Reflection Blog

I am back in the states after a long plane ride and a longer stay in the city of Sao Paulo.  Right now with my ears still ringing, enjoying my old coach eating my American food, drinking clean tap water, and just enjoying the fact that I didn’t need to look like an idiot to order my McDonalds. Reflecting back on my time I thought it was a new enjoyable experience thought taught me a lot about a new culture and myself.  Thinking of Sao Paulo the first thing that came to mind was the size and

variety of the city. All the parts seem different like their very own cities and the size was tremendous. I got a top of a large building and saw how large it really as far I can see there was concrete.

It is as if someone said “Let’s build a concentrated and organized city” Then guy next to him would interrupt “Where is the fun in that?”  To experience such a place was fascinating and it was a perfect place to learn about renewable energy. A country that is devoted and successful in reducing its dependency on oil.  Sao Paulo, where tons of the countries business is done and renewable energy is one of the most important issues. There were many events and moments that took place on this trip and I liked to go through some of them here.

When traveling it is easy to just stay in here room and just stick to the tourist spots. Luckily that staying in a city for a month make you want to explore which exactly what I did.  There were times when I traveled with a group and other times it was something that was set up for us but either way it was nice to experience another culture first hand. To walk down the streets and to see people live their lives. To see this in a different culture is unusual but in a good way. We are just use to how we live are lives it’s nice to how other do it even if it’s not the largest of differences. I’ve been to parks and markets. Malls and restaurants. Each place was a new experience. Each walk an experience I can only have in Brazil.

I went to different parks in Sao Paulo and thought they were very calm. They had fountains and playgrounds and in one even live animals. Going to a place like this is how you are supposed to experience a cultural.

The markets were busy and load. There were many vendors just selling whatever they had and people browsing and shopping to their hearts content. I bought gifts and I bought food. One market was a place where people would come to sell whatever they had was it antique to works of art they were working on. I saw they had toy, record players, cloths, watches, silverware, mugs, pipes, and old Portuguese comic books.  There for the first time I actually drank coconut water from a fresh coconut they were selling in the foods stands. I saw firsthand the women cut the coconut and serve it to me. I would later have some more when I went to one of the parks later.

 Another market was in Liberdade which is Portuguese for “Liberty”. This place is the largest Japanese community outside japan.  Here I got see a huge market place with every building being some sort of store selling everything from pottery to swords. Sao Paulo is a lot like New York. It had its wave of immigrants that add their culture to the city. In Liverdade I got to see that first hand and explore how different cultures exits.  

Mercado Municipal is one of the most largest and interesting food markets. It is housed in a very interesting piece of architecture make the site look magnificent all the while being effective in circulating the air in such a busy and cramped place. There I got to see and taste all kinds of fruits, drinks and vegetables. I never seen so much eccentric food in one place before, let alone try it. A specific fruit I tried was called an Ateomoia a sweat but with a weird after taste. 

It was like a pineapple which here are much more sweater and softer. The market was a welcoming place where everyone comes to gather and enjoy food together. The shop keepers were all nice and understanding. Even one gave me some free gelato. 

Food in general is different. I could tell just when I went to the super market across the street from the hostel. The biggest difference I noticed was the Coke here taste quite different since it using sugarcane and not fructose corn syrup.  I have as well tired empanadas. These are pastries that are stuff with varies things like meat or fish. My personal favorites were the coconut ones. I also tried Coxinhas. They are fried chicken balls and I thought they were very filling. Food is a big part of culture and I got my good share of culture.

During the course of the trip we went on different field trips that were based on renewable energy. For example a solar farm or a company that makes flex fuel engines for cars and motorcycles. These trips were important because they allowed us to see firsthand the renewable energy that was powering the city and the country. I only ever saw this kind of stuff in TV shows and textbooks but I can say that I say the technology that could very well end up saving the world.

My favorite trip was going to the Henry Borden hydroelectric plant in Cubatão. We had to wake up early and get on the bus for a long time to get their luckily we had an excellent view of forests and local environment. After the trip we got to see the plant itself.

It was very large and with a lot of pipes and machinery. We were given a tour of the facility and a history lesson on the plant itself. We learned how it worked and what exactly everything does. We were show new and old things. This plant has had a long and colorful history and it was interesting to learn all the things it’s been though like its construction and explosions from a failed revolution.  The plant diverts water into pipes that go down the hill and spin turbines down below. The power of gravity was being harnessed with these turbines. These turbines were huge and really load. The entire time we had to where a hard hat, safety goggles, and ear plugs. Most of the factory was covered in warning signs. We later walked done into the underground turbines which were put in place after the original turbines, the cut into caves and underground facilities were cool to look at and understand how much work went into this place. I never saw something like this and I won’t see something this again for a long while. So I am glad I came and saw this place to learn firsthand to what it takes to power Sao Paulo and Brazil.

One of my favorite moments where going to Paraty Brazil. This place was really great. Sao Paulo was fun put it was nice to travel across the country and see more Brazil than just one city. We traveled for a long time but I got see more towns, forests and valleys. I even got to see a waterfall once. Arriving there I could tell it would be different. The town is divided in two one that is modern and one with old road and buildings. The side that is in the past is all building from the colonial times when this was a very active port. The tour guide showed us all the buildings and told us the meaning of all the buildings and landmarks. We then explored the town and shops. The colonial feel was great and the night sky was beautiful. Walking back I could see so many stars, we were so far away from the light and the noise of the city, it was just peaceful. We later went on a boat ride to go to different islands. We swam in the water and hanged out at the beaches. In Sao Paulo it being really gloomy and cold so getting away for a bit was a nice change in pace.  I also tried the churros they have their. They were amazing. Warm and covered with cinnamon. Over in Brazil they also fill them with Carmel or chocolate adding a new taste in my mouth.

Overall I am really glad I went on this dialogue. Brazil is a wonderful country full of amazing and kind people, interesting places and a lot of things to learn from.  I will defiantly go back some day and explore more of the country then just Sao Paulo. Not saying Sao Paulo was not great but I am up for new adventures and I think Brazil still has a lot left.