First Post

I'm happy to say that I've successfully made it to week 2 here in São Paulo, Brasil and have experienced so much in just the short time I've had in this new country. So far the people, the music, the food and even the weather (more on this later) have been all been fantastic.  As I'm waiting to go out and celebrate the city's 458th birthday, I thought I'd take the time to sum up the activities of the past week:


On January 11th I left Des Moines, a precisely 70 lb bag in tow and embarked on the 15 hour journey to South America. I think it timely to point out that I've never blogged before but am already beginning to see that it's easy to get lost in lofty travel-blog rhetoric. From time to time, I may need someone to pop my balloon and remind me that I'm not writing a deep journal log for Intro. to Lit...anyway, after a quick layover in Dallas I took a relatively uneventful flight direct to São Paulo, Brasil. This Thanksgiving break,  after a long flight to London during which I slept a total of 0 hrs, I looked into getting some sleep aids for the even longer flight to SP. Some Tylenol PM with dinner and a beer: perfect solution. The 10 hr flight was a hazy mixture of deep sleep and dubbed Helen Mirin CIA work. Just as the grogginess started to wear off, we began our descent into the greater São Paulo area. When I peered out the window the first thing of notice was the sheer size of the city. Really I should say that this was the second thing that hit me; the first being the thick layer of smog lingering on top of this sprawling region.


São Paulo is a massive city built on the highlands about an hour and a half west of the Atlantic coast. With around 20 million inhabitants squeezed into the area of the surrounding mountain range, the blatant difference between this city and my hometown is most assuredly its size. And the population--much as my fear of not knowing sufficient Portuguese as we made our final approach--is quickly growing. From the view in the plane it was clear that developments are springing up in every direction, both outward and upward. The construction of massive high-rise condominiums is a huge trend in the region, as is urban sprawl.


After a trip through customs and a hectic baggage claim, I stepped out into the arrivals area of the Guarulhos Airport. Somewhere between my first glimpse of Brasil here in the airport and the trip to the hotel in the city's new center, I realized that the rhythm of São Paulo is much different than that of the image of Brasil projected worldwide. Paulistanos--inhabitants of the city--move quickly. They walk quickly. They talk quickly. They drive quickly (traffic permitting.) Knowing this was such a large city, I had expected this to some extent. São Paulo is known worldwide as the business center of South America, but it's also recognized as the cultural center of Brasil. All of the best music, the best art and the best food (oh yes) of the country is here in SP. Of the quick glimpse I've had, this has certainly been the case.


The first two days consisted of an orientation to the city, hosted by the study abroad program CIEE. During this time we stayed at a hotel on Avenida Paulista and attended seminars on language, culture, security and transportation here in the city. Av. Paulista is located in the new center of the city, where most of Brazil's largest businesses are headquartered. This is also where some of the city's well-known nightlife is located. We certainly didn't take part in any of this.


The morning following our orientation we moved into our homestays. This semester I'll be living with a family of three in an apartment in the neighborhood of Perdizes, located in Zona Oeste (Western Zone.) The father is a marathon runner, the mother an avid walker and the daughter a recent high school graduate waiting to take the entrance exam to enter journalism school next year. They have all been great these past few days--very patient with my broken Portuguese. Even two years of university-level language courses can't quite prepare you for understanding the language of the Paulistanos. The food has been really great and very healthy. The apartment is spacious--something I had been warned not to expect. I've got my own room and bathroom, both of which are just a bit smaller than those at home.


On Saturday evening, I went on a walk through the neighborhood with Roberto and Noracy for a few hours. This was a great introduction to the area and allowed me to catch my bearings a bit. Streets here don't run on a standard grid like you would see in Chicago or New York. The city is broken up into several regions, some of which have an organization reminiscent to that of larger American cities, some of which seem like complete free-for-all's from above. Luckily, I live on the same street as the university I'll be attending here, Pontificia Universidade Catolica de São Paulo. We've gone for several walks here in various neighborhoods so I've seen a large portion of the city and am starting to get my bearings. When I'm not walking to take my language courses, buses and the subway have been my mode of transportation of choice and have been pretty simple to navigate.


Some of the sights we've seen so far: Oscar Niemeyer's Memorial to Latin America, Estação da Luz (Luz train station), Museum of the Tortured and Disappeared (during the military dictatorship,) Patio do Colegio (where the Jesuits founded the city,) Catedral da Se, the Municipal Market and the Municipal Theater. Most of these spots are located in the historic center of the city which is about an hour's walk from my neighborhood and is actually one of the more unsavory parts of the city. It's in this area that you can most clearly see the problem of homelessness and urban decay with the backdrop of some of São Paulo's most important landmarks. My favorite stop so far has been the Municipal Market, called the Mercadão here. Every type of fruit, vegetable, meat, fish you could possibly imagine under one roof. When I went to the market with the Arneiros on Saturday, they took me from stand to stand trying tropical fruits I had never seen before. On a side note, Brazilians love fruit. I can't adequately express how much amazing fruit I've had this past week. Right now I'm posting this on a high of oranges and nectarines. Back to the market. Everything was excellent so I went back the following day with other students from the program to try the famous Mortadella sandwich. Think fancy bologna stacked a mile high on fresh bread. I'm hooked.