Depois do começo (After the beginning)

This story doesn't begin here, but it's here where it begins being told. It is born from a desire to BE. Be alive, be connected to nature, culture and real History (not the books written-by-the-dominants type of History). This story comes from a passion for exploring, experiencing and LIVING. But not any living, and definitely not surviving, like our ancestors unfortunately had to dedicate their time on earth to (I'm talking slavery, exploration & war here).

No, not this story. My once upon a time comes from "a lifetime of adventures" Alice wanted in Lewis Carroll (I have to google the spelling every time) and all the digging she digged once she went into the rabbit hole.

This story starts being told here, when it should have started a while ago. Not because I didn't want to tell it then, but because I wasn't sure how to tell it, so I never did (sometimes we let perfectionism stop us from making things happens - and I say WE as in YOU and ME, cause if we're being honest it happens to all of us).

This story also comes from a bilingual ONCE UPON A TIME, so excuse the typpos/mistakes you will see in this ERA UMA VEZ.

I'm glad freedom is a word. And a feeling. At least most of the time, cause here we are 4 paragraphs into what feels like an apology for not starting at the beggining.

Are we truly free?

Or are we living in a bottle like this beautiful seahorse (which by the way was released right after the photo).

Anyway, here we go:

Hi, I`m Bia. Bia as in Bianca, but I love being a Bia, so this is what I`ll be. I feel a strong passion for travelling and discovering the world, people, food, real history and culture ever since my first trip: I went to Rio in a real plane with my mum when I was about 11. It was the coolest girls trip ever, especially being 1 of 7 children who come from a non-rich-ex-slaverish-favelaish background.

This blogging part of me is connected to my desire to travel and BE free, but also share the road experience along with travel tips that might help YOU, so excuse the small outfits and big smiles, you can head to my professional instagram page for a more "formal" and professional side of me, if anything here makes you uncomfortable.

When I was 15 I had an important choice to make: a fancy 15 year old party or an international trip. My dad got his life break money and was willing to invest in one or the other to celebrate the occasion (we had to choose 1 or the other, because we were never very rich, but my parents were extremely hard working, confident,resilient and intelligent, so they`ve managed to tranform their lives and give us a comfortable life too). By the way, it`s a thing in Brazil to throw big parties to girls when we turn 15. Something about being introduced to society, I guess. A bit of turning women into a product, if you ask me.

Of course I chose the international trip, because I saw it in a teenage magazine with my middle sister Bruma, so I went to Australia for 6 months. Here is 15 year old me with my australian host sisters Lily and Pippi.

Why Australia? You might ask. You see, the USA was the place to be back in the days, but I was never much of a trend follower, plus Aussie land has a better weather and the dollar convertion was better back then as well. So there I go: 15 years old, no English and a little weekly cash. 6 months later I came back bilingual and a completely different mind.

Long story cut short, I got a Letras Portuguese/English degree (here is a picture of my graduation day in 2012 with my sister Bruma who influenced me to travel instead of having a party. We`re kind of best friends, along with my younger sister Alice who also works with me here at BE PLAYISH, or Hello Simple English, if you don`t know about the brand transformation yet).

After graduating, I lived in the USA for 2 years and visited a couple of countries in Latin America after that (Mexico & Argentina, where I became fluent in Spanish in a month - I know I’m pretty fast at learning languages, but I need to be IMMERSED in them, which is why I work with language IMMERSION).

Big time jump: last year I spent most of the time traveling around northeast Brazil (nordeste) and decided this year would be different.

I put my bilingual 3 year old Oliver, the lion, in the car with the fewest possible things and started heading up from my state, Espirito Santo.

WOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOO

We started in Vitoria, capital city of Espirito Santo, where there are:

- Indigenous tribes (Aracruz is amazing to vistit them)

- The biggest buddha statue of latin america (in Ibiraçu)

- Inumerous waterfalls (I reccomend Matilde and Viana waterfalls).

- Paradise beaches (Guarapari, Galapagos-like beaches in Praia Grande and Manguinhos are a must)

- Islands to swim to (Pituã Island in Vila Velha, you can get a little boat there too)

- Whales (YES! WHALES)

- Mountains (Pedra Azul is close and filled with history and treks)

- Nudism beach in Linhares.

- Paneleiras de Goiabeiras where they make the best Panelas de Barro for our traditional moqueca dish - YUMMM.

- Dunas de Itaunas (in July there is an international Forro Festival FENFIT, which everyone should experience at least once in a lifetime).

- Forró and congo music festivals and much more!

This is where this story begins, being told after the beggining, and I`ll see you on the other side to begin telling the journey after it began (did it make sense at all? hahaha). Let`s head up with me and Ollie?!

See you in the next AFTER THE BEGINNING story post.

Xoxo,

Your non-gossip-fairy-girl.

(Photo in: Cachoeira de Matilde, ES)