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Twenty years from now

posted on January 3, 2013

 

On December 28th, 2012 I left Brazil for the last time. At least, the last time during what will be a long time away. Out of all the things that could have seeped into my consciousness during my lifetime, an insatiable curiosity and a love of Brazil were the two that anchored themselves deeply. So why, then, did I leave?

The two things that have always stayed with me, though, are rather intertwined, as it was the curiousness which permitted the love of Brazil. According to the Myers-Briggs test, I’m an INTP (and intuitive, thinker-perceiver) and that basically means I like to deal in concepts, ideas, and systems. It means my mind craves the conceptualizing but often loses interest in the doing. What got me started on Brazil was the dreaming about it and the studying of it, which is surely how everyone starts out. Well, one thing led to another and I began to think that the doing (ie, living in the country) would be as satisfying to me as my studies. It very well can be. Even looking back, I have no doubt about that. The real issue is that the kind of person I naturally am (an idea person) started to slip my mind, all in favor of living the Brazil that I had learned about.

I regret nothing and I learned a ton through challenging my personal nature but, being who I am, I found myself floating back to my status quo ante. My lesson reminds me of something I once read about human nature. It was something to the effect of, “People don’t change. They simply become better or worse.” If life experience is like publicity (“any publicity is good publicity”), then I have become better by venturing off into Brazil’s small countryside towns, fishing villages, jungles, big cities and favelas. 

I hope anyone reading this may find the time to do the same. 

—————-

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About Adam Lee

Adam is a writer and a researcher who has studied Brazilian culture for over a decade and created several Brazil-themed blogs going back to 2008. Having taught himself Portuguese, he put it to practical use by spending three years doing Brazil on a budget (and living in favelas), from Rio de Janeiro to the Amazon.

He now resides in Lisbon, Portugal, developing a startup and dreaming about having a beachside B&B in the Northeast of Brazil.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Adam Lee

    January 9, 2013 at 10:19 am

     Ola, 

    Sim, é por aí. Enquanto eu estava estudando a cultura brasileira daqui (da California), eu também estava estudando várias outras culturas. Gradualmente, os estudos sobre o Brasil tomaram mais e mais do meu tempo até que eu basicamente larguei as outras culturas e fui morar no Brasil. Os EUA são como um lugar neutro pra mim de onde eu posso me expandir melhor e assim ter mais contato com estrangeiros e as culturas deles. Também fica mais em conta viajar de avião daqui para outros paises. 

    Sobre o meu tempo lá no Brasil, eu estava lá por uns 3 anos em total (quase 2 anos esta última vez). 

    Abraços

    Reply
  2. Valentona capoeira

    January 8, 2013 at 1:17 pm

    Ola, obrigada por compartilhar.  Voce estava la para quanto tempo?  Se eu entendi bem, voce gosta mais o processo de aprender a lingua e pesquisar sobre a cultura do que simplesmente morar la ?

    Reply

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