Without Samba, It Just Won’t Do
It was the Brazilian Music and a challenge that drew me in. After declaring my plan to learn the Portuguese language to better understand the music and culture, an English-speaking Brazilian friend directly challenged me; “You can’t do that” he said, while laughing, as if the idea was completely nuts.
The planning began. A year later, I quit my job and moved to a small city in Sao Paulo, Brazil, to teach English and learn what Brazil was all about.
It was the beginning of a new journey into a lot of unknowns, starting with a proxy for the school director picking me up at the airport. He and his companion spoke very little English. I then discovered that it was a 5-hour road trip from the airport to the city where I would be teaching! This was obviously before Googlemaps…nevertheless, the adventure was on.
I finally arrived, jet-lagged, road-weary, and a bit sweaty in my Minnesota-winter outfit. There was no gentle transition – it was a dive straight into the deep end. The English school was in the midst of a camp/teacher bonding activity where several activities were happening. I was introduced to an entire crowd of fellow English teachers all at once and expected to jump into various activities involving ropes and blindfolds, which was a great introduction into Brazilian people and culture.
Throughout that year, I grew and changed beyond measure. I gained confidence to start new things and to jump into new projects and start swimming. I learned how to adapt and flex in challenging situations, and how to find and connect with other humans to share the journey and provide guidance along the way.
“Without Samba, It Just Won’t Do” is the English translation of a more recent song by one of Brazilian’s most legendary musicians - Caetano Veloso. Great article to learn more about him and his legacy: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2022/02/14/how-caetano-veloso-revolutionized-brazils-sound-and-spirit
Connect with me if you need support or inspiration to start your next adventure!
If the only thing people learned was not to be afraid of their experience, that alone would change the world.
— Sydney Banks
