Our first feijoada in Vila Madalena. Week one.
We have been talking about moving abroad since we met… many options were on the table along the way, but we have finally landed in Sao Paulo, Brazil. While we find ourselves missing family and friends, we are more than ready to explore the largest city in South America.
My hope with this blog is to document our travels, mishaps, and adventures. Everything for us is new… and usually a lengthy process (often providing for a good story.) Perhaps some day we will look back at our first year in SP and laugh at how we stumbled through Brazil lacking any real language skills. Until then, join us as we explore (and study!)
Also, if you are reading this… we miss you. Please take the time to respond by commenting on posts that interest you. Hopefully it will help us to feel a bit closer to home.
Que saudades!
(Use Que saudade! (kee sah-ooh-dah-jee) when you miss something so desperately, you have a heartache over it. People say Que saudade! when they remember their best friend who’s now living far away, or their childhood beach. Brazilians also often say simply Saudades! at the end of e-mails to tell you they’re missing you terribly.)
Que Saudades!!! I love the blog. So great. The food looks delicious. The mishaps, very hilarious. Only you could get a plane to let you on after they’ve already closed the doors. Keep us posted. Love you!
Love, love, love your blog! It is colorful, upbeat, clever, fun. I will look forward to hearing more about your adventures!
Sooooooooo jealous, but also very happy for your adventure and experience. I will look forward to sharing this experience with you guys through your postings and pictures. Keep them coming. I will watch and listen. Love, Barb
These adventures in Brazil seem fantastic!! I hope you have fun a lot here and you make many new friends! Good luck with your new lifestyle and feel welcome =)
Hey, I am a fellow Minnesotan, flying to S.P. next week! Would love to meet up and talk about your relocation (I am accompanying my husband on a business trip to nose around about living in S.P.) Contact me if you’re free.
Hello Deanne! So glad you touched base with us… we look forward to meeting you! Let us know if Tuesday afternoon works
Hello
I am Erika from TravelerVoice, a new social network for travel bloggers.
I just found your blog and I really like how you described your stories in Brazil with beautiful pictures and assertive comments! It’s exactly the kind of writing we are looking for our Living abroad section, so please feel free to register
I am looking forward to hearing from you
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Erika.
http://www.travelervoice.com
Hi, We live in Barra Velha, Santa Caterina. My wife is from Minas and I am from NY/Seattle/Alaska. I have been involved with Brasil for about 5 yrs. I retired here 3 years ago. My first house was in Joao Pessoa, on the beach and we decided to move south after 2 years. The NE is nice, but very hot and no seasons. We looked in Santa Caterina and chose Barra Velha. It is very different here. More European and very calm. NE is wild and parties all day/night.
I came here to relax and enjoy the life. We drove from JP to Barra Velha (about 2800 km!) and that was not easy! My wife has family in Paraty and we stayed their for a couple of days. Very tourist area and expensive. I found a great piece of land on the beach in Itajuba, Barra Velha and built a house. It is nice and I feel very fortunate.
As you know and have said, Brasil is expensive. My friends think I retired here to save money!!!!!!!!!!! Ha! That is a joke. I moved to Brasil to have a house on the ocean, enjoy the culture, food, music, etc. I have met many foreigners here, who tried to live on “a shoe string”. Most have left after a year or two.
The people I know in Brasil are fabulous, warm, giving, happy, simple, etc. I have “learned” how little we really need to be happy. I have a 1,000 stories of really poor people helping me to adjust to living here. I am fortunate to have a great wife, who knows the “Brasilian way”. I have met so many very poor people, who are 1,000 times happier than the richest people in America. Funny how simple people here know how to be happy.
I have a group of friends in Joinville and they are extremely warm, helpful, etc because they are returning the help they received in America. I never have to ask for help here. It is offered, before I ask. Very different from US.
I envy you very much! My only regret about moving to Brasil is, I should have moved here 20 yrs ago! You guys are young and have major opportunities here. I do not know your situation or reason to be here, but you have chosen well. Choose where you want to live, based on employment, climate, security, culture, lifestyle, etc. and then live Brasil!
If you want to know the south, let me know. You are welcome to visit us. We have a big house and my wife loves to entertain (typical here!) My sister lived in Minnesota for many years and then moved to Michigan. I remember stopping by Minn in September on my way to Alaska…..it was so hot and the mosquitoes ate me alive!!!! Ha!!!
Hope all is well,
Jan & Rosa
Hello Jan & Rosa! It was wonderful to hear from you. Great hearing about your experience… we’ll have to get in touch if we ever make it to your neck of the woods
That would be, our neck of the beach! No woods here! If you were in Floripa, we are just 1.5 hours north of there. Just not as busy, crazy as the Island!
Ha! You’re right… I bet it’s lovely there!
Hi, I just wanted to tell you that I love your blog! I moved to Fortaleza, Brazil from the UK about 5 months ago and totally share a lot of the same experiences/musings as you guys. I haven’t made it over to SP yet, but it looks great.
Keep posting!
Emma
Thanks for commenting Emma! Fortaleza is incredibly different than Sao Paulo… the North from the South for that matter. Let us know if you make it down to our neck of the
woodsconcrete jungle!