Santa Cruz do Sul
RECEPTION BOOKLET city
culture
food
money
travel
city
Language: Portuguese Population: 120.000 hab. Temperature: Summer (25ยบ ~ 40ยบ) santa cruz do sul
Winter (0ยบ ~20ยบ) Currency: Real (R$) Culture: Gaucha and German
SANTA CRUZ DO SUL Located in Rio Grande do Sul, the southernmost state of Brazil, Santa Cruz do Sul is about 1,200 kilometers south of São Paulo, and has a population of nearly 120.000 inhabitants. Santa Cruz, the portuguese word for holy cross, started as a German immigration center in 1849, and today one can still find people speaking German in the countryside. The city tends to be slightly different than the typical images that foreigners have of Brazil. In a century and a half it has become an interesting blend of German culture with the local gaucho culture that sprouted from the earlier Portuguese and Spanish settlements in this native South Americansʼ land known as pampas. Because of the European immigration and due to a strong presence of multinational companies as well as efficient language teaching, the percentage of multilingual people is slightly higher than other regions in Brazil.
Parque da gruta
Parque Parqueda dagruta CRUZ
verde tĂşnelda Parque gruta
catedral Parque da gruta
parque da Parque da gruta oktoberfest
LAGO DOURADO Parque da gruta
NIGHTLIFE Parque da gruta
Santa Cruz do Sul has a bustling nightlife with varieties of places to go out at night, have excelent chopperias with Brazilian and international beers. The city has about 10 clubs that cost to $ 20 a ticket. When you want to go home, you have the option to get a taxi service, that will cost you R$ 4 plus the distance you始ll make.
culture Due to german colonization, Santa Cruz do Sul has two cultures: German and Gaucha, culture of Rio Grande do Sul.
GauchA’s Culture Rio Grande do Sulʼs people are called “Gauchos”. In Argentina and Uruguay you may also find “gauchos”, but brazilian gauchos differ in some aspects. They were called the wanderers of the Pampas. ENART is a great introduction to the Gauchosʼ culture. This festival promotes competitions involving people from all Rio Grande do Sul and disseminates arts, traditions and popular culture of the state. The festival most important attraction are the finals of dance completion, and happens in Santa Cruz do Sul, in november.. ENART promotes cultural exchange between participants of different regions from our state.
German’s Culture Oktoberfest in Brazil is a great introduction to the countryʼs German heritage. Inspired in the Oktoberfest in Munich the Oktoberfest in Santa Cruz do Sul, is the largest and most famous in Rio Grande do Sul. Because Oktoberfest in Brazil is held in the spring, one of the best things about it is the fact that you can time the top festivals with more southern Brazil attractions. Some of the top attractions in the festival are the Bierwagem parade, dances, beer, food and café colonial, the typical southern Brazil pastry buffet.
CHURRASCO
CUCA
food For food, “churrasco” and “carreteiro” are two most popular recipes. Churrasco is meat baked in live coal on the floor or in structures of clay. Carreteiro is a mix of rice and little cubes of dry meat. To drink, nothing more typical than “chimarrão”, a drink prepared with a green herb called “mate”. Served in “cuia”, a container extracted from a tree, chimarrão tastes bitter and is drunk under a very hot temperature. Due to the german colonization thereʼs also german food, for example, Cuca. Cuca is a diferent type of cake, called in german Streuselkuchen.
chimarrão
CARRETEIRO
money Important Credit cards are accepted in many places, but you should also carry some money with you. VISA is the most popular credit card, and you can easily use it at Banco do Brasil, our main bank.
The currency is Real (R$). The salary you will earn will be enough for you to cover basic expenses here if you be a MT or TT traineeship. However you must know you will be paid only after the first month of work. We suggest that you bring US$ 500 for your first monthʼs expenses and National Foreignerʼs Registration (RNE) fee. You can bring U.S. dollars or travelers checks and exchange them in Porto Alegreʼs airport.
Prices
CAMBIO
bus ticket
R$ 2,25
DOLAR
R$ 2,30
water
R$ 1,50
euro
R$ 3,24
meals
R$ 10,00
libra
R$ 3,86
beer
R$ 3,00
pesos arg.
R$ 0,37
TRAVELs Santa Cruz do Sul is located in the state of Rio Grande do Sul. The state has a great localization, because is near to Argentina and Uruguay. So, if you come here, you can also know two other countrys.
ATION M R O F IN R FOR YOU ina es, Argent Buenos Air , Uruguay o e id v e t n and Mo ruz do Sul C a t n a S o t . are closer aulo, Brazil P o 達 S n a th
Porto Alegre is the capital of Rio Grande do Sul. One of the most European cities in Brazil. The city has about 1 and a half million people and is bordered by lake Guaiba. It ʻs near to Santa Cruz do Sul , only 2 hours away, and is very easy to get to know the capital. You can go by bus and will cost you like R$ 30 reais. Porto Alegre has a wide variety of shopping, theater, cinema and places to meet, as the Mercado Público, Parque Farroupilha and the Museum of Science and Technology. The city also has the worldʼs most beautiful street, Rua Gonçalo de Carvalho.
Rio Grande do Sul has many beautiful cities to meet. One option is Canela and Gramado, cities of European colonization, which are within 3 hours of Santa Cruz do Sul There you can take tours and taste the best chocolates in the state.
Next to Santa Cruz do Sul, we have the colonial route in Rio Pardinho, where you can learn more about the German colinização the region. In Rio Pardo, another town near Santa Cruz do Sul, you can learn a little about the history of Rio Grande do Sul Rio Pardo has the first paved street in the state and has strong Azorean colonization.
RIO PARDINHO
RIO PARDo
WELCOME TO SANTA CRUZ DO SUL
Contact: Adrian Homrich Local President +55 51 9658 4321 adrian.homrich@aiesec.net