Traveling and a Change in Plans

Change in Plans

When I decided to come to Brazil, my trip was originally scheduled for September 2009 - October 2010. After the whole visa debacle I ended up landing in Rio de Janeiro, Brasil at the beginning of February of 2010.

I originally intended to stay in Rio for one month and then head to São Paulo for the rest of my time. I had originally wanted to be in São Paulo because of the quasi-family I have here, but I fell hard and fast for Rio. After a couple of months, though, the shiny wore off and I realized that while Rio is indeed the Marvelous City, my living situation was not ideal and I wanted to try something new. So I changed plans and headed to São Paulo to give life there a try,

I really like São Paulo. The people here and the pace of life is a little more like what I am used to back home. Still, the work I came here to do left a lot to be desired, and I figured I would rather spend my time back in the states with family and friends before I started work in October. And so my plans changed yet again. I booked a ticket home (via a week in Santiago, Chile) for the end of July, just in time for one friend’s wedding shower and another’s wedding.

But I should really learn to stop planning things. Because every time I think I have it all scheduled and figured out, something else comes along (I think that I am solely responsible for keeping airlines afloat this year in changed/canceled tickets alone).

Last week I talked to a partner at Mayer Brown who put me in touch with our office here, and I was offered the opportunity to work in our office here in São Paulo. Once again, my plans change - but now they are pretty much back to my original intended stay.

I am still heading to Chile (I am writing this in the São Paulo airport at 6 a.m.) and will stay a week there with my friend Lisa from college. From Chile I head home and do a 2 week tour of the states (really just 2 states, Illinois and Ohio…3 if you count driving through Indiana) which will include the aforementioned shower and wedding along with seeing friends and family and maybe shopping for an apartment.

But then I will head back to São Paulo and stay until at least October working in our office here. I am really excited about this opportunity - the office here seems to have a lot of the type of work I want to do and I think I will learn a lot and get some good experience. I think it would be nice to be home, I am definitely at the point where I could come home and be really happy about the time I had spent here (plus by staying I am missing what should prove to be the best bachelorette party on that side of the equator). But at the same time, I am happy to be staying. I am just starting to make friends and a life here in São Paulo, and my grasp of the language grows stronger every day. It will be nice to see those things through a little more. And of course I couldn’t be more excited about the work opportunity!

But of course, I know you are all happy I am staying because it means more blogging from me, right?

Edit: I arrived in Chile and am here at my friend Lisa's house. We did some walking around the city today and had an amazing lunch at a fish market. We have a full week planned and I am really excited!