São Paulo: The Guide of a New Paulista

  So I'm back. It's been a while since I've written one of these and I'm sure the absence of my blog has left a deep, deep void of sadness in your lives. A couple of weeks have passed and the sarcasm has increased, but I'm back on the grind now and here to give you an idea about my new home. São Paulo is widely regarded to as the grey jungle of Brazil. The tourism agencies tend to gloss their promo videos with panoramic shots of Rio de Janeiro, the Amazon and the range of paradise beaches that are plentiful in this eyelash fluttering country. To compound this further, most Brazilians from outside the state of São Paulo will goad the place and probably even mock you personally for even wanting to visit. So initially, the idea of spending three months in the third biggest city in the world did not strike me with any sense of fortune.

  The reason I left the glamorous shores of Copacabana in Rio de Janeiro for the stone high-rise of São Paulo? Work. What else would it be? The party times are over - from Monday 8am to Friday 2pm at least - and the time has come to stop pretending like the world is merely here to be enjoyed and to get a job. I actually got this job from my university bedroom in November 2015, as I scrawled through the internet for Brazilian work placements for English students. As I previously mentioned, the idea of Carnival had put me in a daze of green and gold, and I was determined to cross the Atlantic for a few caipirinhas and a bit of samba on the streets of Rio de Janeiro. I was lucky and found an internship at a translation company called Global Translations.BR, based in São Paulo.

  It was put to one side, with Argentina and a bit of time in Rio de Janeiro to come up beforehand, and so my 2nd March start date crept up on me somewhat. The fact this was one day after arriving in São Paulo, after Carnival, made it trickier to get myself into 'work-mode'. However we're nearly three weeks down the line and I'm heavily set into my new routine. I work an 8am-2pm shift from Monday to Friday so it's fairly chilled out, and the work is fresh and a good learning experience. I'm not here to talk about my new job though. Who wants to know about that? I'm here to talk about São Paulo and how I've found this 'ugly', 'boring' and 'solely work-driven' city.

  I'm gonna be honest with you all now. From first appearance alone, São Paulo is not a looker. Even Google Images finds it difficult to select some headlining shots of the city, instead focusing on the scale of the place as opposed to the beauty. That's the first lesson of the city: don't judge a book by its cover. Fortunately, this tepid first exposure to my new home was short-lasting, and a few conversations with some locals quickly presented a new image of São Paulo. I heard the Portuguese equivalent of words like 'edgy' and 'underground', and it became apparent that the jewels of the crown were hidden in the dirt.

  My favourite jewel so far is the neighbourhood of Vila Madalena. The place sits in the western area of the city, which is one of the most extreme in terms of the gradient, and an array of bars and restaurants sprawl along hilly roads. The best way to describe it would be as Shoreditch's long distant cousin. The hipster aroma is strong, and you'll do well to walk more than five minutes without seeing a long beard, a vegan restaurant or someone with an extravagant hair colour. I say walk, but if you move in any way faster than a light stroll then you would look out of place. The area possesses a unique, relaxing vibe and every bar and restaurant has its own quirk; my favourites of these would be São Cristovão (a bar completely covered in football memorabilia and scarves) and Raw (a beer and burger bar that describes its beverages as 'Fucking Cold Beer').


  The hub of Vila Madalena is Beco de Batman. Yep you read that right, Batman. This graffiti covered alleyway represents everything that the neighbourhood is proud of. It's random, artistic and politically rebellious, and is a popular among tourists and locals alike. Looking over the alley is a Batman symbol that sits on the side of what looks like an attic-studio - what else? This isn't the only case of street art that São Paulo exhibits - it's absolutely everywhere. Whether a protest against the government, religious messages or modern adaptations of artistic classics (i.e. Mona Lisa twerking), the street art that dresses the grey giant lights up its personality and represents a voice of the paulista people.

  If Vila Madalena offers visual pleasure, then the Avenida Paulista infuses the city with audible and interactive entertainment. If you visit the biggest street in São Paulo on a Sunday, there is no sign of cars and the avenue is pedestrian-only. This switches on a magnet that attracts the city's vast array of street entertainers and an enthusiastic audience to watch them. Within 50 metres you can see: street dance groups, full-blown gigs, slam-dunk competitions and Elvis impersonators. It's a nice way to walk off a hangover I'll tell you that. The cars of the streets are replaced with skateboarders and cyclists that cruise in designated lanes. The remaining pedestrians gather around entertainers, explore the pop-up markets and sit on the curbs drinking a beer. It's a dream day-out for a lazy Sunday and i don't think I would ever get sick of it - it's too damn positive!

  The last headliner, for me, is the Ibirapuera Park. The huge urban park is yet another beacon of liberality, with large concrete areas for skateboarders, BMXers and even up-and-coming MCs battling away. Large lakes, green areas and bridges provide the body of the park, laying under the distant skyline of São Paulo and proving that the city does have a pretty face under the steely exterior. People aim the dagger at São Paulo, claiming that the people only know how to work; yet if you head to the Ibirapuera Park at the weekend it's plain to see that they know how to relax and enjoy themselves as well.

  From a personal point of view, if I had to compare the two, I've enjoyed living in São Paulo more-so than living in Rio de Janeiro. Yes, it's nowhere near as aesthetically-pleasing or touristically-friendly as Rio de Janeiro, and I would always recommend the latter as a place to spend a couple of weeks on holiday, however as a place to live, I am currently preferring São Paulo. It feels obviously safer and you can walk the streets at most times of the day without constantly looking over your shoulder and preparing a goodbye to your phone. If you do your research, you can find any sort of vibe that you're looking for and the underground scene here is rich with cool bars, shops and general experiences. I'm sure cariocas would tell me that Rio de Janeiro offers the same thing, but there's something about São Paulo that just feels more welcoming and familiar to Europe.


  My upcoming schedule also highlights further entertainment that São Paulo can offer. Next week I'll be heading to Lollapalooza music festival where I will be (finally) seeing The Weeknd, alongside Martin Garrix, Flume and Two Door Cinema Club among others. I'm buzzing to see what a South American music festival will be like, and after Carnival I have a good idea that it's going to be an incredible party; Brazilians know how to let loose and enjoy themselves.

  The city will also be welcoming Justin Bieber, Paolo Nutini and Ed Sheeran for gigs here over the next few months. I currently only have a ticket for the latter, but am looking into adding the former two to my plans. It's not just music either, as I've already been to see Palmeiras, São Paulo and Corinthians football teams play matches here*, and have a ticket to see the Brazilian National Team play Paraguay in a couple of weeks. I remember watching Brazil play Scotland at the Emirates Stadium in 2011, and a young up-and-coming Neymar starred with two goals. Now I'll see him for a second time, but now as Brazil's leader and a genuine world star. I can't wait for it.

  I'm only three weeks into my São Paulo adventure, and it's been a really enjoyable city experience so far. Over this Year Abroad, I've been lucky enough to visit a number of towns and cities and enjoyed them in various degrees. Some cities like Rio de Janeiro are the perfect place to spend a week or two, with true natural beauty and beaches and everything that encompasses a holiday location. Then there's others like Buenos Aires and São Paulo - which most likely won't be at the top of many bucket lists - but do present cultural hubs and edgy social scenes that make ideal places for a young guy to live and settle down.

That's what I'm doing. My life at the moment isn't quite the same, eye-widening galavanting that it has been a stages throughout the year away, and I have to focus first and foremost on my new job. However, you want a city to compliment your work with exciting and enjoyable activities and experiences, and that's exactly what São Paulo is doing right now and long may it continue.

Thanks for reading, hopefully I'll be back sooner than I was this time!

*I wrote up reviews of each of these football matches on my other, football blog. Check them out at the links below...

Palmeiras - https://weretalkingfootball.wordpress.com/2017/03/10/one-week-three-matches-1-palmeiras/

São Paulo - https://weretalkingfootball.wordpress.com/2017/03/10/one-week-three-matches-2-sao-paulo-fc/

Corinthians - https://weretalkingfootball.wordpress.com/2017/03/10/one-week-three-matches-3-corinthians-o-clasico/