Though the title of this post is the name of a famous song by Arlindo Cruz wherein he sings about his neighborhood in the Zona Norte of Rio de Janeiro, it also represents what Brazil means to me. ‘Meu lugar’ means ‘my place.’ Brazil is my place. It’s not where I was born, nor is it where I was raised. In fact, I was already 28 the first time I set foot on Brazilian soil. Without getting too dramatic, it’s the place where I feel the most musical and thus, the happiest, the most comfortable and the most myself.
I often think of my life in two parts. There’s the part before Brazil and the part after Brazil. Eight years ago, I made what would be a life-changing trip to Rio de Janeiro. But my love of Brasa started way before my first visit. In fact, I can’t pinpoint exactly when or where it started because I honestly can’t remember a time when Brazil didn't influence some aspect of my life.
In addition to Jorge Negrete and Javier Solis, my parents played Walter Wanderley records when I was a kid. I still have an Olodum CD that my dad gave me in the early 1990's. My first Portuguese class was in 1996. I sang my first bossa nova in Portuguese in 1997. My first planned trip to Brazil in June of 1999 ended up being cancelled because I had to start a grad school summer program. Maybe destiny knew I wasn't ready to commit so much to one country just yet.
They say all travel changes you, even in minuscule or fleeting ways. I know I drink more coffee when I come back from Mexico or Italy but that influence usually fades as I settle back into my American ways. But Brazil is different.
In the eight years since I visited Brazil for the first time, I became a working samba musician. I became a student of Brazilian percussion. I developed a love of cooking. I have made many interesting friends, some of whom will make it into the pages of this blog. And this year with a little luck, I’ll be releasing my first CD of Brazilian music. Brazil has given me so much. This blog is my attempt to capture it all.
And I'm not alone. I've met so many people who have been put under the Brasa spell, too -- non-Brazilian friends who get regular shipments of Brazilian CDs, who have Café Pilão in their cupboards and who know more Portuguese slang than the average Brazilian expat. This blog is for them, too.
Te Amo, Brasa!
Photo: June, 2005. The view from the plane as I descended over Rio for the first time.
Bem-vindo y Hola! Welcome to my travel blog where I share my obsession with products, food and music from around the world.
2 comments:
Silvia--you captured your love of all things Brazilian beautifully---I know how you feel even though I haven't been to Brazil---yet!
What a great post/tribute to Brazil. I can kind of relate. We just moved back from 3 1/2 years in Austria and I grew and learned so much about myself...and had reverse culture shock when we moved back this summer. It definitely changed me..for the better. :)
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