Let me introduce myself... for the 2nd time.

Hello fellow steemians.

I am a young Brazilian living in the Netherland for the past couple of years and a newbie, again.
And as you must suppose by now, yes... It is my second time here. Because someone has lost the keys when moving countries for some reason :/
(The reason is just that I am not the most organized person and every day I still struggle to find my keys which are always in the same pocket)

I will keep this introduction shorter because I feel like it is irrelevant to tell everything once again.

But I currently live in the Netherlands and I love herring and cheese haha seems like I was made for this country.

(This picture is from 2018, the first thing I wanted to eat right when I arrived)

I am originally from Sao Paulo in Brazil and I have left my (not) beloved hometown somewhen around 2015 to live by the sea in Rio. I have always been fascinated by the sea at the same proportion I was frightened by it.

After a burnout and a freakout in 2014, due to pressures in my career, studying, commuting 4h a day, and not being happy with my overall lifestyle, I took the leap of faith, left everything behind, and went to pursue one of my dreams - the one of living by the sea.
I had a very dear boyfriend at that time who supported, encouraged, and also accompanied me on this journey. Those were very well-lived times.

To make a long story short, after 3 years in Rio, the city had offered me everything it could have had. Living near the ocean was one of the most amazing experiences that transformed deeply who I was into who I am today. But as quite a restless and almost workaholic person, pursuing any sort of professional fulfillment is just a very tough task in that city. The lifestyle and mindset are set into other priorities in life - and I am not criticizing it at all, I just got a bit bored with the overall lack of ambition and too much laidbackness from my peers. It was great for helping me to slow down and get in touch with myself, but after some time it was actually holding me back and I felt like I wasn't progressing anymore.

One of the most painful decisions I took was the one of leaving Rio de Janeiro behind, the place I loved so much because I couldn't stand not having other things to do with my life other than going for a swim 2x a day, hiking on the weekends, and working only part-time.
I know it sounds perfect when put like that, but seriously, one needs to be useful and productive to stay happy. And I am not even mentioning shootings or grenades exploding 9 AM on a Tuesday morning. But at least, after those years I lost my fear of the sea and I actually learned how to swim, on my own, with the waves haha And this became one of my biggest pleasures in life.

To make another long story short, I moved back to Sao Paulo, got a super cool job doing something I really like to do, but less than 6 months later I was again miserable with the metropolitan life, and in less than a year I went to my parents and said "guys, I got a job interview with a company in the Netherlands" they didn't really understand what I meant by it and they just advised me I shouldn't leave my super cool job ever. I should stay there, buy a car, an apartment, follow the protocol of "how to appear successful to strangers who don't give a toss' eyes" and chill the fck out.
I could see the disappointment in their eyes as they really thought I came back to stay and have a "normal" life next to them.
I have always been the black sheep and well, black sheeps will always be the black sheeps, even if they just wear a more colorful outfit. And the truth was that at that moment I was actually communicating to them a decision already taken, not asking for advice.

Well, some three years later here I am. I had some very difficult adventures and adversities along the way, but I am still very happy and motivated in working to build the first of many other ventures I believe with all my strength.
And now, I live next to the sea again and that is also one extra reason to wake up smiling every day.

What are the things that make you smile? What makes you feel grounded and at peace with the choices you have made in life so far?

I always felt weird because I have never been really connected or bonded to my family and my sense of belongingness always been close to null.

So, what makes you belong to something or someone?

For the past three years, I have been journaling regularly and I have written different thoughts and stories I hope to compile in three different books in some decades ahead. But before that I would love to share some with the community and hear your thoughts. Therefore, this is the reason I wanted to get back on steemit. I hope to share some of these adventures, thoughts, metaphorical wonders, and mystical experiences too, thus I can also read from your experiences and exchange life knowledge with each other.

So, you can expect to find me writing on a not so regular basis about:
travel experiences, how I started my business, how I applied for jobs while still living in Brazil, how difficult it was to actually choose what to do with my life - and I still question that on a regular basis.
The lonesome, but fun and challenging expat life, music, art, mystic experiences and precognitive dreams, philosophical and political thoughts - that tend to be controversial most of the times -, how love can power galaxies and how strangers and brief encounters can have a very profound impact and transform our entire lives. Never undermine or underestimate any person who crosses your path. N E V E R. Seems like we are all connected somehow.

That was my brief introduction. I hope it wasn't too long and that you guys share with me some of the reasons for your smiles.

Best,
S.