I Miss a Lot The Simplicity Of Brazil

I moved to: Israel In 2007, 7 years ago.

Before that: I was born and grew up in Brazil, where I lived until the age of 18. After that I”ve lived in Thailand, then in Turkey, Dubai, Germany and finally Israel which eventually became my home.

The language issue: I speak Hebrew. It took me around 6 months of studying to understand the basics. And around 1 year to start speaking.

Since I moved here I stopped: seeing my family and childhood friends as much as I want to. That in fact began almost 9 years ago when I started working abroad.
Since I moved here the new thing I started doing is: learning a new language, discovering different cultural aspects and opening my mind for unfamiliar experiences.

Some weird habits of the locals: Oh yes.. Like the fried cockroaches and crickets from the streets of Bangkok which many Thai people see as a delicacy. Or the Turkish men smoking non-stop in every single public place.. Even the workers of the pharmacies or medical centers where doing it during work. Well there are so many things, that I would have to write a book about that! 😉
 

 
My biggest cultural shock was:working on Sundays and having really short weekends (half Friday and Saturday). Also, many times Israelis can be too curious and direct and they can ask you very personal things when they don”t even know you. But mostly i feel that Israel is my home now and a big part of me is Israeli already so I don”t see many differences anymore.
 
What I miss the most from home is: the fooood!! And I miss a lot the simplicity of Brazil.. I miss the fact that a bottle of beer and some music played in a simple place are more than enough to feel happy over there. Many times here or in other countries where I lived I see that people need to get in posh places, with amazing food and drinks, in order to try to have some fun.. And this is still kind of strange for me.

I go home as often as: I used to go home as often as twice per year but now I haven”t been there for almost 2 years.

I get very homesick: I usually get home sick on my birthday. Or my family”s birthdays.. And specially during New Year’s Eve because Brazil is the best place to celebrate it.

I keep in contact with my friends and family:  daily via Skype, Facebook or phone.

My favorite dish / local food is: the humus and the many kinds of fresh salads.

My favorite places in town: As places to go out I like the most a new place called Ismi Salma at Dizingof, 98.. It”s a great dinner & club place. To dance I also like to go Shafa Bar, Radio and Buxa at Rothschild area. Restaurants I like the most are: The Bun, Social Club, Hanoi, Yakimono, Messa, Barbunia.

I get around the city by: bike and taxis. In the center of Tel Aviv most things can be done by bike, the city is quite small.

Street fashion: There are lots of different styles over here but specially hipsters. People dress up in the way they want without being bothered by the opinions of others. Sometimes, you can even see some people walking in their pajamas.

My view on people: I love the people here. Israelis and Brazilians have a lot in common. Both are warm and happy people and I think this is the main reason also that many Israelis move to Brazil and vice versa. And yes I have many good friends over here 🙂

Being an expat: as an expat, things can be difficult. Like when I don”t know about things they’ve grown up with like songs, stories.. Or when I can”t read Hebrew as fast as they do and stuff like that.

In 5 years, I see myself living: In Israel. But traveling and working around always because I”m quite gypsy and will always be 😉