h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Hi Mary, sorry I answered your question on my place quite aggressively, exactly in the way people have become here. I am adapting, you see. Of course, I could go to your place and see who you were, which I did. I have not been here for some time and forgot about this possibility. I like your place, it's nice. What a lot of friends you do have. Are you Brazilian or just another lost soul from a different place? Love Farawaylady

No problem. I didn't find it agressive. I guess I'm used to it already. I am an american living in the usa. I lived in Brasil in 1985/6 in Rio.

Congratulations for having gotten out of here in time! This country
has started becoming what it is now (and it is still sliding downwards with alarming speed) about 24 years ago. Now more people are killed in road accidents in one year than were killed in the whole Vietnam War. Every year 47.000 are murdered. I know people have changed all over the world, I hear it from Germany and from the States too, but I think it is worse here. Population just exploded and most are poorer than we can imagine and how can you bring up children with morals and ethics and learning what is right and wrong if you don't have enough to eat, no decent place to live in, no schooling and, especially, no hope of ever climbing up the social staircase. The result is what we have today. A life means nothing. The justice system is stuck and not functioning. The laws are against the police doing their job, they favour the human rights of the poor criminals. Well, I could go on and on, but I don't want to depress you. 85/86 was still O.K. to live here. I hope you enjoyed your stay and keep good memories of it. Love farawaylady

I'm sorry to hear things are still so difficult there. I had heard it got worse after I left but then I heard it got better later. I've hadn't heard about laws favoring criminals. I have heard more about humans rights abuses on the part of the police. But mostly I don't hear much at all about Brasil although I keep my ear out. I haven't kept up on it as much as I should.

Am I correct that you are not Brasilian? May I ask how long you've been there and what you do there?

Hello again! Yes, I am German, met a Brazilian in England a long time ago, married him and came here. We had four children and he died after only 20 years. That's when I should have gone back to Germany, but life was not so bad then and I had all the basics, like house, car, etc. while over there I would have had to start all over again from scratch. How could one know that here nothing ever gets better, only worse. As to jobs, I have done many things, secretary, teacher, telephone operator in a hotel, language teaching in a school and hotels, private classes and mainly translator of veterinary books (some job!). I liked all of them and am still translating. Money is not so good though. Wish I could stop working for others and do full time what I really like doing, that is writing. What about you?