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Language proficiency is probably the most important as jobs and friendships goes hand in hand with it. That also takes care of any government paperworks, also the daily living from shopping to ANY routine item. Secondly is money. You have to have money at least for 6mos to a year while looking for a job and securing a local private health insurance. Third is extreme love. You REALLY BETTER LOVE your other half because your patience can wear thin quickly as you encounter the difficulties of adjustment with the customs and traditions different to yours! You won´t like a lot of things they routinely do but be humble and courteous to locals. They´ll love you for it!

Your love for this country can or will come ONLY if you accept the norms and be a part of it or be one of them at last! Good luck to all!

robal

Agree with "Doc". Language, money and a lot of waiting. Culture ranks up there also.
One must know it will take a lot of time and effort to be able to reside here.
Must be a permeant resident to get a bank account and then get a work card (and it is always Brazil first on 99% of hiring). Have to be certain you want to tie up your money in Brazil. Wire transfers can cost you and there are limits how much you can bring in monthly. It takes awhile to be accepted and one must accept the rules.
Health Care can eat into your budget. Taxes on many items make them more expensive than many home countries.
Mail service is spotty and long distance calling is a hassle, so staying in touch with friends back home is mostly via social media.

Yes -- language,language, language!  Brazil is effectively a monolingual country, there's no real getting around that, and Portuguese is not a language (if any really are!) that you can just "pick up" living day to day, not to an acceptable level in a reasonable amount of time.  A course before arrival is a great idea; a course after arrival is a must.

Social cohesion  is lower in Brazil than it is in North America and Europe.  People's loyalties are mainly to their families, with their communities running a rather distant second, and strangers barely making the ratings.  In the eyes of many Brazilians (not a majority, but far too many), all foreigners are perceived as rich, with excess funds of which they shouldn't mind being relieved.  This can easily, if disconcertingly, include members of the newcomer's extended family:  we've had to draw a hard line on "loans" with certain family members and friends.  There's a great deal of everyday courtesy and camaraderie, but it's more to be enjoyed in the moment than relied upon in a pinch.  Enjoy it, but don't be disappointed if it turns out to be more superficial than it seemed.

If you're moving to Brazil to be with someone, it's vital that your level of mutual trust and commitment be high.  Your partner, especially in the beginning, will need to interpret the culture to you, and to watch your back.  If you're not an unbreakable team of two, if your partner starts taking the side of family or friends against  you instead of trying to defuse situations, consider strongly whether it's time to go home.

"Brazil is not for beginners" is so true that it's become a saying.  Master the language.  Be open to the experience, but always remain somewhat skeptical. Welcome new people into your life, but don't stop being alert for hidden agendas.  Be able to smile and turn down unreasonable requests with apparent regret, whatever you're really feeling:  that's part of the Brazilian Way.  Understand that, no matter how long you're here or how well you feel that you fit in, you'll probably always be highly visible as a foreigner, and that people will make assumptions about you based on that without knowing you.  If you can accept Brazil on its own terms that's great, because they're the only ones on offer.  If not, it's still a big world out there.

Amen!

I feel I made a mistake because I have no opportunities here

my girlfriend is going door to door selling sutiãs e calcinhas ...(I always wanted to get into women`s underwear ...) and today she is sewing masks on her sewing machine....

Opportunities are not going to come to your door and knock ...you need to go looking for them if you want to survive ....

Mwange, many think Brazil is a place of opportunities. Unless you have been sponsored by a company or have a CRNM and work card it is still tough.
Wages are low, heath care is overloaded and now with the virus I am sure there are many as you which feel the same.
No words of wisdom to offer. Just stay safe.

Thank you very much for your reply. But my partner doesnt want me to sell or do anything here. It's like being in cage. All I do is eat and sleep and it's very depressing. 
I love working and in my country I was working. my partner promised me that I will be working here but he is not helping. I have had opportunities to get job but he always ruined them for me. I have suggested several times that I sell cup cakes door to door, but he is against it.  This is killing me I feel like am living without a purpose.

I may go back soon to my country even though it means  starting from scratch but I have no option.

It's sad my partner promised me the opposite of everything am experiencing here.
But my bad, I should have researched more.
Thanks for your reply.

Well the option of going door to door is gone with the virus as well as flights are getting rare internationally. It may get worse if SC goes into shelter in place.
Sorry to hear of no support.

Mwange,

I'm so sorry that things aren't working out for you so far.
The whole country is in a period of maximum stress right now.  We can only hope and pray that, when this crisis is over, things will improve for you and for many, and that if not, you'll be able to go home safely, and find better things.

Abthree
Thankyou very much for your kind words. I appreciate.

Me and my wife originally met playing an online game,  clearly was alot of anxiety coming down at first but we both had obvious concerns about how to make things work but it is true language is a barrier 100% skillset of what your line of employment is will vary, as mine is informatica technologia i can go to any country and work. Brazil can seem cheap at first but everyone is right by saying make sure Brazil is right for you before you lock any money here , and the extreme factual love will have to be present and have the flexibility to ensure both parties wishes are respected or it can seem like your stuck. I absolutely love Brazil for better or worse. As odd as it is my many Brazilian friends i met online as a kid who taught me the skills i have now in regards to my profession will always have my absolute respect ! Your experience here will vary 100%

Despite having lived in many countries, the experience of Brazilian life left me with a very bitter taste. Both in terms of administration and everyday life and as a couple. It's frankly a country just made to party for a few weeks and that's it ...

Mwange wrote:

I feel I made a mistake because I have no opportunities here

Hi. Sorry about your situation. If I were you, I'd act as if I'm on my own, because that's what it's sounds like to me.

With your work situation: if at all possible, find online work and do it online, even if it's for your home country.

Regarding your sense of isolation, I have a strong pot of advice:
Every single day, go out and meet people. Start today. Don't wait till you're good at Portuguese.
Be approachable. Always smile and say, "Ola, tudo bem?" They will immediately know you're a foreigner, and many will be willing to get to know you and help you.
Don't go out just to shop. Your main goal is to talk to people.
Every day, talk to your neighbors, doormen, store owners, grocers, cashiers, police officers, pharmacists, church leaders, pedestrians, people at the beach.

When you go out, have a notepad when you go out. Use it to help communicate. Get good at doodling because it'll come in handy. Write down people's names and what you learned from them.

Maybe possibly visit a local church once in a while, even if you're not religious. Church is deeply ingrained into Brazilian culture, and Brazilians treat it like their extended family.

Lastly, watch their local TV shows, including the news. Use subtitles if possible.

McLen
Thankyou so much for your kind words. Well the situation was more than I could take. My partner never used to allow me to go out and my residency had expired he couldnt help me renew it.
Thank God I travelled back to my country and started life afresh
Am now doing fine than I was in Brazil.

Mwange wrote:

Well the situation was more than I could take. My partner never used to allow me to go out and my residency had expired he couldnt help me renew it.
Thank God I travelled back to my country and started life afresh
Am now doing fine....

Congratulations, Mwange, on escaping your captor and returning home to Zambia.

Life afresh, indeed.

cccmedia

cccmedia
Thankyou very much😊

Other women may still be in a similar situation to the one you escaped, Mwange.

Are you ready to tell your potentially empowering story -- how you overcame all obstacles and managed to get away from a difficult partner and get out of Brazil in the middle of a pandemic .. so you could achieve your freedom back home in Africa?

cccmedia

I went through hell indeed. Am ready to share my story yes.

Please go ahead and tell us....

I met my partner online. After getting to know each other we decided to meet. He came to my country. He was so loving and caring and I loved him to pieces. We to decided to get married. We had a church marriage blessing and we planned to have a marriage ceremony and certificate in brazil.
Since I was working and not ready to stop, he travelled back. He promised that i needed not worry about working as he would help me get a job in his country, better still he was going to provide and care for me.
He bought a flight ticket and arranged for my travel. I travelled and joined him.
It was barely a month, our love life changed.
We never married me in brazil or got a marriage certificate, when I asked about it, he kept on saying he was working on it.
I discovered that he used to chat with a lot of different women, some were my friends and he promised all of them to bring them to Brazil.
There was no love between us, the sad part was that I was fell pregnant. I couldn't imagine life as a single mum back to my country without a job and barely nothing on me to support my living.
This was the worst part of my life. I was depressed and suicidal thoughts troubled me every day. My hope for love and life crushed down.
We slept in separate rooms he only came to my room if he needed sex. He used to refuse me going out of the house.
My life changed from beauty to ashes.  He told me he brought me to brazil so that I could be changed.  According to him, I was proud of my beauty and I needed to change.
My skin changed it become cracked becuase I had no body cream. He never used to provide me body cream or cloths. And he used to restrict usage of water, soap and electricity .  So I would only take a shower 3 times a week and wash once in while.
I begged him to help me get something to do so that I could buy my basic needs.  Once in a while he would get me to clean his friends houses. But he would still get part of the money I got from cleaning.
The only thing I was lucky he provided was food. Otherwise my living in Brazil was hell.
At 7 months pregnancy, I decided to ask for help from my sister to buy me a flight ticket. I couldnt imagine how I was going to give birth to a child without cloths, and I never used to go for checkups at the clinic.
My sister bought me a flight ticket. Luckily my country was open to its citizens with 14 days quarantine . I travelled back and started life from scratch. 
I have a beautiful baby girl who has never received any help from the father. Am still struggling and job hunting, but am in a better place now than in brazil. I have hope and will to live for me and daughter. Most importantly, am happy God saved me. 😊