Hi, I’m Richard.
I’m the person behind The Long Gringo, a blog about the life I’ve built in Brazil, far from my hometown of Stourbridge in the West Midlands, England. Over almost 40 years here, while raising two daughters, I have had to be resilient as I learned to navigate a country very different from the one I came from.
That experience has shaped the way I see the world, teaching me to observe, adapt, and learn from the many diverse, challenging, and often fascinating situations life in Brazil has brought my way. Even so, I love my life here, and I love Brazil.
Through The Long Gringo, I share stories, observations, and reflections on Life in general, Brazilian life, culture, family, and the strange, funny, frustrating, and beautiful moments that come with being a foreigner who somehow made this place home.
Why “The Long Gringo”?
Gringo” is a word I heard constantly after I arrived in Brazil. Sometimes it was said teasingly, sometimes simply as a description, and sometimes less kindly. Whatever the tone, it always reminded me that I was the outsider, slowly learning how to find my footing in a new country.
The “long” part is literal. This is not a two-week holiday story. It is about the long haul, the years it really takes to feel less like a visitor and more like someone who has built a life somewhere new. And that is what this blog is about: the long, strange, funny, frustrating, and rewarding journey of becoming at home in a place that was never originally mine.
My move to Brazil began with a business idea: to create a link between Brazil, Europe, and America through the mega yacht industry. Looking back now, though, I can see that it was about more than business. With family problems weighing heavily on me at the time, Brazil became something I did not fully understand then. It became a refuge, a fresh start, and the beginning of a life I could never have imagined.
Why I Started This Blog
When I first arrived, I felt as if I was the only one trying to make sense of it all: the paperwork, the loneliness, the small daily confusions, the moments that made me want to give up and go home, and the moments that made me never want to leave.
It took me time to realise that almost everyone who builds a life somewhere new is carrying the same private struggle, quietly wondering if they are the only one finding it this hard.
That is what this blog is for. Not polished highlight reels, but the real, unglamorous, sometimes ridiculous and often beautiful reality of building a life in an unfamiliar place. If you are in the middle of that journey too, I hope you find something here that makes you think: okay, it is not just me.
What You’ll Find Here
- Real stories about life in Brazil and the places I travel to, including the good moments, the difficult ones, and everything in between.
- Practical guides for anyone trying to understand a new country, manage a long-term move, or build a life far from where they started.
- Honest reflections on identity, belonging, and what home begins to mean when you have lived, loved, struggled, and grown in more than one place.
A Little About Me
I’m originally from Stourbridge in the West Midlands, England, but Brazil has been my home for nearly 40 years. Before becoming The Long Gringo, I came here with a business idea tied to the mega yacht industry, only to find that Brazil would become much more than work: a refuge, a challenge, a family story, and the place that shaped the life I never expected to build.
Let’s Connect
Have a story of your own, a question, or simply want to say hello? Visit the Contact page at https://thelonggringo.com/contact/. I read every message myself and always do my best to reply.
Thanks for being here. Whatever brought you to this page, I’m glad you found it.
Richard George James Jackson