Gisele Bündchen On Life in Miami: Jiu-Jitsu with the Kids and Visits from Sisters: 'Like Home' (Exclusive)

The supermodel, 42, opened up about her home base — and raising her kids in a new city — during her Luz Alliance Gala benefiting the Brazil Foundation on Saturday

Gisele Bundchen, Luz Alliance Fund Miami Gala
Gisele Bündchen at her Luz Alliance gala benefiting the Brazil Foundation on Saturday. Photo: Leandro Justen

Gisele Bündchen is getting back into her groove in her new home base of Miami.

"I am loving Miami. I love the sunshine and people are very warm and welcoming, it feels like home," Bündchen, 42, told PEOPLE after Saturday's Luz Alliance Gala in Miami to benefit the Brazil Foundation, where the supermodel helped raise nearly $1 million toward reforestation efforts in her home country of Brazil.

"I am very active, and Miami is all about being outside, so I really enjoy that," she added. "It also is easier to go to Brazil from here, so my sisters [twin Patricia and sisters Rafaela, Graziela, Gabriela and Raquel] come visit a lot more now which makes me so happy."

Her kids — son Benjamin, 13, and daughter Vivian, 10, with ex-husband Tom Brady, from whom she divorced last October — are also adjusting well to their new hometown.

"The kids are loving Miami too. Vivi is passionate about horses and is very into jumping right now," Bündchen said.

And the family has found a new activity they can all enjoy together.

"We all love to do jiu-jitsu which is so great to build self-confidence," she continued. "We also love being outdoors and enjoy jumping together on our big trampoline we have in our yard. We also love paddle boarding and kayaking, it is so much fun to just be doing things together.

Gisele Bundchen, Luz Alliance Fund Miami Gala
Gisele Bündchen with Robin Roberts at Bündchen's Luz Alliance gala benefiting the Brazil Foundation on Saturday. Leandro Justen

Bündchen and her kids have used Miami as a jumping-off point for their international travels, too.

"We went to Brazil to spend Christmas with my family and will go back for summer break," she shared. "Any time we can spend time with family is just great, especially to see the beautiful bond the kids have with their cousins as they are all growing up is priceless."

And though Bündchen has long called Costa Rica a second home, her family has developed a new tradition: choosing a different international destination each year to expose the children to new cultures.

Gisele Bundchen, Luz Alliance Fund Miami Gala
Gisele Bündchen with Karlie Kloss at Bündchen's Luz Alliance gala benefiting the Brazil Foundation on Saturday. Leandro Justen

"We also like to try new things and are always up for an adventure, so we will choose a new place to travel each year so we can see more of this beautiful world we live in and learn about new cultures," she said. "Spending time together as they are growing up is so important and it's such a gift to be making lifelong memories with them, I feel blessed."

Gisele Bundchen, Luz Alliance Fund Miami Gala
Gisele Bündchen at her Luz Alliance gala benefiting the Brazil Foundation on Saturday. Leandro Justen

On Saturday, the supermodel stepped out for her first major appearance since the Met Gala, joined by friends including GMA's Robin Roberts, models Karlie Kloss and Karolina Kurvkova as well as Brazilian singer Ivete Sangalo.

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"It was an incredible experience," Bündchen said of the Luz Alliance fund Gala, which aimed to help bring awareness to the importance of 7 Biomes in Brazil as well as to raise money to sustain environmental projects "that benefit nature and the people's lives," she shared.

Gisele dances to Brazilian singer at the Luz Alliance Gala
Gisele Bündchen at her Luz Alliance gala benefiting the Brazil Foundation on Saturday.

"Most of all I am just grateful for people coming out and doing what they can to support nature as that is essential for the wellbeing of future generations and all life on Earth," she added. "I have learned even the smallest gesture can have an impact. Real change happens when each of us do our part in helping in whatever way we can."

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