Sao Paulo: For anyone who doesn't think they're Brazilian

My friends have given me shit, pretty much from the moment I returned from studying abroad in Brazil, saying that I need to stop pretending to Brazilian. It's fair, maybe I did bring a bit too much Brazil back to the states after the study abroad experience. To be racially ambiguous became hot in the U.S. only a few decades ago; in Brazil, since Gilberto Freyre's controversial theory of racial democracy in the 1930, racial ambiguity has been tres chic.

Any-who, the significance of the title is that I think it would be worthwhile to give a description of Sao Paulo for those who have never seen the city before. For the record, I am very proud to be American and would never want to be Brazilian. I would just like to have a house here.

Sao Paulo beats Bogota on the level of ugliness. In using the word "ugly" I do not mean that the city is actually ugly, but rather it is very poorly laid out. This is the thing for which Sao Paulo is notorious. As I understand it, the city developed with a plan, but quickly outgrew this plan and as a result it did not grow in any logical fashion, but rather spread like a spill on land. A view from a few of the tallest buildings in the city's downtown will give a view of concrete as far as the eye can see. In all 360 degrees. It is absolutely impressive, but it makes you wonder how long this has been going on and how long it will continue.

Sao Paulo's success, in spite of it's horrific plan, can be attributed largely to the fact that it is Brazil's financial engine. I can understand the hesitation anyone would have to moving the capital to Sao Paulo, especially because of the size (11 million in the city, closer to 20 including the outskirts), but there is no denying the force behind the financial success of Brazil's most populous city. Where it was once home to the domestic natural resource-based business (and it still is), Sao Paulo is largely identified as an international city. Nearly any foreign business that has an office in Latin America will have one in Sao Paulo. Especially in the financial districts, in certain moments you feel like you could be anywhere in the world; it does not feel like Brazil that you think of with Rio and Salvador.

That said, Sao Paulo is far from devoid of a unique identity. This is part of what comes with being the 4th most populous city in the world. While in one sense Sao Paulo is international and in another it is characterized as the financial engine of Brazil, the city also has a rhythm and vibrancy all its own. One of the best ways for me to understand the city is as a conglomeration of neighborhoods. Each neighborhood has its own identity. Each neighborhood has it's own entertainment. Depending on what you are trying to in a given evening, you will find yourself in a different neighborhood. Some of the city's best clubs are in Villa Madalena. Avenida Paulista (which covers a number of neighborhoods) is one of the major commercial centers of Sao Paulo. Centro is the city's downtown. The neighborhoods of Pacaembu and Morumbi are homes to the city's most storied soccer stadiums. In the neighborhood of Jardins you will find some of the luxurious homes in Sao Paulo. The list goes on and on and on.

In this way Sao Paulo is a city of many identities, fitting for a city of its size. It cannot be characterized or easily summarized in a word or sentence. In the previous paragraphs, I have only scratched the tip of the iceberg. There is much to be explored in this city, and as I am here now for the third time, I would definitely give a visit my highest recommendation.