Through one of my first jobs in London in the early ‘90’s I met and worked with people from all over the world.  Ghanans, Polish, Somalians, Brazilians, and of course always heaps of Aussies and Kiwi’s. It was here that I met Alexandre, a Brazilian guy who I subsequently travelled with and later lived for some time with his family in Brazil, while also fitting in a bit of travel through South America.

I was welcomed by his family in a way I had not experienced before – with real warmth and with genuine care and infinite affection.  I lived with his family for some nine or so months and in that time forged a really strong bond, they were truly like family to me.  Over the past 16 years though, apart from only  birthday or Christmas contact with Alexandre, they have been in my heart and thoughts only.

Alex’s sister, Andrea, moved to Naples on the south-west coast of Florida with her then young family some 15 years ago. Their parents, Eni and Edson, also moved there about 6 years ago, and live only 5-10 minutes’ drive from Andrea’s house. Now, only Alex and his younger sister Ana are still in Brazil, but both frequently visit the States on holidays.  One of my main reasons for including the States was the chance to see Andrea and meet her girls and my ‘Brazilian Mãe and Pai’ again and thanks to Facebook (yes I concede it is good for something!) made contact with Andrea and we made arrangements to meet after our cruise docked back in Miami.

Andrea has always been one of the most gregarious and happy people I have ever met, always laughing and joking and just a joy to be with, but also with a special kind of wisdom, generous to a fault and someone who many people look up to.  She was so excited to hear from me and invited us to come and stay.  She also kindly offered to drive the two hours from Naples to Miami to collect us after the cruise and to take us home to her place. Our impending departure for Central America was coming up in 12 days from Fort Lauderdale so we had some time up our sleeves to spend with them.  I was so excited to see her and for David and the girls to at last meet these most special people.

I knew that Andrea had kept our visit a secret from her parents, but unbeknown to me she had coaxed her Mum, Eni, along for the drive with the promise of a ‘girls’ day shopping in Miami. So when Andrea and Eni arrived at the cruise terminal to pick us up, there was initially a look of shock on Eni’s face followed by many tears of joy as we were reunited. They hadn’t changed a bit! I try desperately to remember some Portuguese so I can converse with Eni (who doesn’t speak much English) but words are not necessary! Eni is the most wonderful, kind, generous and fun woman and embraced my girls and David like they were long lost friends.

Andrea took us on an impromptu tour of Miami which included the South Beach and its wonderful original art deco buildings. South Beach is the place to be seen and we walked out across the carefully groomed sand past iconic lifeguard towers to the water’s edge. Next was a walk along Lincoln Road Mall where we stopped for lunch at one of the trendy cafes. Despite being a Sunday afternoon, the shopping street and cafes were buzzing and many of the locals had brought their four legged best friends. It seemed perfectly normal for the shops to have a bowl of water outside their front door for man’s best friend to take a break from the heat and all the shopping.

We then set off for  Naples across the heart of the Everglades along a highway known as ‘Gator Alley’. Either side of the highway has a ‘gator’ proof fence erected to stop the reptiles from sunning themselves on the warm tarmac and causing traffic accidents.

Eni calls her husband Edson on the way and tells him who is sitting in the car with her, and our first stop is their home in Naples where I give Edson a big hug. Moving from Brasil to the States has obviously agreed with them – Eni and Edson were fortunate to be the recipients of a ‘Green Card’ ballot and I can’t remember ever seeing Edson looking as happy and relaxed as he is now.

Next, it is home to Andreas where we meet her two beautiful daughters – Ana Carolina, 17 and Victoria, 14. I had last seen Ana when she had just started walking!

Andrea gave up her bedroom and ensuite bathroom for the four of us, and bunked in with Victoria. I have never seen Phoebe and Immi so instantly feel at home and comfortable in someone else’s home, they were joking and playing around with Andrea from day one.

We spend our time hanging at home, enjoying the beautiful neighbourhood. Naples is just almost too perfect to be true – everywhere is immaculate, gardens, parks, and beaches.  The girls ride bikes, skateboards and David learns to master Victoria’s ripstick!

One of my favourite show from when I was a kid was Gentle Ben, the story of a boy, his ranger Dad and their Gentle Bear ‘Ben’.  So when I discovered it was based here in the Florida Everglades I though doing an Airboat trip would be a fun outing – so around a 20 minute drive and we arrive at Corey Billies Airboat rides.

We learn a bit about the alligators and their habitat and enjoy an exhilarating ride with some 360’s thrown in, around the Everglades.  We quietly edged into where the driver knew a Mum and her babies were, with one adolescent male alligator intently following us.  The girls also got to hold some alligators back at the base.

We have an afternoon at the local waterpark and enjoy meals together at Eni and Edson’s and they drop by several times during the week.

Then a sunset trip to the Naples Pier followed by a walk through the attractive city streets, the girls are having so much fun bedtime gets later and later!

Andrea and her girls are up early every day and gone by around 7am every morning to work and school respectively, so we enjoy leisurely mornings and then try to get through a couple of hours of schoolwork before they return home in the afternoons.

My preconceived ideas about America are tested here too. We all comment how we could enjoy living here – especially the girls who don’t want to leave, but I think that is more about the company we are keeping! Me too, I would love if they were just a bit closer – preferably in Australia.

I tear up as Edson tells David, in his broken English, that I have always been very special in their hearts and they consider me part of their family and because of that, he and the girls are now part of the family too.

Muito saudade, Eu te adoro, sempre em meu coracao!!

“True friends are the ones who never leave your heart, even if they leave your life for awhile. Even after years apart, you pick up with them right where you left off, and even if they die they’re never dead in your heart.” Unknown.