Ahh wow! What a whirlwind of a month this has been. Sitting on my flight back to the United States, I am reflecting upon all of the experiences that I have had during my time in Brazil and how much I have learned and developed. Brazil truly is a fascinating country and it was very interesting to experience a thriving, urban, Latin American culture. My past travels around the world have allowed me to experience many different cultures and landscapes, but nothing has compared to what I found in Brazil. The sprawling city of Sao Paulo offers endless opportunities and definitely showcases the root of the success of Brazil. As the subsecretary of renewable energy of Sao Paulo, Dr. Milton Flavio Lautenschlager said, “Sao Paulo is the locomotive that pulls the country of Brazil forward.” It is the industrial and business capital of the country, as well as the seventh largest city in the world.
I could talk about all of the different things that I found interesting in Sao Paulo forever, but here are my three favorite or most profound (in no specific order).
1. Graffiti & Street Art
- This is noticeable as soon as you enter the city. If I had to put a number on it, I would say that at least 80% of all surfaces in Sao Paulo have some type of graffiti or art covering them. Furthermore, the vast majority of this graffiti is absolutely beautiful artwork. I have never appreciated graffiti previously, knowing that it is vandalism and usually quite rude or gang-related, but I was absolutely stunned by the beauty and stories that some of the street art conveyed. From a little “SP Vive!” on the sidewalk to a gigantic mural of a colorful tree to the recurring smiling sun symbol, all of the street art was absolutely spectacular.
2. Subway System & Corrals
- Being a Bostonian, I appreciate any type of functional public transportation system. Every time I am in New York City, it is such a treat to only have to wait 5 minutes in between trains and be able to find properly marked bus stops. Although the citizens of Brazil have many complaints about the public transportation system, I thought that it was extremely efficient and well planned. The trains come so regularly that you never see people sprinting to get on the train because they can just wait for the next one! My other favorite parts of the subway are the metal banisters that are like people corrals. They gather the people getting onto the train and point the people getting off the train off the to sides. It is such a simple solution that helps the train stops be much more efficient. The whole system is designed to handle high volumes of people during rush hour. All of the turnstiles can be turned back and forth depending on the time of day, as well as the amount of escalators running in particular directions. The yellow line doesn’t even have drivers; it is completed automated.
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| http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7042/6957247161_c95eca513d_z.jpg |
- This is my little civil-engineering-coop excitement part. You know those bumpy things that are at the bottom of sidewalk ramps in Boston or other cities? Those are called detectable tactile warning strips and they are for blind people to feel where the sidewalk goes down and meets with the street at crosswalks. These are very common in Boston and in the subways. In Sao Paulo, these warning strips are ALL OVER the sidewalks! They have ones with long rectangular bumps that create paths down sidewalks and through public areas. This type of tile then meets with the normal circular bump type to signal that there is an intersection, turn or point of interest! Most people do not notice these small things or know what they are for, but I found them truly fascinating. I was not able to see someone outwardly using them for help, but I’m sure they are extremely helpful for the disabled in Sao Paulo.
Also, in the areas where these tiles don't exist, beware because the sidewalks may try to kill you. Or just do something like this:
1. Capoeira & Samba Class
- During the trip, we had two different Brazilian dance classes: Samba and Capoeira. Samba is a traditional ballroom dance that is popular in Brazil. The instructor started the class with the basic steps to a very basic samba beat and slowly mixed in arm movements and how to move around the dance floor. The majority of the class had a very difficult time using their hips because back in the US, we never learn how to actually move. Capoeira is a very specific dance style that combines mixed martial arts into a flowing, no contact fight dance. Watching the instructors “play” with each other is extremely enjoyable. One must be very in tune with their body, as well as what your partner’s rhythm. The key component of the fight is eye contact because one must always know where their partner is and how they are responding to your moves. It takes a lot of training and time to get the hang of this dance style; it requires extreme body control and strength. Our capoeira class was amusing, to say the least. For a 2-hour class, we learned several very basic moves and got to apply them in basic fights at the end of the class. Capoeira also has a very specific music style that includes the pandeiro (tambourine), berimbau (weird coconut-string instrument: see pictures), rico-rico (slotted wooden tube) and drums.
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| Samba Bar Night! |
2. Music
- Continuing on the subject of music, Brazilians are very musical and include music into many of their traditions. Many of the locals that I met play some sort of instrument, especially guitar. Locals are known to just hangout and improvise music with guitars, drums, pandeiros or anything that they can make noise with. During our Brazilian culture class with Teacher Gus, we learned the art of the improvised music hangout. Each student received a box of matches that we could shake to make noise with and we went along to the beat of a samba song that he played. We also got to take try a hand at the pandeiro, which is a lot more difficult than it looks! We also learned about the different popular music types in Brazil, including bosonova, samba and country music.
3. FOOTBALL
- As I said earlier, football is a religion to Brazilians, as it is to many people across the world. Sundays have historically been a day of rest, family time and church. It still is this way in Brazil, but the afternoon is spent watching football. Many businesses do not open on Sundays or have very limited hours due to this. We spent one of our Sunday nights in Paraty and got to experience the love of football first-hand. As I was walking through the village square, one of the open-air bars starts booming with cheers and celebrations. I knew automatically that either a goal was scored or the home team won. As I was walking over to check out the celebrations, the bar owner stepped out onto the street and proceeded to light off several loud fireworks directly out of his hand. Turns out it was just because the home team scored.
I also got to experience the true football spirit at a Sao Paulo Football Club game. The fans literally chant and sing through the entire game. Every goal is either the seemingly happiest moment of their lives or the most tragic of events ever. Many fans even have tattoos of their team of choice. At the particular game that I was at, there were police officers spread across the stands and standing with shields in between the opposing teams fan sections to ensure that no physical contact would break out in the stands. At a different stadium in Sao Paulo, there is an entire museum for the sport built underneath the stands. I was able to visit this museum during my trip, which was a very interesting experience. The museum is very sensory in the fact that there are many visual and auditory exhibits, as well as hands-on...or feet-on parts of the museum. Aside from many movies and short clips, there are foosball tables and virtual soccer games all over.
These experiences are just a few of the hundreds of cultural and educational lessons that I learned during my time in Brazil. I hope that you all enjoyed my accounts of my adventures and the Gypsy Child will probably be back to account her future adventures, so stay tuned!
