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We met online about 4 years go. He was from Brazil, I was from California. We hadn't met in person till our three year anniversary. Even then, the first time we met he met me and then my whole family almost immediately. He had come to California for a month, and the plan was for me to go back to Brazil with him for a month. I remember driving to the airport with my mom thinking of when the flight would get in, if we were going to be on time or early. I had wanted to go early so I could meet him at the baggage claim since the airport was so huge and I didn't want him getting lost. I was at the baggage carousel trying to read the sign if it was the right one, listening to BTS' Pradise from their new Love Yourself: Tear album that had come out a few days prior. I had thought I was early so I was calm taking my time and I see something out of the corner of my eye and turn and it's him! I remember feeling so happy at seeing him. We hugged as soon as the distance was closed and I remember hugging him so tight, I never wanted to let go. And every time, still I never want to let go. He told me later that he had seen me reading the carousel sign and was going to try to sneak up and scare me. We both wanted to kiss but felt awkward because we had never done it before, so finally we just went for it. We just needed to get over the awkwardness. The same went for holding hands, hugging, and the other physical parts of the relationship we had missed out on for 3 years. We went to museums, aquariums, parks, stores, and many other places. I wanted to show him my home, where I grew up. We had family over cause everyone wanted to meet him. Soon it was time for us to go to Brazil. We got to the airport only to find out that the version of the visa I printed to go to Brazil was the wrong one. So we had to power walk/run with all our luggage and carry on items through 3 terminals of the airport to get to a printer. It costed $6 for me to print one piece of paper but we were desperate. Then we ran back to the international section panting, exhausted, and worried we were going to miss our flight. I was so nervous to meet his family. I didn't speak any Portuguese so I'd be completely lost. I only knew the basics like hi, and how are you. I was glad we got to sit together on the plane ride, it made the time pass faster and we had never travelled together like this before. On the plane he had tried to teach me one simple sentence in Portuguese, "pleasure to meet you" and I struggled even with learning that. His dad picked us up at the airport and I sat in the back with our luggage while he sat in the front with his dad. I didn't understand a single word. Going up to the third floor where the apartment was located I remember him going first his mom and sister had already seen us coming up through the window so they were
waiting. I stayed a flight behind while they visited, I was nervous to meet them. He encouraged me to come up and that's when I met them. It was so cute his mom had a balloon in his room saying welcome. I was so nervous and scared his parents wouldn't like me but they were really nice and thankfully we got along as well as you can when you don't understand what the other person is saying. My first Brazil meal (aside from the airport at our layover in Brasilia) was his mom's strogonoff. It was very easily my favorite meal there, but it had to be his mom's. We went to Inhotim, parks, museums, the zoo, visited his mom and dad's side of the family, and even saw his elementary school. It was a great first time together, felt like the world's longest date in a good way. We didn't want it to end. When we had to part ways we both cried a lot. Even before that when we even thought about how things were gonna go back to before. We still had this uncertainty of when we would see each other, and it felt like we were never going to see each other again. But a year later I went to Brazil in the summer of 2019 and we were once again reunited in person with many more fun memories.
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