Small, Simple Things Sometimes Hold Big Truths

In every little town, there is an untold story to be discovered

I grew up in Petropolis, a pretty mountain town in Brasil. It has a tropical but temperate climate, with lots of rainforests. For years, I’ve been traveling back here to visit my parents. But on our way back from the airport, we pass through the most interesting intersection called “duas pontes, “ which simply means two bridges. It’s a four-way stop, where two streets have bridges, hence the name “duas pontes.” So far, so good. But here’s where it gets interesting. This intersection is a perfect cultural analogy for life in Brasil.

This intersection has a long history of car crashes. One street is a road with lots of traffic coming from Rio de Janeiro, and the other is just a local street. To deal with the heavy traffic, they first used simple stop signs. But let me explain how Brasilians understand stop signs.

In the US, stop means STOP. But in Brasil a stop sign usually does not mean much. At best, it is a reminder that there is an intersection, and you should know if there are incoming cars. Most of the time, no one even notices them. They are not in any way like a red light that, if not respected, could accrue heavy fines. For obvious reasons, the stop signs didn’t work at all.