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Welcome to the “Interview with Immigrants” Podcast! Join me, Andrea Szew, an experienced immigration lawyer with one of the Top YouTube Channels on US immigration, as I delve into the captivating and inspiring stories of immigrants. This show aims to cut through the political noise and reveal the real heart, humor, and humanity behind every immigration journey. Discover stories that will surprise and potentially change your perspective on immigration.
Subscribe to the show on YouTube and Follow wherever you get your podcasts! It is on all platforms.
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I'm Andrea Szew, top U.S. immigration attorney and creator of one of YouTube’s most-watched US immigration channels, inviting you into powerful, emotional, and often hilarious conversations with people who’ve made the journey to the USA.
Forget the politics - this podcast is all about the people. Each episode uncovers raw, uplifting, and unexpected stories that go beyond visas and green cards to reveal the heart, grit, and humor behind every immigrant experience.
Whether you're curious about immigration, love personal stories, or need a dose of inspiration, this show will surprise you and might even shift the way you see the world.
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My obsession in America right away was candy. Again, I wasn't allowed to eat candy and stuff like that growing up as much. So I remember bubble tape and all these weird candies that are like different shapes, like little cheeseburger gummies. And my mom was probably
0:14
like, oh my god,
0:16
or some of the silliest and craziest questions you think you remember getting asked. I've gotten like, do wear shoes they had never seen a Brazilian before. Like this one kid goes, I expected you to swing from vine to vine. I was like, what? Well, I expected people to have more teeth here. So I guess we're all confused.
0:35
Why Virginia? It was the place where my dad found this business opportunity. He was one of the pioneers of holography. He made holograms. It was 1995 and Virginia had the biggest snowstorm it had known. And I had never seen snow. I had this Hornet's jacket. And then we didn't have snowshoes, so we were putting like shower caps on our feet. When you think about your life here in the United States, what are you thankful for? Oh, my God, so much. Just opportunity. It is really a land of opportunity immigration, it's one of the hottest topics in the US today. For some, it's controversial. For me, it's captivating, because beyond the headlines and heated debates, immigration is about real people with real dreams and incredible stories, and that's exactly what we're here to explore the positive side of immigration. I'm Andrea Shev, an immigration lawyer with over 20 years of experience, and with all the noise out there, I want to cut through the politics and show you the real side of immigration, the heart, the humor and the humanity behind every journey. So get ready, because we're diving into stories that will surprise, inspire, and maybe change the way you see immigration.
1:42
And
1:47
from carnival to comedy, my guest today truly knows how to bring the fun. She immigrated to the states from Brazil when she was just a preteen, and brought with her a wealth of knowledge she acquired from MTV talk about an early education. You may know her from her YouTube and podcast show rivals, or from her hilarious comedy shows, but today we're peeling back the layers and learning all about the journey as an immigrant. Please welcome Jade catapreta. People
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always want to call me Jada. It's a thing because it rhymes with my last day. Well, I definitely want to talk about your name in Portuguese, because that's a way sexy. Do you know it?
2:30
How do you do it? Jaji. Jaji, yeah. Well, so it's spelled the same way. It's just pronounced completely different, pronounced way better. I want to talk about later why you actually change? Well, I can't understand why, but, yeah, I talk about
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it. Oh, I won't even try. I just like the beginning
2:50
anyway. Thank you for having me. No, thank you for being here. And I'm we're gonna have a lot of fun today. Yeah, look at this. We're like, on top of the world. I know we really are, LA, yeah, in LA, on top of the world. So I want to start at the very beginning. You're a little girl, 1011, years old, and you're sitting in Brazil. What was life like? And what did you think it was gonna be like when your parents probably told you we're moving to the States? Wow, I was gonna go all the way back. Like, here I am in my mother's belly.
3:20
She was an actress too, which is cool. So I'm like, I got my start very early on in Brazil. I was very settled. I had my social group of friends, I had family. I really liked my rhythm. But I think that, like most of Brazil, I romanticized America in a way that was, you know, everyone was like, oh, when we make to America, it'll be this incredible thing.
3:43
I only really knew America from TV, so it was like from movies, you know, Fresh Prince of Bel Air, like I make fun of that, though, like I imagined, every house to look, you know, white picket fence, green front yard. And it was a shocking
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discovery when I arrived. It was nothing like I thought it would be. All right. So that's what we thought about before we arrived. Then we land in the US, and what happens? What is your first impressions of, like, what I saw at the airport, but like, right, once you got here and but before you started school? And like, the first impressions were you like, oh my god, this is not what I thought it was gonna be. No, you know, it was, I think, visually, like, stunning and just like, more sparse than I thought it would be, because Virginia was, like, very rural at the time. And it was actually, it was 1995 and Virginia had the biggest snowstorm it had known. Oh, wow, so far, and I had never seen snow. Oh, wow. So I just think I was in shock. We didn't have snow clothes, so the whole neighborhood was like, donating. I remember everything I had really vividly, like, I had this Hornets jacket because it's like a sports team, and I didn't know, and, and then we didn't have snowshoes, so we were putting, like, snow caps, you know, like shower caps on our feet. Oh, my God. And we're just putting everything together to be in the snow. And, yeah.
5:00
Was, like, kind of miserable because I didn't, we weren't really prepared for the snow, so I think it was definitely shock straight on, straight away. Like our first, very first interaction was actually because of the snow. Like we had this very sweet Catholic next door neighbor named Sarah. I don't remember her last name, but she came over and very sweetly offered us hot cocoa. But my sister and I had, kind of like, come from the streets of Brazil. You know what I mean? Like we were telling what I mean? Like we were tough. I mean, I wasn't, but my sister did all the fighting, and she thought she was offering us poop, because Coco, in Portuguese, means poop, so she, like, pushed her and I remember just, I literally remember her eyes as she fell backwards, like into the snow, like, why we had to go over there and apologize and see that was our very first interaction. So you thought you were getting hot poop. Yeah, we thought she was like, like, teasing us. And then when you taste it, you're like, Oh no, we never had it. We never had it, but you didn't have it, not that time. But then later on, I remember, I remember, like, just the smallest, first things, like, we had never had sugar. At home, we weren't allowed to have any sugar. My mom was very healthy, all natural. And I remember the first time I had a pop tart, and I was like, give me the other one, you know, because there's two in the sleeve. And my dad's, like, no one's enough. One's enough. I'm like, Give her to me. And then I had two bites of the second one. Just started projectile vomiting because, like, my body wasn't sure, like, you know, process sugar. That's definitely sugar overload. Yeah, definitely. But I still love pop tarts, so it's a good memory. It didn't stop me. No, the sugar she and did she give up the sugar restrictions when she got here? Yeah? Now she's like, everything is sugar, yeah. Now it's so funny. Now she's like, super into like, everything. Like, she loves Chick fil A. It's like, Chick fil A and I'm like, Mom, Chick they hate gay people. She's like, but it's delicious. Like, she just doesn't care. It's just changed completely. It's funny how our parents kind of adapt, of course, you know, in a very different way than the kids, 100% Yeah, you know, she was like, you know, almost 40 at the time. So now, being 40, understanding what my mom was going through is, is, you know, hard. Was very hard. Yeah. I mean, I think every stage has its own difficulties, like little kids coming at a certain stage, especially your age, because it was preteen, right? And the struggles with that. And then adults that come in, it's like, you know, it's a new language, it's a new culture, it's no friends, it's, you know, completely alien. They don't understand me just because an accent doesn't mean that you're not intelligent. My mom has, you know, master degrees, and then, you know, she has an accent, so people think she's dumb. And that's, I think that was something hard to deal with, because her sort of, like, who she was to me, sort of shifted, right? She was this, like, busy businesswoman with friends in Brazil, and then she became sort of this, like, stay at home mom, very isolated. And so I think that was kind of hard to watch, yeah, yeah, sure, especially as a kid and growing up with her and watching her change so much, yeah, from where she came from? Yeah. Why Virginia, my dad. I know it's very random. I'm mad at my parents. We could have moved to Miami, Virginia. It was the place where my dad found this business opportunity. He was one of the pioneers of holography. He made holograms. Oh, wow, not the projections, not the not Tupac. He would be mad at me, he said that. But he made holograms, and it was kind of an art form at the time in the like 90s to the early 2000s it was like for brands and for commercial use. But everything was shot by hand on these laser tables. And there was only a few of these laser tables that existed in the entire world, and one of them just happened to be in Charlottesville, Virginia, and he got this opportunity to start a business there. And I'm sure in Virginia, there wasn't a ton of Brazilians sitting there. Was zero. Was there a ton of immigrants? Zero. There was like, maybe one other Asian dude. I don't remember where he was from, but he also didn't speak any a much easier path would have been probably Florida, even, like Washington, DC. You know what I mean? I think at one point we were like, maybe gonna move to Michigan. And I was like, come on, this is a parallel move, like, please. But, yeah, it was difficult, because I was just reaching for any kind of connection, right? And instead of, like, keeping this uniqueness about me, I assimilated, like, I whitewashed immediately, just to like, fit in, you know? I was like, you My name is Jade, but you can call me Ashley, if you want. You know, the most American name, yeah, or Jessica, Jessica, if that's what you like. I mean, I want to get into with you, like that first day of school going, because I think for a child of your age, coming to the states, that's like such a moment. But before we get there, I kind of want to talk about some of your first you talked about the snow. The snow was a first. What else is a first? I remember Halloween. We had a very first Halloween because we don't have Halloween because we don't have Halloween. We have carnival where everyone's just, like, naked, you know, much better than Halloween. Like, wait, people are way overdressed over here. What are they doing? I remember I was, like, half good witch, half bad witch. I was really costume because I love dressing up. Like, you know, theater was like, very early on. I love that. So that was very cool. But we kind of as kids for Carnival. You do dress up, so we do have a similar sort of tradition. But yeah, first Halloween was exciting, because my obsession in America right away was candy, because we didn't again, I wasn't allowed to eat candy and stuff like that, growing up as much. So to see all this weird kind of like i.
10:00
I remember bubble tape. Remember that was like, and all these weird candies that are like different shapes, like little cheeseburger gummies. And I was, yeah, my sister and I were like, your mom was probably like,
10:12
Oh, my God, it
10:15
was crazy. And what about Christmas? Because Virginia cold. I mean, it's a different environment during Christmas, I didn't even really think about that, but I know that holidays I was really excited about to assimilate. You know, we'd be like, Mom, it's Thanksgiving, like, you have to make turkey. And she's like, is this turkey? Like, she didn't know how to do the things, but that's all we wanted. We kind of kept our own traditions for Christmas. You know, we open presents at midnight, we do dinner the day before and presents at midnight, and we definitely started to add, like, our American things, you know, the way we made the treat, yeah, yeah, yeah, slowly, all the songs and what we would do at school, you know. So at school was like a big guide as to how we assimilated and made our new transitions. What were some of the silliest and craziest questions you think you remember asking and asked the very beginning when you moved into your neighborhood, right? And then the neighbors come around. I can only imagine what some of the things your parents got asked or you got asked. I have some that I still joke about, like the first day of school. I don't know if I'm jumping ahead with this, but I remember it vividly, because when we moved, my sister and I were like, we're going to use this to our advantage. We were like, We want leather backpacks, because, remember, they were really cool, the tiny little leather backpacks. I remember there was a period, yeah.
11:27
But we were like, I remember getting to go to this, like, fancy leather store to pick out our little backpacks. And I walked into school, all I had in the backpack was, like a huge thing of crayons and a little notebook. And I remember what I was wearing. I was wearing my little backpack, and I walked in, and the teacher introduced me, and people just started slowly walking towards me, like Walking Dead style. And this girl came over to me and smelled me
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like I still remember it super vividly. And what did you do? I just kind of was like standing there,
11:59
and then, you know, for weeks, I would just sort of sit in class and observe, and people would, oh, the question, the number one question is like, so Do you speak Spanish? That's the number one thing. People didn't know Portuguese was a language. And then I've gotten like, do you wear shoes? I thought you'd be swinging from vine to vine. You know, you and Tarzan, Yeah, buddy, buddy. I think it's just lack of education. That's what it is, lack of exposure. And a lot of people that were like, really mean to me as children I now know as adults, and they've been, like, very apologetic as they've sort of learned, you know, and educated themselves being around immigrants so much with the job that I do, I think it's fascinating when kids come to the States, especially an environment that there's not a lot of immigrants. They they integrate with other kids. Yeah, the kids then learn from that kid. They do, like, where's Brazil? About your culture, about your home. They come to your house, and it translates into their whole entire life, yeah? Because they'll always remember, yeah, one that one immigrant, they'll be 45 years old. Sometimes I remember there was a girl in my class named Jade, and she was from Brazil. And it's fascinating, because it just shows that pod that, like, look at that positive influence, yeah, and the impact that you had Yeah, by all those kids that you didn't even realize at the time. So that's one of the things that I wanted to ask you about, the stark differences, like the things that are like, really, like, in your face between Brazil and the US when you came here. I mean, yeah, you know, as you, like, kind of integrated a little bit into society, what was the things? The kissing, I'm sure is a big thing. I'm married to an Argentinian, and I've, I mean, I'm very touchy feely as an American. More touchy feely than the average American, yeah, but I mean, so to me, it was no big deal. But when he sometimes approaches people, they're like, Yeah. Still to this day, I can feel the natural, you know, instinct is to is to embrace, you know, and present. And now I go, and now I'm that person that's like, I'm a hugger, like, I just want to feel people and hug them. That's why I hate dating apps. I'm like, I can't smell you. That was a huge stark difference. Also, like children are not as socialized at an early age, right? I think that's why there's a huge problem with like, drinking and driving in these small towns, because they're so isolated and they're so like, you can't have this, you can't have that, that when they turn 18, or when they're close to that drinking age, they go nuts. In Brazil, it's like, it's allowed, you can always drink. So it's not this big of a deal for us, you know? And I think what's bigger for us is like, we want to socialize and get to know each other, and there's more sexuality and nudity isn't as taboo, all right, I gotta ask the questions about school. Oh, this is the, the biggest traumatic thing that happened for me in school, was I was very academic, very like wanting to, you know, I already knew what I wanted to do. I wanted to be on Broadway. Since I was like a baby, when I got to school, I had just finished fourth grade, and I was about to start fifth grade in Brazil, because of the year the way the year is. But when I got here, I was halfway through fourth grade or halfway through fifth grade, and I was like, halfway through fifth grade. Obviously, I'm smart. They're like, No, you don't speak English, so I had to, sort of like, go back half a year.
15:00
And I think that sort of stayed with me in a way where I always feel like I have to work a little bit harder. And I hated being, like, older than everybody. I mean, later in life, I, like, would sell cigarettes to kids out of my car, which worked out, but yeah, I always felt that sort of like feeling of like being a little bit behind. So that was our first thing. And then I would be in ESL, yeah, I think, like one period out of the whole day. So the rest of the day, I would just kind of sit in class and try to absorb as much as I could. How was ESL? ESL was just this Russian woman who barely spoke. Russian woman, yeah, she was, like, rude. And my sister and I would just talk shit about her the whole time. It was just me, her, and this, like, Asian kid, basically, like, three of you, yeah, three of us. But most of the time I would be doing this computer thing where it would be like a picture of a thing, and I would put the word, you know, the picture in the Word. So I'm very visual learner and audio learner because of it, I think, early on. And then I would just watch TV. I would just ingest TV and music. And I think when I really started to learn was in dance class, because that's when I finally started to make, like, real friends, and then I picked up English very quickly, because I was just immersed, immersed. I mean, I tell people I'm like, there's no other way to learn. You have to be in it. You have to survive, right? You have to learn in the you have to make a lot of mistakes. And when people say, like, You're so brave, you do stand up. I'm like, I'm actually just repeating my trauma on a nightly basis. I'm just working through it. Do you know what I mean? Because you fall on your face so much? Face so much, and you kind of learn to, like, pick yourself back up. And I think that rhythm is, like, very similar to stand up, where you don't know where you're at. Always you say something, and it might have not gone well, but you have to recover really quickly, right? And so I think language has kind of become a tool for me in that way, because of my immigrant experience. And so, you know, I think a lot of people, including myself, when I think of a child coming and not knowing, not knowing the language, having to go into English as second language class, especially with a Russian teacher who's not speaking very good English to begin with, which doesn't make any sense to me, but, yeah, whatever. Yeah, they're in Virginia. They're like, whatever. We'll put these two immigrants together. Also have immigrants here, so we'll just put we have two now, yeah. So you know, you go into the class and you don't know the language, and you're trying to learn, and on top of, like, the layer on top of that is the social aspect, right? So you're trying to learn, because you're trying to learn the language, and on top of it, you're, like, this different person, you know, than everyone else in the room. So you have to deal with the kind of combination between the social pressures of what's going on with that, yeah, and then not even understanding anything that's happening, right? So what were kind of your first phrases that really, you know, you got to kind of be socially, I got to, well, I got to, I clicked really well, because I could dance and I could sing, and so I would, like, in dance class and like, you know, choir and stuff like that. I started to sort of bond with people and like, and then I was very, like, up on pop culture. So pop culture, we talk about this, obviously, your producer, Matthew, like, I work with him on this other show, and pop culture was really what made me bond with people. Like, I'd be, like, you like, the Spice Girl, you know, it was like, Spice Girls was really like, how I got my first click.
18:03
And I think it was just that pop culture was really how I would relate to people like, oh, you watched that show too, or, Oh, you like this celebrity too, or you like this song too, you know, so music and pop culture and TV? No, that's great, because that would be the social pressures of what all the other girls you know were listening to and watching at the same time, and you could relate, or they could relate, and also people. My parents were like, like, people would come over to my house. They could do whatever they wanted, dude. I mean, my parents were cool. So, like, I had cool parents too, which really helped.
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And my sister assimilated very quickly, and she was very popular, and she would beat people up if they were mean to me. So I had, like, a little bodyguard. I think, I think I was very lucky to have my sister. I can't imagine having done it alone, right? And you mentioned your parents, yeah, so teen years, yeah, Brazilian parents, yeah. Everyone wanted to be at your house. I'm sure, oh yeah, we would get in trouble. So, I mean, my dad, like, rented us a hotel room, like a whole wing of a hotel room. He was like, my one rule is no boys, no boys. And we're like, okay, like 20 seconds later, like every boy was there, we all get arrested because there was alcohol. You know, we're underage and you know, my parents are, you know, they were just, I just would never get in trouble, because I think they understood that, like, I was a good kid, I would just doing things that kids do, yeah, you're being a teenager, yeah, country, and you're being yourself, yeah? And I think I was also bad, and they had no idea, because I was also very good in school, and, like, you know, I didn't break any other rules at home, so, but I was also bullied a lot early on. I think kids just didn't get it. They had never seen what a Brazilian was, and I think it was offensive to them because it was something they didn't know. You know, whenever you're you're scared of something or you hate something, it's because you're not knowledgeable about it. And yeah, this one girl would, like, we had these little cubbies for our gym clothes, and she would take mine out and pee on my gym clothes and put it back. She would pee on my gym clothes, on your gym clothes. Yeah,
19:58
I know that's like that.
20:00
More than balloon problem, and I'm like, Okay. And
20:04
then years later, we had a mutual friend pass away, and she apologized to me, Oh, wow, for bullying me, like, basically my entire childhood. Wow. So who stood up for you when you my sister would kick everybody's ass, yeah? Your little sister, yeah. My little sister, she played lacrosse. She was like, had a little lacrosse team, she would just kick everybody's ass. Yeah? Even in Brazil, she was, like, very fiery. So you're a comic today, yeah? So I always want to know when I meet a comic, yeah, when did you think or know you were funny? I should say, when did you think you were funny? It's where I was not naturally funny. My sister was the naturally funny one. My dad had was also very much into comedy, and so I think I was just kind of trying to get my dad's attention, ultimately, when I think about it now as an adult, but we were raised with a lot of comedy, always on SNL, you know, Cheech and Chong, Andrew, dice, Clay, super appropriate for children. I think I was just always like, I just love making people laugh, because
20:58
I could beat them to not making fun of me. I can make my fun of myself first, and it was sort of a control thing at first. I knew I wanted to be an actress from a very early age, but when I got to Los Angeles, comedy almost became this challenge where I felt like nobody think I could. Nobody thought I could do it. So I had to do it to prove them wrong. And now I sort of don't need to do it anymore. I feel like I've kind of done it, and now I can really, like, go for what, what I truly want, which is, like, music and acting.
21:27
So it's been a journey. So you think that a big part of you going into comedy, besides loving to make people laugh, yeah, was being an immigrant, because it was the way of like, maybe when you were littler. Did you littler when you were little? Yeah, when I was when you're little, did you use the comedy, like you said, to, like, preempt the making fun of Yeah, definitely. Like, like, you know the it was, like, using the tool against them in a way, like, Oh, you're gonna make fun of me. No, no, I'll make fun of myself first, right? I got this. They had never seen a Brazilian before. Like, this one kid goes, I expected you to swing from vine to vine. I was like, what? Well, I expected people to have more teeth here, so I guess we're all confused.
22:07
But I also just like making people feel comfortable and uncomfortable. Does that make sense? Like, I, you know, like sex. I love talking about sex because it's so taboo, because people are so uncomfortable by it. But like, we all have sex hopefully,
22:22
and so everybody, not everybody, not everybody. But I like, I like that feeling, like, that raw feeling of like connecting to people, like, I want them to feel like they've known me for 15 years when I'm on stage. And it's also about like, making people forget their life for like, 15 minutes, they're completely connected and present with me. And I think that's a real gift. And I think I got that because I was able to observe for so many years from a different side. You do now perform in Brazil, right? You gotta perform for sale, yeah? So tell me about that little experience, because you're now this whitewashed American Girl, yeah, woman, going down to Brazil,
23:04
the language you have to be, have to know Portuguese. Like, yeah, you have to know the language. I mean, my husband's Argentine, like I said, and I know Spanish, yeah. I learned Spanish through listening. You know, not academically, just writing. And I know all the curse words, I know all the casual talk, all the important but they'll never take me to a comedy or like to, because you have to really know the language to really appreciate comedy. I agree. You have to. You have to be really fluent in Portuguese. Yeah, my first experience was crazy, because I first I hadn't been back in 20 years, and we have been wanting to go back for so long, but my parents were really like, I don't know why. They still are, like, very resistant to going back. I think my parents both have, like, revoked their citizenships, which I think is insanity. I'm like, what if, what's look what's happening? Let's escape to Brazil. Not that it's much better government wise, but
23:55
when I first got to Brazil, I hadn't slept in, like, whatever, many hours of the flight, and I had had a full day of, like, coming back, and I met this really big comedian there, Rafi boss. So this is amazing, if you don't know him, he's here in America now, crushing already. And he was like, come to a show with me. And so we drive another two hours. So now I've been up for like, 30 hours, and I'm the comics are going on before me. They're speaking so quickly, I don't understand what they're saying. Oh, wow. Like, I don't even understand what they're saying. The rhythm is so different. The way comedy is is so different. At the time it was sort of very new. Still, we had comedy for, you know, what, 100 years here in America there, it's like, still, kind of where we were in the 90s. Very observational at that time, very early on, comedy was having a boom. And I go on and I just eat shit, like, completely, because what I did is I kind of translated my jokes versus telling them in the way that a Brazilian person would. But then I did about nine shows the first time I was there, and by the last show, I was feeling more comfortable, and I sort of had to, like, not dumb down, but sort of simplify, because America's gotten to a place where comedies vary.
25:00
Like, abstract and weird. And it can be, it can break fourth wall. And I remember looking at this woman in the audience and going, like, what do you? And she was like, holding on to her purse and like, hiding her face. I'm like, I can see you. So it was still sort of a performative thing there, versus, like an interactive artsy thing, which is kind of come here. But I started, like, doing music there and doing more physicality. And then I understood that those things are funny everywhere. So you sort of start to realize, like, your own rhythm there and how to tell a story. And then since I've gone there, Brazil has like, exponentially grown as as a comedic place, like the boom, you know, I went, there was a guy opening a club. It was just like the bare walls. And then I went, and then I went and it was like, got to perform there. It's like a full club now. And so, you know, to see them sort of growing in their own way is really cool. And I walked into being, like, I've been comedy for 15 or whatever years. And you know, they all have like, millions of followers. People in Brazil are, like, very loyal. It's cool that they've built their own kind of community. There are you going to do more and more? Yeah, yeah. I hope to, yeah. I'm going to be in Brazil all of August. Oh, amazing. I'm bringing my girlfriend and my sister, who hasn't been back since we moved. Oh, she's never gone back. She's never gone back. Just financially, it's very difficult. And she has kids and so, yeah, that'll be a cool thing to see her, kind of because I think it was hard for her to see me go back so many times without her. I think that's an amazing opportunity to go to be a comic here in English, in a completely different culture, completely different state of mind. Like you said, Yeah, watch and going back to Brazil, yeah, I'm not good there, like I would do shows. And I could just see, I could hear the clinking of the forks and stuff. I'm like, just sweating, just one thing of sweat going down. But, you know, there's moments where it does hit and it's so exciting. All right, so living in America, I love to ask this question, and I'm going to read it because it's important how I say it. Okay, so when you think about your life here in the United States, what are you thankful for? Oh, my God, so much. I mean, just opportunity, you know, I think that's anytime I get mad at my parents, like, why didn't I stay in Brazil? Like, I wouldn't have had these opportunities that I've had, you know, the classes that I'm able to take, the people I'm able to meet, the jobs I've had making money, you know, as a comedian, only fans,
27:20
you know, yeah, good all along, you know, yeah, opportunity. And also, you know, the dollar is $6 and, like, the dollar goes so much further. But, yeah, just opportunity, really. I, you know, when people say it, it's cheesy, but it is really a land of opportunity. You just, there's so much more. And even people in Brazil that are at the top don't feel, I think, sometimes, all the way fulfilled, until they're like, known in America. So America is sort of that like top tier place to be successful. And what do you have here that you would never be able to have in Brazil? Really expensive healthcare,
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very true, very expensive healthcare, a union, acting union. You know, it's very difficult to be an actor in Brazil and make money. It's a completely different thing. I think freedom of speech, and my comedy, freedom of speech as a woman, being openly gay and not being judged most of the time. A lot of processed foods can't get that in Brazil. Can't get that in Brazil. What do you miss the most about Brazil that you wish you could transplant people into the US. He knew you were gonna say that that's like the number one thing, the warmth of the people. And I mean the way Brazil looks also, and the food, the fruits, the food I miss all the time, like when I go back, I'm just eating the entire time, like non stop, and you don't feel as sick, because the food is so much more natural there. And my family, obviously, I wish that I had kept a closer, like, you know, relationship to all my family. I try really hard, but it almost feels like when I'm there, I'm like, Hey, I'm there, and they're like, none other another day, you know? And I'm like, Yeah, we always think as immigrants, like when we leave, time stopped, but it is sort of
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not hurtful, but it's like a new reality to go and go like, Oh, life continues, and they move on, you know? And even though you're kind of frozen in time like they're not, so that was a bit difficult. But yeah, Brazil, Oh, I miss every I can't wait to bring, bring my girl, my British girlfriend there, my British pruned girlfriend there. She's British, yeah. Excellent. So that'll be a good culture shock. She went from London to Japan for five years. So, oh, wow. She couldn't have chosen more of a prude path if she'd wanted, you know, not at all.
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Yeah, all right, I want to play a little game with you. Okay, it's a multiple choice, so it's no stress. Even though you're super intelligent, we're going to do multiple choice. It's the game. Is, how American Have you become? Now, I know you came here when you were only 10 or 11 years old, so you're still bringing some of that Brazilian with Yeah. So at a soccer game, you notice someone in the stands wearing a jersey from the other team. Yeah? Do you immediately yell at them? Call them a trick.
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Later and possibly throw a drink in their general direction. Or how do you sit down next to them and say, Wow, what a great game. May the best team win. I would say, neither. That's not fair. You can't Yeah, no, I have to pick one. No, you could. You can make it a C. I, you know, I, even though I like everybody to win, I am competitive. So I would snarl, yeah. So you, you're more towards a, yeah, I'm more towards a. I still, I keep the Brazilian side. I when it comes to football, I still get a little I still am rooting for Brazil. Obviously, you know you gotta, even though, you know we've been defeated a few times in the World Cup now, but we're still number one. I'm, I'm from the Argentine side, so we won't even, don't we don't we do not even go there. Even go wait. Do you want to know a fun fact? This is a little like, braggy moment. My grandmother lived in the same apartment building as Pele growing up, so he had, like, the top floor the suite of the apartment building. And it was very exciting because he had a TV in his car. So I remember going into like, the parking lot, we like looking at his car, like, Oh my God. He has a TV in his car in the 90s, by the way, that was, like, my talk to him, yeah, yeah. Met him a few times, yeah, like, in the elevator and stuff. And he was nice. He was very sweet, yeah, yeah, yeah. Cool. Brag moment, yeah. I mean, I always joke, because when you when you look at, like, you know, football or soccer throughout the whole world, it's like, and my husband always makes fun. All the Latinos in my life make fun when you go to these games, and all the the fans are mixed together, like the one side, no, never sitting next to each other. And it's like, what is this? When you meet people in Brazil, they ask you, like, first of all, they're like, Paulista, like, where are you from? And then if they know you're from, Sao, Paulo, they're like, Which team do you root for? You know immediately. And then they decide, and then they decide the conversation, or, and I'm like, what? Yeah, I'm not really into sports, like, generally, so, all right, let's try another one. You get invited to a wedding. The invitation says it starts at 7pm Yeah. What time do you actually show up? At around 9pm just in time to make a dramatic entrance, okay? Or at exactly 645, because being late is very disrespectful. I am American with my time, American. I'm American with my time. I know Brazil is like, you just show up, like hey and you make your entrance. But I like being early because I also like going home early because I like everything you're really not Brazil. I'm like, that's a big American. I'm a stay at home lesbian. Lately, I live far away, it depends, but, yeah, I'm usually very kind of early. All right? You're getting ready to leave a party, yeah? What do you do? Say goodbye to every single person. Give at least 15 hugs, yeah, and leave 45 minutes later after you're planning on leaving. Or do you say thanks for having me and walk out the door. Brazilian, I'm hugging people. I'm exiting for two hours, and my girlfriend's already in the car, like, in her on her phone, yeah, do you still do that? Because, even though you're completely acclimated into, you know, as into society, yeah, you're completely, you know, an American, does it still bug you when people, when Americans, do that kind of tap, tap, hug, or the like, hi, doesn't bother me, but it's not me. It's not what I would do. Yeah, and do most of the people you surround yourself with embrace, yeah, you are, yeah, they know who I am, yeah. They're like, Oh, that's Jade, you know, I find because I'm very touchy, yeah, very touchy, yeah. And I find people still, they don't, you know, and I'm American, yeah? I mean, but they still sometime, like, Oh yeah, it's rare. I'll just bring them in. I don't care. I'll hug it. Like, you know how people won't touch, like, the genital part, you know? Like, they'll go like that, like a little teepee, yeah? Like, bring it, man. I do too. So just, just deal with it, yeah? Deal with the love. Even during covid, I'm like, come here. Yeah, that's what I do. It's like, and then when you feel them tense up, it's almost like, I like I like it, because it's like, well, just you need this. You need this in your life. Yeah, okay, a few more, because I want to make sure I know if you fully become American or you're still hanging out, still hanging on at a restaurant, the waiter brings the bill. Yeah, do you sit there for another hour talking and completely ignoring the check until they practically kick you out of the place, or immediately, pull out your card and leave a 20% tip. I think it's a combination, like, I want to pay and add 20% but it'll, it won't be right away. I'm a lingering restaurant attendee, yeah? Because in Brazil I like a long, I like a long dinner. Yeah, you finish and you can I'm still Brazilian, that way. I like long meals. Yeah, that you still got the Brazilian you see. Yeah,
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so Jane, thank you so much for coming on the show. It's been an absolute blast. I'm sure our watchers and listeners out there will get so much information from you, not only the fun, hilarious, but also the important stuff about Brazil and immigrants and how people acclimate and come into our society, and they bring so much joy and so much excitement to us. What else is going on? Like, what can we how can we find you? How can listeners find you? Oh, wow. Well, I have the show rivals on YouTube. Rival show, really fun, pop culture debate show where we put, like, two things against each other, and we battle it out, which is my true essence, which I love. Um.
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And then coming up, like, for any exciting stuff, I'm gonna be shooting a movie soon, which is very exciting. Can't talk too much about it, but very excited. And then I think, just like, as a last note, like, if you meet an immigrant, like, try to get to know them, you know they're like a fish out of water. Imagine you in a brand new country, and like, you might learn something from them. It might be like something that you could take home from it. So, yeah, don't just shove them to the side because you don't understand them right away, my chance. And don't scream words at them, because even though they don't speak English, they have really good hearing. It's really crazy when people would just like over pronounce words I'm like, I still don't understand or if you say it louder, is not going to go any easier. Yeah. Wait, did I tell you that one of the first things that somebody cursed at me, they called me a jerk. Did I tell you this? And I didn't know what it meant. So, like, I looked it up, and I didn't want to tell my parents, because I thought it was like, I would get in trouble. So I looked it up and it was to
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yank or pull. And I was like, yeah. So I went to school, and I was like, I don't yank or pull, and they're like, what? So, yeah, just embrace those funny moments. Yeah. Well, thank you so much for coming out. Yeah, thanks for having me. Came on you.