Museu da Lingua Portuguesa March 30th

During our last few days in São Paulo Anders and I visited the famous Portuguese Language museum located in the Estação da Luz..  To be honest, at first it sounded like a very boring place to go.  However, I was interested to know that this museum is the only interactive language museum in all Latin America.  Although we didn't spend too much time there, I was fascinated by the interesting details I learned about the Portuguese language and its origins.  At the museum were interactive monitors that displayed the pronunciation and origin of each word.  It was interesting to see how many Portuguese words came from the native Indians languages and African languages.  

Memorial da America Latina March 30th

Our last and final assignment in Brazil was to visit the Memorial da America Latina.  At first I was kind of surprised with how barren the place was.  But after understanding the reason behind the memorial things began to make more sense.   In the middle of the entire park there is a big open hand in the vertical position with the map of Latin America painted in red.  The hand and blood is a symbol of Latin America's history of past oppression and its battles for freedom.  The lack of vegetation is in my opinion is another reflection of the desolation brought upon by the conquests of the past.

Easter Dia Santo Friday March 29th

 Although the Friday before Easter isn't very big in the U.S, in Brazil because of the heavy Catholic influence almost everyone doesn't eat meant but instead consumes fish.  And so by good fortune Anders and I were invited to a Friday feast by the aunt of Stêffani.  I was pretty curious to see how Brazilians celebrate this holiday.  Well it turned out to be kind of how I expected they would celebrate it, like any other holiday.  A lot of food, music, nap, party.  In our case however, we ate a wonderful dish prepared by Stêffani's aunt that was 100% fish based/no meat.

Museu da Ipiranga March 28th

One of my most favorite museums in São Paulo is the Museu da Ipiranga.  The museum pays homage to where Emperor Don Pedro 1 proclaimed Brazilian independence from Portugal.  The contracted architect chose to do everything eclectic-styled, a style similar to the French Palace of Versailles.  The museum is a really breathtaking place.  At the bottom of a slowly inclined hill is an enormous monument to Emperor Don Pedro the first.  In front of the monument sits a large vase with a fire that I presume is lit 24/7.  In front of the flame in the distance is large Brazilian flags that rippled with the wind.  I was impressed as I stared up at this monument with the inscription "Independencia ou Morte" (Liberty or death).  It made me reflect on the sacrifice of great men that had come before me.  Climbing the big hill in the distance was the Museu da Ipiranga.  The way leading up to it though was a major attraction for what seemed like every skater in the city of São Paulo.   I have to say that there were at least 50 or more people skating down the hill at one time.    I was also very impressed by the well kept gardens in front of the mansion/museum.  We were lucky to come just as the sun was setting leading us to take some great pictures.  In my opinion, the way the place kept and the beautiful architecture is a inspiring monument to the rise that Brazil is experiencing.  It's heart warming to see that despite the explosive growth that Brazil has experienced, the country is continually protecting and remembering the roots of its success.

Interview with CEO of babys.com.br March 3rd

We had the interesting experience of interviewing David Smith the CEO and founder of the babys.com.br company.  I first heard about David Smith when I randomly walked in on a lecture he was giving at the David Kennedy Center at BYU Provo.   At the time he was speaking about his entrepreneurial experience and what led him to where he was today.  I thought it was absolutely fascinating the steps he took and how he was inspired to be an entrepreneur.  What really caught my attention at the time was the fact that he had done the very same internship that I was bound to do with the employment service.  And so once I discovered that he was living in São Paulo where we would be interning, I reached out to him through my contacts in the Kennedy Center and fortunately he agreed to meet with us for breakfast on Wednesday.  Rather than an interview it was more of an regular conversation about what led him to where he is today.  A piece of advice he gave us was to invest our time in internships like we were already doing.  While school is a great way to learn often times we only find out exactly what we want to do and what we don't like through hands on experience that only internships can provide.  David also confirmed to us what my earlier interviews was showing about problems with entrepreneurship in Brazil.  He indicated that government bureaucracy was a nightmare for small and big businesses in Brazil.  However, he continued stating that such difficulties actually left often opportunities for people to pursue because many individuals were scared off by such barriers.  Those willing to take the risk (like him) were benefited in many ways.  After a good talk we parted ways, fresh with ideas of entrepreneurship stuck in my head!

Last Career Workshop Tuesday and Wednesday March 26th and 27th

Finally it came down to our last career workshop in Brazil.  We were scheduled to teach on Tuesday and Wednesday.  We were expecting at least 15 however, when no one came around 6 we almost left.  Last minute however, 5 trickled in and we began the last curso de CASP.  Since there were only 5 and they were relatively young we were able to teach the workshop in a more modified more personalized way.  Instead of taking three days to teach the course we were able to finish it two by Wednesday.  The group proved to be pretty receptive and eager to learn.  Since the majority of everyone there had no real job experience we focused a lot on their presentation skills and focused on helping them prepare for a job interview.  It was a satisfying experience to see them grow in confidence and preparation.  Although it seemed like a very short time we were in the country I really enjoyed the experience we were able to have, teaching the career workshop.  The principle I taught helped me as well act more professionally and helped me understand the intricacies of the Brazilian labor market.

Embu das Artes March 23rd

Taking advantage of one of our last Saturdays in Brazil, Anders and I met up with our friend Peter (from Jujitsu) to go visit a famous attraction in São Paulo called Embu das Artes.  Pretty much what it is is an artisan craft festival that happens every Saturday in the city of Embu.  Looking for some souvenirs to take home, we thought it would be a cool idea to stop by.  I would definitely recommend the place especially for families looking to avoid overpriced souvenir items.  I always almost tempted to buy another hammock however I resisted knowing that the hammocks would be a lot cheaper in the state of Bahia.  We ended up getting some gifts and then getting lunch at a really nice place.  We decided to order the famous moceca or fish meal that they commonly have here in Brazil.  It was very delicious but a little bit expensive to say the least!