Wednesday 30 November 2011

Exploring England

There was so different for me, I mean physically, remember I never left Brazil before! So the bio types, men and women, kids, because they are blond, many blond people and white skin! ah light color eyes; we can see it in Brazil, of course, but not many together. For me it just defines the bio type of another race!
For me, after traveled so many different places, the world is divide in 4 different races: white: European and Latins, Africans, Asiatics.

Observing this difference in one aspect the world start to becomes bigger, when you realize these differences that you can perceive so clear around you where you were live. I can say I got on well with a few British people, the ones I met in England, looking back now, quite good people, just remember one Paul, he studied with me at my MA, he was from the Media Writing course, we got on very well, we didn't became close friends by the time but later after I left England and came back to Brazil we start to talk by the Internet, he had a brain tumor, he couldn't finish the course, he needed to left the course to trait this tumor and I guess 3 years ago he died, very sad :((((((

Sunday 13 November 2011

Continuing living in Southampton

My classes in Southampton started at the university. Still feel all strange, different, so I started to look the good sides, good things around me; I started to have a love relationship with Jeff, I was very much in love and another thing that impressed me it was Jeff's love for music and I was looking for new music to know, listen and I could find many with Jeff, bands, groups that most probably I will love forever like Depeche Mode, a few friends in Brazil already love Depeche Mode but I always was closed to .... until Jeff :) Kruder and Dorfmeister that showed me a more melodic way to do electronic music and I've got to know many more groups.

I remember one thing that we loved to do together, go out to the music shop and buy CDs in promotion, I remember we found Kruder and Dorfmeister in this way.

This was the beginning for me to take conscious of ways that I would like to follow in my life, like music, I already told you before here that I've played in a rock band in Brasilia, but get to know more music, specially in UK that has music pulsing in their soul made me completely aware about my feelings for music and more I lived there, more I was investigating my thoughts about music, and investigating music, of course took me sometime to get near a conclusion about it, and it is still going on but every day it becomes more and more clear. But lets go back to my life in England.

One good thing about my life, it was that Jeff had a company car, so we could go to London and other places in England, it was very convenient, for instance, we want to go to music shows, just get in the car and go! We did it to go Garbage show, Lamb and many more.
Lamb show was a incredible experience for me, it was in Brighton not so far from Southampton. It was my first show in England, I remember I didn't know what expect, never heard much about Lamb and it was an amazing show, they are not like a traditional rock band, far from it, I can call them experimental rock band, I was very impressed with the bass movement, the bassist, the vocalist, in the end it is difficult to make any judgment, it was what I realized and just enjoyed a lot the show, finish the show we got back to Southampton and when I arrived, time to go sleep, I did try, but I couldn't sleep, too excited with the experience, difficult to cool down and sleep (probably Jeff can remember it); it is was wonderful experience, the show, the music, the ambient !!!!!!!!!!! After this show Lamb became one of my favorites bands :)

Sunday 28 August 2011

Where is my Social life in England?

I would like to talk a bit about what I mentioned about my personal crisis, my social life during the time I was living in England, I want to make a point for you readers don't generalize it, please, it was a personal problem, it was not something about the British people. It was a shock how different it could be from the culture I was just coming out - Brazil.
The notion I had about friendship was so different from Brazil, because we here, latinos, we say that everybody around are amigos-friends, funny enough I learned the real meaning of friendship living outside Brazil, we can't say that everybody can be your friend, it doesn't exist, but in my point of view it can exist in latino culture. Now as days a friend is someone you can trust, someone that is like a brother not a family brother, but someone you can trust completely, why people in UK say is very difficult to find a friend.
In South America in general, it is very easy to find amigos-friends, but it doesn't mean you can trust completely on them. I can say I made friends during the time I lived in England, just 2 friends, I was back Brazil and said it to the people and they were horrified, because here everybody is your friend, it is not good at all here you can call 1, 2 person as friends.
And it is something that you can't make any judgment about, I just can say this is culture, in case, different cultures, different social approaches.

Sunday 21 August 2011

And the UK is England, Scotland, Northen Ireland and Wales

Funny, because I didnt know which countries constitutes UK until I've moved there, ok, ok never I was very good in geography, but the old expression : you live and you learn, it was what happened to me when I moved to England; anyway always when you moved to a new country is a big life lesson, I really dont complain about my experiences living in other countries, it always really motivate me to look the world around you deep inside, the felling of these experiences I never had even closer in Brazil, I can say from my experiences, it can become something addicted, Im back Brazil after 10 years out here, Brazil is a new country for me, but I still know it, used to the country manners etc. I have this spirit of explorer, discover new thing.
When I went to England nobody was really support me to go there, this was bad, I was on my own, in some ways, this helped me to go other countries after and gave me some level of independence, what I dont complain!
Everything was ok in Southampton, but after a few months my personal crisis started, I was missing a social life, I just had my ex boyfriend, good enough, but I needed to have my own life, ok I was studying, had my colleagues, but study with them doesnt mean they gonna be your friends, ah another aspect about there, European people, and specially British people they can be quite closed, very different from Brazil, the Latin culture, it was another shock for me, never I could imagine they were so different in this aspect.

Sunday 7 August 2011

Discovering what has in the UK?

Discovering what has in the UK?

As wrote before my beginning of life in UK, and when I look back now it was kind of perfect, but I haven't started yet my MA course there, face a bit different educational system and it has a reason, of course, when you look the world that is divide by different cultures, and it was a shock for me.

First time I moved out Brazil, and for me, most educational systems should be like the Brazilian one, but NO!

Not very different, but I didn't prepare myself for this difference and I've arrived there to start straight way my course.

My lucky was I started to get very evolved with Jeff and shortly he became my boyfriend, I was in love, of course, and he helped me a lot with life in general there.

I think took around a year to I get used to the basic life in UK. I mean basic life like: food, bank, bills and more important people and their social behavior, it was not easy, but enjoyable as any part of the discovery of a new country, culture.

I need to say the culture in UK is different from Brazil, first thing I've noticed there, their concept of family in society, it is different. People leave home very early, usually around 20 years old, and in Brazil they can normally live with their family for a long time, even live forever. One good reason for the British leave and the Brazilians being sometimes forever with their families, it is the economical situation of the countries, good in UK, and not so good in Brazil, but then I'm talking about centuries of economical and cultural development of these countries and the world surrounded them.

Monday 18 April 2011

The proper beginning of life in UK - Southampton

And here will go, the very beginning of life in UK, in case I went straight to Southampton, where I would study and live, and Jeff, the guy I was chatting online offered to pick me up at Heathrow airport and I accepted and he went there to picked me up and we got on very well, it was a very good beginning to start live in UK with a kind support of a British man. I remember I've arrived in UK in January, a few days before my 28 years old birthday, it was planned, my idea was start up my new life in a big way.

When I've arrived to my new life, all my life conditions in Southampton were sorted, I had a MA to do, I have a part time job as web designer and a good and supportive friend, I was immensely happy :)

I don't know if I wrote it before, but it was my first time abroad and it wasn't turism, it was to make a life in another country, scary!! But I loved it :)

Monday 14 March 2011

In England

As i said before, I've researched alot for faculties, universities where I could study what I want to study. I found finally Solent Southampton University, looked great for me it has a Masters of Media and Arts, so I went for it. :)

So, I was getting to know more and more the power of the Internet, and start to research everything about the degree, England and British people online. I never stopped myself to think that most of the music I love comes from UK, it was definitely a better reason to do this MA in UK, and I selected exactly Southampton because is very close to London. and of course because the degree. I was accepted in 7 or 10 universities in England, but Southampton seemed pretty interesting for me, close to London, by the sea.

Next step for me by the time, it was make friends online, and by ICQ (software i don't know if still exist) I met Jeff. I found this guy quite fun and a interesting chat, we became very good friends online, maybe a little more than this, just online, aha he was/is very into music, someone that I could discuss and talk about music, very important for me.

Actually by this time I was discovering many things about music, rock, especially electronic music; I was in rock band Animais dos Espelhos, in many ways a brand new world was opening for me and I was loving this world.

I always will love rock, but my vibe start to be much more into electronic music.
And England is the place to be if you love electronic music.

Very Beginning of life in England

Well, better started from how I have the idea to go somewhere else.
It started when I was finishing my degree at UnB in Brasilia and I was research student in one project at the MA in Art and Technology of the Fine Arts Department, and I need to study deeply the Internet and it was in the beginning 0f the Internet around 1995, at least in Brazil, and I was completely enchanted by the new technology, how it could reduce long distant to a so close 'space'?

For me by the time, it opened a door to a new world, and I was completely up to explore it and I did and I plan to keep exploring it, it is magic for me.

So, I was finishing my degree in Fine Arts (believe me!) and I've realized that I do appreciate Arts, but what really attract me, it is another subject and I found out that is communication technologies, so I needed to find a way to study it without dissociate my degree background. I spent probably researching one year until I find the best way to study what I like, it is doing a MA, in case, by the time I found the best thing was go outside Brazil, explore the world, explore life, explore the new technology, the INTERNET.

Sunday 13 February 2011

End story in Netherlands

End story in Netherlands

Too many disappointments about my life in Netherlands, especially the personal one. I had a good life experience, I've try my best to resist to come back to Brazil, but it was too painful for me, I didn't think it was the best for me be back here but sometimes you don't have options, you need to step back to carry on living.

Next post I will write about my life in UK, my first time out Brazil, my first time proving life, I love UK, I love London :)

Tuesday 18 January 2011

Lost in this world: Continuing my stories in Netherlands

After a little break, new year - 2011 - break, I'm returning to continuing my stories, now, Im telling you my story about my life in Netherlands.
Well, I was telling you about my frustration about live up north, in Harlingen and work in Amsterdam

Well, my job, my colleagues, it was a new life in this point, starting to me, all very exciting, I was very happy about it, but not happy with my personal live, living in Harlingen, starting to be very disappointing with my relationship.Everyday I was waking up praying my life will change for something that I like, I believe many of us waking up hoping it.

Well, during I guess 6 months, almost one year I was hoping my personal life could change, until one day my ex got completely insane, fed up and went to company I was working in Amsterdam and made a huge scandal to everybody in the company, said terrible things about me, how horrible I was as I 'didn't want' to get a job just around Harlingen etc, etc, etc... of course all his point of view, and how he was feeling.
It was a big thing to the company management and I could understand it until the day the HR called me and fire me up. This was a big damage for this almost nothing relationship, but I did manage to don't look thing in such a bad way.

I've try to find a job just around Harlingen, but it was almost impossible because:

1 - my dutch, I could speak a few dutch but most companies found not enough to work.

2 - Harlingen is a inner country village, so not many business going on around there

3 - funny enough, happened exactly what is going on to me now (very difficult to find a job in Brasilia), 'well specialized' 'why you don't go to live in the main cities, there definitely you can find something for you'

Well, I found my destiny was get married and have kids, nothing else to me there.
I thought about it, but something inside me was going against this decision, it was not for me, I'm too much independent to agree to this 'destiny'!

Then I returned to Brazil completely sad and destroyed, thinking I did try, but it looked like it is not for me there. But I think I told you before Im very persistant, so after a few month I returned to Netherlands to try for the last time. And this time it was the worse time, the relationship was completely dead.

Then I got crazy and sent my CV to Amsterdam, The Hague, Rotterdam to the biggest cities in Netherlands and yes, I received some really good offers in these cities to move there to work there, but my visa was completely connected to my ex and he was completely against move out Harligen to help me, for him the best solution was I become a mother, once more I was sure he was not the man for me.

Continuing my stories in Netherlands

After a little break, new year - 2011 - break, I'm returning to continuing my stories, now Im telling you my story about my life in Netherland.

My life there was quite OK, the only problem for me and my ex boyfriend was that I was working in Amsterdam. Amsterdam is a world apart in Netherlands, my feeling there was has not much about the Dutch way to be, more traditional; Amsterdam is very much, at least, seems much more liberal, open minded.

For me, living in Harlingen, small village situated in a very traditional area in Netherlands, and work Amsterdam, a very liberal city there, after a while it was a shock!

And emotionally it started to do a damage on me

I mean, I'm not exactly the sort of girl that can live well satisfied in a small village, I was trying to adapt myself to this reality but it was hard for me, specially living practically alone as my ex was going to work on the sea for 3 months; I knew people that I could enjoy myself with, but all them living around or in Amsterdam.

It was a tough time for me, I had love and money but in some ways very away from me - love yes, but my ex was 3 months away, working - money, yes, but I needed to drive everyday 2 hours to work and I wasn't live close to work, in Amsterdam!

Working in Amsterdam, feeling the atmosphere there and most of my workmates living there I started to feel pretty tempted to live there, I suggested it to my ex, and the answer was pretty rude ' It is much more expensive to live in Amsterdam ' and I tried to argue about the benefits to live there etc...

Then start my final nightmare there :(