Written on 2024-05-30

Today is a public holiday in Brazil, and the weather is a chilly 15 Celsius (59 F). Paulistanos aren’t accustomed to the cold, and the city has gone into a slumber: the roads are quiet, the bars are empty, and many have left the city to travel. As I contemplated the sunset reflecting off quiet office towers as I pedalled home down the Faria Lima bikeway, it dawned on me that I might never want to leave here.

Brazil has entranced my soul like no country before it. With each year I’ve lived here I’ve asked myself, “Should I go back to the US?” and each year the answer has come back clearly: “I’m happy here; I don’t want to leave.”

When I tell Brazilians this, they grin and say, “It’s the brasileiras [Brazilian women], isn’t it?”. While the women here are wonderful, I gently insist that romance is only a small part of what calls me - an outgrowth of something much deeper. The real thing is, Brazil is alive.

This fact is reflected literally in the rainforest trees that have so grown from the sidewalk pavement that it becomes hard to pass by without stepping into the street. In the little monkeys that passed over me as I strolled down the streets of Rio. In the endless green slopes I admire as I bus from São Paulo down to the coastal town of Santos.

It is also reflected figuratively in the passion of a Grêmios fan riveted to the game, in a group of drummers singing samba in a Vila Madalena bar while the crowd accompanies with voices and feet, in the endless alas of a samba school during Carnaval, in the ordered chaos of a normal workday in São Paulo, and in the groups of friends at a boteco that spill out into the streets as they chat over beers.

But to truly communicate my passion for Brazil, I need to tell you how I love…

…how quick Brazilians are to laugh

…the song that is spoken Brazilian Portuguese

…that socializing here is as natural as breathing

…the hugs

…the musical richness of samba and bossa nova and MPB, sertanejo and forró, Brazilian funk and Brazilian rap, and on and on

…how the Brazilian music and film industries exist as worlds apart from those of the United States

…that fresh meats, vegetables, and juices are the culinary norm

…picanha on the grill at a churrasco with friends - perhaps at a pousada, or simply the salão de festas of an apartment

…by-the-kilo lunch buffets

…the legally-mandated hour lunch break

…that Netflix at home is a perfectly acceptable way to enjoy oneself, without the constant need to be “productive”

…the side-splitting and exclusive world of Brazilian memes, gated behind mastery of Portuguese (“taloko mermão?”)

…that the waiter will always offer you the traditional cafezinho

…caipirinhas with friends

…the better financial infrastructure of Pix and comandas

…how even Brazilian acquaintances offered to be an ear to listen when my last relationship ended

…the troca de olhares

…the way the women dance

…that the kiss is used as a polite “Hello” between men and women who are meeting for the first time

…that the kiss is a much deeper “Hello” when on a first date

…how Brazilians have perfected beachgoing commerce (Would you like some açaí, or coconut water? Perhaps queijo coalho with honey, some corn, or an ice cream? Or maybe a hat, swimsuit, or beach towel? Just pass your credit card on the maquininha and it’s yours)

…how couples of different religions and ethnicities happen without issue

…how travelling to another city to be with a lover is commonplace

…that a few hours on a plane can get me to deserts, beaches, mountains, and jungles

…how speaking Brazilian Portuguese gives me access to the secret global club of Brazilians

…the way São Paulo breathes: exhaling paulistanos to the beach on Friday, inhaling them back on Sunday

…the vibrancy of carnaval

…the passion for football

…the desire to make a better life for oneself

Saudades, do que já vivi, e do que ainda não.