Here I am, almost exactly 4 months after moving to Rio de Janeiro. It’s a difficult city to live in. Not because of crime, traffic, or the high cost of living, but because of the clear difference in the people born here.

I’ve never had anything against Cariocas, and I still don’t. But one of the most challenging things about this new phase of my life has been not being alone. Unlike everywhere I went in Belo Horizonte, where I made friends quickly and always had company to do my things, making friends in Rio has been challenging.

I don’t know if it has something to do with other changes in my life, like not being in college, and maybe the people I end up meeting are not open to new friendships because they are already comfortable with a lifetime of friendships. It’s funny because everyone who came from outside the environment I was in, I saw a huge effort from everyone to welcome these people.

I don’t know if it’s the fact that I have a very blunt way of doing things, and here there’s no one used to it to defend me and say that even though I have these flaws, I’m worth listening to.

Another thing that bothers me about these changes is that besides not making new friends, the old ones tend to weaken. I don’t know what my friends are doing anymore, where they are going, or anything like that (except for the best of the best friends).

When we have friends we see all the time, we think that a friend is the person who, no matter where you are, will start a chat on Facebook to see how you are or to tell you the latest news in their life, but in the end, I don’t think so. I think friends are those who do that, yes, but who are happy with your achievements and make an effort to see you when they can, but it doesn’t have to be always. After all, we have many friends, and only seven days a week.

I just moved into my new apartment, and the last breath of contact I had with humanity when I left work, which was the hostel folks, who we laughed and played pool with almost every day, is gone. But it has been good to take this initial moment to reflect.

By the way, the fact that I only have contact with people at work is something that has left me a little confused about each one’s roles in my life. Sometimes I confuse friendship with workplace camaraderie, and I say things I shouldn’t. But I’m trying to improve this, in my own way and in my own time.

My friend has been helping me get through these changes, but she knows me and knows how much I need to communicate with people, to tell everything that happens in my life, because I’m always excited about what’s happening. And everything is happening so fast. I’m in a mix of feelings, happy about the achievements but sad for not being able to share as I wanted.

When I came to Rio, I didn’t think much about how it would be to make new friends. Actually, it had never crossed my mind the importance of them in my life. Today I realize how much the people from Belo Horizonte are missed.

But I’m pursuing a dream of working in one of the most incredible places I’ve ever known, and I’m sure that with time everything will adjust. It may not be right after writing this text, or it may not be this year. But I came to make a difference and I will only leave here when I turn this Rio de Janeiro upside down.