Welcome!

 This blog will serve to record my travels and teaching experience in Brazil. Enjoy the browsing! I hope I can give a lot of useful information to fellow teachers, and also, just recording some fun moments! Let the journey start! 

I'm not new to South America. I used to live in Ecuador for 6 years, living and teaching in Loja. Then, there was a gang war (internal military conflict, to be exact). Then, electricity shortcuts. Then, water shortages were said to be happening. So, all in all, it looked like it was time (for me) to leave. I remember when I first arrived in Ecuador, 10 years ago. It was so magical and everything. I'm not saying the magic has worn off. In years, I managed to build up a wonderful community for myself. It's like a safety net. The amount of care and support from other people there that I met is immense. Loja will always be my second home. But, part of it was also growing it out, right? The road, the urge was calling me again and I couldn't resist. 

Now the reality: when the gang wars started, Luiz, my dear friend from Brazil offered that I could stay with him and his family for as long as I would like to (or needed). My work in Loja was supportive, as well. I could give all my classes online. Most parts of Brazil are 2 hours ahead of Ecuador, so my usual working hours were shifted with 2 hours. That meant that I started my classes at 6 pm. It gave me plenty of time to explore during the day and enough comfort to return to my classes on time. 

Fast forward to September, I decided to go back to Ecuador, to join my job again and to live my life peacefully.... until the power cuts. At some point, there were 12-14 hours of power cuts, as well. I felt uneasy. I had online classes at the institute and they were cut short, as well. The Loja I moved back to - though it still means the same to me like all those years ago - it was painful to realize: it's not the Loja I want to live in anymore. 

The cities I visited in Brazil were very cosmopolitan. Maybe, me, too, I became more comfortable in the meantime. I got used to taking Ubers, walking in wide streets, tasting new cuisine (Brazilian cuisine is THE BEST - so underrated though!!! Whoever you ask, they will say, it's Italian and Thai kitchen. Yes, they are top-notch as well, but to me, nothing beats the food in Brazil.... ). [insert drooling smiley] 

I did not feel lonely in Loja, not at all. It was very hard to say goodbye to my friends and contacts there. I was surprised because the day I left there, it was already the Fiestas of Artes Vivas (the annual art festival in the city), and all of my friends came out multiple times with me to wherever I was. It genuinely warmed my heart. I think just the knowledge that Loja will be there is enough. It's a significant part of my life. But I knew, I'm ready for something new. 

When the challenges started to present themselves in Ecuador, I googled "IB schools in Brazil". That's how I found my current job. I went through several rounds of interviews, and what first seemed to be a testing to my skills, very soon turned into a serious commitment. I wanted to embrace something new and gain more experience in the IB field! I got an offer that I couldn't turn down. So it started...