Yards in Brazil

It has taken me a while to get used to the Brazilian yard. I grew up in a small city in Utah and am used to houses with a bit of grass and property that surround them. In Brazil you have to leave the city to find a house with some green surrounding it. Even though we live in a tropical environment, city living is anything but GREEN.

I wanted to purchase a house with a little plot of land for me to grow a small garden. When I started looking for something, I realized that the only option is something outside the city limits. Inside the limits you only find houses that have small yards and they are completely tiled. So, instead of watering the yard, you wash the tile (a big chore if you ask me). If you go outside the city limits it is beautiful and green and very tropical looking, however you have to give up a lot to move there. If you live in these areas, you don't really have access to internet or cable TV. There is also a lot of crime that happens in these areas.

It sounds a little backwards from the USA. In the USA if you live in the country you don't usually see as much crime. However, here in Brazil, the opposite is true, because most of the houses in the country side are owned by people who have money. So the criminals are attracted to these areas because they can invade a property and hold people at gun point and loot an entire house and there is nobody around to catch them. They can usually make a clean getaway before the police even arrive.

So, the next option if you want a house with some property, is to purchase one in a gated community. You will be locked into paying the security fee each month and that can be very expensive. When I lived in Sao Paulo, I lived in an apartment that had a security fee of 500.00 a month. It is an expensive alternative, but still an option. This is actually the most popular choice of living here.

So, I will settle for this city house I am in, with a small square in the front yard for planting. It isn't perfect, it isn't the dream home, but it will do just fine.