TALK ME DOWN - or, don't.

[vulgarweed]

So, with some money I pinched from my 401k (sshh! Had to be done! Don't want to hear it!) I just signed up for some classes starting in May and June. One is for another round of my beloved Appalachian fiddling - I hope to be able to, by summer, reward myself with what I've always wanted, which is to translate that style to the viola. The other? Beginning Portuguese. I have some stumbling greeting ability, but nowhere near enough to actually make my way in a country, and there's something pretty big I'm considering.

Mom tells me that as the child of a Brazilian national, under current laws, I may be able to reclaim the dual citizenship I had as a child just by living there for six months or more. The job outlook here is not promising, and the cost of living there is relatively low. Mom has already promised she and my dad will take in Madimi for a while if need be.

This is something I'm seriously considering doing in a year or two. In the meantime, at least, yeah, language.

Comments

[telperion1.livejournal.com]

Dual citizenship is always cool, and in this economy... yeah, I understand the impulse. It may be comforting to know that you have that as a realistic option even if you never use it. Good luck with the classes.

[vulgarweed.livejournal.com]

For all the months I spent reading the Racefail posts - being someone with white privilege where I live, I thought the best thing for me to do was read and think and learn - what really emerged out of this, emotionally speaking, was how much I miss the part of my bicultural heritage I know the least. I remember reading Obama's autobiography Dreams From My Father when he was running for the Senate back in '04, and being really moved by the passages that talked about his first visit to Kenya as a young man - when he found himself able to speak only in gestures with people he'd never met who were his siblings and cousins, I was like, 'O yeah, been there, I know just what that's like.' I really do. And I feel it's wrong and I want to make it right.

[tyellas.livejournal.com]

Sounds fabulous!

[octavia-b.livejournal.com]

Dual citizenship is an absolute boon - and it's never not awesome to have another language anyway. Go you!

[bethbethbeth.livejournal.com]

Hmmm...actually, that sounds kind of cool. Give it a shot!

[celandineb.livejournal.com]

Oh my, goodness, hope it works out!

[catbirdgirl.livejournal.com]

I think it's a great way to knock off cobwebs! Hubby spent time in Germany and part of learning the language better was watching German kids TV and reading cartoons...

[apricot-tree.livejournal.com]

Duel citizenship is pretty cool. Have you thought about following the news there? You could set up a Yahoo and see what goes on from day to day.

[forodwaith.livejournal.com]

Dual citizenship, go for it! And the language classes are a great idea too.

The spouse can qualify for either Irish or British citizenship (his mother was from Belfast) and I keep prodding him to apply for it.

[amberdiceless.livejournal.com]

Wow. Job prospects aside, that'd be an adventure! :D

[debbyl65.livejournal.com]

Do it! (Well, obviously you are.) It can only expand your options, if you need a practical reason, but on the karma/psyche/I hesitate to say soul-level, only good things can flow from this.

[ithilwen.livejournal.com]

There's no real drawback to having dual citizenship, so why not go for it? (Assuming you can gain enough mastery of the language to feel comfortable there, that is.) It's not like you have to permanently choose between the two countries, after all.

[lacewood-lune.livejournal.com]

Whoa! That's cool!!!

Honestly, I'd say go for it. The *only* thing I regret about being "settled down" (that seems really weird to say in regards to myself even so) is not having traveled more first - but it just kinda worked out that way. Would Greg go with you? If I had the opportunity or a more flexible setup such that I could up and go live in another country for a few years I think I'd leap at the chance. At least I think so. Scary too...but there's so much I want to see and do, and that's really hard to do for extended periods of time with a house and a mortgage.

So it sounds like an awesome adventure, to my ears. And I'm *all* for that. :-)