Most apartments in Brazil come “unfurnished.” When an advertisement in the US says that a place is “unfurnished” this usually means that you might need to buy a bed, sofa, and TV on Craig’s List. In Brazil, “unfurnished” means something altogether different. Prepare to call a plumber so that the shower can be installed. The electricity may or may not be working. The walls probably aren’t painted. Needless to say, the combination of my lack of handiness and remedial Portuguese made renting an “unfurnished” apartment an impossibility. After spending my first week in Joao Pessoa in a hotel and the next week with a coworker, I still hadn’t found a permanent place to live. I had visited a couple of places but they were either too expensive or were too old, with the peeling paint and faded colors that are seen in pictures of Cuba.
Soon, however, a great apartment fell into my lap. A co-worker was looking for a roommate and I was more than happy to oblige -- at least once I saw the location (less than two blocks from the beach) and the communal pool on the roof. I don’t have to worry about setting up the shower or connecting electrical wires. Its already furnished, even by American standards, and the cable TV and wireless internet were already fully functioning. If anybody ever wants to take a vacation to Joao Pessoa you have a free place to stay!
View from the roof!
Looking to the right...
And to the left...
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