My grandpa, Roberto, immigrated from Brazil to Los Angeles when he was in his teens and since then, lost most of his mother language of Portuguese. My mom and I were then born in the states, and while I grew up knowing I was part Brazilian, I never went there.
I also never had a true sense of what Brazil was like, except through my grandpa's nostalgic storytelling. That trip ended up taking place last month, when I decided to travel from my home in Los Angeles with a group of friends to Rio de Janeiro, to experience the annual event of Carnival.
Carnival takes place in the week leading up to the start of Lent, typically late February. There are multiple parades , and other events like dance performances that take place in the Sambadrome Stadium , a massive venue with a capacity of 90, I didn't know what to expect going into the trip, but I was glad to be going with friends.
It turned out a better experience than I imagined, and nine moments gave me the feeling that I was coming home to my culture. Starting from the airport in Rio and throughout the trip, everyone I met spoke to me primarily in Portuguese. I rarely heard locals speaking other languages like English or Spanish.
Being spoken to in Portuguese was exciting because it made me feel like I was regarded as a local, but also a challenge, as I know just a few words and conversational phrases. But I quickly fell into sync with the Brazilian style of greeting people β I received many tight hugs and multiple pecks on both cheeks from people I met. I loved that it's normalized in Brazil to greet people with warmth and friendliness, and it made me feel welcomed.
