but you don't look Brazilian!

I always get that look when I say I am from Brazil, accompanied by "but you are so...white". I should be used to it by now. Here in Spain people probably think that I should look like Ronaldinho or Sonia Braga. And that I should be able to pull off wearing a really small bikini. Sorry, can't. Funny thing is that when I was doing my masters in England most people thought the same, although there was a big difference - there I wasn't considered "white" because... I was from Brazil! I had a priori "race". I never understood that - one thing is where I am from, another is the colour of my skin (not that any of that really matters to me, but it seems to matter to others). If here I am not Brazilian enough, in England I was "latina", "latin american", or "hispanic". How do those oppose to "white" or "Caucasian"? Why put culture, place of birth, ethnicity, etc. in the same bag? What is even funnier is that I was actually born in England, but grew up in Brazil. My mother is Israeli, her parents were Polish. My father was born in Brazil, but his parents are Italian. I guess *that* is what makes a Brazilian - the mix. Why does it matter how I look like if I am *telling* you that I am Brazilian?

I am feeling very Brazilian today, so I decided to make two playlists of Brazilian music, one in Spotify, one in Deezer (I found more songs in Spotify, but their service is not available in most countries). No bossa-nova, no carnival music. I started with some samba-rock, traditional samba, a touch of forró and bit of your typical MPB, but always with some groove.

Enjoy!

Discover the playlist Brazilian Groove with Trio Mocoto