I’m a well-rounded person with many interests. I love to learn, create things and explore possibilities. I’ve a habit of taking random courses out of curiosity – it makes me more creative and helps me meet interesting people I wouldn’t otherwise meet, rethink old concepts, and discover new hobbies.
I moved to Canada from Brazil in 2015, lured by nature and cool weather. Yes, I know that sounds weird given the Canadian weather, but seriously, have you ever been to Rio in the summer? The heat is brutal!
After seven years in Vancouver, we moved to Montreal in January and I’m super excited for our new adventure! I love snow, good food and affordable housing, so Québec is the place for me.
Random Facts About Myself
I’m the mother of two mischievous boys and a Boston Terrier. Motherhood has turned out surprisingly better than I expected — even though I now have to share everything I eat and answer an average of 63 “Why?” per minute. - According to the Myers-Briggs personality test, I’m an ENTP. The description fits me, even though I love (and need) my introverted moments from time to time.
- I’m Brazilian, but I can’t dance and won’t watch soccer for the life of me. However, I love the beach, the warmth of the people, and the amusing way Brazilians stay positive and make fun of everything, no matter how bad the situation is – I like to think that’s also my best character trait.
- I learned to write when I was six and have been journaling ever since: I have more than 25 notebooks in which I’ve written down my life and thoughts in detail! I love reading what I wrote long ago and realizing that most things that annoyed me then no long matter today. It helps me put things in perspective, and when I’m anxious, I always ask myself, “Will this matter when I read about it six months from now?” — it’s amazing that 90% of the time it won’t.
- I started the travel blog Viajadora in 2013 with my childhood best friend, and it evolved into a lifestyle blog where I wrote about parenthood and life as an immigrant in Canada. Viajadora is currently in hibernation, but you can still check it out —it’s in Portuguese, but Google translator helps if you’re curious.
- My biggest dream is to run an ecovillage/permaculture hub/writing retreat/animal rescue centre in a lush paradise, preferably Costa Rica or the Hawaiian island of Kauai. I’d drink coconut water all day and enjoy helping people learn new skills and protect the environment.
I’m the mother of two mischievous boys and a Boston Terrier. Motherhood has turned out surprisingly better than I expected — even though I now have to share everything I eat and answer an average of 63 “Why?” per minute. My repertoire
Each of us is a mix of songs, books, movies, travels, things we believe in, people we’ve met, and experiences we’ve had. That’s why I’m always looking to learn more, meet new people and experience new things. I love how something as simple as a conversation with a stranger or reading an article on a random website can set off a chain of events that completely changes our lives – like that Saturday years ago on the beach in Ipanema when I was so in awe reading Richard Louv’s “The Nature Principle” that I decided to change the course of my life and move to Canada.
Music
Music is a big part of me: I have soundtracks for every moment and associate songs with feelings, places, people and situations. I love going to concerts. The best concert I ever attended was Rage Against the Machine playing at the SWU Festival – I’ll never forget the energy of 100,000 people jumping together to the sound of “Testify!”. My favourite bands are Metallica, the Beatles and AC /DC, and the song is “Simple Man” by Lynyrd Skynyrd, which I sing to my sons in hopes that they’ll take it as life advice.
Books
I’m always reading something, and many books have made me what I am today. Here are some of them:
Traveling & Exploring
I love spontaneous travels and have visited many stunning places around the world. Some of my favourite places are the Garden Route, Hanoi, Hong Kong, Cuzco, La Paz, Bangkok, Ubud, Buenos Aires, Jalapão, Tofo, Ilha Grande, Bocas del Toro, Puerto Viejo de Talamanca, Chapada Diamantina, and Vermont – this list could go on, and there are still so many other places to visit!
Interests
I have lots of interests and like to chat about almost everything, but if you want to get me excitedly talking for hours, these are some of the topics in which I’m very interested:
- Nature, ecology and sustainability
- Personal anecdotes and stories
- Haunted places and ghost stories
- Storytelling and journaling
- Dreams, goals and the meaning of life
- Human rights
- Parenting (But not our kids’ sleep schedule and boring stuff like that – I’m interested in how to raise good humans!)
- Why dogs are the best, and absolutely everything about your dog (even better if you have pictures!)
- Entrepreneurship and business ideas
- Mental health and everything related
Well, I know this may come as a surprise at this point (haha!), but I like to talk a lot and this list could go on forever. Please get in touch at thais@thaisfreitas.com if you’d like to chat more, or read my blog for my musings and stories.
