Woah...Three Years?!

Tomorrow is my Braziliversary! I've been living here for three years.

With work, Alexandre's graduation, moving, and a ton of awesome vacations, this year felt like it went by faster than either of the first two.

On my last two Braziliversaries, I wrote long and reflective pieces about what living in Brazil means to me. I don't really have anything super insightful to say this time around, and that's kind of a relief.  It means that, at this point, living in Brazil just life. I'm not forced to constantly reflect upon being different anymore. Some of that is the result of moving out of that small town, away from country bumpkins and obnoxious college kids, but most of it is because I've figured out how to do most things, and day-to-day life isn't such a confusing chore. It's just life, and like life anywhere, some things are annoying, but most things are really, really good. Life is good when you make it what you want it to be.

I feel lucky every day-- Lucky for having had everything I had that got me here; Lucky for the chance to understand two places so well; Lucky for learning something new every day; Lucky to be able to work without a boss; Lucky to have studied something I enjoy and to get to use it every day; Lucky for waking up each morning with the ocean practically washing over my feet; Lucky to have built up a nice little life with the love of my life. I think we've done a really good job in picking and choosing the best of our two countries, and we've formed for ourselves a peaceful little nook in the world.

On the last two Braziliversaries, we went to Italian restaurants to celebrate. Haven't decided if we're gonna maintain the tradition. But whatever we choose, it'll be delicious.

I'm gonna add a little thank you here to all of you, dear readers, for helping me so much since I started all of this. The blog readership has gotten to a point where I don't know the vast majority of my readers personally, but it doesn't feel like that. The supportive and entertaining comments and occasional emails with equally helpful messages have made the fun times that much more fun, and the bad times that much more bearable.

But I think the most important result of this blog is the fact that I use it as an excuse to put myself out there, to push myself into difficult situations. My logic is always, "Well, if it doesn't work out, at least I'll be able to write a funny post about it!" Thoughts like that have gotten me off of my couch and out of my house in the darkest and most anxious of times. This blog, and the fact that you read it, keep the fear of the unknown from winning.

Happy Braziliversary to me! I hope you all have a good weekend. You can leave a comment with an answer to the following question:

What do you feel lucky for?