Superclasico- River Plate vs. Boca Juniors

10/28/2012

Armed guards, cages, barricades, smoke flares, confetti (essentially, thousands of pages of work emails, english lessons, and history exams ripped to shreds by hand) and an inflated pig. The barricades and cages are not a joke. The visiting team had its own section of the stadium, walled-off from the home team because it is impossible for them to co-exist in the same location and for peace to reign; and all this was before the actual game had begun.
  River Plate celebrating goal No. 2


 
 


Georgia – Florida, Army – Navy, Ohio State – Michigan, Duke – North Carolina, and Louisville – ­­Kentucky are all some of the most heated rivalries known in American sports. In futebol they refer to them  as “classicos” or “derbies.” Essentially these games are typically annual or semi-annual encounters by rival teams, either in the same city or leagues. My top 5 classicos are:

  •      El Classico (Spain) – Barcelona vs. Real Madrid
  •      Milan Derby (Italy) – AC Milan vs. Inter Milan 
  •      London Derby (England) – Chelsea vs. Arsenal 
  •      Manchester Derby (England) – Manchester United vs. Manchester City 
  •      Super Classico (Argentina) – River Plate vs. Boca Juniors

On Sunday, the Super Classico between River Plate and Boca Juniors put the heat in heated rivalry. This game was bigger than most of their previous encounters because they had not played in over 18 months, as such, there was a lot of pent-up aggression. River Plate was relegated to the second division for the entire 2011 season and as a result the two teams have not played since late 2010. Like so many of my experiences in South America so far, words and pictures are not enough to capture the experience. Energetic, exciting, vulgar, dangerous, entertaining, and fun are just a few words that come to mind.


Too busy watching the game to bother selling coke..

Me and Roni, another EY fellow, taking in the excitement



Before the game – Notice no blue and yellow jersey (Boca’s colors) anywhere remotely close to the red and white (River Plate colors)



Some fans spend more time watching and insulting the opposing fans than actually watching the game.  
Some risk safety just to be seen defying the opposing team



Others hurl chairs, diapers, plastic bottles over the barricade during the game (yup! Those are the bases of many chairs that have been ripped apart!)


   

Boca Juniors’ first goal – via penalty kick


 
 A video of the electric atmosphere at the game



I have been lucky enough to watch some major soccer tournaments, on what I perceive to be a “grander scale” but this experience trumps them all. I was honestly a little disappointed by the quality of the actual game on the pitch, but the entire viewing experience definitely takes top spot.



The game ended in a very dramatic fashion with Boca Junior scoring 2 goals in the final 15 minutes to tie the game. The second was scored in the final minute of the game, with the celebration, gesturing, and chair throwing that ensued; you would think a championship was on the line. But for many in Argentina, this was just another league game between rivals River Plate and Boca Juniors who sit 6th and 9th, respectively, on the league table only a third of the way into the season.



For me, and the several dozen tourists in our group that took in this experience, it was pure entertainment pleasure. Thanks to Trevor and Daniel for setting this up, and to LandingPadBA for an enjoyable experience that was “close enough” to all the action but still safe.




Colonia, Uruguay


Colonia del Sacramento
Approaching Colonia Del Sacramento

Since it was only 30 miles (1 hour by ferry) from Buenos Aires, I decided to spend a day in Colonia del Sacramento. I went on a walking tour through “old town” Colonia and learned about its history; made some new friends, and had an amazing lunch of Chivito and red wine at a very colorful place called “The Drug Store” – please don’t ask me why.

The Drug Store, the chefs, and Chivito: eggs, ham, steak, potatoes, salad, and more. 

Some fun facts:
  • Colonia is the oldest city in Uruguay
  • “Ownership” changed several times between Spain, Portugal, Brazil and Uruguay
  • With roughly 22,000 residents, the city has approximately 3 million visitors a year (Uruguay, as a country, has approximately 3.5 million residents)
Overall, it was a great visit. I think one full day is all you really need in Colonia but it was a good change of pace from the big city life of Sao Paulo.

Inside an Old Church in the City

Deciding where to go for a souvenir, one or my tour guides, new friends on a walking tour, and an old store


An old pedestrian road with original stones, the old city gate, and a view that, on a clear day, reaches all the way to Buenos Aires.

An old car and the boat that would take me back to Buenos Aires
Leaving Colonia

Project Acceptance and Service Quality Assessment

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

For the past several weeks I have been working with the commercial team at Pixel to develop a framework and template intended to evaluate their client acceptance process.
After completing a working draft, Pixel began using the template to assess (for testing purposes) several RFP’s (Requests for Proposals) that came in the previous week. Based on these tests and some input from Endeavor, we decided that there was still some work that needed to be done in order to finalize the template and framework.

Also, today, I also started focusing on the end of the sales process and how Pixel could  generate client feedback and deepen client relationships. Whether start-ups or blue chips, choosing the right clients and using client feedback effectively can help a growing company continue to improve the quality of its products and services, as well as strengthen its client relationships. My goal is to have some of these processes operational before my time is up in Sao Paulo. I am convinced that the sooner these processes are in place, the more likely they will continue to be utilized long after I am gone.

Week Three Sightseeing: Old Sao Paulo

Sunday, October 21, 2012

Touring Old Sao Paulo with our tour guide, Adriana


After an amazing night at the Escola de Samba, today’s site seeing agenda was pretty simple – go visit old Sao Paulo, also known as Centro. To get to our destination, we traveled on the metro for the first time since we arrived in Brazil. The area we are currently staying and most of the locales that we visit don’t look all that different from buildings I see in Atlanta or NYC but for the first time in the past three weeks, the architecture, not the language or people, was the key indicator that I was in a different country.  I have to say; some of the sights in old Sao Paulo were pretty sobering. I couldn’t get myself to take pictures of the dozens of homeless people we encountered throughout our adventure. One thing to keep in mind, however, is that although this looks like a ghost town on a Sunday, I have heard on Monday through Saturday it is a bustling center of commerce. Enjoy!


Marco Zero – Considered the official center of Sao Paulo


Patio do Colegio – This marks the site where the city was founded. It is a Jesuit church and school started by Jesuit missionaries in 1554. Inscription: Here the cross of Christ was born in this city dedicated to the apostle Paul by Jesuit priest Manuel da Nobrega and Jose de Achieta among other – January 25, 1554 A.D.


Catedral da se – Sao Paulo Cathedral
Banespa – The “Empire State Building” of Sao Paulo
Brazilian Stock Exchange


Mercado municipal – Never ending tasting of exotic fruits and veggies- which became my downfall...


Lunch!


The Market was a never ending free tasting of assorted fruits.
They were all so good that I had to buy some. The vendor was amazing, and looking back, probably a little too good at his job.  After sampling the fruit, I was determined to have some for myself.  Little did I know that it would cost $30! for only 4 pieces of fruit. I was taken by surprise but had already expressed so much interest.... so I paid.  Did I just get hustled? 




Carnival 2013 - Presentation of Fantasias (Tom Maior Escola de Samba)

Saturday, October 20, 2012

Carnival 2013
Tonight we attended the “Presentation of Fantasias” at the Tom Maior samba school, one of many samba schools that perform during the annual Carnival parade in Brazil every year. These schools train all year long to perform for those two wonderful days that the entire world knows. Tom Maior’s theme this year is “Your Passport to Pleasure.”
My boss, Creso Chaves (CEO and Commercial Direct at Pixel) was once a volunteer at Tom Maior and his brother, Yves Chaves, currently serves as the Director of Harmony. We were lucky to be invited to “Presentation of Fantasias.” This was the first time the 2013 Carnival costumes were shown to the members of the community. I may have lost count but I believe that there were approximately 30 costumes showcased  – 30 distinct costumes for each of the approximately 80 to 100 parade segments called  “alas.” Tom Maior has approximately 3,000 participants. Some larger schools in Rio de Janiero have 5,000 – 6,000.
Summary of the night went like this:
Live original samba by the bateria

 Musical performance by the puxadores

Lead singer singing the theme song of the samba school


Presentation of fantasias

Dance! Dance! Dance!

Yup- that's me trying to Samba.  Will doing a search of "how to Samba" help?
Still trying.  Maybe biting my lip will help?
This is a major event for the samba school and the community. They put on quite a production: stage, live music, live band, samba, VIP tables, cat walk, strobe lights, confetti, local Brazilian celebrities, etc.

I found several things to be unique about this particular night. First, coincidentally, CNN aired an episode of Inside Africa exploring the African influences on the samba carnival, which I watched a couple of hours before heading to “Presentation of Fantasias.” Second was the feeling of nostalgia I had at certain points during the early part of the night watching everyone dance so passionately to samba. It made me miss home, not Atlanta or Texas, but Nigeria. To a lesser extent I was reminded of the traditional block parties we have in village during Christmas, New Years, Burial, Weddings or New Yam festivals.  
Samba really is the expression of the Brazilian culture; their cultural identity. I used to think maybe it was futebol, but now see why as a kid we called the Brazilian style of futebol, samba, or why the national team is sometimes referred to as the “samba boys.” Now I can’t wait to visit Rio de Janiero.
A big hearty thank you to Creso and family for such a great night.



Tathyane (Creso's sister), Ravi, Uma, Elayne (Creso's wife), Me and Creso

Baianas – The ‘mothers’ of the samba school

Porta-bandeira and meste-sala – Female flagholder and male cortsy that display and salute the flag of the samba school



Party Time!  Me, Uma, and Ravi


Brazilian Telenovelas

Friday, October 19, 2012
Avenida Brasilia.  Photo via BBC News: Latin America & Caribbean

The big topic of discussion for the locals today at work, at the restaurants, and on the phone was Avenida Brasila, a Telenovela. Telenovelas are Brazilian prime time soap operas. This specific telenovela airs its final episode tonight after almost 200 episodes and there has been a lot of buzz about it. It is pretty amazing because a  headline today read:
“Brazil electricity distributors fear power outages as last soap opera episode is aired”
Even the President, Dilma Roussef, had to reschedule a rally because it coincided with the time slot of Avenida Brasila. As I have mentioned several times, Sao Paulo is usually a busy town, but on this night as we walked to dinner around 9pm (the shows airtime), the streets were calmer than usual and most bars/restaurants were spotty at best. Keep in mind this was a Friday night. The beautiful thing about this Telenova is that almost every man, woman and child watches it. I guess it’s a family affair.

Final Score: 2-0


Thursday, October 18


Tonight we watched Sao Paulo FC take on Atletico Goianiense at the Morumbi Stadium in Sao Paulo. I enjoy basketball; I really enjoy American football but I LOVE futebol [soccer]! Like most great futebol games, the energy in the stadium was electric; the pitch was perfect and the players entertaining. The highlights of the night were watching Luis Fabiano take and miss a penalty kick and the crowd still embracing their hero.   I would be lying if I did not say I felt like the stadium came to a complete standstill when he missed, and then for almost a full minute after, the entire stadium cheered in perfect harmony "LUIS FABIANO!! LUIS FABIANO!! LUIS FABIANO!!" Maybe it’s just me, but I felt like both the referee and the opposing team were in awe of the loyalty that filled the air because the game did not restart until Fabiano humbly, or shamefully waved and clapped to the crowd in appreciation of their grace and kindness.

Luis Fabiano is one of the most decorated Brazilian strikers of my generation and it was clear that his team loves him. Come rain, come shine, they’ll stand by their own (tonight, even, they stood by him).
On another note, watch out for a kid name Lucas Moura (#7 of Sao Paulo). I believe he is one of the next stars to emerge from Brazil and will be playing in Europe very soon. He was a joy to watch.
Fabiano playing, preparing for his penalty kick, and missing the goal

The crowd at the entrance to the match and the fans cheering during the match

The period following the game was also very interesting. I guess soccer in Brazil, or Sao Paulo specifically, can be pretty intense because with the amount of armed officers, police cars, flashing lights and officer-mounted horses, one would have assumed a riot was about to ensue.  All in all, it was a great night!  A big thank you goes out to Rafael (pronounced Ha-fa-el) and Laura for the invite and for being such great hosts tonight and throughout our entire stay in Sao Paulo thus far. 
L-R: Ravy, Me, Rafael,  Uma, and Rachel.  I had to wear my jersey on top of my jacket as my jacket turned out to be the opposing team's colors!


Wednesday = Feijoada CEO Summit

I did not have Feijoada on this particular Wednesday.  I admit I was secretly hoping to find the dish on the menu for lunch.  It wasn't there, but I had a great time anyway- and  I had much more energy after eating than I have the past few Wedesdays!  


Yesterday I attended the Ernst & Young and Endeavor CEO Summit and it was great. I didn’t know this but I think the “E” in CEO is actually for Entrepreneur not Executive – yea they got me too. The location, Hotel Unique, was amazing and from the outside looked like a modern version of Noah’s Ark.

It was an all day event with 950 attendees, eight panel discussions with some of the most influential businessmen and women in Sao Paulo and Brazil, and dozens of entrepreneurs from some of the most innovative companies in all of Latin America (see below for a brief summary of the panelists).

After listening to all of the speakers, adjourning for several coffee breaks, and devouring an amazing lunch (I loved the squash/pumpkin stuffed ravioli) we and other members of the E&Y team headed to the bar restaurant atop Hotel Unique, which had one of the most amazing views of the city.



Amazing city view
I want to say a very special thank you to the E&Y Strategic Growth Markets (SGM) and Marketing team for inviting us and putting together a great event; more specifically Guilhereme Sampaio, Carolina Pereira, Vivianne Ianagui, Beatriz Guido and Adriana Barreto.


The E&Y People that make the magic happen: Leonardo, Guilherme, Carolina, Vivian, Beatriz and Adriana


E&Y CR Fellows

Another shot of the rooftop view



Read more for the Agenda and List of Panelists