This is the epilogue to a trip report from April 2002.
During my trip in May 2001 I had met a couple of GFE garotas who were very keen on coming to the US to visit and see if things could go further from there. While the idea seemed a good one I didn't give it any further thoughts until I came back from my trip in April 2002. I had met some great girls on the 2002 trip but the two GFEs I'd had in May 2001 remained unequalled. I had kept contact with them via email and although I didn't see them in April ( I guess it was the fresh meat and trophy syndrome) I started thinking a lot about them when I came back.
I wrote to Adriana ( nom de guerre " Vanessa") asking her if she would come visit me for a week. I didn't feel like I could handle someone day in day out for longer. I've never been married and the 6 years I'd lived with my ex- girlfriend seemed a long time ago. Adriana now lives in Angra dos Reis and only does the summer season in Rio. Her ambition is to own a bar.
I run my own business so getting her a US business visa wasn't too much of a hassle. To my knowledge she got a single entry visa instead of the 10 year multiple entry one. I paid $785 for her airfare on AA as I had to pay what they charge from Brazil to US and that is all she had asked for.
When I collected her from JFK I felt a bit awkward but she very quickly put me at ease, as brasileiras do, hugging me and kissing me and rubbing herself against me. There were definitely some very envious men in that airport lobby looking at us.
We got back to my house and although she was tired she initiated sex and it was absolutely great.
The week that followed was one of the best in my life. I gave her $50-$100 everyday to spend as she pleased but I never saw her buy anything of high value. We went to the Hamptons for a couple of days but she wanted to visit Manhattan most of all. I could tell she was impressed but not by the city but by the affluence and the shops and the people and all those things that we Americans have taken for granted for a long time. We went to restaurants, bars, nightclubs, museums ..etc. One of the things that remains in my mind when we were driving down to the Hamptons the 3rd day I asked her what she felt like and she replied " I feel free". I'm not sure what she meant exactly but I can only guess from her later remarks that it was the ability to do anything, to be able to climb up that social and economical ladder, free from her own Brazilian norms of society, free from the class and colour code system of her native land.
By the end of that week I was very much falling in love with her although she speaks little English and my Portuguese is not so good. We watched World Cup soccer and she danced the samba every time Brazil scored a goal and to please me did it again when the US scored goals. With her I did and felt things with extra enthusiasm. No American woman has ever done for me what that girl did for me in that short week.
We never talked about love or what happens next and when it came it was a harsh comedown to earth.
Although she loved being with me it was just a holiday like I would take in Rio. And she made it clear that my newfound love for her might be just a holiday romance. It would be much harder if we committed ourselves to each other. And NYC was nothing compared to Rio in terms of fun and she preferred Rio. But there's hope.
Of all the men she had gone out with she preferred me but in her eyes I was still someone she'd met during her whoring who offered a trip to the US. And although she did have some feelings for me and for this could to turn into a loving commitment I would have to woo her and gain her in the proper sense. That would mean either me going to Rio for a while or her staying with me longer.
I chose NYC and she has left. We both cried at the airport. I called her tonight and she said she missed me and wanted to see me again here or there. I 'm thinking this could be my chance and I'm willing to pay her fare again for a longer period or whatever this turns out to be. I'll keep you guys posted.

Rakshas
Thanks for sharing story. IMHO doing the short romantic holiday is the way to go. As yes going to USA on vacation is way different from moving here for good. I would do the same thing if I met the right garota. Garotas are the best.

Rakshas:

What a story. Sounds like a great relationship.

I think you are addressing the fundamental issue here well. Holiday romance or honeymoon time is very different from living with someone long-term. Especially being married to someone.

Having been married once to a foreign national myself, it is also difficult to anticipate the impact coming from different cultures will have on your life. Basic instincts for how to have situations will be opposing at times.

But, many cross cultural relationships and marriages work out.

Good luck to you.

Ixtoc

rakshas,

great story. nice change of perspective. i often wondered what some of the garotas would do if they could see the affluent side of the us, that we take for granted. like you said the freedom to climb out of the economic oppression that they live with daily.i visited a girl that dances at mc, at her large studio apt, that she shares with 2 other girls....thats right, 3 girls in a studio.

but to establish something deeper with them, i believe you have to be in brasil for it to happen. as much as those girls talk about going to the states, they love their country, and few would rather be anywhere else. i for one, can not blame them.

good luck with it.

Raskas:

How true, how true. I have a similar story, though from a slightly different perspective. I met a truly amazing brazilian woman in TJ last summer (brief but truly memorable!), and corresponded with her off and on for the past year. As money is tight in Sao Paulo, and she was preparing for another stint in TJ, I flew her over to San Diego for a long weekend prior to her adventures in TJ. We had a truly romantic time for a couple of seriously long weekends, living it up on the town in San Diego. However, when the holiday was over, it was all business, and family and money (in that order) come first. She always talked about going back home, and it is true that Brazilians have a very genuine love for their country, with no intentions of hanging out in the US. She was on a mission, and an urgent one at that. I would do it again in a heartbeat, but next time leave my heart in the closet for the weekend!!

Now that is heart warming experience.

Rakshas-- Nice, nice story!! Was wondering what kind of visa you got and how easy it was to get. Was she allowed to work for you or work somewhere else ? Thanks for any information you can supply.