What happens when you move house and go to live in another street, another neighborhood, another city or even another state?
The first few days you get lost, right? Want to know where the best school is, bakeries, supermarkets etc… And the new neighborhood? It takes time to adapt to the new faces, they also study you with their eyes riveted on your home, wanting to see your furniture, your decoration, your family.
If this situation is already complicated in Brazil, what can you say when you decide to venture abroad? There are so many factors involved. But anyway, you made the decision to move to the United States, you ended up in Texas, in the Austin area, and now what?
The problem now is not just knowing where the best establishments are, the human relationship is what counts most at this point, there is no time to lose. After all, you’ve arrived, there’s a language barrier that isn’t yours and, to make matters worse, you don’t know the people who have customs, culture and habits that are very different from yours.
You ask yourself, what am I doing here?
It makes you want to go back, to give up all the investment you’ve made to get here. But then, when you’re good, the same people will approach you.
Although I have a couple of friends who have lived here for five years and have given us a lot of support, I needed to get to know them better, build up my network of contacts, find out what Brazilians do here, in which regions they are most concentrated, what they came to live here for, you know, those curiosities, like where there are Brazilian markets, what about feijoada, caipirinha, samba, our culture? It’s possible to find it in this country, it’s possible to find it here in Texas, because we’re not talking about Florida, where everyone already knows that there are many Brazilians per square meter and it has a very strong community.
But then a light dawned on me, I came across a referral from someone involved with Cultura Brasil Austin – I was already excited by the name – I asked a lot of questions about the project, what its objectives were and I liked what I heard more and more. I thought: BINGO! That’s what I need, to insert myself into this environment, because that’s the only way I’ll get my answers.
I was introduced to the CBA and immediately attended a lecture by a fantastic educator and writer from Minas Gerais. Then the children’s carnival was going to take place at Projeto Brasil, so I looked up how to apply to be a volunteer and I was able to take part in the event. There I had the opportunity to meet some Brazilians who are part of this community. It was incredible, I felt light and that I could indeed find a good reason to live here, because my people, their customs and roots were touched by the simple fact that we were together.
Then came another event, this time much more grandiose, Women’s Day, it was the ultimate, more than 100 Brazilian women with their colors, their smiles, hugs and kisses spread, singing and dancing, all washed down with Brazilian seasoning, served by a Brazilian chef, it was truly spectacular.
These two events are just part of what the CBA is all about, because the objectives go far beyond events, there is a whole team concerned with spreading cuisine, music, poetry, and best of all, welcoming outsiders with the intention of letting them know that there are good people here to help them.
That’s how I felt, welcomed, and there’s even the MBA – Brazilian Women in Austin group, which is part of the CBA, which allows you to promote products, services, recommendations, exchange experiences and so that all women can have the opportunity to buy or sell something with a taste of Brazil.
But then came the pandemic and, like the rest of the world, we had to take a break from our meetings and tight hugs, but the CBA didn’t stop anyway, it has been present on social media, keeping our culture alive. The hugs are virtual, but the warmth of the human relationship remains alive and waiting for all this to pass so that we can finally get together for a good chat.
Welcome outsiders, here is Cultura Brasil Austin!
