Brazilians Abroad - Auckland

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G: So, um, tell us how you ended up in New Zealand, Leonardo.

L: So, er, I’ve been in New Zealand for seven years now. And...um...New Zealand is one of the only countries that give (sic) working holiday visas to Brazilians. So, I found that could be a good opportunity and a great way to...to start in a different country. So, that’s what I did. I applied for the visa. I went to Auckland, which is the biggest city in New Zealand and I lived there for ten months, and then I was travelling around the north islands. If you...for the people who don’t know, New Zealand is divided in two islands – North Island and South Island...

J: Ok.

L: And...er...I found this beautiful, tiny place called Whitianga, and...um...got a job, and I have been living here since then, which is pretty cool.

J: Nice! So...so... Are you a sheep-herder in New Zealand, or...or...or...or...I ’m making a joke but...

G: You don’t get many Brazilian sheep-herders, do you?

L: There’s a lot of...there’s a lot of sheep here, man! There’s a lot of sheep. But....but that’s not my thing. Not my thing.

J: Ah, ok. So...so...so, w...what do you do now? You say you...you got a job in New Zealand. What do you do in New Zealand?

L: Er, well, I’ve done a few different things. As you guys might know, foreigners have to...to ‘dance with the music that is playing.’  Um...I...I started with hospitality. I did a few different things...painting. But now I work in the education sector. So I work at a school. I’m the arts administrator of the school.

J: Nice!

L: And...um...part of my job is also...er...working with the music department. I’m a drummer, so I...I...I’m a drum tutor and I do some music appreciation sessions with kids with disability, so it’s a cool job.

J: So, you...you mentioned that New Zealand was one of the only places that gives Brazilians a working visa. Right?

L: Working holid...working holiday visa.

J: Ok. Wh...what’s a working holiday visa?

L: So...um...a working holiday visa, it’s a visa that allows you come to the country. I could study but I could also apply for jobs, which is a great thing when you are a foreigner because...

J: Right. And you...so you...you could immediately work? You could immediately go to work, right?

L: Yeah, but that’s the thing. It only lasts for...for twelve months.

J: Ok.

L: And for...for most of the European countries...erm...it’s...it’s an open thing, so you can go to any country and apply for a working holiday visa. It is a pretty easy process.

G: What do you miss about Brazil? Anything?

L: Er...well, I’ve been on a plant-based diet for four years, so what I miss in Brazil is the variety of fresh fruits.

G: Ah, ok.

J: Sure.

L: The fruit is amazing. The weather. Brazil, it’s warm, it’s beautiful. Erm, I like the way that people party and celebrate life in Brazil. You know, I think it’s very similar to the African culture. Er...people are living the sh**, so you might as well celebrate and enjoy life, because you don’t know how...how much it’s going to last. Um...I like the positive vibe about the Brazilians and, of course, you know, like, it goes without saying that I miss friends and family, but after seven years, you just learn how to deal with it.

G: But that leads us to an interesting point too. What about the people in New Zealand? How do you find them compared to Brazilians? Do you find them easy...approachable? Are they easy to get on with? Do you make many friends with New Zealanders?

L: Yeah. Er...they...er...well, the first approach, it’s a bit hard. So, you have to break a wall.

J: W...what do you mean, ‘it’s like hard’? That they....they...don’t want to talk to anybody they don’t know, or what?

L: Er...no, well, New...New Zealand has a lot of foreigners. It...it...it’s quite amazing, the diversity of...of people who live here. So, Kiwis, and the Maoris – they...they are very used to...er...having people from...from other countries. It’s...it’s...it’s very common, like. If you go to Auckland, especially, it’s a...it’s a multi-diverse country...city, and it’s beautiful. But I...I think it’s just the...the...the English way, because of the colonization, you know? Like, I think it’s a little bit different – sorry, Gee!

G: I understand fully!

L: As I was saying, like, there’s nothing wrong with it. It’s just a little bit more skeptical, let’s say, and once you break the wall, it’s just amazing. Like, I have amazing friends, you know? Like, my life here has been pretty awesome because I have very close friends. And that’s the thing – sometimes you create even stronger bonds because you have to break the wall but once you get the trust, it’s legit. Like, the friendships are...are solid.

J: Did you have any situation where you mispronounced a word and it came out totally wrong, like it was...it meant something completely different?

L: Absolutely. Er...all the time! Still, especially when you work with kids. They call you out straight away. Erm....but I remember saying... I worked once at a...erm...at a day spa. It was a hot pools kind of thing. So ‘pool’ is already a big one, right, just....just to say ‘hot pool’. It’s...it’s....it’s a...it’s a bad way to start, if you mispronounce ‘pools’ or ‘pool’. But also, we would tag the people. We would give them numbers and I would always say – ‘Oh, you’re the first. You’re the second, and you are the third.’

G: Oh dear!

L: I was not saying...I was not saying...

G: You don’t want to insult people like that!

J: You were saying – ‘and you’re the turd!’

L: Yes. I was not saying third. I was saying turd. And then, my manager heard, and she was like – ‘Oh, fantastic that you are calling our clients turds!’

J: Ah, because a turd...a turd is excrement for anybody who doesn’t know, so...

L: There you go, yeah. And I didn’t even...that’s the thing...I didn’t even know what it meant! That was even worse, so...

J: Yeah, well, and then you also said – ‘I...I...I used to work at a day spa.’ And what did they understand? A gay spa, maybe? Or something like that.

L: Man, that...that was...that was an interesting one because a lot of...erm...a lot of men would come to the day spa thinking that we would offer ‘happy endings’...you know?

J: Ah, yeah...yeah, of course!

L: But...er...I don’t know. Men are weird, so, you know.

G: Yes. Men are weird everywhere, no?

J: So...so you didn’t stay there very long, did you?

L: I stayed there for almost three years. It was a pretty cool job.

J: At the gay spa? Wow, that’s a long time.

L: No. No, no. It was a day spa.

G: Are they...er...are the New Zealand women high maintenance, or are they easy-going?

L: Ooh, again, I think it really depends on you, you know? Like, the kind of people that you will attract. The Coromandel is also famous for...for having a more alternative lifestyle. So, there will be a lot of people into, like, permaculture, gardening, tiny...the tiny house movement – it’s a big thing in New Zealand, you know? So there’s a lot of people...

J: W...what’s the tiny-house movement?

G: Ah, this...this is the hobbit...this is Hobbiton, isn’t it? You’re no...you’re not living close to Hobbiton, are you?

L: No, no! Not the hobbits but that...that’s a good one! So, tiny houses – you can just build a tiny house on wheels.

J: On wheels?

L: It...it...on wheels, yeah. So, it...it’s like a...a caravan I would say...

J: Like a mobile home, or something like that?

L: A mobile home. That’s...that’s...that’s it, yes. That’s the right term.

J: So, you take a truck. You put some, like, a little canopy on top of it, and you live inside of that?

L: You...you actually build a...a normal house but it’s...it’s...it’s tiny. It’s like – I don’t know – ten square meters, you know, or something.

J: Oh...oh...ok. So, why is that attractive, then, because normally...I mean...

L: Oh, I wouldn’t say attractive but...but...but I was just connecting with the fact that, like, some girls can be high maintenance but some others can be more into the alternative lifestyle.

J: Oh, ok.

L: And now it’s a big thing in New Zealand for a lot of people, this Sustainability, especially because of our...our governments, you know...

J: Right.

L: ...women in power, The Green Party taking a lot of seats. So, there’s a lot of people caring more about the environment and living small, being minimalistic is...it’s actually a trend now. You know, it’s...it’s a cool thing to be small and limited. So, those kind of girls...those kind of people, they connect more with the mindsets that I...I have. I wouldn’t date a girl with a mansion, or anything. It’s just not my style.

G: Those...those tiny houses must have been tough during the Covid lockdown, though, weren’t they? Or did you not have a lockdown in New Zealand?

L: We did...we did have a lockdown period here. Um, it was...I guess it was very different from the rest of the world because New Zealand is small.

G: But you didn’t have much of a lockdown there, then, I guess. No, mostly life carried on as normal, did it?

L: Well, New Zealand was pretty strict. New Zealand when...when Covid hit New Zealand because, the thing is, all the towns, they are small. So, there are not many hospitals. There are not many medical facilities. So, the government understood that it was a good move to do a (sic) extreme action, and take quick, fast actions. So, we all went, like, Level 4...er...for maybe two months, almost three months.

J: Ok.

L: So, we all went home and that was fantastic, you know, like it doesn’t matter how much you argue – conspiracy theories or whatever – you got to understand that a virus is a virus and you catch it if you’re around it and if your immune system is not strong. So, I thought it was pretty smart, you know? Like, everybody was getting paid. I was still working online. And look at us now, you know. Like, we are living a normal life. We can go to gigs. You know, we...we...we can have our get-togethers. At the beginning, everything (sic) was a bit skeptical about it, but now it’s paying off.

G: So, what...what about the music scene? Can I talk about the music scene, quickly? You’ve...you’ve... um...you actually got to play in some bands while you were there?

L: Yeah...er...currently I am in two bands. So, I have a duo. It’s a funk-folk-punk...it’s a mix of...of gypsy, a little bit of everything. So, my friends sings, plays the guitar, harmonica, mandolin, everything and I play percussion. Er....but we also have a punk-rock trio, which is...

G: Punk-rock trio! Look at that – am...amazing.

J: So that...that’s just for fun, right, the punk-rock?

L: Oh, we’re actually gigging.

J: Yeah?

L: But not a lot.  But like...cos that’s the thing. Sometimes you find a niche and you...and you...and you hit that right. So, we’re actually having fun playing punk-rock.

G: So, what do you do? Do you actually dye your hair and put a safety pin through your nose when you perform or what...what happens there?

L: Gee, as you can see, the hair’s gone, man!

G: There’s...there’s such a thing as a wig, you know. I use them all the time. You can tell, l you know.

J: Well, you definitely have a bit of that Bin Laden look, though. You could do something with that.

G: Yeah, you could do something with that.

L: Yeah, I keep...I keep just the punk-rock attitude, not the look.

G: So, before you go, I think you should tell us some Maori. What Maori have you learned? You must have learned a few words?

L: Well, the...the good one is the greeting. So, er – Kia Ora. Kia Ora.

G: Ok. That’s the same as the bar around the corner.

J: That’s the bar here – right around the corner from us.

L: Is it?

J: Yeah, Kia Ora.

G: Kia Ora. Now we know.

J: Puta que pariu! I never knew.

L: Kia Ora, yes. So Kia Ora is...is the greeting for, like, ‘Hello’. You know, it’s like the...the fact, that’s how you would start any conversation or anything, is the Kia Ora. And...er...New Zealand is the name of the country but actually we prefer...and most people prefer referring (sic) to New Zealand as Aotearoa, which is the Maori name.

J: Ok.

L: Which means ‘the long, big, white cloud.’ That’s...that’s how they refer to New Zealand - Aotearoa.

J: Ok.

G: Nice.

L: Erm...I think...two...two words, for now, is enough!

J: I have...I have...I have one last question. If...if I were to meet a New Zealander, let’s say, right now. What is there...what’s one thing I should not say to that person?

L: Well, don’t say that you’re from Australia!

J: Ok.

G: Don’t say they sound like they’re Australian.

L: I think you would go well just talking about your culture and where you’re from and saying that you are not a Trump supporter, and you’ll be fine.

J: Ok, nice! Fair enough.

G: How’s the cat? What’s the cat’s name?

L: Jay!

J: Now that’s funny!

G: That is funny.

L: Her full name is...is...is Janey Jones, but for the close ones, Jay.

G: So, we got two Jay. Excellent.

J: Ok...well...well thank you very much for your...for taking the time to join us. I really appreciate it, all the way from New Zealand.

G: Yeah, thanks very much Leonardo.

J: There’s...there’s 15 hours difference.

G: 16 at the moment.

J: 16 hours difference.

L: Thank you, so much. You...you...you’re more than welcome to...to...to come for a visit, have a look on...er... Whitianga and the Coromandel on Google. I’m sure you will appreciate the vibe here, and just...just let me know when you are around.

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                                                            End of Part 2

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J: So, Gee, what do you have for the Guru for us, this week?

G: Well, today, I am going to talk to you about the verb ‘to get’.

J: To get?

G: Because ‘to get’ is a verb that has multiple uses.

J: My goodness. There’s lots of uses with that, and lots of slang, and lots of everything.

G: Exactly, so we’re just going to have a look at some of the more common uses of the verb ‘to get’. Erm, I’m going to read you a short passage and then you’re going to identify what the alternative meaning is to each use of the verb ‘to get’.

J: Ok.

G: So, I got a letter from my grandmother.

J: I received a letter from my grandmother.

G: She says I need to get a job.

J: It would be nice to have a job.

G: But she doesn’t get it, and that gets me.

J: Ah, she doesn’t understand and that irritates me. That’s good! I like that one.

G: Doesn’t she know I’m getting by?

J: Er...I’m managing.

G: So, I’m just going to get another beer and get drunk!

J: I will have another beer and get fantastically drunk.

G: Well, I would...I would actually say the l...last ‘get another beer’ would be to fetch another beer, which is an interesting verb because...

J: Ok, fi..

G: ...we don’t really have a verb ‘to fetch’ in Portuguese.

J: No. I...I would say, typically, ‘fetch’ I don’t really use a lot. ‘Fetch’ I use more for dogs. Dogs fetch...

G: Exactly. Or I’m going to fetch my friend from the airport.

J: Yes, it’s not like I’m going to go out and fetch a girlfriend, or something like that, no.

G: Exactly. So, if I was to read that the other way, I would say – I received a letter from my grandmother. She says I need to obtain a job. But she doesn’t understand, and that annoys me.

J: Right.

G: Doesn’t she know, I’m doing ok? Um...so, I’m just gonna fetch another beer, and become drunk.

J: Ok. There we go!

G: Get, get, get.

J: Get, get, get. Yeah, and there’s multiple things we...with get. We use it in...in slang. We use it in many ways. Ah, I think we’ll be here another twenty minutes talking about all the different uses of get.

G: I...I have a list, actually, of about a hun...well...a hundred? No, about fifty – fifty different phrasal verbs with get. But there are probably hundreds.

J: Ok.

G: Especially when you take into account the uses culturally between the US and the UK, and Australia, I think there’s probably two or three hundred, if you actually go internationally.

J: Oh right. I’m sure there’s lots because it...because it’s so common it’s easy to combine with other verbs, and then you just get a different meaning every time. As do most phrasal verbs.

G: Exactly. So, that’s the get.

J: Ok, I got it!

G: You got it! So, that brings us to the end of another episode of...

J: ...The Samba Buzz!

G: That’s buzz with two zeds.

J: That’s buzz or...two zeds, yes.

G: Or two zees, possibly?

J: Or two zees. So, er, what do we have, let’s say, coming up for the next pod?

G: Let’s say, we’ve got another guest, actually. Um...

J: Oh, a...a new mystery guest.

G: A new mystery guest.

J: So, if anybody would like to contact us or give us suggestions for a...a next pod, or any guests or topics that you have questions about for our gurus to respond to...

G: ...you can contact us by email at thesambabuzz... I don’t know what the...

J: Yeah, www.thesambabuzz

G: That’s...that’s...that’s the web address, alright...so let’s do that.

J: Yes, that’s the web address.  You can contact us through the web address.

G: Yes, you can contact us at mailbox@thesambabuzz.com

J: Yes. And please do.

G: And please do.

J: And please, send us a shout out on Instagram or any other social platform.

G: Which we will have up running shortly!

J: Yes!

G: We said this about a year ago and it will happen soon!

J: And it will happen soon. So, that’s our promise to you. At least we can do that. If anyone has any suggestions for Christmas or New Year’s – any special pods – then we are accepting requests for that.

G: We always accept requests. We are very easy-going.

J: Ok.

G: So, until next time!

J: Thank you very much. Bye-bye and stay safe.

G: Indeed. Stay safe.

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The End