Brazilians calling Queenstown home (from left) Fresh Choice
cashier Ana Alonso, of Rio Grande do Sul, IT technician
Gustavo Alves, of Brasilia, Melt Bar co-owner Marcio
Minholi, of Sao Paulo, Queenstown Airport Cafe manager
Josiane Belusso, of Santa Catarina, and McDonald's manager
Eduardo Bereia, of Caxias do Sul, sample savoury
salgadinhos snacks with caipirinha drinks and Speight's
beer, in Melt Bar, on Friday. Photo by James Beech.
Continuing our series celebrating the multinational
diversity of the Wakatipu, James Beech talks to a group of
Brazilians living in Queenstown before their home country's
Independence Day, tomorrow.
• Queenstown Times: What does Independence Day of Brazil
mean to you?
Eduardo Bereia: It's an important date because it's
when Brazil got completely independent from Portugal.
Josiane Belusso: I think we started growing up. Many
things came after that. Oil, we own that.
Gustavo Alves: We became self-sufficient in 1822. It's
a national holiday. Everything shuts down.
Ana Alonso: We created our own language, we speak
differently from Portugal and it's something just Brazil has.
Marcio Minholi: It's not a party where you drink a
lot. It's a military party with parades in all cities.
• QT: What activities would you and
family and friends do if you were in Brazil on the day?
Gustavo Alves: Barbecue! You get the family together
and celebrate.
• QT: Any plans to celebrate in Queenstown?
Marcio Minholi: It's really hard to get a holiday in
Queenstown. You can't celebrate like in Brazil, because in
Brazil everyone chills out and goes to lunch and the parks
and sees some parades. Here we have a normal life.
• QT: How do you feel about Brazil
hosting the football World Cup in 2014?
Gustavo Alves: It's very exciting. We're organising
our holidays in a few years' time. See the family and enjoy
the World Cup.
Josiane Belusso: Queenstown's going to be empty!
Marcio Minholi: Queenstown's going to miss Brazilian
people.
Josiane Belusso: It's going to be lovely, like a samba
party for a whole year. It's going to be massive.
Ana Alonso: It's going to be expensive, flying back
there, too. I'm not sure yet if I'm going back.
Eduardo Bereia: The World Cup will be as big as the
Rugby World Cup will be here in New Zealand, if not bigger,
because of the passion of Brazilian people for soccer.
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