My name is Carlos and I am from Chicago, Illinois. The last 8 years of my life have been filled with numerous challenges which were both positive and negative. This has brought me to this decision to leave The United States and live in Brazil.chicago skyline

I joke with people that I feel like I am a 34 year old man trapped in a 26 years old body. Even though life has no timeline on when certain events should take place, for me it seems like so much has happened in such a little amount of time. If I would have followed the way my parents envisioned my life to be then I would have gotten a degree right after high school, found a 9-5 job and worked my way up the corporate ladder to make a nice career for myself. Most likely be married some time in my late 20’s and have children soon after that.

In reality, after high school I joined The United States Marine Corps from 2005 to 2009. To be honest that was my first adventure of a lifetime. There were fears of the unknown that made me apprehensive of taking that step forward and being part of an organization that not many others would dare to accomplish. By 2009, I had already been deployed twice to Iraq, met my wife, and had the opportunity to meet people who I call my brothers and sisters for life. Rather than extending my contract for a deployment to Afghanistan I decided pursue a Bachelor’s degree in History.

During this time it brought me to my next challenge of being a full-time student and married life. When I got married at the age of 21 I immediately began to feel the pressure of being a full time student, paying the bills and being a husband. There were many bumps in the road throughout the years that I look back at my past and question whether I got married to young? Was this too much pressure on myself? Was I ready for all of this? My marriage eventually came to an end last year.I decided pursue a Bachelor’s degree in History.

I fell upon dark times in which I felt like a complete failure. You invest a lot of time and effort into something that in the end did not work out. I learned a lot about myself in getting back on my feet and pushing through those

This moment has led me to a second chance to experience an adventure of a lifetime. To make new friends, learn about a new culture and try to conquer that fear of the unknown once again. I hope to write about my experiences that I encounter while living in Sao Paulo. Some of the various topic