moving away from everything

03 June 2005 @ 16:12
my mood

I was talking to an American expat who lives in Brazil today. She basically flew down on a tourist visa, married her husband, got a job, and had a baby. All within the span of a year. She was telling me how much she missed everything. Her parents, the changing seasons, the food, all of those little traditions that no one thinks of -- everything.

All the seasons are backwards in Brazil because it's located in the Southern Hemisphere. And the seasons aren't nearly as pronounced they are here. Last year she couldn't tell the difference between the seasons. Now that it's fall there, she says that the rain reminds her of home. And I'm sitting here, looking out of my window, trying to imagine fall rain in June. Cold, wet, dreary. Nothing like the random sprinkles and wet grass that needs to be mowed and flowers blooming everywhere.

And most importantly, the food is different. Food is one of those comfort things, you know? Yeah, Brazil will have hamburghers and pizza everywhere, but no peanut butter, no apple cider... All of those small comfort foods. It's rough. As much as I like Brazilian food (or dislike, depending on the dish), I will always love my peanut butter. Try finding peanut butter in Brazil. It's just not going to happen.

I'm still trying to imagine how she manages to get by in a country where English isn't a primary language. She took Spanish in college, but between Spanish, Portuguese and English, her brain got really really confused -- just like the struggle I'm having with Engish, French, and Portuguese.

I just couldn't imagine. That would be really really difficult. Anyone who moves away from their home country has a lot of respect from me.

Tchau,
--Annie

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