First Journey, First Love

by Marisa Porter (Canada)

I didn't expect to find Brazil

I’m into my thirties now and travelling is a huge part of my identity. For over ten years, many of my life’s milestones were weaved around the concept of travel. Like a first love, there is a story behind the first voyage that had started it all. The one that opened my eyes, my pallet, and my heart to the world. Looking back through the years I love recalling taking my first journey outside the borders of Canada to São Paulo, Brazil. I can still remember the emotions running through my mind as the plane flew ever closer to Guarulhos international airport. They ranged from extreme excitement for what was to come and an intense desire to travel somewhere as exotic as Brazil. I was picked up from the airport by my Brazilian friend, whom I met in my hometown and was hosting me for the five weeks I would stay and was whisked away to a party. It was a holiday, Labor Day, and I was greeted by her dad in a speedo, kissed on both cheeks and given a glass of caipirinha to try. Caipirinha is a refreshingly sweet drink made from cachaça, liquor made from sugar cane, lime and more sugar. I met the rest of her family and thus, my introduction was complete and now I was getting drunk. It was my early twenties so as a rite of passage, I was initiated into the party scene right away. One night, we went to a Walmart to buy alcohol and they had passion fruit vodka. I was sold right there. I had never even tried passion fruit, the flavor was so unexpected! My host’s mother was an amazing cook. For those five weeks, I was treated to real, Brazilian-style, home cooking. This is where I fell in love with feijoada, a black bean stew prepared with beef and pork, which is popular all over the country. I couldn’t get enough of her hearty food and she couldn’t get enough of feeding me! I got to try churros for the first time, filled with doce de leite, or caramel as we know it. Not only did I return to Canada some pounds heavier, I also had this fresh appreciation for a new cuisine. The most significant ‘first’ for me, and arguably life changing, was visiting the beach and swimming in the southern Atlantic Ocean. I had always enjoyed swimming but my experience in life up to that point only had me in indoor swimming pools and lakes. Stepping into the ocean and letting a wave wash over me, imbued me with a magical energy and I may have turned into a mermaid right there. A beach called Itamambuca, near the small city of Ubatuba, was the place I fell in love with the sun, the sand and the sea. Admittedly, since that experience, the places I seek to travel to, offer just that. No first trip would be complete without an exhilarating experience or two. I had no place for fear. Ultimately, I was about ready to sign up for any experience within my new favorite country. I went for a motorcycle ride of my life. I didn’t realize that motorcyclists were able to drive that fast and down the lane dividers. My skipping heartbeat when I came to, served to remind me that I was only going to live once! Later that month, my friend and I came up with the great idea that we should get tattoos. I got a small one on my foot. I was branded now. The proof of my travels would now never escape my memory. The experiences I was able to have in Brazil lit a fire inside of me. My passion for travel was born right there and I’m not certain that thirst can ever be quelled. For the first time it seemed that my eyes were opened. I was seeing through a different shade of sunglasses. When I purchased my ticket to Brazil, I didn’t expect to find my affinity toward a life filled with travel. When I returned to Canada everything was the same except for me. I was ready to take on the world.