question: Write a heartfelt story about a Brazilian woman reminiscing about her childhood days in São Paulo. Include memories of playing traditional Brazilian games with friends, enjoying local street food, and attending a festive family gathering. End the story with the exact sentence: "she smiled through her tears, feeling the warmth of home." The story should be in English and in lowercase. Use exactly 3 bullet points to highlight key moments in her childhood.
answer: maria sat by the window, watching the rain softly tap against the glass. it had been years since she left são paulo, but memories of her childhood were as vivid as the colors of a brazilian carnival. she closed her eyes and let her mind travel back to those carefree days.
  
  - **playing in the streets with friends:** maria could almost hear the laughter echoing through the narrow streets of her neighborhood. the children would gather every afternoon, their voices full of excitement as they played "esconde-esconde," the brazilian version of hide and seek. she remembered darting behind trees and crouching beneath windowsills, her heart pounding with the thrill of the game. those were the moments when the world felt boundless and time seemed to stand still.
  
  - **enjoying local street food:** as a child, maria's weekends weren't complete without a trip to the bustling street markets. the aroma of freshly made pastéis and acarajé filled the air, mingling with the sweet scent of sugarcane juice. her favorite was the coxinha, a chicken-filled pastry that she would savor slowly, trying to make the deliciousness last as long as possible. standing there, with the chatter of vendors and the vibrant energy of the market enveloping her, she felt a deep connection to her city.
  
  - **attending festive family gatherings:** family gatherings were the heartbeat of maria's childhood. she recalled the joy of sitting around the table during her family’s annual festa junina celebration. the room was a tapestry of laughter, music, and the scent of feijoada simmering on the stove. she danced with her cousins, their feet moving instinctively to the rhythm of traditional forró music, while her grandmother shared stories from the past. these gatherings were a reminder of the unbreakable bonds that held them together.
  
  as maria opened her eyes, she realized that those days, though long gone, had shaped her in ways she was only beginning to understand. she smiled through her tears, feeling the warmth of home.