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Making friends in Porto Alegre
Gaúchos are loyal and slow to open. Parks, amateur football, UFRGS, and repeating yourself at the same bar.
People here mean it when they invite you home. They just invite you home later than you expected.
What works
- The same places. One café, one bar, one time slot. Familiarity is the currency.
- Redenção and Parcão. Walking, running, chimarrão circles. Say yes to the cuia.
- Amateur sport. Pelada, rowing clubs, capoeira, climbing gyms.
- UFRGS / PUCRS public talks and language tandems if you are even adjacent to campus.
- Classes. Portuguese, pottery, a cooking thing. Anything with a weekly hour.
- Work. The Brazilian office still socialises. Go once.
What does not
- Complaining that people are “cold” compared to Bahia. They know. They are proud.
- Only hanging out with other newcomers in English. Fine for month one. A problem for month twelve.
- Expecting spontaneous 11pm plans every night. Cidade Baixa can do that. The rest of the city has children and weather.
Football as a door
Pick a club or honestly pick none. Grêmio and Internacional are not a cute quiz. They are family. If you go to a match, go with someone who already knows the gate.
Dating
Apps work. Portuguese works better. The rules in safety still apply. Meet in public and tell a friend the neighborhood (bairro).