You
may be wondering how a Brazilian can ever turn into British? I was born and
raised in sunny, laid-back, beautiful and tropical Brazil, and moved away in my
30’s. After a period in New York, and after having started my family there, I
found myself with a young family, arriving in London as a trailing spouse, in
the beginning of the year, when I have to admit, not the easiest time in
London: it was dark, windy, chilly (but not particularly cold as in NY) and
especially, grey and drizzly. I kept thinking that, back in Brazil, my friends
were probably spending the days under the sun, and even after a long day at
work, enjoying the evenings with a nice BBQ among friends, enjoying the last
rays of sun.
At
that time, my Brazilian soul never thought what was about to happen: nine years
on, and I have just become a British citizen. Not for visa or tax reasons, but
because I wanted to!
I
have to confess I have always been very appreciative and admiring of the
British culture and history (I have a BA in English Language and Literature)
since I was a young girl dreaming of tales of princesses and castles and all
these things that as a Brazilian was only a distant world. Coming from a young
country, only about 500 years old, I live and breathe history and culture everywhere
I go. Even my best friend’s house, where I stayed at on my first days here, was
almost that old. Maybe this is something that Europeans take for granted, but
it is something that still amazes me. We settled down and still live in the
same house for these 9 years, and my ‘neighbour’ used to be Harry VIII, and
every time I see that blue plaque, I cannot help feeling lucky to be here and
almost living that dream on a daily basis. Of course life in the UK is not at
all like a fairy tale, but these details make my life here still a whole world
away from what I ever imagine.
Of
course I miss the sunny days most of the year, and the frequent barbecues with
friends (there is not a common translation for ‘weather permitting’ in
Brazil), and my family, but I don’t think I could ever have been happier
raising my family everywhere else. And in that sense, I guess I really found
the other half of my soul!
On
my next blog... the Citizenship Ceremony!
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