Expat Love

I've met up with a whole bunch of expats recently--my old photog friend, a Brazilian who was living in the Middle East, a fellow Jewish New Yorker, a lovely couple from the Mid-West, and a whole bunch of Americans through my new jobs. It's not that I necessarily prefer the presence of foreigners, but I love meeting new gringos and finding out why they're here--particularly ones who have a real interest in Brazilian culture and Portuguese (and all of the ones I've met have). It's just really nice to meet people you have something in common with: being far from home but loving this country.

Oh, and the jobs! Through a gringa tip, I got a job doing voice recording work (in English), which is a lot harder than it sounds, but a lot of fun and pays really well. I never realized how much work goes into enunciation, pronunciation, and tone! The guy who runs the studio is an American guy who's been here for over a decade and is super gente boa with a perfect recording voice, and the other Americans he hired were cool, too.

I am trying out a new teaching job this week, which sounds a lot more like summer camp than my last teaching job: I have to live on a fazenda-like place outside the city for five days, without having to pay for food, lodging, or transportation. I'll miss Eli, but I was intrigued by the opportunity (and the salary), so I'm giving it a try. If it works out, I'll do it a week a month, though I am hoping to work out another different teaching job soon.

Wish me luck on my working vacation! Though I do suspect there will be a lot more work than vacation involved...

(P.S. They have Internet there--thank god! But I've already pre-written the posts for the week, so no worries.)

Comments

[Priyanka]

Yay! I'm really happy to hear that different things are picking up for you in the job department. The fazenda sounds like a very cool adventure even if it means a week away. I love that you are trying new and random jobs. I really do believe that every job teaches you something. Sort of like your "How it all began" series, I think that the seemingly random decisions we make lead us to bigger better things. I feel like if you keep trying stuff it will lead you to your career.

[mallory elise]

i know what you mean about foreigners finding common ground on being, well foreign. when i lived in france i had a few french friends, but for the most part my closest friends were americans, mexicans, and brazilians!!!

[Melo Franco]

I'm glad you're getting cool opportunities! Good luck!

שָׁלוֹם

[Franco]

Hi Rachel,

Just wondering how the fazenda-like teaching job worked out. I did something similar in a country house near Madrid, in Spain.

I'm considering moving to Brazil for a while, starting in February or March 2010. If you wouldn't mind passing on the info for that job, that would be excellent! (I have a ton of EFL teaching experience, by the way.)

Obrigado!