Sampa it is

so i made up my mind: i'm staying. sp really ain't such a bad city, even if it is filthy and has no beaches...it'll be like LA all over again minus the snoboarding and natural parks (yes, LA has beaches, but they suck so i never went).

when it comes down to it, i'm sure i'll have fun wherever i live, sp or rio or dc for that matter, because i want to and i ahve that outlook on life right now. i originally came down here thinking i wanted to live alone and be in a situation where i was uncomfortable and unsure; i was concerned that living in a small apartment behind my uncle's hosue in a city where i already have a vast network of family might be too....comfortable and easy. i was afraid sticking aroudn would be a cop out of sorts.

but when it comes down to it, living in brazil is not just an opportunity to find myself and try someting new (which is stil the case in sp), but also an incredible opportunity to get to know and spend time with family who i normally see once every few years, if that!

my family back home isn't that close, so it actualy feels wierd making family a priority like this, but you know what? i'm at peace with my decision. also, i feel that having gon ethrough this dilemma i may enjoy sp all the more, having turned down the opportunity to live in rj. in making that decision, i recognized staying as worthwhile and the city as a good place to live. it wasn't jsut a decision, it was a declaration of confidence in my future here.

also, met a cool girl on fri who i went out to dinner with on sat night. we didn't hook up or anything, but she turned out to be a really cool chick and we jsut spent hours talking, and then i made my decision to stay on sunday morning. so yeah, maybe she had something to do with it, or at least helped instill the "são paulo ain't all that bad..." attitude in me