September 15th, 2024 was my final day at work. September 16th, I spent an evening at one of the cabins at my former workplace. September 17th was the last day I got to drive, when I said goodbye to friends, former coworkers, and family in Washington, and when I finalized packing up things I was going to bring and things I was going to leave behind. September 18th was when I boarded what would be my first-ever flight at Sea-Tac, flew to Chicago, then spent 10 hours in a 787 Dreamliner flying to São Paulo. September 19th, I had a 14-hour layover in São Paulo... and it was a year ago Saturday that I arrived in my now-husband's city where he and his brother greeted me, finally united after 8 years of long-distance dating. Coincidentally, there was a storm on Saturday just like there was the night I landed at the Canoas Air Force base (the main airport was undergoing repairs from historical flooding earlier in the year). That was probably the scariest part of flying, honestly. Turbulence was to be expected, and didn't scare me, but the storm rocking the plane side-to-side and making the pilot have to loop around the airbase twice before attempting to land had me thinking we were going to crash. I'll never forget the other passengers giving the pilot a round of applause when he finally did manage to safely land. 😂
It's incredible how quickly a year has gone by for me. We've been working on immigration stuff since April, and I'm hoping to finally have my background check documents back from the FBI. This process should have been finished a lot sooner, but given all that has been happening within the government in the US since the start of the year, it's been slow and I've had to have my deadlines extended multiple times. I'm glad that the Federal Police here have been, for the most part, understanding of the situation. I've been slowly learning more Portuguese since arriving, and while I'm not able to output a whole lot yet, I can understand quite a bit of what people say. I won't be able to look for work until after I get my immigration situation sorted out, and I'd like to open for commissions at some point again in the meantime. Just need to update my ToS and make a price sheet.
I love the people and culture here in my husband's part of Rio Grande do Sul; people tend to be friendly, sweet, and outgoing, and they make you feel included even if you're a foreigner. Earlier in the week, we went to the Semana Farroupilha fair and had a lovely time. Back in July, we went to a circus that had me on the edge of my seat the entire time (it was the first circus I'd been to in 20 years, and was far more memorable than the one I saw as a child). But other than that, we don't really go out too often, and probably won't until after my immigration stuff is sorted out in case anything else comes up with the process that we need to pay for.
I still find myself plagued with homesickness from time to time. Some days are easier to manage than others. I miss the PNW as much as I miss family and friends... but I feel like I miss the location more. I miss my hikes and adventures in the woods, and my drives in the mountains. City life hasn't exactly been easy to get used to, even though the part of the city we live in is considered the more rural part. If my husband's able to get the public servant job he's been studying so hard for during the last 2 months, then perhaps we'll be able to visit my home sometime within the next 2 years... which would be great. As much as I wish I could go back, I don't want to go back without him by my side. I couldn't go back to my old way of living, anyway. The circumstances within my family and former household that made me want to leave so badly haven't exactly gotten better in the year that I've been away, and there don't really appear to be signs that they'll be improving any time soon. There came a point in early 2024 that the stress I was under was beginning to affect my blood pressure and heart... and I don't even have issues with that, typically. Peace and tranquility haven't been a thing since after my dad died in 2023 and one sibling of mine in particular moved back in with Mom. I prefer the life I have now, even if it's taking extra time to get used to... even if I'm far away from forest and mountains, and even if I'm far away from the things and people that previously made me comfortable and happy. Drama still exists here from time to time, but nowhere near the level that it did a year ago where I previously lived.
I sacrificed a lot of things to be where I'm at now. Transitioning from my old life to my new one hasn't been easy emotionally, but I'm sure with time it will get easier to accept. Having my husband by my side physically now does help quite a bit.
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redamphetagreen, to whatever I make and/or render with Blender. Seems a little more reasonable to me to keep the two things separated, since there are times where I work more with 3D than with 2D, and vice versa. Go give it a follow if you're interested.
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