I am working in Sao Paolo for a couple of weeks. This city is immense, people here think that New York is small and easy to get around in. The food here is incredible! Good food is cheap, fresh and has an absolute minimums of chemicals or preservatives. McDonald’s is prohibitively expensive. It should cost money to ruin your health.
The standards of appearance are much higher in Brazil than in the USA. People dress neater and generally take care of themselves better. Coke Zero is the standard soda, meals here in Sao Paolo are often composed of some kind of salad (seafood, vegetable, fruit, etc.) and a fresh fish or beef steak right off the grill.
Everything stops for lunch and dinner is optional. Going out for dinner is a highly social event with large groups holding down tables for 3 hours without being kicked out.
I have made a lot of friends here. People are generally more relaxed and friendly than in the US. Work days are quite long, from 9am until 8pm or so, but the pace is slower with about half of the time being spent in communication and socializing.
When I come in for work in the morning, its impossible to slide into a cube and nurse a hangover. A handshake and personal greeting with every single acquaintance is expected. This can take quite awhile, since there are 10 or so people in the area that I work in.
During the day, walking around the nicest parts of downtown, I counted about 7 iPod headphones each day downtown. Co-workers remarked that those people were idiots for wearing the iPod headphones in public. No one carries laptops on the street at night. Ever. They are stolen on sight. No one carries a computer bag, everyone uses backpacks. The majority of people live in condominiums for safety. The level of security needed for a house is prohibitive: electric fences, 24 hour on-site security, etc. are just too much trouble.
There is a very strong police presence in the business areas, with foot patrols and kiosks around major intersections. There seems to be little violent crime anymore. Things are better than they used to be in the 80’s. At night, women walk alone on a main street with a purse without a problem.
Because of security concerns, Sao Paolo is a city of beautiful inside spaces and the culture has evolved to fit. Many places are a blank wall and plain door opening into a gorgeous interior restaurant or club. People do not go for extended walks around the city as much as we do.
Really, anyone who is used to getting around the bulk of New York City will be perfectly fine in Sao Paolo. They are a lot alike.
If I were single I would probably stay and work here for a couple of years.
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