offer sex on the street out of nowhere. I think the country is much more conservative than Colombia, this interview for me was just prejudice and hypocrisy from the interviewees, Brazil is a unique country and rich in many things and for me the real country is not Rio de Janeiro nor the big capitals more yes, the countryside and the cities where you see the true culture and friendliness of the people and security and I have been to many countries in South and North America on the continent there are only two countries that have the capacity to be powers, the United States and Brazil I recommend countries to get to know the real Brazil but not Rio de Janeiro or Sรฃo Paulo, a hug to all Brazilians๐Ÿ™‚๐Ÿ‡ต๐Ÿ‡ฑโค

  • @flaviofilho5251 says:

    The lady from Finland said that there’s more nature in Finland than in Brasil. Seriously?

  • @raphaelfp says:

    Most of the comments were pretty lighthearted and fun/true, but I guess one of the finnish women does not realize how xenophobic her relative sounded while saying latinos can’t be trusted. Even when you say it as a meme you should be extra careful, but I’m pretty sure that older generations trust that for a fact based on stereotypes and prejudice

    • @jaskatpon1 says:

      Maybe she meant it as a joke due to certain old stereotypes of Latino people among the older generation of people.

    • @raphaelfp says:

      @@jaskatpon1 it’s racist anyway. Every latino knows how it feels to be treated in such a condescending way

    • @davidelliott1594 says:

      @raphaelfp If I may ask, what was racist about her comment exactly? First, Latino is not a “race,” it is more about culture and regional descent and a Latino can be of any “race.” Also, xenophobia is a fear of foreigners. I didnโ€™t get that vibe from her.

      In the video, I believe she said her mother told her, “you can’t trust Latinos” and that she herself finds that to be “sometimes” true, and she gave specific cultural examples in her experience where she lives as to why she made the comment.

      And if we are being completely honest, I have personally known people from various Latin American countries who say the same thing about their own cultures, and whether true or false, it is something people occasionally experience everywhere. It is not uncommon to hear some people criticize elements of their own culture.

      And she was specifically asked what she did not like about Brazil, she simply didn’t sugar coat her answer. A person shouldn’t ask that question if they don’t want someone to tell the truth.

      She didn’t overgeneralize by saying ALL Latinos cannot be trusted, she said sometimes she finds it to be true based on her experiences of 18 years living in the city of Rio de Janeiro. She simply answered the question in an honest manner. But her response definitely could have been worded better, but I wouldn’t chalk it up to racism per se, just a different cultural perspective on what is considered honest.

    • @raphaelfp says:

      @@davidelliott1594 when you stick to a stereotype of a whole culture/race (and bear in mind that latinos can be found anywhere from Mexico until Chile) and uses this as a metric to define these people in a derogatory way, you’re being racist. You say she’s based on her almost 20 years here in Brazil. Well, I’m 41 and I’m brazilian. Been to more than 20 countries and even though I’ve been well treated in most of them, it’s easy to notice when someone (especially from Europe) tend to see us as savages like it’s just a “quirky trait”. It’s a stupid thing to assume about anyone else, doesn’t matter if it’s latinos, asians, black people or any other ethnicity. The ones who believe in concepts like that should be less self absorbed and get to know for a fact what goes on around the world. Watching Geography Now on youtube is a good start

    • @Mariet31 says:

      I mean, I am latina… you can’t trust latinos. You can leave a wallet or stuff in Germany without getting robbed. For us, that’s a mind blowing concept. It’s the truth and if you get offended, you are delusional.

  • @Frey_2026 says:

    Important to know the culture in Rio is different from other regions.

    • @valdineisantos4768 says:

      Perfect! I’m brazilian. You said exactly what happen. Uno thing is, to walk around the touristic beaches of “zona sul”. Another completly different thing is “to know about brazilian lifestyle, culture…” The real way of life in diferent places around Rio, and more!! Arould of Brazil!! Me, as brazilian, almost don’t realize my own brazilian culture when I walk around these places of vรญdeo lol

    • @--th says:

      Rio has dozen of cultures within. And Brazil has hundreds.

      Each place has its sociological aspects.

    • @valdineisantos4768 says:

      Exactly! As brazilian, I can say it. If a tourist wish to meet our cultures, our way of life, NEVER should be only around Copacabana , Ipanema, Leblon ,Barra da Tijuca… @@–th

    • @marianasena1125 says:

      Thank you! It is so frustrating to take Rio’s culture and say that that represents the country.

    • @fabioaab says:

      Important to know not all cariocas are the same. The carioca that you find at night doesn’t represent all the cariocas.

  • @Janasouzasp says:

    Brazil is a huge country and most people have a very different lifestyle than Rio. Rio has more tourists and people want to be more interesting. Overall, the country is more conservative and more family-focused.

    • @sabrynatenorio says:

      Rio de Janeiro is also conservative too.

    • @ander6368 says:

      Mulheres mais promiscuas sรฃo as daqui

    • @sabrynatenorio says:

      @@ander6368 Mulheres mais promรญscuas nรฃo sรฃo as do Brasil.

    • @sabrynatenorio says:

      @@ander6368 Nem todas as mulheres brasileiras sรฃo promรญscuas.

    • @davidelliott1594 says:

      โ @@sabrynatenorioPerhaps there are a significant number of conservative people in the city of Rio, but that is not the reputation the city has simply because there are very large numbers of people in the city of Rio who are not conservative and those numbers are very evident to anyone who visits the city or spends any considerable amount of time in the city. No one is saying all Cariocas are one way or another but for any one to say that Rio is generally known as a conservative city overall would not be honest with themselves. Every city on Earth has a general reputation for a reason. Generalizations are not 100% true, but they arise from general impressions and experiences, so if nothing else, they can partially true, while leaving space for individual truths and lifestyles as well.

  • @CerridwenAwel says:

    Seems like that Finnish lady is simply unable to operate outside the strict enforcement of rules. I’d assume she’s very machine-like for being unable to glimpse civilization outside the binder she’s used to. Brazil has been through so many crises and the system failing so much that the people developed the ability to negotiate rules and have matters flowing on-the-go. So the Finnish lady is like a cog, whereas brazilians are rebuilding the system everyday, adapting to every new problem, and having an entire continental country running quite peacefully for the amount of issues going on. When a people builds their “civilization” everyday, with enormous flexibility and adaptability to unforeseen and foressen issues, instead of having “civilization” imposed in the form of rules for them to blindly follow, I dunno, it looks to me that the one who knows how to make civilization from scratch, accomodating an enormous range of issues and still keep stuff going, is more civilised, as opposed to a trained monkey. But alas, the blinder…

    • @GABIdotGABI says:

      I am Brazilian and I work with Estonians. Basically, they want everything to be planned in advance and create a series of rules for all processes. This is good because it makes work organized and efficient. On the other hand, an excess of rules limits creativity and sometimes makes processes too slow. The Brazilian team knows how to deal much better with unforeseen events and can find a way out even in the most complicated situations and when there are not enough resources available. Rules are important but creativity and resilience are too.

    • @Frivals says:

      Yeah yeah sure you are the best ๐Ÿ™„๐Ÿ™„๐Ÿ™„๐Ÿคฆโ€โ™‚๏ธ

    • @CerridwenAwel says:

      @@Frivals why is it so difficult to see it’s not a competition. I suppose the “civilised” can’t think any other way. Just parrot as told…

    • @CerridwenAwel says:

      @@GABIdotGABI exactly. Different people can always add to each other. We’re all flawed some way or another, and the different other help us see ourselves better. But it’s incredibly arrogant to look down on others simply because they don’t play by your book. Referring to them as uncivilised, “jungle rule”, of all things, an inferior race, that’s the sort of thing nazis used to do.

    • @GABIdotGABI says:

      @@CerridwenAwel that’s the point!

  • @tiagojuliano248 says:

    The stereotype of Brazil in foreigners mind is the stereotype from Rio. Brazil has a continental dimension, more than 200 milion people of different origins. The rest of Brazil is quite different from Rio, the accents, people, customs, the way of life, many differences. If someone wants to know Brazil, it is necessary to visit different regions. If you think Brazil is Rio so you do not know Brazil. For example; Sรฃo Paulo city is a metropolis, no beaches, not so hot and it rains a lot in the summer, people are always in a hurry and they are more serious. You can find people of other parts from Brazil and from other countries in Sรฃo Paulo. If you go more to the south of the country things change, if you go to midwest is another thing, northwest another completely different…

    • @sabrynatenorio says:

      Even Rio de Janeiro is stereotyped in this video.

    • @gisellemoura5753 says:

      Rio de Janeiro is stereotyped in the video too! Most of people from Rio is decent and work a lot to make a living. You should criticise the Finnish woman that made terrible comments about Brazilians. You, as a Brazilian, should support your people like they do in their countries. Stop criticising Rio de Janerio because the other regions are not that different. After all, weยดre all Brazilian.

    • @sabrynatenorio says:

      โ€‹@@gisellemoura5753True.

    • @sabrynatenorio says:

      โ€‹โ€‹@@gisellemoura5753I’m not from Rio de Janeiro and I defend Rio de Janeiro too and the rest of Brazil.

    • @leticiabrito762 says:

      Eles nรฃo estรฃo errados, pois em qualquer lugar apenas 1 ou 2 estados representam o paรญs , nรฃo existe mais do q isso

  • @glasmorgan says:

    Eu acho muito engraรงado esse espanto dos gringos falando de como โ€œandamos nus ou com pouca roupaโ€ sendo que na europa eles literalmente botam os peitos pra fora fazendo topless nas praias ou parques

  • @PatriciaRoedel says:

    Brazil is a huge country and the video shows Rioโ€™s culture, which is the most open in the country.

  • @mcelo_pereira says:

    a finlandesa falou mal do povo, da sujeira, da confiabilidade, mas tรก morando a 18 anos aqui. Uรฉ?

  • @samskelly6109 says:

    โ€Donโ€™t trust latinosโ€ โ€Not everybodyโ€™s a criminalโ€ UGH, as a Finnish guy these comments got me shaking my damn head! So ignorant.
    Muuta takas Suomee, jos pittรครค valittaa koko aja perkele

    • @andreia0000 says:

      Yes, we Brazilians arenito Latinos or considered ourselves ones. AND she livres in Rio for 18 years ๐Ÿ˜…. Perkele! Hahahaha

  • @nataliaramos784 says:

    The woman from Finland only complained about Brazil and Brazilians however she hรกs been here for 18 years. It must be horrible for her ๐Ÿ˜‚ ๐Ÿ˜…

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