One of the questions I'm asked most often is,"Did you already speak Portuguese when you moved to Brazil?"
The answer always surprises people.
No.
Not at all.
When I arrived, I knew only one word, Good Morning.
I was raising children.
Starting over in a new country.
Learning how everything worked.
And trying to build a business at the same time.
Looking back, I sometimes wonder if knowing how difficult it would be might have made me hesitate.
Thankfully, I didn't know.
So I simply kept taking the next step.
Many people postpone big decisions because they believe they need to feel completely ready.
Learn the language first.
Understand every regulation.
Know exactly how everything works.
Have every answer.
But life rarely works that way.
Confidence usually doesn't arrive before action.
It grows because of action.
Every conversation became practice.
Every mistake became a lesson.
Every successful interaction made the next one a little easier.
One of the unexpected things I discovered is that hospitality begins long before perfect grammar.
A genuine smile.
Patience.
Curiosity.
Respect.
A willingness to learn.
These things communicate far more than vocabulary alone.
Of course, learning Portuguese mattered.
And I continue learning every day.
But long before I could express myself perfectly, I could make people feel welcome.
That mattered more than I expected.
Starting CasaJOMO meant meeting suppliers, working with local professionals, finding artists, connecting with neighbors, and building trust.
Were there misunderstandings?
Absolutely.
Were there frustrating days?
Many.
But every relationship strengthened my confidence.
People were often more patient than I expected because they could see I was genuinely trying.
That taught me something important.
Most people aren't expecting perfection.
They're looking for sincerity.
When Sarah Riley asked how I found the confidence to move to Brazil and build a business, I realized my answer wasn't really about confidence at all.
It was about necessity.
Sometimes life places you in situations where waiting until you feel ready simply isn't an option.
You learn.
You adapt.
You ask questions.
You keep moving.
Eventually, one day you realize you're no longer the person who first arrived.
Learning a language is about far more than vocabulary.
It's about humility.
Listening more than speaking.
Accepting mistakes.
Building relationships one conversation at a time.
And realizing that confidence isn't the reward at the end of the journey.
It's something that's quietly built along the way.
If you're dreaming of starting over abroad, don't underestimate what you can accomplish before you feel completely ready. Sometimes the first step teaches you everything the second step needs.