Eleven hours and four movies later we landed in the steamy South American mega city and began the long immigration process. Though we landed at 8:30, we didn't make it through customs and immigration until about noon. We found our bus, bought some tickets and began the two hour commute to our hotel in the middle of downtown.
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| It's official - Also, Go Bucks! |
My first impressions of Sāo Paulo were that it was colorful, hectic, hot, fashionable and sprawling. So far I have been very impressed with the organization of the Fulbright program in Brazil. Everything has been very organized, detailed and structured and communication is prompt. We were met at our hotel by the commission and given a folder for the week with name tags, notebooks, pens and schedules along with an envelope with an additional cash stipend.
Today was a free day since everyone was arriving at different times and most of us spent the time napping, getting organized and walking around a bit. I am sharing a room with Loni, the other girl who will be in Ilhéus with me. She is 25 and is from Nebraska. She spent the last three years teaching in Mexico and hopes to do the Peace Corps after this program.
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| View from the little balcony in our room |
I was surprised to find that here in Sāo Paolo, most people aren't really keen to speak any English. I also quickly found out that knowing only Spanish isn't really enough to get by. Fortunately for me, Loni can speak quite a bit of Portuguese which has helped me out a lot. I guess it's time to hit the books a bit harder in the upcoming days and weeks.
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