I have officially been in Brazil for a full month! In that time, I have spent a full week in São Paulo, two weeks in Manaus and a week in Salvador (Bahia).
Moving to a new place, any new place, comes with its challenges. This move has come with a lot of firsts for me, including the first time living outside of my home country, the first time making friends in a language that is not my native language, the first time conducting my own research and the first time living on my own.
I knew that this move would be difficult and slightly isolating, especially in the inital weeks. With that in mind, I set some goals for my first week in Manaus. I hoped have one fullfilling conversation in Portuguese, visit one new location and accomplish one logistical thing every day, such as getting a Brazilian number or registering my visa with the Federal Police. This goal helped me accomplish five things: 1) I got outside every day, which is super important for my mental health; 2) I saw new parts of the city and started to become familar with my new home; 3) I practiced my Portuguese; 4) I socialized, which is also very important for my mental health and 5) I slowly made progress in settling in, so it didn't hit me all at once.
