Sao Paulo and reflections on Brazil.
I had read that Sao Paulo is a dangerous, dirty, polluted city, so my
expectations were not good. Aggie has
been living and working there for three years.
Her apartment is downtown in the middle of the hospital and clinic
district. We arrived from Ubatuba on
Saturday and I stayed in her apartment for three nights before flying to Manaus. Although I am sure there is crime in the
city, as with every major metropolitan area, I did not see any and felt safe
riding the extremely clean and well run subway system and buses all over the
city. I went karaoke singing one night
in a Japanese bar where I was the only gringo, and I went to the north end of
the city another night to attend Rotary.
After my trip on the Amazon and Itacare, I returned to Sao Paulo for a
few days and again attended Rotary, went shopping and toured the city. I can’t believe what a bad rap Sao Paulo has
compared to reality. It is very friendly
with good climate. I would much rather
live there than in Rio.
When I walked into the Rotary meeting the afternoon of my last day in
Brazil, the president immediately came forward and introduced herself and
welcomed me to the club, in English. She
insisted I sit at the head table with her and we talked for about 15 minutes
during lunch, before she opened the meeting in Portuguese. After the meeting she explained in English the
projects they were discussing during the meeting. I am always warmly greeted at Rotary meetings
around the world and it is very gratifying to learn of the humanitarian work
that is accomplished through Rotary. And
the genuine friendship that is given is extremely heartwarming.
My last night in Sao Paulo was typical of my experience. Aggie works late and then goes to yoga, so I
went out to pizza by myself. The waiter
was extremely helpful in explaining by drawing a picture of the size pizza I ordered. After dinner I walked to a super market to
buy butter to make scones. There was a
man about my age behind me in the checkout counter and he smiled. I said “bom noite,” when I meant to say “boa
noite,” (good evening). He responded in
English, “Good evening “and after a short exchange said, “it is nice that you
try.”
My month in Brazil
has been exciting, relaxing, and enjoyable.
The most unusual animal I saw was a 4 foot jungle worm. The country faces some big challenges in preparing for the World Cup
Soccer games in June. I think that some
visitors will be frustrated with the lack of infrastructure in Rio and
Manaus. The airports and roads are not
equipped to handle the thousands of visitors and there appears to be a lack of
focus by the government and many people to get prepared for the games.
What a
jewel she is: Smart, cute, funny, athletic,
energetic, and always smiling. We have
had some fun times. She introduces me as
her uncle and I am happy to have her as my niece. Can’t wait for our next adventure!
I
