The downshift

Last 6 months have all being about wondering "should I stay or should I go?" Well, after a long time spent planning, considering pros & cons, I've finally moved to Brazil and today is the anniversary of my first month since arrival. I have to say that the credit crunch has helped me in taking the decision, first came the redundancy, the struggle to find a decent paid job, then came the downshift. Being on a reduced income has driven me to start considering the downshift. So what do I mean by downshifting, to give an idea I've enclosed an article from www.moneysavingsexpert.com "...Over the years, supermarkets have hypnotised us into spending more and moving up the brand chain. Many people gradually buy increasingly more expensive versions of the same thing The downshift challenge, which provides ENORMOUS savings, has a simple premise:
Drop one brand level on everything and see if you can tell the difference. If you can't, stick with the cheaper product.Let's applaud the sheer marketing genius of this. The system allows supermarkets to justify huge price variations. Think about it for a second: when you're in Tesco(the biggest supermarket in Uk), you assume Tesco Finest is glam and gorgeous and Tesco Value is cheap and nasty, so the immense price difference feels legitimate. Yet who actually decides this? Tesco of course! Its packaging and product placement are all designed to support this myth.
Don’t get me wrong, there are differences in ingredients and production quality. Yet it isn’t uniform: just because the salmon en croute is great, it doesn’t mean the same brand's gourmet mousse, made in a different factory in another part of the world, is too.Don’t worry, I'm not about to argue you should buy no-frills everything; your bottom certainly requires smoother toilet paper! The aim's to downshift only where you can't tell the difference and, for many families, this alone can save 15% a year on shopping bills.
The Downshift Challenge in-store.

The next time you shop, swap one of everything to something just one brand level lower. So if you usually buy four cans of Tesco's own-brand baked beans, this time buy three and one Tesco Value. If you use luxury lavender shower gel, drop to Asda’s own brand.
The Downshift Challenge online.

The supermarket comparison site mySupermarket* now includes a downshift challenge section based exactly on this theory. So when you enter your shopping trolley, as well as comparing the price across online supermarkets, it gives you the downshifted option.

This is a quick system and a great way to see the scale of the savings, even if you don't shop online.

The impact is enormous:

Drop one brand level on everything and the average bill's cut by a third. On a £100 weekly shop, that's £1,700 a year less.


Again, there was a standard 33% average saving by dropping one brand level for every product. This consistency indicates that supermarkets deliberately devise their price structures this way. It's worth noting the biggest downshift savings aren't from premium brands to manufacturer brands, but for those already lower down the brand chain to begin with.The downshift challenge isn’t about automatically dropping a brand level, it’s about seeing if you can notice any difference. If you don’t like the lower brand level or the drop in quality is too severe, all but those who are in drastic need of urgent savings should switch back. Yet you'll be surprised at how few things you notice the change.

However there's an important point to watch for when trying downshifted goods:

Taste with your mouth, not with your eyes

The packaging and look of a product has a big psychological effect: just knowing something is more expensive means, after years of retail hypnosis, we assume it’s better. Taste with that knowledge, and you often prefer it. If you can taste the food blind, great. If not, at least don't have the packaging out when you do.
Yes I did try the downshift challange and i've to consider that there is some merit on the above statement. My challange continued and I first sold my motorbike, then my 1 year old car and I've started using the public service. Sometimes it felt funny, amuzing,eco friendly, relaxing. Yes relaxing you don't need to bother to incoming traffic, mad cyclists, suicidal pedestrians, arrogant assholes driving their Suv for the school run or to carry a lady Godiva chocobox but then a huge list of horrible situations come to mind: crammed buses, sweaty people, smelly bloke, high testoterone kids always ready for a "friendly" fight and the list goes on and on. So let me shout w the suv. Let's go back to the downshift, most of you would agree I had my big share of it, did I stop there? No here it comes the biggest of all, from LONDON to Londrina. Did I go a step too far?

A garota de Ipanema

Here I'm, finalizing the last details and almost ready to relocate to Brazil. Why did I choose this country as my next move? I 've visited it only 3 times but I feel a strong tye and an irresistible impulse to get there. I think it's an unconscious desire to stay young at heart as it reminds me of my teens years and the time spent dreaming with open eyes. Playing footballs with friends trying to emulate the champions and calling each other Pele',Rivelino,Jairzinho then Zico,Falcao.... Watching documentaries exploring Rio,the "cidade maravilhiosa" and the natives that refer themselves as Cariocas depicted as friendly folks who always have time for the sensual pleasures of good living and the rhythm of samba. Ipanema and Copacabana, anchor Rio's 45 miles of white sand beaches. The commentator used to say: expect the unexpected in this nearly five hundred year old City (founded 1502) but be spontaneous if you wish to experience the festival of song, color and joy around you. Primeval splendor encourages a youthful approach to city living where colors are richer, people are beautiful and tomorrow's just another day. Wander, wonder, feel the rhythms of joy which must be renewed with the gods once a year. The River of January City lives for its February eruption of exultation in the present known as Carnaval. All of the above was part of my dream, then I remember the various Gianni Mina's interviews with the famous football players, the singers, the artists, the writers, journalists all of which kept alive the desire to be part of this far apart world. Further more shows like "Te lo do' io il Brasile" kept reinforcing my thoughts of "one day........".

Then as times goes by the realization that all is not like it seems, Brazil the land of big contrasts, very few reach people and lots of people struggling to meet ends. The violence, the favelas , the drug lords, the iper burocratic state, the overpriced import goods, cars, tv's, pc's, washing machines and the alikes. The poor school system, the kids on the streets, the corruption, the state health system not up to the European standard, the easy romance dictated most of the time by the need of the natives to improve on the social scale; so it's the dream still there? No it's not! Twenty years ago, maybe, not now. What once was it's now gone! Unfortunately I've always been a bit slow to take decision and t react to certain situation. So why moving now, my dear reader (i use the singular as it seems that only Ale is following the blog) you may ask. Call it "saudade" !

Saudade has been described as a "vague and constant desire for something that does not and probably cannot exist ... a turning towards the past or towards the future".A stronger form of saudade may be felt towards people and things whose whereabouts are unknown.Saudade was once described as "the love that remains" or "the love that stays" after someone or something is gone. Saudade is the recollection of feelings, experiences, places or events that once brought excitement, pleasure, well-being, which now triggers the senses and makes one live again.

Nonetheless I'll go. Stand still it's not an option, and as my old friend Cesare, the porter, used to say "panta rei". So let's go with the flow! I'd like you take the time to read through the lyrics of "A garota de Ipanema" to try to understand what first prompted me towards Brazilian way of life. Enjoy!

Olha que coisa mais linda
mais cheia de graça
É ela menina que vem e que passa
nun doce balanço, caminho do mar...

Moça do corpo dourado, do sol de Ipanema
O seu balançado é mais que un poema
é a coisa mais linda
que eu já vi passar...

Ah! Porque estou tão sozinho
Ah! Porque tudo é tão triste
Ah! A beleza que existe

A beleza que não é só minha
que também passa sozinha

Ah! Se ela soubesse
que quando ela passa
o mundo sorrindo
se enche de graça
e fica mais lindo
por causa do amor
por causa do amor
por causa do amor

The initial trip

Once you' ve reached the decision to relocate abroad it's important to check few important facts to justify your choice. An initial trip to the chosen location should be considered and intended to be a fact finding mission. It shouldn't be confused as an extended holiday and the key focus is to check all the practicalities of living and ensure the location satisfies all basic requirement. Nowadays lots of info can be gathered surfing the web but there is no substitute for going. What do I expect from my trip? A place to live is going to be at the top of my list. The price of property or the cost of rent should be , especially in Londrina, much lower than London. In 2007 when I started to think to relocate to Brazil my plan was to buy a property outright on a beach resort location and rent it out to tourists during the peak season. I've also considered to invest in property still on a plan stage , in particular one development I was interested in and widely advertised on the web was Lago do Coelho. Quite a few people bought villas and flats without leaving their desk in Europe. On my trip to Natal in the North east, I checked out lots of development and i inspected lago do Cohello as well. Huge piece of land next to a lake bit far from the capital city and a small fishing village nearby. I had a meeting with the solicitor appointed by developer and I was assured all the documents and permits were in order. It didn't look right to me, not because i understand of finance, economy or law, just gut feelings. One year on and the developer run into problems and lots of people lost their money. That's why I wont consider to buy a property or start a business without having spent at least six months and gained real knowledge on the field and not on the web. Another fault of my initial plan was not to consider that the rental market in most places wouldn't get a decent yield. The tourist market is seasonal and very limited and the local rental market cannot afford to pay a premium from an above average property.
It's a fact that Brazil is a hyper bureaucratic country and most of the expat complain for the length of time to get the utilities:electricity,water,telephone,cable/satellite tv,gas,garbage collections,mobile phone services,waste water collection(if separately handled) and local authority services. Apparently most of them are quite expensive if compared to Europe considering the minimum salary which in Brazil £150. Is the quality of service as bad as someone say?. I have to say in UK the quality of service has worsen quite a lot.Is the police efficient or run by crooks? Will hospitals and clinics be up to the European standard.It seems the safe option is to get a private medical insurance. I'll let you know.
Transport. New and second hand cars are more expensive in Brazil than Uk, the import tax is huge that's why some car companies have a local factory. The cost of petrol is cheaper, not a big difference, and there is the choice to use alcohol, much cheaper. It's a must to buy a flexi car.Will the public transport be reliable?
Shopping and facilities, my experience tells me that food, restaurants,drink, rent,property are cheaper in Brazil but electrical goods,cars,wine are more expensive
Banking:opening a bank account should be a struggle for non residents, that's why I'm applying for a student visa.It should smooth things out. I hope
Entertainment and leisure activities: London is difficult to match although you can pay £15! to watch a movie in the west end.
Time will tell if my expectation will be met. Beijo.

Ready to go

The countdown has started or to be precise I've finally decided to relocate to Brazil for a while. I've instructed the estate agent to let my property and I'm preparing all the documents needed in order to apply for a student visa. Student visa you may ask? Yes I know I'm no spring chicken but after considering all the diffrent kind of visas this is the most flexible option, or that's what I think, will see. The city I've chosen is Londrina in the Parana state. I've been there 20 years ago and it didn't impress me much as I've always been in love with Rio. Recently I've travelled a couple of times in the North east and there are several interesting places. So why I've decided for Londrina? First of all my long time friend Wagner lives there and I'll try not to bother him much but it essential to have a strong contact until I'll be more confident with the idioma. A second point is the south of Brasil is much more European than the north and I'll have time to acclimatize sooner. In trhe mean time that I''ll gather more precise info of the various stages of the move I'll ask to some of my international friends to write on my blog on any topic and language they wish. Any reference to "....change" will be much appreciated! Keep posted. Beijo.