A Brazilian In... Mexico City & Vienna

Amanda Rosa

Vice: Where are you from?

Amanda:

I’m from a very small town called Gravataí. It’s near Porto Alegre, which is a very beautiful place near the border of Uruguay and Argentina. It has the most trees out of all the cities in Brazil, and people there have very a strong political conscience. It’s a part of Brazil that doesn’t really look like the rest of the country due to colonization.

What do you do for a living?

I’m a fashion model. I used to work on TV but not anymore. Now I dedicate most of my time to my modeling agency.

How did a spicy little number like you end up in Mexico?

By coincidence. I wanted to end a relationship, but I realized it wasn’t going to be as simple as saying, “I hate your face now. Goodbye.” It was all the usual problems: We shared a car, a bank account, our friends, and I was feeling asphyxiated. So I asked my agency to send me as far away as they could.

And how is it working out? Are you happier here?

I love that I can take a bus to a pyramid—it’s incredible. I’m planning on staying here for a while. Is it a third-world city with constant traffic congestion? Maybe, but it’s nothing compared with São Paulo.

Do you like the current president of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva? A lot of people think he’s a supreme dickhead.

I hate him. He had this whole campaign for helping the poor, and what happened? He wasn’t able to fight the congressmen and senators in charge. Lula won thanks to this huge campaign sponsored by shady supporters, in which he was the “people’s candidate.” It was like, “Vote for me because I lost a finger working in a factory and I only made it to fourth grade.” He doesn’t even speak English. It’s absurd—he’s a very limited man.

Aren’t you being a little harsh on the guy?

I’ll put it this way: I used to have a roommate who had a baby and decided to leave Brazil and come to Mexico. She said, and I quote, “I don’t want to raise my son there. In Mexico, I don’t have this terrible feeling.”

Which is?

The fear of everything. Once when I was visiting Brazil, I heard the story of a boy who died because of crossfire while he was having a drink at a café. It happened so fast that it took his friends an hour to notice he was dead. From January until now, there have been approximately 50 cases of death due to crossfire. Some of my friends have lots of bullet holes in their houses thanks to the gunfights that are constantly happening.

Sure, but you can easily get shot or kidnapped in Mexico too.

Here I can roll down my car window to have a smoke. I would never do that in São Paulo. In Brazil, every family has been a victim of crime. Just days ago, my brother got mugged in front of his house—they just wanted his Converse shoes. They would have killed him if he hadn’t given them up. Here, someone may rob your bike, but in Brazil no one rides bikes. Why? Because you’ll surely get mugged.

INTERVIEW AND PHOTO BY ZARATUSTRA VÁZQUEZ

Soraia Cristina da Costa Tynnauer

Vice: Is Brazil really packed with young, beautiful people running around half-naked and having lots of sex?

Soraia:

Yeah, but mostly they’re naked up north. In Austria, the sun is shining for two months, and in Brazil, it’s eight, so of course there’s more sexuality in the air. Most of the time girls show their legs and guys don’t wear shirts in Brazil.

And elsewhere?

If you go to São Paulo, you won’t see people running around in bikinis, but the girls wear high heels and short skirts all the time. You can see girls who are fat as hell running around with a really short top and a miniskirt and you think, “Come on! Have a look in the mirror.”

That’s not the image most people have.

Can’t she be sexy just the way she is? There will be guys who are interested in her. It’s definitely easier to have a one-night stand in Brazil than here.

Do you miss traipsing around half-naked?

Yeah, totally. When it starts to get warm I walk around Vienna without a top—just a bikini and shorts. People stare at you when you run around like that. In Brazil, we are all naked and fucking everyone, even though it’s a really religious country.

Does the myth of Brazilian sexuality annoy you?

Generally no, but it depends on the situation. I went to a doctor last week who asked me to undress. He touched my ass and asked me where I was from. Then he was like, “Oooh, Brazil,” with his hands rubbing my ass. Sometimes it’s annoying, but most of the time I take it as a compliment.

What was the first impression you had about Vienna?

That it was a ghost town. It was quiet, gray, and the trees had no leaves. But at the same time it was really beautiful and impressive.

And the Viennese people?

They really don’t want to talk to you! Once we stopped an old lady on the street to ask her something and she started to run away.

What was the most difficult thing to adjust to?

Often people ask me not to speak so loudly. I also learned not to be late. And of course the weather! I always have a winter depression when I’m here. I understand why people here are so frustrated.

What can Austrians learn from Brazilians?

To be more easygoing. And to be content with what you have. People here have too much! The social system is very good, but it also makes people lazy.

And the other way round?

Respect for other people and their stuff. And also what it means to be a real friend. In Brazil, you can never trust a friend. Never.

INTERVIEW BY KEMI SUSANNE FATOBA

PHOTO BY DAVID TYNNAUER