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About Me — Javier Benitez
Fail early, wander away, and write
“I think I’m going to learn Chinese.”
“What are you talking about? You can’t learn Chinese. That’s impossible.”
That’s what I told my friend in college. I was the skeptic. We had this rivalry — always trying to one-up each other, and I wasn’t about to be outdone. The next semester, I signed up for Intro to Chinese Culture and Language.
Fast forward to 2014: I’m back in Tampa after two years in China. I’d traveled all over China, lived in two cities, and could surprisingly speak Chinese quite well. (Story on Chinese)
“So, where are you going in Brazil?”
“São Paulo. I can’t go to Rio — everyone goes to Rio. That’s too obvious.”
That’s what I told a friend in 2017. I planned to go to Brazil and land a job in the first month.
That didn’t turn out, but I wasn’t going to turn around with my tail tucked between my legs after a month, so I started posting flyers offering English lessons and somehow survived a year in Vila Madalena, São Paulo’s art district.
