Lance Griffiths

Luso-Brazilian Experience

My travels in Brazil have been less about collecting destinations and more about learning how many different Brazils can exist inside one country. I’ve spent time in five states—Ceará, Rio Grande do Norte, São Paulo, Minas Gerais, and Rio de Janeiro—and each one has taught me to pay closer attention. I still remember the bouldering, vine-covered mountains rising above Rio, the wide green pastures of Minas, and the way São Paulo can feel relentless—bustling and loud, then, suddenly quiet as the city cathes its breath. In Ceará, the sand seems to stretch forever; in Rio Grande do Norte, the air tastes of salt and sunlight. Along the way, I’ve listened to stories of the Northeast—of outlaws turned legends, of hardship shaped into folklore—and I’ve learned more from people than from any guidebook or study abroad group could ever teach. I’ve watched families and students claw their way out of poverty with patience and grit, and I’ve also seen how rules meant to “organize” life can, in practice, suffocate the small entrepreneur trying to build something honest. And yes, I’ve learned one more universal truth: São Paulo motorists are warriors. Above all, traveling through these places has made me humbler. The more I see, the more I realize how much there is to learn—and how much of Brazil’s richness lives in the details you only notice when you’re willing to slow down and stay curious.