Today, a nomad was born

The expectations and experiences of Liandra Cordeiro, 32, on her first day as a nomad

Today is a special edition. We are witnessing a birth. This Tuesday was, quite literally, the first day of nomadism for Liandra Cordeiro, 32 years old, from Paraná, Brazil. Let's hear from the newest nomad in this world without further ado.

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I'm writing this text from my future ex-home in Maringá, Paraná. In the room next door, there's an open suitcase filled with clothes for my first destination. I will be there when you receive this email (it took 60 hours, and I faced a series of unexpected events, but I made it).

I was supposed to start my nomadic journey in January of this year. However, life had other plans. I tore a ligament in my knee a month before heading to Bahia, forcing me to stay in my city, undergo surgery and three months of physiotherapy.

I injured my knee in a silly way during a surfing lesson. I must confess, I was highly frustrated. I had been planning my nomadic lifestyle for nearly two years, and the desire came after a period of mourning when I lost João, a great love, to Covid-19.

So, more than simply wanting to live this experience, I want to leave Maringá and wander around for a while. The frustration of postponing my plans for another six months hit me hard, but it lasted only three or four days. It was an unexpected setback, but that's okay. The plans may have been delayed, but they will still happen.

From planning to expectance

The expectation for this new beginning is overwhelming, I won't deny it. It took me many months to prepare and get started. After mourning, my emotional state was fragile, as were my professional and financial situations.

I realized I couldn't start without certain things: I needed emotional strength to handle unexpected situations, organize my work, and have an emergency fund.

Everything was set for me to begin. I should have also included the requirement of having all of my knee ligaments intact.

Why be a nomad

When I aspired to become a nomad, I contemplated the reasons behind choosing this lifestyle. As a bank clerk's daughter, it seems more logical for me, at 32 years old, to want to settle down.

But that's the point... I have always enjoyed a life of change. What I wanted was to have the ability to choose when and where. So, my nomadic lifestyle isn't just about exploring different places. It's about the freedom to go to a city simply because I want to. It's about immersing myself in that place, embracing what it offers, and answering the call when another place beckons. It's about having no set arrival or departure dates. And if a city captivates me, I want to have the flexibility to stay there for as long as it makes sense.

It may sound somewhat mystical, but, for me, nomadism is about accepting the fluidity of life. While I can and should plan certain things, I also need to embrace the unexpected because it often leads to fascinating experiences (or, at the very least, a good story to tell, as the writer Ariano Suassuna once said).

A lot of things went wrong before I could achieve this goal. And now, I understand that nomadism, or rather, "living outside the norm", is about accepting the unexpected and dealing with it well. The unexpected is the price of freedom. And freedom is the reward of nomadism.

Where I am now

Well, because I stayed in Maringá longer than planned, I met an incredible person who invited me to spend some time in Germany. Let me ask you: how can I say no?

And that's all I know for now: I am in Germany. I don't know how long I'll be here, and I don't know which countries I'll visit next. I don't know if I want to return to Brazil or if I might decide to go to Asia. I have few plans, a lot of freedom, and an insatiable thirst for life. The rest, I trust, will be taken care of by life itself.