Anniversary Post: The Crummy Life Turns One

I think it all started out of angst. Have you ever done that? Started something because the tension you are feeling compels you to spring forward with action. To just do something.

The confusion about where to begin. The confusion about what it is all for. Then, finally, deciding it's just because that's what you want or need to do.

This is how The Crummy Life started.

Thailand and Brazil: Side-by-Side Reflections on Adapting Abroad

I've now adapted in a short list of countries, and the two that have given me the greatest amount of time to go through the process and develop deeper observations are Thailand and Brazil, respectively. It's time to reflect on some of the differences, as I try to rummage through my thoughts to see what I might share with Tom.

"Hey," he said to me as I turned to exit the room, "don't fuck it up."

So goes the general and less than eloquent advice of one of my greatest influences. They were applicable to just about anything, but always reserved for those moments when he knew that a person needed an extra prod to strive for greatness, and the comment would land perfectly so you knew what it was about.

Challenge Update 2 - Atualização de Desafio 2

Nós estamos aqui de novo. Uma outra semana já passou, e mais prática completou. 

Oops, here I am on The Crummy Life. Time to switch back to English. 

This last week was a fun time trying to apply my Portuguese skills to my life behind me. I say behind me because, to practice speaking in the past and making the necessary conjugations in my head, I spent much of the week talking about days and years passed.

I want to give a big THANK YOU to Murillo, the teacher that made the biggest impression on me during the October Challenge. Thanks for all of your help, especially with pretérito imperfeito, which was incredibly confusing before you broke it down and forced me to use it.

That's all for now, so watch the video and have a laugh!