Where it all Began
You may be wondering why a girl like me has the title of her blog in Portuguese. This is where it all began....
Praia Copacabana - Rio de Janeiro, Brasil
Three years ago I started seeing a Brazilian, I met him at the university I was studying, and we instantly hit it off. Almost a year later we were flying to Brasil to meet his family to enjoy the remainder of the summer. This was my first experience traveling outside the US. After we arrived from a 14 hour flight, caught up on sleep and feeling back to normal, I began an adventure soon to discover it becoming an extreme life changing experience.
Oi from Porto de Galinhas, Ipojuca - Pernambuco, Brasil!
I was always interested in other cultures, places, people, always holding a curiosity for what was beyond the great state of Texas, but I did not think my opportunity for adventure would arise this soon. Brasil has enhanced my outlook on life. People are often intrigued by my passion for this beautiful country, always asking me why I love it so much. Well the answer to their question is quite complex, but I will do my best.
First, Brasil is everything I could wish for in a place to live. The easiest way for me to describe it: a perfect mixture of Texas, Florida, and California, and all in the same area! It has the most perfect weather, beautiful beaches neighboring the big city life and rolling farmland in between. I lived there for half the summer, (winter there) and the weather was refreshing majority of the time. I got to experience both the North and South, visiting 9 cities large and small, during my stay. Up North in cities like Recife it's constantly hot all year round. The South is more like our weather in Texas, it get's cooler in the winter and hot in the summer.
Recife - Pernambuco, Brasil
Beautiful church in São Paulo - SP, Brasil
Other reasons my heart belongs to Brasil: culture, cuisine, people, beaches, environment, language, attitude, values. For the first time in my life I felt I belonged. I could relate to people and was accepted, I was experiencing my own paradise. The people are absolutely wonderful, they hold the warm friendliness Texans possess. Everyone I met while living there I consider very dear to my heart. The culture is wonderful, cuisine is now my favorite food. Since I can't just go down the street and get a Brazilian platter in the moment, I must to go to these expensive steakhouses everywhere in the US, however it's worth every penny to me.
I love the fact that parts of the jungle are untouched and protected. I believe nature is beautiful and we must not destroy it, in that is something very special.
Technology is sometimes more advanced in Brasil than the US. A few cool things I saw: traffic lights count down how long you have left until the light turns green/red, the parking garage at larger malls has a count of how many open spots are on each floor and lights above the car showing whether the space is taken or available and to air your tire up you just put in the pounds of air for your tire, hook it up to the tire and wait until it shuts off. And yes, I took pictures of those also.
I went to three soccer games while I was there, one in Recife and the other two cheering on São Paulo SPFC!
Unfortunately I was sick during two of the games, but it was still a wonderful time!
One of the things I wanted most during my time there was to see a wild monkey in the jungle. Peter told me time and time again, it will probably not happen. When we got up in the mountain paying our passes and waiting for the bus to take us up to visit Cristo Redentor, I got to experience a wild monkey 2 feet away from me as the crowd was feeding him!
He was probably the cutest thing I have ever seen jumping up and down from the tree to get banana bits from his admirers.
Cristo Redentor
Of course, I got to explore 5 different beaches there, this was a necessity.
My first Brazilian beach and coconut: Guarujá - São Paulo, Brasil
Natal - Rio Grande do Norte, Brasil
Porto de Galinhas, Ipojuca - Pernambuco, Brasil
Rio de Janeiro is my most favorite city of all. The city seems to have it all. Definitely my favorite beach so far however, I still have a lot of ground to cover!
Pictures I took and enhanced, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil
To the Porr's, I cannot thank your family enough for my experience there, and how I have grown from it. You are all very special to me. Brasil has taught me a lot about myself, and it permanently holds my heart.
Now that I have actually experienced a different country it's left me wanting more. There are so many places I want to travel! For everyone that reads my blog, you will see a lot of Brasil on here! There is just so much I have left to do and have done, it certainly can not go all on one post!
XOXO
M
XOXO
M
7 comments
Love it & I'm so happy you started a blog! All of your Brazil stories make me want to go! You need to just move there already so I can come visit...or we can plan a trip :)
ReplyDeleteEither one will be good! We can plan a trip to Brazil and Argentina!
DeleteCongrats on your blog , but one thing you can be sure of.... none of the places that you visited or that you will visit will ever be the same after you've left. Tourist like you, withe enthusiasm and thirst for knowledge always leave a positive mark, and the people around you will be better for it !! So continue your quest, and the world will be a better place.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your kind words and to view my blog, I really appreciate it! :)
DeleteWonderful post...I really like your blog.^^
ReplyDeleteMaybe follow each other on bloglovin?
let me know follow you then back.
Lovely greets Nessa
Thank you so much for the follow.
ReplyDeleteFollow you back on bloglovin.
Lovely greets
Always! I can't wait to see what you are up to. :) Thank you for the follow!
DeleteXOXO