First day in Brazil

The first blog is always the easiest. The hard part will come when I try to keep filling these virtual pages with at least semi-interesting content (though I hope it will be more than that). Now the impetus for this blog is my recent arrival in Sao Paulo, Brazil. I’ll be spending nine weeks here doing research on an environmental issue related to planning. The details have not been fully worked out yet, but I hope to get that nailed down by this week. I’m in Brazil as an exchange student from UCLA and will be working with the Fundação Getulio Vargas (or FGV for short).

I’m traveling with Marcel, a fellow classmate of mine and we arrived this morning in Sao Paulo safe and sound. Thanks in large part to Helen for saving me from my transportation drama yesterday morning and getting me to the airport in time to catch my flight (um abraço muito grande).

Our first foray into Brazil began with renting a car and driving ourselves from the São Paulo-Guarulhos International Airport into the city center. I was surprised that e driving here wasn’t as hectic as I had feared, though my Marcel did the driving since I just don’t think I could be aggressive enough. On our drive into town I could see signs for a major river project that has been underway to improve the Tietê River, which flows along the northern edge of Sao Paulo. I’m hoping to do some research on this project and see to what extent this project is being integrated with broader water resource management. I’m also hoping that as I learn more about this project I can see what comparisons if any can be made to the work being done along the Los Angeles River in my home town.

Once we arrived in the city I was taken aback with how clean the city is. The air seems relatively clean and the streets are pretty clean. I know this is a relative judgment that I am making based on comparing the parts of Sao Paulo I’ve visited so far with other cities I’ve been to including Mexico City, Cairo, and Bangkok. I’ve also been struck by the absence of the destitute poverty that one hears of about Brazil. And contrary to all the warnings I’ve heard, I felt very safe walking around the city and felt welcome to ask random strangers questions on how to get around the city, which they all responded to with a friendly smile and without a complaint about my very broken Portuguese. Now I have not been to the favelas or any part near those areas and I’ve only been here one day so I may have to revise these observations over the next two months that I’ll be spending here. I also hope to figure out what has set Sao Paulo apart from the aforementioned cities.

Well that’s about as much blogging for one day. I’ll keep you posted on other interesting things I find out, and hope to dispel some more myths in the process.

Abraços,

Guillermo