Hi everyone! I’m writing this from a restaurant in the São Paulo airport while the samba version of “Summertime Sadness” plays over the loudspeaker. #currentmood
Guys, I have a NINE HOUR layover in the São Paulo airport and it is crazy pants. This is my first time in this airport, and I am seeing that all the rumors of how crappy it is were actually very kind.
Who designs airport elevators that fit only three people at a time? Or who puts Terminal 1 an eight minute bus ride from Terminals 2 and 3?
I have to say though, as terrible as the layout is, every single person I’ve encountered has been nothing but helpful, kind, and courteous.
And it smells like Brazil. I mean, duh. But the second I got off the plane, and that humid smell of fruit and cleaning product and something else I can’t put my finger on hit me, I was like yesssss mama’s home, haha!
Why Brazil?
You may have noticed by now that I’m of Portuguese descent (I might have mentioned that once or twice), but that I’m actually married to a Brazilian.
Rodrigo’s whole family still lives in Brazil, and for 15+ years, he couldn’t visit them because he didn’t have documents to live “legally” in the US. Therefore, if he left, he could come back without risking another dangerous border crossing.
In summer of 2017, he was finally granted his green card (!!!) and now he can travel without restriction. As Americans, we often take for granted that we can go almost anywhere, whenever we want. It’s something we take for granted, much like our almost unprecedented access to frozen yogurt machines, pricey dietary supplements from Whole Foods that are mostly cardboard, and our right to complain about crowds at outlet malls.
In any case, since he can now travel, we’ve decided to spend the whole month of December with family in Goiânia! Goiânia is a large city in central Brazil, about two hours from the capital. I last visited the family back in 2009, when I was studying in the coastal city of Salvador. I took a short trip to Goiânia to meet the in laws and loved them so much that I extended my trip to two weeks!
So stay tuned – I am planning on posting Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays while I’m here. I’ll be taking a break the weeks of Christmas and New Years, but other than that I hope to maintain the 3x/week posting schedule.
