The number one reason I needed to return to Rio was to see my Brazilian mother. Eleven years ago, Laila, welcomed me into her home with open arms. Back then I was just 20 years old about to embark on a life changing journey. At the time, I only traveled back and forth between the US and the Dominican Republic so Brasil was a total culture shock for me. I was away from everyone who mattered most and surrounded by uncertainty, but Laila felt like home. She taught me Portuguese, cooked me the best Feijoada and shared with me her favorite Brazilian tunes. Every evening for 5 months, we sat in her kitchen to eat dinner together and swap life stories realizing that we shared a lot more in common than we imaged. What a blessing it is for me to have a mother in a place that shaped me into the man that I am today. Laila has left a fingerprint in my soul that will forever stay in the center of my being. Obrigado Laila! Sempre levarei nossas conversas perto do meu coração 🇧🇷🫶✨