Day 2 - Exploration

Day 2 

Sao Paulo is a very big and expensive city. In 24 hours I have seen why it is the 7th largest metropolitan area in the world and the 12th most expensive city for expats. Also, the skies of downtown Sao Paulo are a preview of what the future holds for transportation. Given the size and population of the city, traffic can be nightmare (5 – 10 times as bad as Lagos/Victoria Island, Nigeria).
As such, the skies are always busy with helicopters hoping from one sky scraper to another. Sao Paulo has more helicopters than any city in the world.

I had the opportunity to attend a church service with the South Region of the Sao Paulo International Church of Christ today. Vitor picked me up at about 9:45am this morning and we made the 20 minute commute to Church. The interactions that ensued with the members soon after I arrived at church reminded me of the feeling at the Park yesterday…that the next two months in Sao Paulo will be very long unless I learn Portuguese. However, the language that I understood was the language of love. They hugged me, they greeted me with “holy kisses” (obviously on the cheek as most South Americans do) and I even got a shout out from the preacher and welcome applause. It was pretty funny as I could barely make out what he was saying except “Americano”, “Atlanta” and “Onuwa” and then a hand gesture meaning stand up. I didn’t understand a word that was sang or preached but I smiled, literally, the entire service because I was 4,500 miles from, but I felt completely at home. I felt like I was among family. I typically visit churches during my travels because I like to keep some of my good habits when I am travelling, but also because I have this curiosity about how other cultures worship. It was an amazing experience because although I have had similar experiences of warmth and love in France, Nigeria, Belgium, South Africa, Canada, etc., in none of those countries did the language barrier exist as much as it does here in Sao Paulo. 

Back to hit the streets…

After church I decided to take a walk and saw a cop car (a white hatch back speeding down Rua Japaraiquara) with two officers in it. As soon as I made eye contact with the cop on the passenger side, the car came to an abrupt stop turned and sped directly toward me. Within seconds both cops were out of the car and I had 2 guns pointed directly at me.. Before anyone freaks out, I am alive and well and perfectly ok now. And yes, it is true that there are few times that your life flashes before your eyes but for me, today was one of them. It is not a good feeling to stare down the barrel of a gun. I couldn’t decide which one to focus on. However, I kid you not when I say I have never been calmer in my life. I said a quick prayer while the policemen yelled at me in Portuguese with the guns still pointed directly at me. I dropped my bag slowly and put my hands above my head and kept telling myself no sudden movements. One policeman put me against the wall and frisked me while the other one continued yelling with his gun pointed directly at me. While all this went on, I spoke my first word…“English? English? English?”. He then searched my bag and saw my bible. He gave me my bag and waved, I assume to apologize, then gave me a thumbs up. They both got in the car and sped off looking for whoever it was they were looking for in the first place. I must have fit the description of someone that had just committed a crime. Three things crossed my mind: (i) I wondered if they would be willing to take a picture with me because no one would believe that this happened to me literally 24 hours after I arrived, (ii) I laughed hysterically (I have a nervous laughter) and (iii) I thanked God that I lived to laugh about it. The whole process happened so quickly.

After today, I know for a fact that (i) I need to learn Portuguese and learn it fast and (ii) It is going to be a an exciting 2 months in Sao Paulo.