I first started to notice pictures and images of North America from the poster of a big suburban house with a lawn in my apartment. Then all of the hotel rooms I have stayed in had pictures of snow capped mountains, evergreen trees, and sometimes even a bit of caribou.
I am not sure if "travel broadens the mind" but I do love travelling because it makes me think differently about where I come from. Before moving to Manaus I never thought about how the Brasilian imagination would envision North America, it's the opposite of our popular images of "exotic" empty tropical sandy beaches!
I had several misconceptions about Manaus and Brasil in general before arriving.
Firstly, I thought the food and produce in Manaus would be amazing because of the Amazon rainforest. Unfortunately this is not true, according to friends all the delicious fruit is grown in the states of Rio and Sao Paulo while nothing is grown in Amazonia. I guess this is due to the extreme heat and lack of agriculture. I had the best fruits in Rio and Sao Paulo, the kind that make you think you have never tasted a real banana because it's so fresh and sugary sweet!
The second misconception I had was that Brasil is hot. Despite being Canadian, I froze in Rio and Sao Paulo. I even had to buy sweaters, jackets, and socks. The temperatures did not look too cold, they were always around 7-15 degrees. But the nonexistence of heating and the open buildings get really really cold. Maybe Manaus has destroyed my ability to withstand cold...
Another misconception I had was that the pace of life would be slower and lazier in Brasil compared to Canada. Most people I have met work an insane amount of hours and find working on Saturdays is normal! The pace of life here feels like it is going at breakneck speed compared to slow and lazy North America.
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