Making the move to São Paulo

After countless trips to the visa processing center, two finger print scans, and a few vaccinations, I finally made the move to São Paulo. I arrived on Tuesday to a wonderfully furnished (and vibrator-free) apartment in Itaim. Although I miss SF and my bed - enjoy Eric - terribly, there are some definite benefits to living in SP.

First, I can walk to work in 10 minutes which kicks my former 1hr 20min commute to Mtn View's ass. Most importantly, it means that I will have time to do things after work...shocking, I know, and that once the jetlag wears off, I will be getting a lot more sleep...fingers crossed, that it will keep the purple circles starting to form under my eyes from getting any worse.

Second benefit is drastically improved working hours. Ok, ok, so I put in a few or maybe six hours in on my first Saturday, but weekend work should be rare going forward. Most colleagues get into work around 9 or 9:30. I arrived at 8:30 one morning and I was the first person in the entire office. Of course, everyone in the SP office works hard, but arrival and departure times will be much improved.



Third, for the first time in my career, I am working on a team that is mostly comprised of women (that is right TWoo, I used the terms women and career in the same sentence - how close to thirty does that get me?). I was nervous about it at first just because it is more foreign to me than speaking Portuguese, but it has been completely rad. Well, except for the awkward email I got from a manager in Argentina threatening to "initiate a legal battle and demand that [I am] based in Buenos Aires !!! [My boss] has all the smart and beautiful girls with him... that is not fair...!" And yes, that is actual text lifted from a corporate email. Anyway, the girls take care of me and I already know all the truly important things to know about the city, like how much a manicure costs, how to say I want to get my eyebrows done in Portuguese, where to get my hair done, etc,.  They have also exposed me to Brazilian weekend dining.  Dinner on Friday and Saturday nights is a marathon event starting at 8PM and lasting until 1AM or 2AM - I love it!    


Fourth, I am learning a new language. I finally get to learn something new! I can't even express how happy I am about it. In all honesty, my Portuguese kinda sux...mostly Spanish with an attempt at altering my accent to resemble what I am hearing. I understand a lot though and I hope that means I will be speaking well soon. I gave all the Brazilians a good laugh at lunch the other day by making the mistake of calling my casaco (in English:  a short jacket) a cacete (in English:  a stick or club; slang for dick). I promise to share all future language slip-ups with you.





Finally, I am in a great location to explore the rest of South America. Given Yuppie Scum travel isn't quite as romantic as backpacking through a continent, but I am looking forward to my future trips. I am headed to Buenos Aires tomorrow night (for work only, but will post pics anyway) and then off to Peru to see Lake Titicaca and Machu Pichu with Robyn at the end of next week!

Well, there are only two wack elements so far (alright interesting A to Z dinner ladies, I am keeping the use of wack alive).   1)  I haven't really got to know the city/public transportation/places to run yet - lame. Hopefully, I can correct that soon.  And 2) I miss you guys too much. I think I am all cried out after my last weekend in SF, so the tears have stopped, but I love you all a ton. For those of you that are planning trips to see me, I can't wait and for those of you that can't make it, I will see you when I am home. Beijos - C