what the last 24 hours has taught me:
family is everything - there’s truly nothing like the genuine love you feel from family - after a year on the other side of the world away from our families, and the ones who know us best, there’s no words to describe how special the last three weeks were for me - the patience Gus family had for me especially the last 24 hours feeling unwell, traveling for 8 hours, etc. is truly indescribable
brings me to my next point, if ever traveling through São Paulo on a Friday during rush hour, make sure you’re SEVERELY dehydrated - had to pee on the side on a five lane highway in front of his parents (not my proudest moments)
when traveling on a plane - no matter what, ALWAYS have a large full water and snacks for emergencies - I was trapped on a broken airplane for five hours with no access to either
never ever take your ability to get clean fresh water with the snap of your fingers for granted again - 🛑 enough said
check your credit cards for the bomb ass travel insurance they provide (most don’t know about this) I booked my flight with my CC and at 4am when our flight was finally cancelled - 300 people lined up for their free hotel voucher and I skipped the line, hopped in a cab, paid for all my amenities and will submit to my CC travel insurance for reimbursement
and lastly make the best of the unexpected - no reason to be unkind or ungrateful many others have it worse than you ♥️
Brazil is magic in so many ways
to see where the man I’ve shared the last two years of my life with was raised, and taught to love and live
to spend time with his absolutely selfless and remarkable family
it’s a blessing I’ll never be able to repay
Brazil is also heartache for me
there is so much talk about climate change, plastic reduction, fires, solar energy
but what we aren’t talking about is how nothing really matters when we have such severe poverty spread amongst this planet in ways that are indescribable
today we went the whole day without eating, as we were busy sightseeing and taking in the beauty of Rio
when we got to dinner, we were all starving and sick and grumpy
we ate the most beautiful meal, and all felt the relief and happiness that came with that
to then leave dinner and walk back to the hotel - to see the sights you see
homelessness, poverty, disparities
all pieces that crush my soul and truly break my heart
families sleeping on the streets, men eating from dumpsters, adults so strung out from drugs their faces crazed
our world is beautiful and magnificent, and I’m beyond grateful every second for the life I was given
however; the world is equally as broken, calloused, and misaligned
in a lot of ways the issues feel too big, too unreachable to make any change - in those same ways it’s unfair to just turn the other way
people are truly suffering - donate to organisations that help with world hunger, give your left over food to the homeless after dinner, don’t waste ever, pray for the ones in need, and MOST IMPORTANT be really cautious the next time you take any fortune you have for granted (a bed to sleep on, filtered water to drink, a job to go to, etc.) please send me organisations you donate, believe in, work with, that I can give back to 🙏🏽