A woman who ditched the UK to become a farmer in Brazil says she “never expected a luxurious lifestyle”, but it was “one of the biggest struggles” of her life. Angel Bulut, 25, moved from Bracknell with her partner in October 2022 after she became “tired” working her restaurant manager job.
She left behind her £2,300 a month wage to work full-time as a milk farmer in Parana and survives on 6,500 Brazilian Real (BRL) before costs – around £887 – per month with her partner. She says “everything costs more” in Brazil – such as phones and clothing – and she is still relying on her savings to get by.
Just before she was set to return home after just six months, she began “falling in love with things after the anger left”. Angel grew to appreciate the space she had – a two-and-a-half-acre farm compared to a one-bed apartment in the UK – and fell in love with the weather and “not having a boss”.
Angel, originally from Northwich, Cheshire, 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 who 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.”
Angel moved abroad after meeting her Brazilian partner at a hospitality event 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 said. “We wake up the milk cows, cook for them. 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.”
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 that we use every day, and we power it with fire, which 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. 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 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. 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 navigate with her local gym over an hour’s 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”.
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.”
You can follow Angel and her life in Brazil on Instagram and TikTok @angelinbrazil.
