Two weeks ago we received in the mail the questionnaire for the census. It's better than last time, when race and ethnic ancestry were somewhat a blurry territory. Now the census bureaucracy recognizes that you can be of Latino origin but of any race:  White, Asian, American-Indian, Black, or mi… Read full post »

Working as a teacher in foreign language schools in Brazil, I never had to punch the clock as most workers do. I should just be there in time, end the class on time, do what I was required to do, and go back home. 

I was already dreading the feeling of… Read full post »

In this first period in Goiania, I did two things: I swam in self pity and I worked for free in a election campaign for mayor and city counsel member. Since I was living with my sister Manuela, and her husband was a city counselor running for reelection, I felt it… Read full post »

Starting a new life in Goiania, a city of 1,200,000 people in the center of Brazil shouldn't have been difficult. I had a teaching diploma from a prestigious university in Brazil, and a license from the Federal Education Department which allowed me to teach anywhere in the country. 

I had family… Read full post »

I could have stayed in Sao Jose do Rio Preto. Many people go through weird phases in their lives, when after leaving school  they don't find jobs right away and need to go back to their parents' house to catch their breath before jumping out of the nest for a second… Read full post »

This past Monday was my birthday and as a gift from the State of Texas I no longer can have a driver's license. Mine expired after seven years and with my visa. And thanks to the Muslim terrorists that highjacked the twin towers in New York, now only citizens and permanent… Read full post »

I think I was unfair to my sister-in-law Valquiria in reporting only her demanding qualities and making her seem to be a bitch. She also has nice qualities, as many other bitches do,  I suppose .

 Once when I was a teenager, maybe 12 or 14, one of my nephew… Read full post »

When we got to Sao Jose do Rio Preto, my brother Dante was already waiting to take us to Goiania. He would need to come back the following day to work, so he didn't have much time to wait for us. We would sleep that night at his house and then… Read full post »

When Rio de Janeiro won the bid to be the host city for the 2016 Summer Olympics, it made me remember the last time I was there. I had lived at the dorm at the University of Sao Paulo for three years by then. Giovany and I were planing to go together to… Read full post »

Manuela and I couldn't find a place open to buy any panties on the following day, since it was a holiday. We had to take the bus to Sao Jose do Rio Preto 600  kilometers (375 miles) northwest from the capital. The transportation system was working, but pretty much everything else was c… Read full post »

Of all the things I was leaving behind to move to Goiania -- the unfinished Masters degree, the job teaching French, my own apartment, the club scene -- breaking up with Pedro was the most painful. 

He was the first decent boyfriend I had had, the first real relationship with someone… Read full post »

My father had been a state policeman for many years in Sao Paulo, and my mother worked at the Catholic Seminary long enough to save money to buy a nice house -- for Brazilian standards --  with her savings. But my father never liked his work, and decided by himself to… Read full post »

When I met Paloma I was teaching French at a language school near the University. She was a student that brought her strong Spanish accent to every language she learned: English, Portuguese and French.  She had lived in the USA for some years, and had learned English and saved enough money… Read full post »

We took a bus from the University Campus to Consolacao subway station on Paulista avenue. There was no clothing store near the subway station, unless we were to walk a few blocks to a mall near Augusta Street. We still had to make a few subway connections to get to our… Read full post »

I know what you're thinking: why is his sister going with him all over town? Why is she so concerned?

 Between Manuela and me there is a gap of nine years.  We were raised in a family of five children. We were poor and both my parents worked. My… Read full post »

Sao Paulo skyline 

Parting with Sao Paulo was a good choice for someone that was alone and unstable, but I recognize that despite its hard life aspects, the city had the best the country could offer in cultural life, education and gay life. I certainly could not expect to find… Read full post »

I came to the US in September 2002 -- seven years now. 

To understand what happened I need to tell you what happened before the trip. In 2000, I was living in Sao Paulo, Brazil and doing a Masters degree in French Literature  in the most prestigious university in the country,… Read full post »