I never thought that the sun would make so big difference in my life.
In Brazil the sun is there all the time. I didn’t like it so much. Especially during summer when the temperature gets up to 42 degrees in the shade, the air is extremly humid and I’m sweat all the time.
We have aircondition everywhere, just like europeans have heating everywhere. The problem? You get sick all the time. From hot to cold and hot again, great to get a cold! And there’s nothing as terrible as having a cold during summer.
Saci Pererê: Brazilian folklore
You wear a sweater while everyone else is almost naked. You avoid buses with aircondition, not only not to spread the illness, but also not to get worse. And then, the bus is crowded with wet and sticky people, all running to get somewhere, annoyed with the driver – who drives as if he were going to save his father that is about to be hanged. It’s impossible not to touch anyone, it doesn’t matter how hard you try. Estonians wouldn’t take it. There’s no such thing as “the private 1 meter space around me”. The public and the private get mixed, what is yours is also theirs. You share the air, your skin and the sweat. And don’t even try to move your foot! You might not find a spot to rest it at after and then spend the rest of the 3 hours trip standing like a “saci”.
Dunas Beach, Fortaleza - Brazil
It’s really unpleasant, except if you have nothing to do but go to the beach! Then it’s paradise on earth. Hot shining sun, fresh white sand, cold sea water, cold coconut water or Matte… that’s delicious! By the end of the day you already have a beautiful suntan – which makes you go to the beach for the next two days also, otherwise you will start loosing the brown skin, like a fish, in the next day. Yes, there’s no such thing as artificial suntan in Brazil. You are naturally tanned, whether you like it or not. Actually, you don’t really need to go to the beach to get a suntan… you can spend some hours talking to a friend at your front door and it’s enough.
Yeah, there it is summer all year.
Here… I wake up asking myself how hot it is outside. Today it was 22 degrees. A record for me. That was my first time with 22 in Estonia. I still remember de 21 negative quite well…
The shy spring sun
If it’s hot I can go to my veranda in my pyjamas and sit there, enjoying the little heat. It’s delicious. But not always. If it’s windy, I prefer the heat inside of the apartment. If it’s sunny and no wind, then it’s perfect. And my skin gets brown quickly also, since it’s used to the sun. I don’t like myself yellow like the american “black”.
Here the sun makes a hell of a difference for my daily activities. I can find a few good excuses to go out, walk slowly in the sun, take deep fresh breaths. The laundry dries fast, it makes me smile, reactivate my melanine… so many benefits…
Unfortunately it doesn’t last long. But, I’ll enjoy it as much as I can.
Daily life in Estonia 