Preparations for Brazil

I like to think of myself as a spontaneously organised person. What do I mean by that?

Like, I am the sort of person who likes to "go with the flow", whilst also have a plan A, B, C and D for whatever flows may come at me.

How does this look in reality?

I may have already created a list of all the restaurants I want to visit, foods I want to try and places I want to visit, but crucially, I don't have an intinerary. Sure, I have a rough idea of what meals I'll be eating, when AND where, but you know, nothing's set in stone.

And that's kind of how the planning for this Brazil trip has gone. I'd love to say that I made a decision, booked the flights and then two days later hopped on a plane and left. This is the kind of sponteanity I truly aspire towards.

But, no. Instead, I agonised over this decision for about four months before finally booking flight tickets. Even then, I got the flight confirmation page about five times before finally pressing "Buy" - because, it was oh-my-god sort of money! Even then, I booked fully changeable and refundable flights, just in case. AND then changed my flight dates.

An important thing for me too, was figuring out if this trip was financially realistic. Again, I'm the kinda girl who doesn't pause twice before buying 12€ cocktails all night. But something about potentially draining my savings made me stop.

There was also the practical aspect, like I am a working woman. Not that kind of working woman. But in a very real sense, a woman, who (unfortunately) works.

Then there was the language aspect. Sure, I have a piece of paper telling me that I can speak Portuguese. But I got that piece of paper now more than four years ago and I can count on two fingers the amount of times I had spoken Portuguese between then and booking my flights.

There was also the item aspect - like, I didn't even have a backpack. My beloved backpack from South American did fall apart halfway through our journey there (throwback to searching out a seamstress in the middle of Cuenca and getting my friend to translate!), but still I was shocked when it was suggested to me, that maybe, just maybe, I needed a new one.

Considering I've now written five paragraphs on the different types of preparation I needed to do before going, I'm considering rewritten that first sentence. Maybe I'm just a "worried organised" traveller? Could be. Doesn't have quite the same ring though, does it?

So how did I prepare?

Financially:

I got a second job! Waitressing! Quite a humbling experience I must say, and it exposed me to a world of German that I hadn't yet encountered:

"Was darf's sein?

"Karte oder Bar"

"Haben Sie Köpi gesagt? Wir haben kein Kiba.."

That's a story for another time though.

This meant that I could continue to throw back my 12€ cocktails, just not all night long, and save at the same time. I also arranged to sublet my flat and notified the Job Agency because....

Professionally:

I decided to quit my job. Both jobs! Even though I am only going for three months, it felt like my time at my main job was coming to an end anyway, and this allowed me to be more flexible with time and schedule.

Honestly, I've not got to the end of planning that one, but am hoping to give an update here in December!

Language:

I got a Tandem! From Curitiba, and it's been great. I would totally recommend tandems to anyone learning a language, regardless of their level. I've had a few tandems over the years and have even made some really great friends through the experience.

I've also been indulging in Brazilian reality TV (thank YOU Casamento às Cegas), which has been really great with familiarising myself with slang. Can't wait to put words like "Cara", "Mano" and "Boatas" into action! Other phrases that I have learnt may be reserved for some more delicate moments - I'm looking at you "... que pariu!".

I've been listening to podcasts......or rather... I've been trying to. Now that you can adjust the play speed of podcasts, I find podcasts in other languages much more accessible. This is, however, still super challenging for me and really, I should have made more of an effort.

I've been watching Brazilian Instagrammers. Not actually sure what this has taught me yet, but certainly makes spendign an 1 hour watching reels feel at least... educational.

Item wise:

I've been slowly building out my collection of things to bring with me. I definitely want to fcus on bringing less things with me than I did for our South American trip, especially as I'm not necessarily planning on any multi-day hikes and the variation in climate should be less. Once my bag is packed, I'll link to a packing list.

My final preparation has been boring all my family and friends senseless with my endless chat about the trip. I swear you'd think I was going to the moon.

Aaaand if you've read this far, you must truly be a devouted friend (or family member!). Let me know what else you'd like to hear.

BEIJOS