Oh Brazil!

I wonder if the American had a clue about Brazil.   In the USA, I understand that the World Cup games, including those with the American team playing, required a paid cable channel, so many Americans could not see their team.  As long as America stays culturally isolated from what is happening in the bigger world, there will be these dis-connects.  It was an unfortunate situation for sure, but I am hesitant to put the blame totally on the Brazilian Consulate.

Actually, the Consulado-Geral do Brasil in the USA being closed down has a basis in law. Generally speaking most diplomatic representations worldwide will observe legal holidays observed in both nations so in this case the Consulado must give its staff the day off for both US and Brazilian holidays. For the Brazilian matches most cities declared holidays (I'm not sure it they were officially declared as National Holidays by the federal government), but certainly they were observed nationwide here. Hence, wouldn't it therefore make sense for the Consulados just to follow suit? I know that the Canadian Consulates here are closed on ALL Canadian and Brazilian holidays. Try going into the US Embassy or Consulate on July 4th. just not possible. In fact this almost closes down all US based multi-national companies in Brazil as well, since there's nobody at home office so business here comes to a near standstill too.

Regarding the fact that World Cup matches weren't televised in the USA on open channels, but only on cable or pay TV, I really don't know. It is not, however, out of any "cultural blindness" by any means. This is done purely for motives of milking every possible cent out of everyone. You can't get most sporting events on open channels in the USA, only cable and pay viewers can.

Cheers,
William James Woodward, EB Experts Team

Hi DouglasT,

A bit off topic for a moment (moderator pls forgive).  Actually the package plan that Americans pay to watch the WC, is but a relatively small amount.  Singapore (where I hail from) is currently I believe the most expensive country to watch the World Cup on cable.

" A discounted one-time price of S$88 ($94.16 including GST) will enable fans on either pay TV platform to watch all games without committing to a contract. The S$17 discount will be available until 17 April, after which the regular price of $105 ($112.35 including GST) will apply."

By current exchange rates this works out to be about 159BRL for early birds (ex. tax), and 189BRL (ex. tax) after the early bird promo is over.

But back to the main topic.... James is right.  As the embassy and consulates of individual countries are technically "foreign soil" they follow their country's holidays.  Technical application of Extraterritoriality status applies in this case, meaning that the rules and holidays that applies to their country also applies to their overseas missions.  Hence I have found (after a few nasty shocks) that it's usually best to check the local mission's website to see if they are open or close prior to making plans.

Cheers
Bryan

The American has lived in Brazil and returned to visit a couple of times over the years. 

The other lady was Brazilian.

No mention of closings during the WC on the website.

The Brazilian Consulate probably wouldn't have even though of letting people know. 

That's just the way they are!

Ouch!  That sxxks!

I took the ferry to Oslo one day that turned out to be a national holiday.  I'd never visited a more boring, empty city in my life.  It was a wasted trip, but my ignorance served me right.  If the traveler in question insists on remaining angry, I recommend she expands her complaints to include yelling at thunderclouds and cursing gravity.

I agree with you SkipStepOne, the very best line of attack to any unpleasant situation is always just to roll with the punches and make the best of it.

Wow, there must be an interesting story behind your user name, hope one day you'll relate it to us. Should be good for a chuckle or two.

Cheers,
William James Woodward, EB Experts Team