One thing that has changed me forever was having friends from all over the world, and specially those from Scandinavia.
I know some people that normally bashes Brazil for a lot of reasons, specially after they come back from their trips abroad. Suddenly, their fellow Brazilian friends are not good anymore, the food is not good anymore, etc.
While it’s very easy to compare things you have at home with those you find overseas, something way different is to compare people. I think it’s way too stupid to compare people, as we tend to buy stereotypes that don’t reflect the pure and simple fact that, hell, we’re all humans! And I’ve been lucky to meet wonderful human beings, no matter if Brazilians or Martians… 😉
That said, one thing I find different abroad, and that I wish were a little different here, is that on other countries it seems to me that women and men treat each other the same way they’d treat the other gender.
In Brazil, on many situations, you can’t just say a curse in front of a woman. Or you can’t talk about other women in front of women! Or they still have to attempt to dress nicely. This is stupid, and I think it only contributes to the endurance of the gap between the two genders. I like women, for crying out loud, not puppies.
Anyway, I am lucky. Most of the women I work with or hang out with are so authentic. They curse. They don’t care that much for what they dress. They tell how their sex life is. They share the bill at the restaurant. And they will laugh if I attempt to open the door for them.
Gosh, I love my girl friends…
