Looking for a way out of the mundane and into something extraordinary?
Today, I’m going to tell you a story of how an average Joe took his boring life and transformed it into something amazing.
It all started years ago back in a mundane 9–8 job in the USA, where our man “Jeff” was working 60 hours a week serving the lifestyle he had learned was “the right way to live”.
The truth is that it wasn’t Jeff’s cup of tea and he was ready to move from an ordinary, stress-full lifestyle into a life full of love and acceptance.
You see, Jeff valued personal relationships over tasks and pure routine – what would await him in the little city of Maringá, Paraná would shock and surprise him forever…
Jeff’s Rise to Local Celebrity Status
After arriving in this little city of Maringa in the middle of the state of Paraná, he was awe-struken by how open and accepting people were towards him.
It seemed that people would go out of their way to make an effort to get to know him, greet him, exchange contact information and open doors for him wherever he went.
He couldn’t walk down the street without being greeted by random people, shop owners and friends from all corners. Going to the downtown city was not just for practical reasons, it was a blast!
He even became friends with the immigration agent in the city (Polícia Federal) who was happy to help him with his visa status.
It was as if he had a personal fanclub automatically falling into place – but why?
1. He picked a small city
Jeff had accidentaly picked a small city that wasn’t used to having a lot of foreigners around. And since he was one of the few in the city, it made it really exciting for local Brazilians to get to know him or help him out.
Think about 100,000 very warm and hospitable Brazilians competing of welcomeing someone new into the city, it’s was almost brutal at times
2. Foreigners are looked at as celebrities
Think about it for a moment, if you watched foreign movies, programs and documentaries daily coming from the USA (and sometimes Europe), wouldn’t it be exciting to meet someone who is just like the people on the TV?
Sounds a bit silly but it’s true, just because you look and talk like the people on the TV or websites, it makes them feel like they are directly connected to the big celebrities out there.
This obviously isn’t so much the case for cities that are used to having foreigners around like São Paulo or Rio though very much for small cities. I personally get called “Kevin Bacon”, “Harry Potter”, “Kevin Costner” constantly…
3. Jeff spoke Portuguese
Before leaving to Brazil, Jeff had been smart to .
This was at his great advantage because very few of the general population in Brazil speak English and this is especially the case in the smaller cities.
By speaking Portuguese, he was able to strike up conversations with people, build relationships and easily live day-to-day. This opened the floodgates of amazing conversation and allowed him to really enjoy the company of other Brazilians around rather than the awkward “I don’t know what to say” silence from both sides.
If you’re interested in my FREE Portuguese crash course, then sign up here:
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After Some Time This…
Fast forward many months and Jeff was already welcomed into tight circles, had a great source of income filming weddings and events and was loving his life.
Nothing could stand in the way of this awesome lifestyle and the forward momentum that had been built up.
It was as if this life had been meant for him and that he finally discovered his place in this world!
A Confession…
Ok, a confession here, Jeff is a shameless cover for myself…
Living the time I did in Maringá was really a wonderful experience. Sure, I bombed in the beginning due to the lack of wisdom I freely share with you today, though after some time this little magnificent city with very decent infrastructure, low crime and plenty of opportunities turned out to be an amazing fit.
Leaving my mundane life behind to encounter such an exciting and fulfilling lifestyle was the best choice I ever made… And I would like to encourage you today to consider looking past some of these bigger cities and to consider starting somewhere smaller.
The cost of living is low and quality of life is very high, you can easily get a job teaching English at many of the schools dying to get their hands on native or highly proficient English speakers and really enjoy your life.
And Finaly
If you want to hear another weird and crazy story about a foreigner’s start in Brazil plus a breakdown on how to live successfully in Brazil, then sign up for my free video series below – you won’t regret it.
Here’s to your success as a fellow future local-celebrity in Brazil
Valeu,
Kevin