First week in Sao Paulo

Soooo... I live in the Big Yellow House. I live in Vila Madalena. I live west of the Centro. I live in Sao Paulo --> #4 biggest city in the world by population (yay wikipedia!)
Talking to some of you I have said that to me it is (Chicago+Guatemala)^10 and it is because what I know best and what some of YOU know best :)


Chicago: it is a big city with many people (19 million), lots of buildings downtown and in commercial districts (most vertical city in the world if you measure and combine all skyscrapers), 4 lane streets, segregated neighborhoods (rich, poor, artsy, Italian, Japanese), flea markets on weekends, Metro system that runs pretty smoothly except for construction delays, the CowParade, people walking fast in suits, and music on the radio is the same shit at B96.

Guatemala: Co ncreto y vidrio en toda la cuidad, casas de ladrillo con portones, hay centros comerciales pero tambien hay vendedores con tiendas pequenas y ambulantes, venden de todo en la calle-- desde celulares, elotes asados, mangos, relojes, bolsas, MANIAS! zapatos, peliculas que estan en el cine ahorita, hasta perfumes-- mas barato que en cualquier otro lugar, trafico estatico hasta la madre todos los dias, motoristas locos, camioneteros rebeldes, calles de una via que cambian nombre a la mitad, subiditas y bajadotas, gente de la ca

lle en todas partes, basura, gente que te quiere como que fueras familia al conocerte, guardias de seguridad con rifles en todo banco, burocracia, calor de dia, lluvia por la tardesita y fresco por las noches, gente que vive en colinas y en barrancos, todo cierra a las 5 y los fines de semana, y aunque sea fea esta rodeada de belleza natural for todas partes y en lugares a un par de horas, un buen almuerzo por menos de $5 con carne, arroz, frijoles, ensalada y jugo natural :)

To the 10th power: the city is SOOOO big it is impossible to describe or understand the limits and the different areas, there are so many people that it feels like the 4th of July crowds every day during rush hours and there are so many cars that (just like in Mexico) you need a permit to use your car during certain times. If you thought that the CTA takes you there-- you have seen NOTHING. CPTM (Companhia Paulista de Trens Metropolitanos) Metro lines here run to every corner of the city and the seemingly unlimited number of buses have an intricate web of service that will eventually get you there. There are MORE tourists everyday and there are great numbers of Japanese, Lebanese, Italians immigrants-- so much so that these populations here are only surpased by the populatins in their respective countries. Also, people from other parts of Brasil come to work here so there are even more Paulistanos than the census will ever know. All in all, I know it is hard to imagine (it is hard to understand it even being here) but all the forementioned qualities multiplied by 10 is the best description I have for you of this city :)

Having all the free time I have gone sighseeing to some main areas in the city but Anna's stupid computer corrupted those pics and so I will have to go back and re-take the pictures. The only ones that I was able to save are the ones on the FB Album "Brassssssssil". The descriptions above are more of a reflection on all I saw anyway, so at least you get that part :)

Some explanations:
Little geography lesson: Located in the Southeast region of Brasil, Sao Paulo is the name of the state and the capital. It borders Minas Gerais, Rio de Janeiro, Parana, Mato Grosso do Sul and the Atlantic Ocean.
In the centro, there is the Catedral Metropolitana de Sao Paulo and a monument called 'Kilometro 0' in the middle of 'Praca de Se'-- a nice park area with lots of commerce and street vendors. This is where all distances are measured from, the center, the beginning, the core. A very symbolic beginning to my journey :)







ps. there are also some pictures of the inside of the Catedral, i still feel a little weird about taking pictures inside churches though, so they are not that good



Cow Parade: Since 1999 there have been 55 cities to exhibit the CowParade, some of you might remember this in Chicago in 1999 and others, but Sao Paulo has been the host twice, once in 2000 and now in 2010. The CowParade is a public art exhibit created/funded/supported by local artists/businesses/citizens of each city. Anyway, there are 76 cows all over Sao Paulo and I intend to find as many as I can. Some I will stumble upon, such as the ones I have taken pictures of but others I will have to go out and find them. Silly? Lame? Well, I owe it to JoVa, the culture of the city and the fact that I they have been strategically placed in many places that will lead me to more sight-seeing.
Also, the names of the ones I have found so far are awesome: Cowgestionamento, Kowlômetros, Escowdaria, Sampa Sem Parar(to the left here), Soja e MUUUito mais. (see on facebook or click the link)

Flea Markets: On the weekends there are even more markets than usual-- some are for tourists, some for groceries, some for antiques and some for pure fun :) The last weekend I was here I went to 4 of them :) you can see some pictures on FB but all it was tents, people, sun, every kind of thing you can imagine from art, to clothes, brazilian flaged items, cheap food, old records, silver tea sets, collectable coins, comic books, vintage shoes, lamps, trinkets, paintings, textiles, etc. It wasn't so much that I went shopping but it was for the atmosphere, the people, the noise, the exchange of money, valuables, deals, and stories. Where did you get this autographed album from? How long have you had a booth here? Can I have a coconut with my lunch, please? How do you make these collages? R$10? I'll give you R$7. Yes, I am a tourist, sorry my Portuguese is so bad =P

Then... Orientation :)
nothing exciting there except for now you can find me on google if you type in "Ruth Sierra, USP" and it will be the first link that appears. It is a listing of all the exchange students this semester along with pictures ;) On this day too, I bought my ticket to Rio de Janeiro.

None of the things I had read, none of the things I had heard, none of the things Anna told me, none of the things I have experienced, none, nothing at all could have prepared me for Rio de Janeiro............