A woman who left behind her London life to become a farmer in Brazil has admitted the move was ‘one of the biggest struggles’ of her life.
Angel Bulut, 25, originally from Northwich, Cheshire, never expected a luxurious lifestyle in Brazil, but was shocked by the standard of living when she arrived in the South American country nearly three years ago.
The ‘blonde city girl’ moved from Bracknell, London, with her Brazilian partner in October 2022 after saying she had grown ‘tired’ of her restaurant manager job.
Well acquainted with the costly living standard in London, Angel was gobsmacked to discover just how expensive things also were on the other side of the world, and has since had to rely on her savings to make ends meet.
Angel left behind her £2,300 a month wage to work full-time as a milk farmer in Parana, and now survives on BRL 6,500 before costs (around £887) per month with her partner.
Now, she and her partner spend a fortune on ‘everything’, from food, to bills and clothes, with little leftover for luxuries.
Initially apprehensive about her new life, Angel even considered returning home to the UK after just six months, but changed her mind when she began ‘falling in love with things after the anger left’.
She grew to appreciate the space she had – a two-and-a-half-acre farm compared to a one-bed apartment in London – and fell in love with the weather and ‘not having a boss’.
Angel Bulut (pictured), 25, from the UK, never expected a luxurious lifestyle in Brazil – but was shocked by the standard of living when she arrived in the country nearly three years ago
Angel said: ‘My first year here was one of the biggest struggles of my life. I struggled with everything.
‘I didn’t speak any Portuguese. I was just this blonde UK city girl that came into the farm – It’s not been an easy process.
‘We’re living a life but without the pleasures of living in the UK. I’m accustomed to having less now.
‘I’m falling in love with things after the anger left. We have so much space. I have the sun, I have my animals that have all the space they want, and I don’t have a boss.
‘You suffer – you don’t have the things you want and then just look around and see all the things you do have’.
The 25-year-old moved abroad after meeting and falling in love with her Brazilian partner in Northwich.
They went on to move to the two-and-a-half-acre farm in Parana, looking after 30 cows and raising pigs, fish and chickens for their own consumption.
‘We’re primarily a milk farm,’ she explained. ‘We wake up the milk cows, cook for them.
Angel, who is now a farmer in Brazil, admitted the move was ‘one of the biggest struggles’ of her life
The ‘blonde city girl’ moved from Bracknell, London, with her Brazilian partner in October 2022 after saying she had grown ‘tired’ of her restaurant manager job
Well acquainted with the costly living standard in London, Angel was gobsmacked to discover just how expensive things also were on the other side of the world, and has since had to rely on her savings to make ends meet
Initially apprehensive about her new life, Angel even considered returning home to the UK after just six months, but changed her mind when she began ‘falling in love with things after the anger left’
‘The girls we bred are finally giving birth, so this is kind of the beginning of the story of, ‘Is this going to work?’
‘People we knew from back home and locals said, ‘She’s not going to last a month’ or ‘She’s not going to get her hands dirty’.
‘I woke up at 5am to feed the cows. I was working harder than I every expected to,’ she said.
Transitioning to life in Brazil means Angel spends BRL 1,500 per month on food (around £200), using savings to buy luxuries.
‘We don’t pay for water as we have a waterfall on the farm. Electricity is up to BRL 600 per month in summer and up to BRL 300 in the winter.
‘We have an outdoor kitchen which we use everyday and use just fire to power it, and that brings the bills down.
‘In the UK I’d make £2,300 a month after tax, and after costs I’d be left with £700.
‘Here, considering what we earn on the farm, 50 per cent goes to the supplement of the cows.
The farmer uprooted her life in the UK’s capital after falling for her Brazilian partner while in Northwich
Now, Angel has grown to appreciate the space she had – a two-and-a-half-acre farm compared to a one-bed apartment in London
They couple moved to the two-and-a-half-acre farm in Parana, looking after 30 cows and raising pigs, fish and chickens
Angel, originally from Northwich, Cheshire, said: ‘My first year here was one of the biggest struggles of my life’
‘You suffer – you don’t have the things you want and then just look around and see all the things you do have,’ she said
While Angel has listed the perks of moving, a downside is said that she misses being able to go on walks alone at night
‘It can be up to BRL 10,000 per month and after costs we are left with up to BRL 4,000 per month across the year. And after that, there are the vet bills too.
‘My partner built the house before coming here, the price of building a house plus the price of the land where I live is around BRL 366,000 which is around £50,000.
‘Another thing is how dangerous it is,’ she said, adding, ‘How I loved to go on walks by myself as a woman at night in the UK.
‘Here, I kid you not, I cannot leave the house alone without the protection of my dog. You can’t be out at night time’.
As a former gym lover, Angel has also found it difficult to adjust to her local gym being over an hours walk away, and with no car, she struggles to get there.
‘I never come across someone like myself, everyone is so indulged in the cowboy culture.
‘Like literal cowboy boots, when you see a Western movie it’s like that. It’s a huge clash of culture.
‘Every state is different. It’s either a cowgirl or literally a model. Brazilian women really look after themselves’.
In the UK, she made £2,300 a month after tax
‘The people here are friendlier, compared to the Brazilian culture England is a very cold, cruel culture,’ she said
Now, she and her partner spend a fortune on ‘everything’, from food, to bills and clothes, with little leftover for luxuries
Despite adjusting to the new ways of life, Angel is now learning Portuguese and loves looking after the animals on her farm
Despite adjusting to the new ways of life, Angel is now learning Portuguese and loves looking after the animals on her farm.
‘My health is good because I’m not cold, I’m getting my vitamin D. In my opinion private healthcare is cheaper here.
‘The people here are friendlier, compared to the Brazilian culture England is a very cold, cruel culture.
‘In terms of moving back to the UK never say never but I was unhappy in the UK, I never enjoyed it.
‘In terms of leaving Brazil and living in Brazil, I hated it for so many reasons, but now I love it. If I can find a way to have the quality of life I’m looking for, I’d stay’.
