It recently occurred to me that I haven’t ventured further than mainland Europe in over five years. A fact which I found somewhat alarming. This is hardly the form of a man who has previously boasted about wanting to visit every country in the world.
It goes without saying that the pandemic hasn’t helped matters, and prior to the world grinding to an abrupt halt, I was focusing on finishing my degree. But now’s the time for me to get back out there and visit pastures new and rejuvenate my desires to become a country completionist.
At the end of March, I’m flying to Brazil, to the southernmost state of Rio Grande do Sul. Naturally, I’m ecstatic to be visiting not only a brand new country but a new continent too. I have wanted to travel to South America for a long time and now, thanks to a few wholesale changes in my life, the opportunity has finally materialized.
I don’t want to be disingenuous on my blog, so I’ll admit right here and now that my main motivation for travelling to Brazil is not related to wanderlust. It has instead been spurred entirely by matters far more personal.
Four months ago somebody special reappeared in my life and quickly set me on a completely different trajectory. Feelings that I’ve never harboured before came flooding into my being in ways I couldn’t possibly have imagined. I was bitten by the love bug in record quick time and I’m not afraid to admit it. This somebody is a lady called Fernanda and she is simply wonderful.
Fast forward several weeks and Fe has already flown to the UK for a blissful two-week trip. We managed to squeeze in a road trip around the Highlands (stopping off at Loch Lomond, Glencoe, Inverness, and The Cairngorms), the Scottish Borders, and the North-East of England. I can honestly say without even a hint of exaggeration, that it was the most amazing fortnight of my life.
Now it’s my turn to travel to Brazil and stay with Fe. It’s difficult to contextualize how excited I actually am. As benign as it may sound to some, we’re both relishing the chance to dive straight into normal day-to-day life. Yet, away from the mundane, I also feel perfectly matched with Fernanda from a globetrotting perspective, and we’re both still keen to travel, whenever we can. I’m already eyeing up long-weekend getaways to Rio de Janeiro, Buenos Aires, and Montevideo. I’m also enthralled by the prospect of taking a road trip over the Andes in search of Chile – though this may be one for the longer-term future.
Without meaning to get a little too soppy in this blog post, I’d just like to emphasize that I’m practically beaming with happiness over this major turn in events in my life. These opportunities and life changes have presented themselves during an otherwise painful period in my life – after the death of my father in October of last year. Fe has already proven herself as being a fortified rock in my life and has made the grieving process a whole lot more manageable. My main sorrow now is that my dad sadly isn’t around to see me be this overjoyed and loved up.
This blog post has turned into something which is a lot more personal than I originally intended it to be. I feel a sense of vulnerability in sharing so much online – but in many ways, it’s been cathartic and reaffirming to put it all down into words.
I will of course be posting regularly from Brazil. Certainly, a lot more regularly than I have been from here in Glasgow. There’ll be a lot to talk about, for sure. I have some apprehensions regarding accessibility, so I’ll definitely be exploring more on that once I’m there. These anxieties that I have are dwarfed by my readiness and willingness to be cohabiting with my girlfriend, which really is a reassuring feeling. I also know that we will find ways in which to make life a bit more independent for me out there, and we are already exploring the possibility of getting an adapted car – which is utterly mind-blowing and exciting! All we need is time and a willingness to try new things.
It’s safe to say that I’m eagerly anticipating this trip with an exuberance I’ve never felt before now. To begin with, I’ll be in Brazil for a minimum of 12 weeks, and after that, who knows? I’ve booked a one-way ticket and I arrive on the 29th of March. In the meantime, I’m frantically trying to pick up as much Portuguese as I can so that I’m not like a fish-out-of-water once I land. All that’s left to say for now is: “Brasil, cuidado”, and thanks for reading.