Hey guys, how we doing today? Today is a wonderful Saturday here in São Paulo, Brazil. I am just chilling on the couch as I do. It’s a bit of a rainy weekend, little cozy, but it’s the beginning of summer in December, so it’s quite toasty.

I wanted to make a video talking about the chaos — the beautiful chaos that I’ve experienced so far in Brazil, in São Paulo. I know São Paulo is not really a good representation of Brazil — Brazil is massive. But this is all I’ve seen so far. I got here in the beginning of October and it’s now mid-December, so a little over two months.

I wanted to share my impression as somebody from the United States who speaks English and Spanish and is learning Portuguese. I speak Portuguese — I can get by. I’m not fluent, but I can get by. And I’ve been to 13 countries now. So this is my first time in Brazil, and certain things I’ve experienced here I have never experienced in any other country.

First and foremost, I’m loving my time here. I extended my tourist visa so I can stay six months because I love it. I don’t want to leave. So let’s dive into the beautiful chaos.

Why São Paulo?

I came to São Paulo because I’m in my big city era. I’ve spent most of my life in nature — grew up in the woods in a small town in the US, lived in the Amazon for four years in Ecuador. Nature is my norm. But I’m single, I want to socialize, experience city life and a large variety of people. Big cities have a massive variety of people, and there’s usually a big vegan community — I’m vegan.

I also like the Brazilian Portuguese accent here, the more neutral, easier to understand one. So that’s why I chose São Paulo. I know there are Brazilians in the comments saying “You gotta go here, you gotta go there” — I know, but I have my whole life to do that. Right now I’m in my big city girl era.

The Bureaucratic Chaos

So first, let me talk about some things I’ve experienced in Brazil that I have never experienced in any other country.

Card payments. It’s very normal here to pay with your card. But for some reason, foreign cards only work if you say it’s a credit card. Even though mine is a debit card, the system registers foreign cards as credit. I had no idea. Thankfully some lady told me after a couple of days, so I could stop having problems.

ATMs. I had to take out cash for something, and after a lot of trial and error — walking around to different ATMs and getting declined, declined, declined — I asked the internet. Turns out, you have to go to Banco 24 Horas. That is the only ATM that works with foreign cards. Only one. I’ve been to Colombia, Mexico, countries in Asia — never experienced this. In Brazil, most ATMs do not accept foreign cards. Why? I don’t know.

The CPF. You need a CPF — an ID number — for everything here. You need it to use iFood, the most common food delivery app. As a tourist, I can get one at a post office, but the fact that I have to go get an ID number just to order food delivery to my Airbnb — that’s weird. You also need a CPF plus a residency document to get a Bilhete Único (the universal transit card). Tourists can’t get one, so I have to pay the bus attendant with cash every single time.

In the US, we have Social Security numbers, but we only use them for serious things. Not for Uber Eats. It’s a learning curve as a tourist here.

The visa extension. I’m aware that as a US passport holder, I’m extremely privileged with visas. I know it’s harder for Brazilians going to the US. But let me tell you my story.

US citizens need to apply for an e-visa online and pay $80 before arriving. That was fine. But the extension process… you can stay 90 days initially, then extend for another 90. My question is: if they allow 180 days, why not give it from the beginning?

I had to print a form, take it to a Banco do Brasil branch, pay the fee in cash only (a bank that doesn’t accept cards!), then take the receipt to a police station 30–40 minutes away from the central area. I went there four times before I got it done.

First time: closed because the day before was a holiday, so they took the next day off too. Second time: I was too early — you have to go within 30 days of your visa expiring. Third time: I arrived at 5 PM and the visa section was already closed. Fourth time: finally got it.

I was so mad. It’s such a waste of time to spend your afternoon going to a police station and coming back for nothing. This is 2025 — this should be doable on the internet.

The Feira Livre — Positive Aggression

The feira livre is like an outdoor market that pops up once a week in each neighborhood. It reminded me of a tianguis in Mexico. But something unique to Brazil: the vendors are incredibly enthusiastic and loud. They love to yell all the time.

When you’re walking through the feira, it’s constant yelling — prices, what they have, sometimes just playing with each other. It was so loud it was piercing my ears. Painful almost. But it’s funny. I love it. It’s entertaining. It’s just very intense — not a peaceful market experience at all.

In Ecuador and Peru and Mexico, it’s more relaxed — chill vibes. Brazilian feiras are just on another level of intensity.

Diversity & Food

São Paulo is the most diverse place I’ve ever been outside of the United States. All kinds of physical appearances, skin colors — anybody could be Brazilian. São Paulo has the biggest Japanese population outside of Japan. My favorite store that’s two blocks from me is a Japanese/Asian store — paradise for a vegan who loves Asian food.

I love the buffets here. There are vegan and vegetarian buffets near me. Love the rice and beans. The açaí in Brazil — once you’ve had it here, you can’t have it anywhere else. So pure, rich flavor.

The Casual Vibe

I love that it’s normal here to wear shorts and flip-flops anywhere, not just the beach. In Spanish-speaking Latin American countries, the dressing norms are more conservative — most people wear pants and closed-toe shoes even when it’s hot. Some people think wearing shorts and flip-flops is like wearing pajamas in public. I don’t understand that.

Brazil is super relaxed about it. Flip-flops are like the Brazilian symbol. I love the flip-flop vibe. It feels like home.

Final Thoughts

Brazilians have been so nice to me. It’s been so easy to talk to people despite my Portuguese not being fluent. This is a place where I could see myself living forever. But as long as I’m single, I’ll probably keep nomading around — staying on tourist visas for a few months and then moving on.

That said, I definitely could live here. I wanted to come to Brazil for years and I’m finally here. So no rush — I have my whole life to come back.

Thank you for listening. For those of you who never miss a single video and watch to the end — love you. See you in the next one. Bye-bye.