Back in San Diego for the Summer

Haven't blogged in over a year. It is hard to have time while trying to surrive financially, emotionally etc. in Brazil. But, here I am...back in California for 2 or so months soaking up the Southern California sunshine in San Diego and working at my old job at ELS teaching international students English. I am having major reverse culture shock. I am so Brazilian in ways now that I feel weird in my own country now a lot of the times. But, I am also so grateful to be here to be with family and friends and enjoy creature comforts like cozy couches and beds, and the infrastructure that is majorily lacking compared with Brazil. I want to write my next entry about the differences of living in both places. I am on a quest for balance.
"Having spent the better part of my life trying either to relive the past or experience the future before it arrives, I have come to believe that in between these two extremes is peace." ~Author Unknown

Discovering Brazil- The top 5 best kept secrets about Brazil

What are the top 5 best kept secrets about Brazil? Well, if I told you, they wouldn’t be secrets anymore now would they? Just kidding. First of all, Brazil in itself is an exotic travel destination that still largely remains a secret. According to the World Tourism Association (UNWTO), Brazil only had five million international tourist arrivals in 2007. Countries such as South Korea, Bulgaria and Macau ranked higher. So what are the 5 best kept secrets…

1) The People- Brazilians are some of the most friendly, fun loving, party people on the planet. The zest for life that Brazilians have regardless of how much money they have in their bank accounts, is intoxicating. They love to play soccer, dance, and party but also work hard and always try to find time for family and friends. Brazil is a multi-ethnic, multi-racial nation of immigrants not unlike the United States. Brazilians easy going and peaceful nature makes them popular worldwide.

2) The Music- Not only is Brazil home to famous music genres such as Samba and Bossa Nova, there are a half a dozen other musical delights that many have never heard of. Axe, Pagode, Forro, and Musica Popular Brasileira just to name a few. Take for example Axe, a popular music genre originating in Salvador, Bahia fuses different styles of Afro-Caribbean music such as Reggae and Calypso.

3) The Food- Yes, beans and rice are a staple of Brazilian cuisine, just as many other Latin American countries, but the main dishes stem from a wide variety of poultry, meat, seafood and fresh fruits and vegetables. Brazilian ‘churrascarias’, all you can eat steakhouses, are extremely popular in Brazil and have even made their way north to American cities such as Beverly Hills, Chicago and Miami. Vegetarians won’t go hungry in Brazil either as there is a plethora of fresh fruit juices, soy, nuts and fruits and veggies.

4) Soccer- Alas, the fact that Brazil is known for soccer isn’t a secret. From soccer superstars such as legendary Pele and Ronaldo, Brazil continues to bring phenomenal players to the game of soccer year after year. Brazilians are passionate about soccer and it is no wonder that they have won five world championships. A visit to the world’s largest soccer stadium, Maracana in Rio de Janeiro, is a must for any soccer aficionado.

5) The Beaches- Sure, Brazil is well known for the Amazon but don’t forget about the 4,577 miles (7,367 kilometers) of Atlantic Ocean Coastline. Of course Copacabana must be visited in Rio de Janeiro but from there you can venture either northeast to tropical paradises such as Morro do Sao Paulo, Bahia or the archipelago 350km off the north-east coast of Brazil called Fernando de Noronha. Florianopolis in the Southern State of Santa Catarina has over 42 breathtaking beaches on one island alone. The New York Times named Florianopolis the party destination of the year in 2009.

So there you have it, folks. The top 5 best kept (not so secret anymore) secrets of Brazil. Oh and by the way, if I could add one more, it would be that Portuguese is the native language spoken by Brazilians, not Spanish.

Dream Big and Don't You Dare Give Up!

DREAM BIG- author unknown
If there were ever a time to dare,
to make a difference,
to embark on something worth doing, it is now.
Not for any grand cause, necessarily -
but for something that tugs at your heart,
something that's your aspiration,
something that's your dream.
You owe it to yourself to make your days here count.

Have fun.
Dig Deep.
Stretch.
Dream big.
Know, though, that things worth doing seldom come easily.
There will be good days.
And there will be bad days.
There will be times when you want to turn around,
pack it up, and call it quits.
Those times tell you that you are pushing yourself,
that you are not afraid to learn by trying.
Persist.
Because with an idea,
determination, and the right tools,
you can do great things.
Let your instincts,
your intellect,
and your heart guide you.
Trust.
Believe in the incredible power of the human mind.
Of doing something that makes a difference.
Of working hard.
Of laughing and hoping.
Of lazy afternoons.
Of lasting friends.
Of all the things that will cross your path this year.
The start of something new brings the hope of something great.
Anything is possible.
There is only one you.
And you will pass this way only once.
Do it right.

Photo by: Genoa Robertson-Soruco taken on a hike near my house in Florianopolis, Brazil

Fear of Failure- Keep on Keeping on!

Selling the majority of our things and moving to Seoul, South Korea for five months wasn't nearly as scary as it was moving to Florianopolis, Brazil. Why? Because I had the security of a job and a return ticket set up and friends and former students living in Seoul for support. When Rodrigo and I booked a one way ticket to Brazil, after a three week visit home to California, it was jumping off the high dive instead of the low dive. We didn't have jobs in Florianopolis set up, we didn't know anybody, Rodrigo had been living in the States for 10+ years and had forgotten a bit about the order, and many times lack of order, that goes on in Brazil. Settling here has definitely had its challenges and I have wanted to throw in the towel more than once.
But alas, we just celebrated one year in Florianopolis and things are finally really coming together. I have built a solid clientele of students and Rodrigo is growing his real estate and import/export expertise with every passing day. Fulfilling the dream of living in Brazil has been a very rocky road but as Mickey Rooney puts it, "You always pass failure on the way to success."

I've finally made it to the blog world! Intro...

Traveling the world, living abroad, speaking foreign languages and meeting new, adventurous souls with lust for life are the true passions of my life. Since the first time I traveled abroad to Italy in between my junior and senior year of high school, I have been infected by the infamous travel bug. World travel is worth nearly any cost or sacrifice and I am loyal and passionate in my pursuit of it. In this blog I plan to share journal entries from past trips abroad as well as insight into my ex-pat life here on the gorgeous island of Florianopolis in Southern Brazil. Life is about the journey, not the destination. Come along with me....... vamos, andiamo, shall we go? Buon viaggio!!!

Inpiring Quotes from the book Eat, Pray, Love

• Virgina Woolf wrote, "Across the broad continent of a woman's life falls the shadow of a sword." On one side of that sword, she said, there lies convention and tradition and order, where "all is correct." But on the other side of that sword, if you're crazy enough to cross it and choose a life that does not follow convention, "all is confusion. Nothing follows a regular course."

• The Bhagavad Gita says that it is better to live your own destiny imperfectly than to live an imitation of somebody else's life with perfection.