Dear Brazil,

Valentine’s day here in America has made me reminisce about old loves and I wanted to write you a letter reminding you how much I love you and cherished our time together. Even though we are not still together I know that both you and I came out a changed person through this relationship. There are a few things that I wanted to thank you for, so here I go…

1. Thank you for truly welcoming me in with open arms and an open heart. The love I felt the second I got off the plane was immediately overwhelming for me. People invited me into their houses like I was their family, hugged me when they met me as if I was a loved one, and always had a smile on their face when talking to me. So thank you for making me feel as if I were at home, which I truly was.
2. Thank you for reminding me that life is more about work hard, play harder then anything else. The amount of holidays we had at school was a great reminder that we have to work in order to be able to spend the rest of our time doing what we love. In Brazil that usually meant being at the beach, eating, drinking and dancing. I completely agree with that.
3. Thank you for introducing me to some of the most important people in my life. To my friends who had to live through a phase in my life in which all of the photos have been deleted but have still stayed around. To the girl who is now my ride or die, who I genuinely cant go more then a couple hours without messaging cause a girl needs her bff.
4. Thank you for making me into who I am today. For teaching me that even in a country full of supermodels and fake lips and butts, beauty is truly an internal thing. For showing me that it is ok to be a bit crazy and emotional, because it simply shows how attached you are. For reminding me that dancing isn’t about being good but simply being happy to be moving with the music.
5. Thank you for teaching me what saudade is. A type of nostalgia that is characteristic to my feelings about Brazil and its beautiful people. Thank you for breaking my heart Brazil because it reminds me fo how much I love you and everyone I got to meet while I was there.

You and I were never going to work out long term, and I know I was not always the best love to you, but our run was a good one. My life will never be the same thanks to you. I will always have a craving for Guarana and coxinha, yellow and green will always remind me of your flag, carnival will forever be missed, but most importantly the love I felt will always leave a whole in my heart. You were a great time brazil.

Lots of Love,

Emilia xo