Brazilian couple in bid to show off ‘nice’ city

A BRAZILIAN couple who plan to live in Dundee for a year are set to document their life in the city online — in a bid to tell the world how “beautiful” it is.

Tiago Silva and Juliana Vargas moved to Dundee earlier this month to study in the city, leaving behind the balmy 32C heat of Belo Horizonte to brave the colder temperatures of Scotland.

The married couple, both 32, decided to document their experiences online for friends and family back home to see through the photo sharing service Instagram.

Their account, ‘dundee4ayear’, has already gained dozens of followers.

Speaking to the Tele, Tiago, a lawyer, explained that he wanted people to see a side to Dundee that he felt wasn’t promoted online.

He said: “We went on a lot of websites and what we realised is that we didn’t find a lot of things about Dundee. We found out about the McManus and the Frigate Unicorn but you don’t get a lot of information about how the city is beautiful. What we are trying to do is keep a journal that will show people Dundee is a nice city.”

In their first three weeks, Tiago and Juliana have sampled the delights of several restaurants, surveyed the city from atop the Law and caught a few films at the DCA.

They’ve even met some of the local celebrities, including Desperate Dan and Oor Wullie, and sampled Scottish delicacies such as haggis, which they described as “different”. Tiago said: “We thought there would be around three pubs but there are lots, and we don’t get Scottish food in Brazil.

“We’ve been discovering food like cullen skink and the Scotch egg. Haddock is expensive in Brazil but here it is a reasonable price.”

The weather, among other things, has surprised their families back home, who keep up with their exploits through the blog and intend to visit the city during the summer.

Tiago said: “We expected the weather to be rain every day, grey and cloudy. We were a bit surprised there has been a lot of sunshine.”

While Tiago studies for a certification in mineral law, Juliana will be taking cooking classes and learning more English.

Tiago said: “It’s nice to keep a journal and to give our friends and families, and other people, a way to find out about Dundee. The people are lovely and very welcoming. They’re very polite.

“We’re discovering new things, nice buildings and nice food. We know there’s lots more to come.

“All the buildings that are happening like the V&A — what that’s showing is that this is a city of the future.”

Asked what he didn’t like about life in the city, Tiago added: “In Brazil, you can find food at 2am.

“In our first week we found out that people here eat early — most kitchens close at 10pm.”

Tiago and Juliana have been snapping various parts of the city.