The Long Haul to Get A Cellphone Plan

Getting a phone plan is hard enough in your native language, between the jargon, and being offered deals and plans- it’s difficult. Now throw in a new language. After four months, I finally have a phone plan under my name.

When I moved to Brasil, I thought that the easiest option for phone service would be a rechargeable fill as you go plan. I bought a sim card from a supermarket and just needed to register it for it to start working. As I continued to try to use it I found that although I had money loaded onto it, my phone was still not working. So, I headed to my nearest Vivo store. This would be the Vivo store where they talked at me for one hour, even though they were trying their best to help me and explain the situation, and I teared up in front of three store associates. In my little to just very basic Portugues, I deciphered that for some reason, the prepaid plan wasn’t working and they convinced me that I had to buy a monthly plan. Why the prepaid did not work, but is working for several of my friends, is still beyond me. Anyway, I took their advice and tried to set up a monthly plan, which ended up being an adventure in a half.

In order to buy a lot of bigger items- gym memberships, furniture, cars, etc, one must provide his or her CPF number. In other words, they must give their social security number to the cashier, which to me is an odd concept. In the USA we guard our social security number heavily and fear identity theft, but in Brasil they give this number even when checking out at a grocery store. All of the purchases logged on a person’s CPF number then is processed into their taxes that year, or a process along those lines with Federal monetary involvement. So, Vivo told me that I would need a CPF to register a phone plan. Getting a CPF was on my to-do anyway, so no big deal. It only involved a day of going to the Post Office and Receita Federal- a process that took a few hours, but was easy enough. Later that week, I returned to the Vivo store, and when the women recognized me they had that “oh no, she’s back” look. For an hour, we tinkered with the system and they tried adding my CPF number to create an account for me.

Surprise, surprise, my CPF number was too new. They told me that because it was so new, it was as if I was just born in the system and could not be accepted. Defeat, once again. This time, they told me that in order me for to create an account I needed to use someone else’s CPF number and register it under their name. That meant that I dragged my poor friend Mario along for another hour long adventure visit to the store, in which they had to record all of his information, made him sign papers, and then technically created the account under his name. Here we are, about a month to living in Brasil, and trying to live off of solely wifi to communicate with everyone. The store clerks told me to return in a few weeks when my CPF was more used, and could be recognized by the system, to swap the account.

When I returned, you can guess what happened- no success. This time though, the ladies told me that I needed an RNE number register the plan. This RNE number can be received by going to the federal police, registering with them, and paying a few hundred reais. Little did I realize that this is what I had an appointment for the next month, which is a whole other story. By this point, I have a working plan, but it’s under someone else’s name. I wasn’t too worried, but I felt bad making my friend be accountable legally for my account.

Month three and a half of living in Brasil…. I have my CPF, passport, and RNE document in hand, along with a bit more confidence in Portugues, and I return to the Vivo store. I laid out everything, explained my situation, and TADA! Finally, friends, I completed the process. Thank goodness Brasilians are so kind and were very patient with my lack of Portugues, but man was that a tough pursuit. Moral of the story is, if you are living long term in Brasil and want to get a phone plan either A. bring a Brasilian friend with all of their documents and register under them or B. be prepared to bring your CPF, Passport, and RNE registration.

Thanks for sticking with me through that long rant. It was the first time that I really realized the struggles of doing something that, I honestly don’t like even doing in the USA, took months and months to process that I assumed would be completed easily. In some ways, I wish that the prepaid plan would have worked, but I know that working through the whole process was a good learning experience.

Little Successes- Trying New Foods, Working Phone Plan, and an Educational Word Wall

I was adventurous and willed myself to go back to the phone store- Vivo, even after I had cried the last time I was there. They instructed me to return once I had a CPF, or someone to let me borrow theirs and sign, and I did as told. Lucky me, I worked with the same three women who helped last time and saw me cry. Except, this time I came more prepared with a paper of questions and apologies for my last appearance ready to go. I figured out that my pre-paid phone plan was set to charge me on a daily basis until the funds ran out, which happened only several days after I initiated the plan. In order to be cost efficient, I found a plan with 3 GB of internet, unlimited texts, and 50 minutes of calls to outside network, which is plenty more than I will need, for $45 R per month. So, I hoped that this visit would go a lot more smooth than the last encounter. Instead, I found that the trip took 2 hours, and they told me that my CPF was too new and they could not use it! All the work to get the documents in order for obtaining a CPF, and it was unnecessary for this in the and. Eventually though, in a few weeks, I will have to transfer the account under my CPF, so I guess it will come into plan then. By the end of the day though, I had a working phone plan. A huge victory in itself.

One of the things that I love most about Brasil so far, and I think I will miss the most when I leave, is the food. This country brings out my sweet tooth. Between feijoada, churrasco, brigadeiro, tartas, and mandioca…. I feel like I need to exercise more than ever just from craving all of the food. A small tidbit: feijoada is a slowly cooked meat stew (normally with beans, beef and pork), churrasco is the Brasilian barbecues were the meats continue to be cooked all day and you never stop eating, brigadeiro is a heavenly VERY sweet chocolate either in a truffle form or mix on other desserts, tartas are the small pies with meats in them, and mandioca is the Brasilian version of yucca. Also, today I had a homemade gelato that was caprinihia flavored!! On Friday the Fulbright ETAs and staff had a churrasco at Michele’s house, my host professor, and her husband sure cooked up a storm. There was pork, chicken, beef, and desserts, which was accompanied by the sweet drink of white wine, condensed milk, and watermelon blended and served in a watermelon. It’s a good thing that I live so close to a lake and have been working out daily!

As I continue to realize things that I need, and of course did not bring from the USA or just see the exponentially higher price in Brasil, I wanted to make note. Hopefully this will help anyone looking to come in the future and know the essentials to pack.

Face wash- any speciality kinds especially

Electronics- even small things like extra headphones and chargers

Adapters and converters- you can buy these online in a bundle for cheap (but make sure that you account for three prong devices and the adapters

Notebooks- For some reason it costs upwards of $10 USD for a lot of them here

Peanut butter, Nutella, or Maple syrup- these also can cost upwards of $10 USD for a small amount

Tea- if you’re a fan of tea, then stock up before coming here since they charge about $4 USD for a box of four tea packets

A small purse to carry around documents, money, your phone, and keys- make sure it is not too large to draw attention

Deodorant- bring an overload of deodorant. Deodorant in the USA is different than other countries, and unless you want to spend over $4USD on a small tub of roll on or go with the spray one, then bring more than you will need

A cool thing that I have begun in order to help myself learn Portuguese is creating a word wall! I have separated between my- Para practicar (for practice) and Palavras do dia (words of the day). I’m wording primarily with verbs to try and select verbs everyday to focus on using and solidifying their tenses. I’ve also included prepositions, times, directions, and other phrases/words that I think are crucial. I’m rotating out the words everyday, but hopefully it will help to have the visual studying tactic.