An Oasis of Modernity

My visit to Sao Paulo was many things I expected, and many I did not. I expected, and saw, a huge, bustling city with similarities to Los Angeles and New York. I expected to be, and was, impressed by the financial centers, and I expected to see many outlets for Brazilian culture and history. What I did not expect was to step into a middle-class dream similar to life in the States that, up to this point, I had not seen in Brazil.

It was my pleasure to stay with Jessica, in her family´s modern and cozy house a few miles from downtown. The contrast between a sometimes dirty hostel with antiquated fixtures and no air conditioning (meaning doors and windows were open all night) to a clean, orderly and modern apartment just like my family´s condo in California was a shocking transition. From freeway driving, New York City traffic, and upscale malls like you´d find in Glendale or Burbank, Sao Paulo is the seat of Brazil´s middle class.

My time in Sao Paulo also included more traditionally Brazillian experiences, such as trying pastiolis (fried meat pies), carne seco (shredded beef eaten with bread), and pao de queijo, a type of cheese bread. Also, on my second night, we went to a local bar to listen to live performances of Bossa Nova and Forro music. One of the most widely known Bossa Nova songs is the "Girl from Ipanema."

My time in Sao Paulo was rounded out by two facinating Afro Brazillian women I met who both spoke only Portugese. The first, whose name is Rosi (pronounced "Hosi") worked for a food stand just outside the metro station I used when entering and leaving the city. She is roughly my age and told me that she moved to Sao Paulo from Salvador to look for work. She urged me to take my next trip up to the beautifly northeast coast of Brazil.

The second lady worked in a museam I visited, and I couldn´t help but share a little bit about race relations in the United States in order to find out what her opinion was of relations in Brazil. I only understood about a third of what she said (as it was in Portugese only), but the jist of it was that there were few problems between Brazillians of the same income level. However, the problem was that the vast majority of people living in favelas (impoverished neighborhoods with 3rd World living conditions) were dark-skinned people of African descent, and that it was hard for them to climb the socio-economic ladder because public education was so horrible. I really wish that I knew Portugese better so that I could have understood more of what she said.

Generally, that conversation highlighted the uniqueness of my time in Sao Paulo, within the span of a couple of days, I had a look at both the horrendous favelas and the burgeoning Brazillian middle class. For me personally, however, the time in Sao Paulo was a refreshing return to familiar comforts, helpful to strengthen me for the upcoming week in the countryside.