Cheers to Not Going Alone

I've been doing more and more thinking about the actual day that we move to Brasilia and may I say, I'm increasingly becoming more excited. Big surprise, I know. See, the last time that E and I really traveled internationally together was when he moved from Brazil to the U.S. (I say "he" because I arrived first and then returned to get him). We have traveled outside of the U.S. together, but our drive across the Canadian border to Niagara Falls and our cruise to the Caribbean don't really count. I mean, we don't even have stamps in our passports to prove we even left the country. Therefore, now that we're moving all the way to Brazil, I'm feeling quite excited. You know how I much I love to travel. travel. travel. And travel abroad is even more exhilarating. Add that to moving abroad and you can imagine how I feel. The thing is that I love to live overseas.  

It's actually kind of funny that each time that I graduate from school/college I'm simultaneously preparing for a move abroad. In high school it was my adventure to Bolivia to be an exchange student. Two months after my college graduation I embarked for Brazil to spend a year teaching in the rainforest. Fast forward 7 years and I've graduated again and now I prepare to head off to Brazil (again) in fewer than 6 weeks. Each time in the past I was going alone, unfamiliar with my destination, yet extremely excited about the adventure and the unknown. But this time is different. Brasilia is still a city I can only daydream about since I have never visited it nor thought much of doing so in the past 5 years or so. However, I'm not going alone. I don't have to worry (though I never really did previously) about not having any friends or not knowing too much about what to expect. Yes, I've been to Brazil before, and even lived there, but I still don't know what my life will be like there - as an expat in the capital with a job similar to the one I have here.

This time, this move abroad, I will not go alone. I will go with my husband. Oh yeah, and the cat :).  Not only do I get to travel again with E, which I love, but I also will be able to hold someone's hand as I move from my old life to my new life. I will already have a friend, I will know someone else who's going through the same uncertainties as me, and I can double my luggage allowance. 

What language do you dream in?

I remember being told by someone long ago that when you dream in your second (same could go for third or fourth) language that you have made it. Meaning you are fluent. I loved hearing that. I actually thought it was fascinating since I've been obsessed with languages for years, and that includes sign language. I've known since I was in high school that I'd be involved with foreign languages somehow in my life because I can say for sure that that and culture have long been interests of mine, hence my double major in college - Anthropology and Spanish. For years I'd wanted to know more about exchange students and when I was in 11th grade I jumped on the chance to apply to be one and adventure off to the unknown once I had graduated from high school.


I can't recall the first dream that I had in Spanish, but I know it was after I'd been living in Bolivia for some time. I imagine that it was after at least 6 months of being there. It makes sense. I spoke a lot of Spanish throughout the day - to my host families, friends, boyfriend, taxi drivers, store owners, etc. I don't remember that first dream being completely in Spanish, but I know that I was speaking Spanish as I dreamt. Once I woke up and realized what I'd done, I felt exhilarated. I had accomplished what only bilingual people do. Correct? At least I felt I could brag to people that I had dreamt in a foreign language.


Fast forward a number of years and I can say with assurance that I have dreamt in Portuguese as well. I know that I dreamt in the language while I was in Brazil and that I don't do so regularly. I mean, English is my native language and I didn't dream in a second language until I was 18 years old (while in Bolivia) so it's not a daily occurrence or anything, but it happens. Additionally, I often think and talk to myself in Portuguese. I catch myself doing this when I'm thinking about something that I want to say to my husband and I talk to my cat in both languages; I believe that comes from the fact that I'm constantly speaking Portuguese to E, so why not to the cat or to myself? It's a habit.


I remember once having a bad dream, not too long ago, that was in English. In this dream, someone was either going to hurt or kill me and I was scared, but all of a sudden E appeared and saved me. Once he entered into my dream I looked at him and spoke to him in Portuguese, thanking him of course. Once I was finished addressing him I reverted back to speaking/thinking/dreaming in English. Interesting, isn't it? It's like since I normally speak Portuguese with E on a daily basis, that transferred over to my dream and I interrupted my English language dreaming in order to respond to E's saving me, at which time I spoke Portuguese. When I turned back to speak to the other person in my dream, I must have assumed that he was an English language speaker like myself. 


For a multilingual, pseudo Anthropologist as myself this is all so interesting. I like to "study" my own language acquisition and learn from myself. I believe that it helps make me a better language teacher. I also observe my husband and those around me.


My questions now are....what language do you dream in? Do you have bilingual dreams? Does the language you're speaking in your dream change depending on who you're "talking" to (like me)? Do you speak your second/third/fourth language fluently when you dream?

Our 4th city together

I was just telling my husband (E) tonight, as we took a walk outside, that we will soon be moving to our 4th city together. Sounds like more fun for us to experience together.

Can't wait for more adventure...him and me.

So far we have lived together in....

Manaus (Amazonas)



Clermont (Florida)



Orlando (Florida)

 And soon we'll be in...

Brasilia (Distrito Federal)

Vicarious Living

Just like Alice spent hours daydreaming, so do I. And apparently I'm not the only one who will be dreaming of a "different world". There are people around me who will be vicariously living through me as I embark on my journey to Brasilia. My world will be full of adventure, and hopefully more fun and less stressful than that in which I live currently. It won't be full of queens wanting to cut my head off at least (when I was a kid that part of the film scared me to death).

As I have increasingly been telling more and more people that I'm moving (including the dentist, who told me today that his unfriendly secretary is Brazilian....who knew? And of course, became much nicer once she learned I'm heading to Brazil), I'm actually surprised by the number of excited people out there. Honestly, I expected a lot more, "Why would you go there?" or "Is that a third world country?" or "Will you be safe?". I actually don't think I even heard any of these questions since I've sprung the news on people. One of my assistant principals did ask me today if I'm going to start up jiu jitsu. Um, no. But he's a nice guy and at least he knows a little something about Brazilian Jiu Jitsu so I'll excuse him for asking me if I'll be rolling around on the floor with guys trying to submit them.

For instance, as I have been telling my colleagues that I will be teaching in Brazil next year, I've noticed a number of interested teachers. I even gave out the name of the association that connected me with the school in Brasilia to one teacher seriously interested in teaching abroad. This reaction was very unexpected because I thought that people would question my desire to move abroad, not want to join me :). This was a pleasant surprise and I hope to "plant the seed" of international school teaching in the hearts of teachers that I know and/or work with.

Maybe it's the state of affairs in public school education today, or maybe it's the call of adventure that stirs the idea of teaching abroad in the hearts of professionals. I don't know. But whatever it is, I hope that it spreads. One of my co-workers, an Italian national and French teacher, told me that she'd loved to go back to Italy to teach, but with her American husband and son here, it's difficult. She told me she'll be vicariously living through me, and immediately asked for my personal e-mail address.

People have expressed their enthusiasm, and even jealousy, and have made comments that they wish they could take their families abroad so they could go and teach. Some have told me that they're also ready and if they could just convince their significant other to uproot, that they'd move. This I didn't expect. Another ESOL teacher told me that she doesn't have enough courage to up and move to South America, but that she's happy for me and wishes she could do the same (which she could because she already left the Islands to come to the U.S.). All of the support and excitement of those around me in response to my news makes me feel even more ecstatic about moving.

I am really not afraid of too much (besides getting my wisdom tooth pulled, apparently). I'm anxious for some real adventure, a change of scenery and lifestyle and even the challenges that along with moving to a new country. I mean, even though I realize that moving back to Brazil is going to have its ups and downs, I'm ready for it. We're both ready for it.

Busy busy busy busy bee

I really enjoy blogging (although if you had asked me 1-2 years ago I would have adamantly answered "No way" to just the idea of creating a blog). However, I've really enjoyed these past few months of blogging ,and have just been so busy over the past week that I haven't been able to find the time, or energy, to focus on doing so. And I've missed it.

The real reason why I haven't written anything is probably because I'm tired of reading, studying, and writing for grad school, that I didn't have the strength to do it for fun here.

I even fell a bit behind at work, and just this morning made time to catch up. Graduate school and a full time teaching job (in a tough public school) would wipe anyone out. Even the strongest and most resilient of us.

As for everything and anything Brazil related, I have been working on that. I still need to pick up my visa from the consulate, but am working on figuring out a date to go sometime this month. I don't want to wait too long; plus, I'll feel better once the visa is in my passport.

As I noted last week, I have found the office where we can apply for our International Driver's Permits and I checked on the status of my CPF (the equivalency of our SSN?). Glad to say that my CPF is "regular" so no problems with that. I have also been made aware of how to change my surname on my CPF in Brazil, and how to register our marriage once we get there. Check. Check.

I have also organized some boxes (for the day when I eventually go to the post office to request about media mail), threw away more unwanted papers, and donated books and clothes. I've also contacted the interested buyers that have shown interest in one of our household items that I've advertised for on-line. I want to sell those so I can see more of what we're taking.

We've also been making decisions on banking options here and in Brazil. I'm grateful to my mom for allowing us to forward our mail to her and helping us out with the bank situation in the U.S.

And of course, we need to plan ahead on what needs to be taken care of once we arrive in Brasilia so we don't get too caught up in our move/arrival and forget the important details.

Some things to think of when you move to Brazil. This list refers to what I need to get done, but could be helpful to others:

1. As mentioned previously, register with the closest embassy/consulate. In our case, that'd be the American embassy in Brasilia. On a side note, I wonder if any of my students will be children of diplomats?

2. Register our marriage in Brazil

3. Change my name on my CPF

3. Visit the Federal Police in order to get my Brazilian identification (which I know could take months). It took me 4 months last time I lived in Brazil

4. Find a dentist. I have visited a dentist here and have made appointments for a cleaning and such, but I don't have much time left, and my dental insurance is not all that good, so some things will have to wait for Brazil. Plus, E wants to get braces

5. Take care of E's documents. Not sure where to start with this (but I'm sure E will). I mean, he hasn't lived in Brazil for more than 4 years and he's moving to a new state. Will he need a new national ID? That's the kind of stuff to take care of

I could add on to this list. I mean, I'll need to find a local, good salon where I can get my manicures and pedicures :)...etc etc. I'd say, though, that the above list is a good place to start. I know that my future employer will help us out, and of course we'll do a lot of exploring on our own (with the help of the Brazilians that we know who are living in Brasilia).

Sounds like a lot of work, and it'll keep us busy busy as bees, but it's an adventure and that's what I love most.

The Waiting Game

I don't like waiting because I'm a relatively impatient person, yet here I am playing the waiting game. I guess it's not the worst thing in the world, but it's no fun either.

I feel like I'm waiting for a lot right now. I'm waiting for the Brazilian consulate to send my husband's new passport so that I can apply for my permanent visa. In other words, I'm also waiting to apply for my visa.

I'm waiting to take my comprehensive exams at the university so that I can graduate. Then again, this is not a bad wait because I don't want to take them now. 

I'm waiting for this school year to come to an end. I don't mean because I dislike my job, but because school + work = exhaustion and so I'd be happy if the school year was in the end of February vs the beginning of June. This would also give me more time to focus just on packing and moving.

And more than anything, I'm waiting for July to come so I can move to Brazil and start off on my adventure.

South America: What's not to love?

I have had the absolute pleasure, and let's be real, the extraordinary opportunity(ies) to travel, work, and study in various countries in South America. For some reason, out of the blue - while working out at the gym (because there you'll have time to think), I thought about this tremendous, diverse continent and how much I love to be there.

Not only am I anxiously awaiting my move to Brazil, but I'm secretly planning adventures to surrounding countries that I would either like to return to or that I'd like to explore for the first time. I'm not going to say too much more about that yet except that we do have an invitation to a wedding in Colombia in December 2011. Yeah!!

Until today I've been fortunate enough to live, work, travel to, and/or study in:

Bolivia (Cochabamba, La Paz, Santa Cruz, Sucre)

Perú (Cusco, Ayacucho, Lima)

Uruguay (Montevideo, Punto del Este, Colonia, Flores)

Argentina (Buenos Aires)

Brazil (Porto Alegre, Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Manaus, Itacoitiara, Presidente Figueiredo)

Show me Brasília

As I attempt to avoid my school work, I ran across an interesting, educational video on Brasília and its culture that I wanted to post; but because the image was not very clear, and it was in Portuguese, I decided to search for others. Instead, here are a couple of videos that I found about Brasília that show some of the beauty and uniqueness of this man made city. 

Brasília is barely 50 years old and was created to transfer the capital city awat from the southeast of the country. It was planned and built with the intention of being an asthetically pleasing city. I'd say that the architect Oscar Niemeyer succeeded. Enjoy!







Of course after watching these videos I'm even more ecstatic and anxious about my move; just thinking that this city will be my home soon enough gives me the goosebumps. I can't help that all that I want to do is travel (and live abroad). So, with my move only about 6 months away, I think about it all the time. I'm especially excited because I know very little about Brasília and the unknown is always exciting for me.

In fact, when I ponder back on the trips that I've made abroad, whether for school, pleasure, or work, I realize that when I ended up in cities/countries that I knew little or nothing about, I always had the best time. I don't expect this upcoming trip adventure to be any different.

For more information, visit Brasília: The Brazil's Capital