It seems I’ve just hit the 4-year mark (I started on March 27th, 2008) which is nothing I ever planned or imagined. When I started, I just wanted to have a place to jot down things I was learning about my studies and, yes, share it all with others.
After 550,000 views, 1,200 posts and 3,700 of your comments, I’m still here, chugging along. In the last two years, many other sites and blogs on Brazil have appeared on the scene, to the point where I didn’t just want to be another in the crowd, thus the change in format early last year.
Thank you for your interest. Always glad I can be a part of your learning experience!
parabéns!! :)
Thanks, Yuri!
Congratulations. I enjoy your views about Brazilian life.
Thanks, Celtie, glad to know!
As a former almost Brazilian – I am Japanese (female) who spent most of the formative years in Brazil (from elementary school to the university) – I have been following your blogs with a lot of interest. Congratulations for the four year of Eyes on Brazil and I hope you will keep blogging about Brazil for many years to come!!!
Takumi
Domo arigato, Takumi! I had a Chinese-Brazilian friend from SP back in California, her English was perfect like yours and she spent roughly the same years in Brazil as you did. It’s such an interesting country, so many variations!
Tudobeleza, I am also from SP! What a pity that your friend lives so far. Thank you for your compliment about my English! I worked further on my English after I moved to Holland from the States 10 years ago. This might not make sense to you, but only then, when I was no longer surrounded by native English speakers (it was so comforting!) was that I became aware of the importance of correct and authentic English.
After saying this, I have to mention that I loved your Tricky Verbs and Words in Portuguese. It reminded me of what I myself write when studying Dutch. It reminded me also of a book titled “Dubbel Dutch” written by Kevin Cook. In it, the author organized entries, similar to the ones you wrote, in alphabetical order. Without this book, I would be lost.
I will finish this by asking you a question. What happened to the rest of your stay in that favela? I totally agree with you when you said that many people living in the favelas in Brazil are quite happy. In Brazil it is perfectly possible to be poor and happy at the same time, which is never the case in the States.
Falei e disse. É isso aí. Abraço! Takumi
Hi Takumi
After 4 months in the favelas, I moved to the Northeast to try out things up here. So far, so good! Glad you enjoyed my Tricky Verbs!
Parabéns!!! Maybe I have been reading your blog for three years and I never got tired of it. I always learn something new from it. Keep up the nice work!
Obrigado, Fábio! Segundo os dados, você deixa mais comentários do que qualquer outra pessoa! ; )
Hehehe…Ebaaaa! Vou ganhar algum prêmio?? hehe
Obrigada voce! I love to learn about my country from your eyes. Living overseas for 8 years now, I have lost the contact with a lot of things and your experiences make me a little bit closer again. Thank you a million ank keep sharing please.
Anytime, Marcia!
Oh, you went to Vidigal after Rocinha! Good luck with finding balance between your work and your blogs!
congratulations adam! as you know, i have been loving your blog for a while now, always learn something new from you. i hope you keep at it!
seems you have left rio for the nordeste… good for you, i am jealous! i have been drugging myself pretty heavily with music from pernambuco – they have no shortage of massively talented artists, it is amazing.
abraços from SF
Thanks! Always nice to hear from you! Yes, I parted with Rio, albeit probably temporarily, in order to explore more of Brazil. I decided to give the NE several months of my life before I return to Rio. It’s been interesting so far! You know, I almost moved to Recife, it’s close to where I am so I’ll have to spend a few days there in the coming months. Feel free to share what artists you’re listening to, eh!
; )
wah. don’t say that! :) why didn’t you go??? it is a part of brasil i didn’t get a chance to visit (stupidly on my part), but i am dying to. and it is raining literally sem parar in SF, so you are not missing much.
music…. of course! not sure you will like my taste, though (it is all over the place). besides the usual suspects lenine & nação zumbi, i am loving mundo livre s/a, otto (CD certa manhã acordei de sonhos intranquílos is really good, tracks janaina and filha) , alessandra leão (SUCH a beautiful CD titled dois cordões, songs atirei and andei) , karina buhr, orquestra contemporânea de olinda, china, eddie (metropolitano), jr black… and i am probably forgetting a bunch.
then a new one that i just heard – not from pernambuco but roraima – ben charles, “eu tava oco” – should make you miss rio!! he has a new cd out but i have not been successful at finding it anywhere…
The Thank you has to go to you for providing very insightful tidbits of the Brazilian culture. I’ve been reading your blog for about the last year and a half and it has opened my eyes and prepared me a lot more the suttle cultural nuances that I shold be aware of when I get down there for 2014……..and hopefully longer.
Thanks, Dev! 2014 awaits you!