What I miss and don't miss about living in Brazil - Saudades para o Brasil

The other day I was thinking about how much I miss living in Brazil.  I was thinking about how I'm afraid I might forget Portuguese, how I miss certain people, and how I miss living near the beach.  But then I also started thinking about the crappy work situation we had, how we didn't have a lot of money, and how some people were not very nice to me.  So I decided to write about the things I miss and don't miss about living in Brazil.

(The pictures included in this post don't necessarily represent the text that they precede or follow.  I just wanted to include some of my favorite photos from our year of living in Brazil.  The year recap is posted here.)

I don't miss not having a car.

I do miss having everything I need within walking distance.

I don't miss the crappy living/work situation.

I do miss the 10 minute walk to the beach.

I don't miss not having a stable job.

I do miss my sweet violin and piano students.

I don't miss how expensive everything was.

I do miss the super nice malls and shopping centers.

I don't miss a few specific people.

I do miss a few other specific people who became good friends and surrogate family.

I don't miss having to take taxis everywhere.

I do miss the interesting conversations I had with the taxi drivers.

I don't miss the heat and humidity.

I do miss being able to wear sundresses and flip-flops every day of the year.



I don't miss being misunderstood because of my American accent.

I do miss being able to learn and speak Portuguese every day.

I don't miss being far away from family.

I do miss meeting interesting people from all over the world.

I don't miss the traffic and crazy drivers.

I do miss the unique and beautiful city of Rio de Janeiro.

What do you miss about living abroad?  Or if you are living abroad, what do you miss about home?

XO,

Julie