"So tell me, how do you like Brazil?" Do all recent arrivals hear this question dozens of times, or is it only me. Just once, I'd like to be asked that as a horde of motorists narrowly miss my feet. How do you navigate these streets anyway? Waiting for the green walk sign takes an eternity and once salvation has arrived, perdition is its instant accompaniment. Don't pedestrians in this city have any rights? Or have all the thoroughfares been handed over to the automobile, or even worse, the bus. Don't get me started on trying to board a bus. The bus stops are blocks apart and crowds of 25 or 30 await the flock of arriving busses like matadors waving at bulls. Where does bus number 817-T go? How should I know, no one else seems to either. I spent days trying to find a bus map, only to determine that there was no official map, only a $R18 book that takes a Ph.D in Cartography to interpret. Of course, once you board a bus you have to force your way past a steel turnstile that would test the strength of Hercules. The fare collector is a perfect exemple of a "make work" job in a country that specializes in division of labor. Why can't the driver have a fare box that collects only exact change or tokens? Most busses only coast at 5mph anyway, given the horrendous traffic. But more on that subject at a later time. Trying to learn Portuguese presents special problems. Do all languages have 11 different tenses for each of 3 regular conjugations (not to mention irregular verbs)? That's 33 different conjugation for regular (?) verbs. Whew! On another subject, what's with all these futebol, viz soccer, teams in one city. It's like the whole American League stationed in New York. What about the rest of the country? I hope every city gets its own 16-team league.