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I'm so, so, so grateful to Margit for introducing me to Rummikub, teaching me how to play it, and playing it with me so many times (it was one of the best moments of my day)!

While playing with her, I could feel how it's so rewarding and easy to learn and develop systemic vision through certain games. Now, back in Brazil and still playing Rummikub, I'm reflecting on how I can make the most of gamification + tech + culture in order to give low-income Latin American girls access to innovative tech literacy! 🥹

To break the as much as we could the jet lag effects + get to know everything we could in some hours because Arman had to left in the same day I've arrived to Sri Lanka, I met Rohini!!! 🥹✨️

She became my second mother and best friend here.

In our first day together, she introduced me to the Pongal Festival, which is named and celebrated differently across India. She made sweet Pongal-which is like sweet rice, with milk and sugar-and I could go with her deliver to her friends and family. In the way, we got invited for a festival happening in the end of Jan and I met Yogesh, who is involved with arts and social justice and will be gathering soon with me!!

So far I've been loving to get tuktuks with her and learn more about Bengaluru and its people through her eyes 🥹🇮🇳

My first circus of 2025 and in a while! 🥹

During my early days in Germany, in Groß-Gerau, I went to a circus with two friends, and it was so rewarding to see lots of people laughing and having fun with the performances.

A fun fact about this day was that all the content was in German, so I just caught some words here and there; still, the experience was as joyful as it would have been if it had been in Portuguese or English.

I felt impressed seeing the abilities of each member of that circus and was so excited to see a camel and a llama for the first time in person!!! Sometimes you do not need to fully understand things to be able to embark on them and cultivate unforgettable memories!

3. To be disconnected where at 10pm you can still see the sunlight:

This time "off" I had in Norway was an opportunity to be "on" with life and with what's happening, to be present in what really matters. Waking up early every day and going to sleep with light made me reflect on which kind of light I do want to cultivate before going to sleep: the light of the sunset because I'm going to sleep early, OR the light of my cellphone in my face?

It was definitely a time for me to reflect on old and unhealthy habits.

4. Exploring a mine:

The mine wasn't that long, but every spot gave me a sense of discovery and of doing something new. Its water was so crystalline and calm. I was with 2 friends who were also volunteering at the host family and they brought a touch of excitement to the opportunity too.

I believe that for me, what could best describe it is: "I'm in a totally different world and everything, including nothing, can appear to me at each new direction I take here."

After this experience in the mine, I want to keep looking for ways to explore more unconventional parts of our world in order to re-signify my ideas and memories of magical places.

5. Digging to find Norway's emeralds (you can find them only in Eidsvoll):

Right after leaving the mine, I went with my friends to a nearby beach in front of the mine, where people come to dig and find Norway's emeralds and other kinds of rare stones. I was excited about the idea of trying it but not really hopeful I would find anything. So, I focused on enjoying the time with my friends.

Suddenly, I saw a little drop of turquoise blue in my hand full of sand and other stones. It was so interesting to reflect that the right things, experiences, and people will come to your life at the right moments, just like this emerald, which is so rare to find. 🥹

6. Coming back home knowing I can take more retreats and that I can always rely on nature to reconnect with myself:

Before the Flight School and my retreat, I had really never thought about the possibility of taking a retreat nor that I would ever need it. Crazy, right? But yes, that was me.

After experiencing all the benefits and growth that a retreat can give me, I'm going to take at least one per year, but hopefully two! A final learning from this experience is that when I give time to heal myself and to fill up my glass, what goes beyond the edge is one of the most beautiful and true gifts I can give to others around me.

P.S. There are some pics of my retreat experience in the link space :)

A so special video of final share I did with Rohini and wanted to also share with you.

I'm crying!!!! 🥹🥺❤️🌟

What I felt and what I discovered about myself and the world after some beautiful first times in Eidsvoll:

1. Riding horses: Randi-Haret introduced me to her friend's horses and I got really connected with a female horse (unfortunately they didn't have names, but I called her "Blue" in my heart, because blue is my favorite color and the sky blue brings me so much stillness, just like the Carolina blue gives me so much desire to live. She was like the combination of those two tones of blue to me 💙🩵).

In my first moment sitting on Blue it felt very much like, "I'm not fitting this vibe." But after learning how to move in accordance with Blue's flow, it was so GOOD! I FELT ALIVE LIKE NEVER BEFORE!!!!!

The second time riding with Blue, I had to do it alone because Randi-Haret was on her own horse this time. I was afraid of not being able to "control" the directions that Blue should follow or what could happen if, for any reason, she got scared and started jumping and/or running. But I trusted in her sweetness and kindness and in my abilities to guide her into the forest.

After some memorable rides with Blue I learned that riding horses — something that never looked like a possibility to me — is something that I love and that I'm so excited to keep doing at UNC on the Equestrian Team. I just want so much to challenge myself and learn how to guide a horse while it is running and jumping. I also want so much to have such creatures as my friends and to make a bond with them.

I also learned with them that, in life, we must adapt our posture, attitude, and mindset for different moments in the ride of life, just like we adapt when the horse goes up and down.

2. Going on a ferry: OMG, the window seat of a ferry became part of my top 3 best windows to look through!!!!!!!!

#1 - plane

#2 - the window of my house

#3 - ferry

It was so beautiful and calming and exciting to look at the water so close. That first day on the ferry I had a Brazilian song in my mind called "Nada Sei", by Kid Abelha. And this song has a part that I love and says:

"Nada sei desse mar

Nado sem saber

De seus peixes, suas perdas

De seu não respirar

Nesse mar, os segundos

Insistem em naufragar

Esse mar me seduz

Mas é só pra me afogar"

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Translating in the best way I can now:

"I know nothing of this sea

I swim without knowing

Its fish, its losses

Its lack of breath

In this sea, the seconds

Insist on sinking

This sea seduces me

But only to drown me"

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This song that I've loved for so long got a new significance to me: that it’s actually so interesting to not know everything and to keep learning and making mistakes while life permits you to.

Also, from now on I'll challenge myself to learn how to swim. For a long time I felt like I just could not do it, but with an open mind and soul now, I just cannot wait to go to UNC Aquatics and learn with them!!!

P.S. Song "Nada Sei" is in the link space! :)

P.S. It continues

Coming to Venice, the whole vibe changed! ♒🪼🌉 I loved to walk over its alleys full of new possibilities for each door and tourist along the way. The music, colors, and food made me fall in love. Through its bridges connecting the whole city and the people, I could find a new meaning for what bridging meant for me before. Instead of only connecting one point to another, it means more now: interconnecting body and mind with such an I'm-not-able-to-describe energy that comes along my body.

#babyeutavanaruadaágua

#bridgesalloverthere

This week, Rohini invited me to go with her to the Bangalore Festival of Love. This day was so meaningful to me because I had the chance to reflect on what love means to me now.

After appreciating so many talented people sharing their vision of love through dances, poems, and music, I came back home inspired to have a conversation with myself about love. Some of the questions I reflected on that night in the cottage were:

What did you consider love in the past?

What does love look like to you now?

When do you feel loved?

What do you believe is the best way you can make others feel loved?

I realized that in the past, I used to consider love—or the feeling that I loved someone (fraternally, romantically...)—only when I couldn't find anything in them that needed improvement. Crazily enough, that means I hadn’t truly loved anyone.

After experiencing India—its chaotic traffic, noise, and the challenges of belonging—I learned that I don’t love perfect and unchangeable things or people. I learned that I love what gives me more reasons to stay excited about living: discovering, making mistakes, learning, reflecting, resignifying, and so on.

India's traffic was one of the main points that led me to such a transformative change in how I see love. As a girl from the countryside of Paraíba, raised on a farm, ever since I landed in Bangalore, it felt like a big mess in my head — noise, tuk-tuks all around, traffic that seemed so dangerous to take part in.

On one of my early days in Bangalore, I had to cross a street to reach the supermarket on the other side. Lots of cars were coming and going in different directions, and I stood there reflecting for about 30 minutes, wondering whether I should try it or not. After seeing some other people crossing and not getting hit in that chaotic flow of vehicles, I gathered a bit of courage. Still, every time I tried to step off the sidewalk, a new car would appear.

But you know what? I had already come such a long way from my cottage and really needed to get food — I couldn’t just give up right in front of the supermarket! So I signaled with my open hand that I was about to cross… and I did it, without getting hurt.

Honestly, it was one of the most FULL OF FREEDOM moments I had in 2025. I was able to join that fast and dynamic flow of cars, tuk-tuks, and motorcycles — not by resisting or trying to change it, but by adapting to it. And as a gift, I left that flow transformed by the possibility of reinventing myself to fulfill my needs in different circumstances.

That’s why I love India: because it showed me that love can be imperfect, and that’s what makes it so special.

My 14-day tech retreat was transformative. Before starting my retreat, I was feeling very stuck with life; I was scrolling most of the time and wasn't living much. After finding this opportunity to disconnect in Eidsvoll (Norway), I decided to design my own retreat, since there I would have essentials like food, transportation, and a place to stay, not needing to use my cellphone or connect to the internet. 📲

I bought my plane tickets and embarked on this journey. Coming there, I must say I got afraid and hopeless about not adapting myself there. The house was very messy; it did not feel like the family followed a routine of work, the food was cold and not tasty in the first days (and food IS SO, SO, SO IMPORTANT to me), and I hated Randi-Haret (the host family girl) in the first days because of her communication (it felt like she was very random and she wasn't very interested in anything I was saying) and lack of attention to me. Together with all of that, I couldn't just get my cellphone and start scrolling to forget it. I had to find my ways to process it and overcome all those voices in my head telling me to get a new plane ticket for the next day. I really didn't know the big plot twist it would become. 🙃

- Through the first week, I started getting used to their messy house and car and could find beauty in their chaos (like in India);

- After going riding horses (for the first time!!!!), going cycling, exploring a mine (FOR THE FIRST TIME), going to a concert, meeting Randi-Haret's grandchildren (they are the cutest in this world), I just understood why they don't follow a routine: because life is so much better when you have a different and crazy thing to care about and to live every new 24 hours;

- And Randi-Haret became one of the best people I have ever met. After a while, I could understand her better and how to talk to her.

One day I lost my bus to go to Oslo and take the ferry (for the first time too) with a friend. I got really sad because it was the only bus in the morning and I would not only mess up the plans for the day, but also would lose the money for the tickets (a 24-hour ticket for all the zones). I was also very disappointed because although I woke up very early in the morning and got ready about 30 minutes before the bus arrived, I missed it because I was waiting for a friend who was supposed to meet me in front of the house, but she didn't.

Unexpectedly, Randi-Haret saw that I hadn't caught the bus and said she would bring me, because if it were her, she would love if someone brought her to the train station. It MEANT A LOT TO ME for 2 reasons:

1. She did for me exactly what I was in need of at that moment, and when I wasn't expecting it from her (because she maybe would be about to leave the house to do other stuff).

2. To see how I grew up regarding how I react to unplanned situations. In the past, every time something went wrong, I was the kind of kid who would start screaming, crying, getting very mad at everyone and everything, and considering that day as "LOST" or "NOT VALID". But that morning, although fair enough I got disappointed with myself and with my friend's delay + lack of communication for not catching the bus on time, I didn't react like the world was about to end in that second. It means a lot of development to me.

This was one of my last meetings with Surabhi and Priyanka (the founders of Tvarita Arts Collective, which I worked with during my time in Bengaluru) before leaving Bengaluru. We talked about the website I was building for Tvarita, got a coffee, and walked through some streets while discussing the next day's event (Yakshagana Sampoorna: From Ritual to Performance).

For me, it was so inspiring to be alongside women founders who are working with passion and commitment for what they believe in. Throughout my journey, it’s only been in the past few years that I’ve started having mentors, guides, and coaches to support me in my endeavors.

Since working with Surabhi and Priyanka, I’ve decided that I also want to have such references close to me — in both tech and initiative-building. I want to nurture more and more of these relationships in my "garden of inspirations," while also recognizing the true potential within myself to sit at the same table as leaders who are making transformative impacts around the world — and to speak up for my community.