I’m Still Processing This…
Some moments in a writer’s life feel almost surreal — like something you once dreamed about quietly, never daring to say out loud.
Today is one of those moments.
My book, Maternity Abroad: Becoming a Mother in a Foreign Land, was recently mentioned by not one, but two Brazilian writers. And as someone who comes from Brazil, that alone meant more than I can express.
But then something even more unexpected happened.
During a live broadcast for the Dutch magazine Coragem Magazine, journalist and Head of publication, Maria Evana Kens, referred to me and my work as:
“[…] uma pessoa super inteligente … [o livro] é um best-seller em muitos países.”
(“A very smart person … [the book] is bestseller in many countries.”)
Hearing those words in Portuguese — my language — was different.
It felt personal.
It felt full circle.
To write about motherhood abroad, about building a life far from where you were born… and then to have that work recognized in your home country — is something I will never take for granted.
As writers, we spend so much time alone with our thoughts, our doubts, our half-formed sentences. We wonder if our words will ever truly connect.
And then, one day, they travel.
Across oceans.
Across borders.
And somehow… back home.
To the Brazilian literary community: thank you.
To the readers who carried this story into new spaces: thank you.
To Maria, for your generosity and recognition: thank you.
This moment humbles me deeply.
Stories travel farther than we ever can. And sometimes, they find their way home.
🎥 You can watch the live mention on my IG.
With a full heart,
Jessica Gabrielzyk
