My New Heritage

This weekend we went to the Brazilian Festival at the Gateway Mall. We planned ahead this year and were able to arrive right when the festival started at 1:00 pm on Saturday, and stayed until the final band packed their things up. It was a long day, and Paulo and I were exausted at the end of the day, but it was totally worth it! I posted pictures of the day on my facebook account, so if I'm not your friend on facebook you should add me now. The festival started with a parade down the street that goes through the Gateway- headed by Capoeira Martial Arts performers everyone joined the parade dawning their yellow, green and blue. Bringing up the end of the parade was a group of Carnaval type dancers. Of course there were tons of drums and lots of cheering. The street was lined with people watching, and I know this sounds cheesy, but I was so proud to be Brazilian in that moment! They had everything set up at the end of the Gateway with the fountains- food, artesan booths, music, and more dancing. We spent the day walking around, eating, and visiting with friends. We saw friends that we hadn't seen since last year's festival, and others that Paulo hadn't seen since years ago. It was like being at a high school reunion! The feature band started playing around 4:30, and they went all the way until 8:45 with NO STOPS! We danced and jumped around the whole time, and by the end of the night I seriously doubted my ability to walk back to the car! The band ended their show and we stuck around talking some more, and after the great fountain show put to the music of the 2002 Olympics we headed home. It was so nice to have a day where we didn't do anything but have fun- there was no stress, no schedule, and no other commitments other than being there and having fun. I think it was something we really needed.So at this point if this post has already run too long for you, you can stop reading, but those of you who want to keep reading, please do!The day was so fun yesterday, and it reminded me of why I have fallen so in love with not only my husband and best friend, but the culture and people that have made him who he is. I wanted to put down some of the things that I love most about my new people, the Brazilians:
One of my favorite memories of my Brazilian friends is from when Paulo and I had just been dating for a few months and we went to a birthday party that was in Salt Lake City. The birthday party was actually for a lady from Mexico that worked with a lot of our friends- they had a DJ and everything- this wasn't your normal run-of-the-mill birthday party :) So the music was going for a while- people were dancing to Salsa, Merengue and other Mariachi music. One of our friends went to the DJ and gave him a CD with Samba music and asked him to play it- we were all sitting at the table when the low sound of the Samba drum beat started. They all literally jumped out of their seats, and ran out to the dance floor to dance the dance that is quintessentially Brazilian. It was at that moment when I witnessed such passion and excitement for life through dance that I said to myself "I will be part of this one day"
The brazilian people have a passion for everything unlike any other group of people that I've seen. When they are happy, they are HAPPY! When they're not, they have no problem letting you know that, too. This honesty has helped me be more open and honest about my own feelings in life.
Those of you who came to our wedding reception were witness to how much fun it can be at a party with Brazilians there. Even a normal barbecue on the weekend eventually turns into an all-out dance party. Birthdays are charged with energy, with the "happy birthday" song being sung over and over, faster and faster, until everyone is yelling and cheering. It makes the English version of "happy birthday" seem completely boring and depressing.
Obviously my favorite thing about Brazilians is my husband! I can't say enough about him, and how happy he makes me. He is truly my best friend, and every day I am filled with gratitude for having found him and married him.
Ever since I met Paulo and started meeting his friends, I have been so impressed with how friendly and loving they have always been with me. Kisses and hugs are always shared when you see anyone, another reason why they are such an open and loving people. There really isn't much of a 'personal bubble' when you're around Brazilians!I could go on and on, but this post has gone long enough. I just wanted to say how much I love being Brazilian! Anyone who wants to is always welcome to go with us when we go to Brazil- it's an amazing country to see and I can't wait to see more and more in the years to come! I'm so grateful that Heavenly Father saved the perfect companion for me. There were times when I questioned the reasons behind all of the different dating experiences that I had before I met Paulo, but now I know that if any of the times that I was convinced I had met 'the one' would have really been the time for me, I would have missed out on an amazingly happy and full life with the person who understands me better than anyone else, and makes me happier than anyone else on this earth! Paulo, eu te quero, eu te amo, eu te adoro!