Tchauzinho Cheio de Saudades

Fellow Armchair Sailors,

Yes, including me. I am now an armchair sailor after moving off the good ship Kehaulani September 1st to begin my next great adventure. I was accepted to the Escola Brasileira Administração e de Empresas at the Fundação Getulio Vargas in Rio de Janeiro. (That's Portuguese for the Brazilian School of Public and Business Administration at the Getulio Vargas Foundation.) The school is the number one business school in Brazil and the program is for a Masters in International Management. Entirely taught in English, the two-year program will allow me to stay in this beautiful country to continue my love affair with Brazil.

I must have been Brazilian in a previous life. Almost immediately after making landfall on May 18th I felt at home. The food, people, beaches, forests, mountains, music, arts, dancing, language, and the collective positive energy and optimism all convinced me I found my second home. I just had to figure out a way to legally stay.

A foreigner who wishes to legally stay in Brazil for longer than their tourist visa allows (an initial 90 days with an allowed extension of 90 days within any 12 month period) will find it to be tricky and complicated. It can be done; I could have a child or get married to a Brazilian, invest US$50k in a Brazilian business, retire after the age of 65 with an income of US$2k/month, get hired as a director or C-level officer at a company with operations in Brazil, manage a research or other scholarly project, or study.

After a few unexciting job interviews and a good but misplaced pitch to import wine to Brazil, I found the English masters program and immediately submitted my application and was accepted just a few days later. I also received a small scholarship and a part-time work/study job. This was very exciting for me, I get to stay in this beautiful country for two years, establish a positive presence and make connections in the country that will be the next world power, and after being out of the business game for 15 months, a masters degree sure would look good on my C/V.

All I needed to do next was to present my enrollment documentation provided by the school to the Policia Federal and they will change my tourist visa to a student visa. Easier said than done. The Federal Police turned me away and after escalating my problem to the Minister of Exterior Relations and the Department of Justice I discover this process can only be done in a consulate or embassy in my home country. It is illegal under federal Brazilian law to make this change from inside the country. The nice Federal Policeman even advised me that it would be easier to have a kid with a Brazilian to receive permanent residency than to change my tourist visa to a student visa while in the country. Thanks for the advice, but my tourist visa expires November 15th, I don't have 9 months to wait for a bastard kid to be born.

I was devastated. What else could I do? I thought of sending my passport to an agent in the US who could apply for my student visa for me, but it's illegal to be without my passport while in Brazil. And if it gets lost in the mail? Or what if I am denied my student visa but still in Brazil after my current tourist visa expires on the 15th? I could stay in the country illegally and just pay a fine when I leave (currently a maximum of R$720 or about US$330). But because I would be illegal I would put my Brazilian friends and the school in a difficult situation. Being illegal also doesn't help me achieve anything for the country; I want to be in Brazil to learn and help this country grow, not to exploit the very system that needs my help to be fixed.

The only moral and legal thing I can do is return home to properly apply for my student visa. Unfortunately I estimate the student visa application and acceptance process (with the possibility of denial) to take 20-30 days and a round-trip flight home of about $1700 means I would fail my first semester based on poor attendance and I'd be broke. Therefore I have been forced to withdraw from my classes and I arrive to Portland on a one-way ticket October 29th.

However, there is the possibility of return and things look positive for next year. The school has agreed to hold my acceptance and scholarship for re-enrollment in January or September 2009 and I get to continue my work-study project while I am in Oregon. The project is to enroll the school with the US Department of Education so US students attending the school can receive federal US student loan funds. When I am successful with the project I will have registered the first school in Brazil to participate in US federal student funding programs and I myself will have access to student loan funds. A pretty good deal. With proper funding and my student visa I will return to Rio and focus my attention entirely to my studies (Ok, ok, ok, also beaches, food, music, and sun!).

John and Patricia whole-heartedly supported my decision to stay in Rio to study. I am very grateful for the love and experience they showed me since joining them in Geraldton, Australia on June 27th, 2007. The two of them are successfully continuing the trip and are currently in Fernando de Noronha, an archipelago off the northeast coast of Brazil. John designed the boat to be sailed by one person and Patricia is quickly learning John's superior sailing skills. They'll be fine together and I am sure they are enjoying their first extended period of being alone on the boat since early 2006!

Besides my project with the school and spending some much needed and missed quality time with my family and friends, I am not exactly sure what I will be doing in Portland. Skiing would be nice, Taco Bell sounds good, also getting a temporary or part-time job would be necessary. I'll figure it out when I get there.

Thanks to all of you who have supported me during these past 17 months. I am very fortunate to have family and friends like you who supported a wild and crazy idea to quit my life and move to a small sailboat. I don't regret the decision at all. It has been a wonderful experience, thank you for sharing it with me.

Much love,
Matthew Propeck