Voltando

Six years ago today I returned to the United States from Brasil. It was a looong trip that started six years ago yesterday. I rode a bus for two hours from Ponta Grossa to Curitiba. I flew from Curituba to São Paulo, which is only about an hour flight, but they still serve dinner (not peanuts, dinner). That flight was delayed for an hour because just as we got to the airport a huge storm blew in. It was beautiful. In São Paulo I had to repack my bags because they were suddenly over the weight limit and then we had to rush to catch the plane we should’ve had plenty of time for if the other flight wasn’t delayed. My seat was by the window. The plane was a big one with a 2-5-2 seat set up. There was someone in my chair next to me when I got on the plane. He excused himself after I sat down and I never saw him again. I didn’t see much of anything on the flight actually because I was stretched out across both seats trying to sleep for most of the thirteen hours of that flight. We flew to Dallas, went through customs, and then I waited for my next flight. The next flight took me to Louisville, Kentucky. From there it was just another 3 hour or so drive to Pikeville, KY. And then I slept in a bed. The next morning I got up and drove to Ohio and West Virgina before returning to Pikeville, which supposedly was my home, even though I’d never been there before.

Brasil changed me. It changed me in ways I am still discovering. There are many things that are still more comfortable for me in Portuguese. I still crave the food there, even though I ate black beans and rice almost every day, I never got sick of them, and I’m glad I’m finally getting around to learning to cook them for myself.

But the people I met, the places I saw, the lessons I learned, they are forever a part of me. I have met a lot of people since. I have seen a lot of places since. And I have learned a LOT of things since. But part of my heart will forever be in Brasil. Brasil faz parte do meu coração, e sempre terei um poco de saudades pelo país do meu coração.