When I say big city, I feel like it underplays how large it actually is. Sao Paulo is more populated than New York!
Of my many travel experiences, I loved my time in Brazil with the Choro Das Tres family most of all. Unfortunately, the 2020 pandemic canceled their normal touring schedule last year! They were supposed to visit and stay with me here in Indiana on their way to Chicago, Illinois. The family band normally travels across the country from New York to Chicago, then all the way to the states of California and Washington.
Since I have played the violin since I was four, I value my relationship to different types of music and other musicians. When you find people who share your love for something, the bond is irreplaceable. I certainly cannot play “choro” music, but the more I listen and learn, the closer I feel to Choro Das Tres. They inspire me in many ways because of their family and cultural values. Even if we do not communicate over the course of several months, we both know that we have made life friends that can reach out to each other, whenever, no matter the reason.
The one piece of advice I can offer to future travelers is that making new friends isn’t difficult. However, it is definitely more rare to find solid friends abroad where the distance doesn’t stop you from maintaining your friendships. However, by taking pictures, sharing stories, and enjoying the time you spend together learning about new cultures, you can work to maintain lifelong relationships and challenge yourself to think about the world differently when you return home from abroad. In my time away, I learned about many different values from my own culture.
