the home is a place of great communality - lunch and dinner are sacred times where relatives come together, share stories, and reflect upon their day over a home-cooked meal or by watching a favorite 'novela' or soap opera together - it is also common that in many households, siblings and entire families share rooms, re-enforcing the proximity of their lives and relations with one another.

while in many other countries around the world there is a strong generational divide, such as youngsters congregate and celebrate together, while adults throw their own parties and events amongst their peers, in brazil social occasions are very cross-generational - family is almost always vip, whether young or old.

the way that cariocas talk about their relatives is often shrouded in admiration, respect and love - what starts as a conversation about one's hobby, can unwittingly culminate in a exciting explanation of a grandfather's success, how a kind and caring a mother has been, or about a sweet and intelligent nephew.