Bem-vinda a São Paulo, por favor não me mata.

After a grueling 10 and a half hours of not moving my legs, and all the sights, smells and excitement an overnight flight can offer, I groggily stumbled into Brazil in my best manner: tired, hungry and sore. The half English, half Portuguese spoken flight was my only refresher course in the field of linguistics, and I am about to completely dunk myself in a heavy dosage of culture and diversity. Filled with excitement, and eager to meet Brazil, the first thing to greet me as I stepped off the airplane were two women in masks and a pamphlet on swine flu. I then somehow proceeded to make it through the national police, hail a cab, find a hotel, book a room for three nights, find a place to eat, and order my first Brazilian meal with using as little Portuguese as possible, nearly none. Although pointing is rude, it has been proven to be useful, especially when using proper means of manners: por favor e obrigado. São Paulo is a giant land mass clumped into a ball of all different types of people and places. No two people look a like, and me, being nearly 6 feet tall and coated in blonde hair, blend in much better than expected. The separation between socioeconomic classes is very evident, and the majority of the people are burdened with extremely harsh living conditions. Although the city is filled with its share of poverty and crime, it is a lively place which respects and proudly represents its cultural unity.

This was my first stop on my six week tour of Southern Brazil, the culture, and its people. I am studying current agricultural issues which are affecting Brazil, and how the government and past policies have created a large flocking of entire farming communities to urbanized areas. What better place to start than the largest city in this overwhelming country. I will be examining current methods of production and how Brazilians can produce ample yields in order to support themselves and their communities. Most of my research will be done in the state of Paraná, but I have the next three days to blend in as a native paulista.