Comparing Recife in Brazil with Manchester in the UK

(Text written some weeks ago.)

I live near the equator, in Recife city, which is the capital of the state of Pernambuco, in Brazil (A map is always a good idea, yeah? ). We have a lot of hot weather (sometimes it gets very hot) but also some rainy months. I don’t know if it rains all the year in Manchester but, since I arrived here, today is the first sunny day that I have seen. Therefore, I really think that Manchester is a rainy city. The temperature is much colder then in my city and here I have to dress as I never dressed before. Although I like this! Maybe just because it’s new for me but people look more chic.

Another thing regarding what I like about the weather is that sometimes when we talk here the steam produces a white fog. It may look kind of silly but I always saw that on the movies and thought it was nice. So, every time it happens here I think it’s great and keep blowing at the street like a crazy person. I hope no one has seen it…

Here, I miss what I call “real” lunch. In my country we have a large meal at mid day. The most common lunch would be beans, rice, vegetables and meat. I love meat…however in Manchester I have eaten subway for lunch twice already… therefore, I’m always hungry as it just doesn’t fill me up like a Brazilian lunch would.

Having said that, I really like some things that I found at the supermarket! Delicious things cost less here than they would at my city. I bought tasty cheeses, ice-cream (in this cold, yes) and chocolate and I intend to buy more… That’s one of the reasons why I was trying to find a place to run here! You see, I was almost always a sedentary person but, maybe three months ago I started training to run. Before I travelled here I was already running for 30 minutes straight everyday. But, as it’s always raining it’s difficult to run outside here and I’m not aware about any parks where I could do it.

Well… People… One thing got my attention here. I’m not actually criticising but I got impressed about the teenage girls clothes at night. For me it’s so cold always and they can walk around in the street with mini skirts and shorts. I don’t know how they can do it! I would freeze for sure! Of course we have clothes like that in Brazil (everybody knows that), but in this cold it’s surprising.

Still about the people subject, on Tuesday I was at the supermarket waiting in the line to pay my things and a really old lady stopped after me. I was looking at that and was having hard time to understand why she was there after all. After sometime I asked: “Excuse me miss. Sorry to ask but don’t you have here a special line for elderly people and pregnant women, disabled people?” She said that here at UK they don’t have that. I felt sorry for her and other people in those conditions because normally they can’t stay standing for long time without feeling uncomfortable.