A perfect day in Buenos Aires

The weather in Buenos Aires was perfect for walking around the city. In the morning, I enjoyed a walk along the waterfront area of Puerto Madero with one of my guests. The neighborhood differs significantly in the way it feels and looks-the streets clean, the buildings sleek and modern, the shopping and dining upscale. We had lunch at a nice Italian restaurant, women clientele dressed in fine summer fashions and men in button-down dress shirts. A quick survey of other restaurants in the area reinforced that this is an area where appearance matters, so if you intend to dine here, you should dress appropriately.






In the afternoon, the group walked to Recoleta with the intention of visiting the famous cemetery. We arrived a bit too late, though, so opted to tour the Parroquia de Nuestra Señora del Pilar, a centuries-old church with impressive architecture and an equally impressive interior. Afterwards, we walked through a maze of hundreds of vendors' stands in the park, selling everything imaginable. And the infamous dogs of Recoleta that get walked in this park: yes, they do exist, so watch your step in the grassy areas. Now I understand why dog feces became a political matter.






On the way back to the hotel, the group stopped for dinner at the Gran Bar Danzon (Libertad 1161). Located on the second floor of the building, the bar/restaurant was beautifully adorned with sleek modern furniture, concrete, metal, and candlelight. The food was among the best I have ever eaten. I highly recommend the appetizer "tarte tatin de manzanas y queso de cabra con crema de castañas de cajú y microgreens." You'll moan aloud on the first bite - guaranteed! The wine list was extensive as well, with some great inexpensive Malbec choices.

Robust economy, at what cost?

University of Florida graciously agreed to let me shadow one of their Argentine business presentations coordinated by Austral Group, so that occupied most of my morning. The presentation by Southern Cross and Northia Laboratories highlighted the significant growth of biomedical/pharmaceutical industries in Argentina, driven by strong export markets (especially for injectables) across Latin America. Politics, however, play an interesting role; Northia and many others in the biomedical industry do not sell their products to Venezuela, for example, because Chávez has a history of taking and not paying. General economic stability across the region has also favored industry growth, but there are concerns that growth will slow quite markedly over the next decade. Inflation is also another serious factor: currently 20%. While wages have been steadily increasing and unemployment rates remaining relatively low, the global economic crisis has made inflation a liability, with potential retractions in foreign direct investment that are critical for the country's long-term economic viability. Some of the Brazilians I met in São Paulo also indicated that there were increasing concerns with Argentina. The accusation of corruption with President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner is also presenting a significant perception problem. In essence, it's the same old Latin American story of financially paying back the "friends" who helped get you elected.

The rest of my day was spent sight-seeing in the Microcentro with some guests from IU who joined me for the Argentina and Peru legs of my trip. The afternoon activities included walking around and seeing the Plaza de Mayo, Casa Rosada, Catedral Metropolitana, and Plaza del Congreso. The pictures below essentially illustrate the day, but there are a few observations I want to pass along.

The Catedral is a "must see" because it effectively captures the Catholic foundation of the country and highlights the various "rich" periods of the country's history. Around the Plaza de Mayo, I saw a billboard for the musical on Edith Piaf's life - merely another example of Argentina's love of all things European. And there was, of course, one of the ubiquitous demonstrations near the Plaza de Mayo, this one for what appeared to be disparate groups of socialists and anarchists quietly standing in the street with banners.

Plaza del Congreso was disappointingly unimpressive. There were broad swaths that had not been adequately maintained, and the plaza as a whole looked dirty. The allegorical statue of the Republic did, interestingly, have "JP Descamisados" spray painted on the base, a sign of the resurgence of the Peronistas. Curiously, however, there were dozens of cats sleeping on the steps of the statue's base behind the iron-gated area.










Along the way, the group stopped into Havanna for coffee and a medialuna (small croissant). Unlike the fast-paced to-go model of Starbucks, Havanna is designed for a slower-paced sit-down experience, with a mesero/mesera coming to your table to serve you. If you're in a hurry, this is not the place for you. We also had drinks and snacks at a small cafe in the Plaza del Congreso. This was my first experience with Argentina's desperately poor and homeless, countless people who approached our table attempting to sell socks and other miscellaneous items. Because of safety concerns, I do not recommend dining outside in this area.

Arrival in Buenos Aires

The travel from my hotel on Frei Caneca to Guarulhos International Airport was amazingly quick, and the taxi driver was one of the safest I've experienced so far. Getting through the airport was also efficient. Compared to the U.S., security is far less strict at Guarulhos and takes only a matter of minutes.

Security was the same as my prior experience two years ago: I had to remove my belt (set off the metal detector) but kept my shoes on and simply put my bags – with nothing taken out of them – on the conveyor belt for scanning. Considering the lax requirements, I now understand why you have to go through additional security upon arrival to the U.S.

My arrival at Ezeiza International Airport in Buenos Aires, Argentina, was a shocking experience. Immediately I was approached by countless sales people for taxis, money exchanges, and other services. Because I had done my research, I knew not to hire a taxi from anyone walking around inside or outside the airport terminal. So I walked up to the Yellow Taxi kiosk to hire a taxi, as I had read that this was one of the cheapest and more reliable means of securing transportation into Buenos Aires. Unfortunately once I was in the car, it became obvious that the kiosk representative had secured a remise for me rather than a taxi, and the rate was about 50 pesos higher than I had anticipated paying. My bags were already in the trunk, however, so I decided to pay the extra money and save myself the hassle of unloading everything and getting a taxi. Lesson I learned from observing others: hail a Yellow cab curbside yourself without any mediators helping you, or get a taxi from the blue kiosk inside the terminal outside the arrivals.

The taxi driver fit the description of an aspiring Indy 500 race car driver. He drove nearly double the posted speed limit and swerved erratically from lane to lane. The ride from the airport to the hotel, which normally takes 45 minutes, only took 30 minutes! The driver spoke English quite well, having lived in Los Angeles for several years before returning to BsAs. However, he talked incessantly about his divorce and how his wife's demands for child support and alimony drove him back to his native Argentina in order to secure a better job and lower his expenses.

I checked into Loi Suites Esmeralda on M. T. de Alvear near Plaza San Martín, located close to some of the major tourist attractions and all the conveniences that a typical American might need - restaurants, bars, laundries, shops, and convenience stores open 24 hours a day. After a quick nap and unpacking, I headed over to Calle Florida around 9:30 pm to find a restaurant for dinner. I stumbled upon Il Grann Café (Florida 700), which offered outdoor seating on the beautiful late summer night. The restaurant had a talented saxophonist performing, which paired nicely with the "lomo de cerdo" and cold cerveza I ordered. All of the wait staff speak English, so don't hesitate to eat here if you are concerned about a language barrier.

Final full day in São Paulo

My last full day in São Paulo was busy with two lengthy back-to-back meetings in the afternoon with the American Chamber of Commerce and Escola Superior de Propaganda e Marketing (ESMP/SP). Unfortunately I didn't get a chance to take any photographs of the facilities.

The American Chamber of Commerce-São Paulo is located in the neighborhood of Santo Amaro, not far from SENAC. The Chamber hosts an impressive number of meetings and events every year, averaging around one event per day at their impressive office and conference complex. The international affairs staff were incredibly kind and helpful, highlighting many opportunities to partner on both CIBER and Kelley School projects and programs. Approximately 5000 businesses are members of the Chamber, with around 70% of those members local, Brazilian-born businesses. Other universities have successfully tried social enterprise projects working directly with small Brazilian businesses, but these have not been approached in a sustainable manner up to this point - meaning that the projects were completed with no intentional continuation over the coming years. The Chamber has also offered to help CIBER with its international business conference in 2011 by hosting at least one day of meetings and coordinating speakers from local Brazilian businesses.

After this meeting, I rode across the city to meet with two faculty members from ESMP. The institution is interested in expanding its international partnerships, for both short and long term study abroad opportunities for its students and research collaborations across international borders. ESMP's facilities were quite impressive, with specialized labs in consumer marketing (including a replica of a real supermarket), consulting, and creative design (with team-based computer stations). The school also has an active group of students and faculty that do various social enterprise projects. With over 5000 undergraduate students, the school has grown significantly since the government relaxed restrictions on public and private institutions, and their reputation has only continued to strengthen.

Later in the evening, stumbled across Galetos on Alameda Santos. The restaurant had superb bread and salt-encrusted slow-roasted chicken. Skip the capirinha, however, as it is overpriced and not nearly as great as Margherita Pizzaria.

São Paulo traffic: total insanity

If you think you've seen bad traffic, São Paulo might just put every other city to shame. This morning, I had a meeting scheduled with SENAC at their Santo Amaro office and thought departing one hour early would give me sufficient time to get there. Well, I got there 45 minutes late because of a pile-up on the highway near Morumbi. Fortunately, the wonderfully patient and understanding staff at SENAC were still waiting for my arrival and had not given up. One staff member told me that her commute from the area around Frei Caneca, where my hotel is located, to Santo Amaro takes about one hour when traffic is good.

After an hour-long meeting to get to know each other's institutions better, I had lunch with a staff member who has a sibling that lives only a few miles outside Bloomington, Indiana. She had spent several years in the U.S. and thus spoke impeccable American English. She had great stories to share about her experiences abroad.

Then we were joined by another staff member who had recently completed a two year stay in the U.S. Both took me on a tour of the SENAC-Santo Amaro campus, and I must say the campus is impressive. Located in a predominantly industrial area, the campus re-purposed several existing factory buildings, turning them into LEED certified classroom buildings. Even though it was quite hot and humid outside, the design of one of the general classroom buildings kept the interior pleasantly cool and allowed fresh air to circulate without the use of any electrified force such as an air conditioner or fans. The campus also had a large conference center and meeting rooms, able to hold up to 400 attendees in the central auditorium, and a large library. It also had a gym and other buildings with specific purposes, including the School of Gastronomy with immense kitchens, labs, and even a real functioning restaurant that is used for students' final exams. The technological infrastructure was just as impressive, with an information commons in the library and computer labs (many specialized to meet the needs of particular disciplines, one large lab fully funded by Microsoft for purposes of IT research) throughout the classroom buildings. Because enrollments continue to rise, SENAC is currently finishing another large classroom building.

What particularly impressed me was SENAC's attention to how the design and function of classrooms and facilities impacted student learning, especially in the attainment of critical skills for employment. For example, students in their hotel management degree program take courses that require them to role play various scenarios in a classroom that looks exactly like the interior of a hotel, front desk and lobby included. Students earning degrees in fashion design and apparel merchandising also complete projects and courses in classrooms that replicate real work stations you might find at a storefront design studio. In the U.S., this would likely be viewed as a trade school or community college approach to education. Yet, these students are completing four year undergraduate degrees, with a rigorous curriculum. And, most importantly, these students are graduating with marketable skills.

Like so many of our students at the Kelley School of Business, SENAC's students are looking for opportunities to complete short-term courses and projects in the U.S. While that certainly established a shared need, we found common ground in an area that might end up solidifying a partnership - even if it is ultimately a more informal one: social responsibility. Their students and faculty actively engage in community betterment projects, and the evidence of the delivery of that mission was everywhere on the campus. There were photographs of students and faculty working with impoverished families, teaching young children about how to take care of their communities and their environment, cleaning up various parts of the city, and so on. In the library, a special installation showcased some of the most recent projects. One particularly touching exhibit showcased photographs taken by visually impaired children; one of SENAC's photography professors, who had recently completed a Fulbright at Harvard, regularly conducts workshops and then helps the students, many of whom are from desperately poor families, sell their photographs.

The meeting with SENAC did not conclude until 4:00 pm that afternoon, pushing my arrival back at the hotel to nearly 5:00 pm. After a short nap, I walked down Rua Haddock Lobo and decided on Margherita Pizzeria, located at the intersection with Alameda Tietê, for dinner. If you get a chance, at least stop in and try one of their upper-range caipirinhas with caçacha (R$14). It's worth the money! The pizza, with its warm and gooey buffalo mozzarella, ("mussarela de búfala) was also superb, albeit somewhat expensive at R$35. The restaurant's great food and ambiance make the price palatable.

Photos coming soon!

Sunday in Sampa

Half the city's population seemed to be out and about on this beautiful sunny Sunday. With an insufficient amount of sunscreen on my body, clearly not enough to last the entire afternoon, I wandered down Avenida Paulista and made the long trek up to Liberdade, the Japanese neighborhood, for the "festa" or market.

If you look at a map of the city, Avenida Paulista doesn't seem to be that long, at least not in comparison to other major streets. But with high rise buildings hovering overhead and extra wide sidewalks to accommodate the vast number of pedestrians, a short walk of ten blocks can feel daunting. Along the way, however, you find plenty of interesting sights to take in, including the Museu de Arte de São Paulo Assis Chateaubriand, also known as MASP (pronounced mass-pee by the locals). You can't miss the building: it's elevated off the ground by massive red columns. The architecture, while undeniably interesting in a modern concrete-and-glass box sort of way, is nevertheless gaudy and out-of-character with the somewhat sleek modernism of the towers around it. Add to this the antiques market that seems to simply "pop up" on Sundays, and you have a bizarre, eclectic living piece of art.



While Paulista embodies the strength of the Brazilian financial sector and active consumerism, it's identity seems to be in flux and still in progress. There are the predictable high rise condos and apartments, corporate headquarters, pharmacies, restaurants, and shopping centers, and then there are a few historic structures and parks with expanses of green space that appear to have been left intact for good measure. Later in the afternoon when I walked past the historic building in the first photo below, a hideous transvestite was performing a bad musical number in an equally hideous evening gown. He verbally harassed passersby who took photos without "donating" money, so I didn't snap a photo.





Thinking I actually knew where I was going, I turned left onto the first street after the hospital in the next to last photo above. As you quickly discover, streets have multiple names, and they don't always connect with other streets in logical ways. Alas, I had barely stepped off Paulista and was already lost. So, I opted to follow the signs that pointed to Liberdade, naively assuming that this would take me in the right direction. Up and down steep hillsides I go, my body about to fall to the ground from using muscles that seldom, if ever, get used back home in my daily activities. I continue to follow the signs. Ah, an intersection. Okay, this must be close. But wait, it says to go back in the direction I just came from, but this time down a different one way street. At one point I seriously considered giving up and hailing a taxi. But just as I was about to do so, I noticed a group of Japanese Brazilians walking in my direction with shrimp on skewers in their hands, and I knew that I had to be closer to the market. After three more blocks down the hillside, I recognize the cross street and have a much better idea of where I am. Anticipating that the market couldn't be more than a few blocks away, I walk another twenty plus minutes and finally arrive! The lesson I learned: don't trust the maps. Distances are much further than they appear. Take the subway or take a taxi. There's even a clearly marked subway stop for "Liberdade" that takes you directly into the heart of the neighborhood's business district.



You know you've reached Liberade because of the Japanese lamps that adorn all the streets. São Paulo is home to the largest Japanese immigrant population in the world, and Liberdade has increasingly become a melting pot for a multitude of immigrants from East Asia and Southeast Asia. While those ethnic identities are pronounced in the neighborhood, their integration into the city more broadly can be seen everywhere.


Thousands of people crowd the narrow streets around Avenida Liberdade, and both the booths and the storefronts spill over with bodies attempting to squeeze into narrow spaces. Once inside, it's next to impossible to even see the merchandise, but the exhilaration overrides the discomfort. I opted to skip the food stands since many of the words were far outside my vocabulary (especially lesser-known seafood names). And the heat from the deep fryers was overwhelming. The seemingly endless rows of handi-crafts and touristy items were fascinating. Even I couldn't avoid picking up a few souvenirs, including a Liberdade t-shirt.


After my long walk and a few hours of navigating through the market, I grabbed a croissant stuffed with "frango e quejo" (chicken and cheese) and a cold Guaraná from a kiosk near the subway. At R$4, it was a super cheap and super tasty snack.

I decided to walk a few blocks to the São Joaquim subway station while enjoying my snack. The streetscape was quite depressing, with many buildings abandoned and desperate homeless people living in makeshift cardboard "homes." Shockingly, I saw four young men shooting heroin right in front of me on the sidewalk, sitting on plastic milk crates as though nothing out of the ordinary was happening at that moment.



Having survived my Liberade adventure, I took the subway back to Avenida Paulista. Foolishly, I thought I had enough energy to make the trek to Ibirapuera Park. Based on my assessment of the city map, I had selected the closest subway stop to the park. But, once again, I found the distance was much more than I had expected, so much that I wasn't sure I could actually get there. By that point, I had walked at least 6 or 7 miles around the city, so what was another couple of miles? Seeing the park in front of me reinforced that the physical sacrifice was more than worth the pain that I felt in my feet. I bought a bottle of cold water and a "sorvete de limão" and sat on a bench overlooking a beautiful pond.

After a brief rest, I walked a short distance around the park, stopping into the Museu AfroBrasil and around the Japanese Pavilion. One could easily spend an entire day at the park exploring the other museums and sights on the grounds. On Sunday afternoons, you can experience what life is like for the common Brazilian; you'll be surrounded by thousands of people out with their families, people running and biking and skateboarding, and people simply relaxing beside the tranquil ponds.




The sun was starting to set, so I made my way back up the steep hillside to Avenida Paulista. Although I had a sunburned face and achy feet, I didn't have any regrets pushing myself to see these parts of the city.

Bem-vindo a São Paulo

The pualistanos, as the locals of São Paulo are called, tolerate the challenges of "a vida cotidiana" in a country that is undeniably developing. The ubiquitous slums (favelas) sitting among the homes of the rich and stretching across the hillsides are among the first sights you see driving into the city from the São Paulo-Garaulhos Airport. In many cases, these favelas are communities unto themselves, with their own identities and cultures of poverty. As the city passes by outside the window of your taxi en route to your hotel in Jardins or Consolação (most likely where you're staying if you are visiting from the U.S.), you'll see a confusing, chaotic mess of a city that is progressing forward yet struggling to come to terms with a significant gap between the rich and the poor.

This is my second time in São Paulo, and I felt far more overwhelmed this time than I had anticipated. Perhaps it was because I was traveling alone. Perhaps it was because I knew that I would be visiting parts of the city beyond the neighborhoods I knew well. Or perhaps it was the early morning taxi ride to the hotel after having survived a densely packed airport. Taking in the sites around me, I felt the enormous energy of the city and its peoples, but I also felt the weight of the city's enormous disparities.

Block after block, you see a peculiar mixture of concrete superstores, high rises, crumbling abandoned buildings, the "art" of spray painters everywhere, severe traffic congestion, buses packed like sardine cans, and uneven and often unfinished sidewalks.

Securely dropped off at the front entrance of my hotel on Rua Frei Caneca, I was greeted in English and quickly checked in to my room. The interior of the room looked like it was taken directly out of a catalog for an upscale modern boutique hotel in the U.S., jet tub included. When searching for accommodations online, this was among the "best" in terms of cheaper options, but it clearly would be out of range for most Brazilians at US$170 per night. To put that into perspective, a teacher nets, on average, US$400 per month, and employees of the hotel and restaurant industries average around US$150 per month. While my developed world privilege helps the local economy, my spending unfortunately doesn't effectively filter down to those who need it the most.

After a long nap and a shower, I stared out my hotel window, feeling intensely anxious, paralyzed by a fear of distance from what was outside. Two questions went repeatedly through my mind: Why was I here? Why am I fearful of a city that I know so deeply? All the research I did in graduate school and beyond, combined with my short visit two years ago, still didn't prepare me to the reality of being here alone, on my own to navigate the incomprehensible streets with unreliable street signs and deal one-on-one with paulistanos in my sorely limited Portuguese.

Once I finally broke through those feelings and stepped onto the sidewalk outside the hotel, I realized why I fell in love with this city. There are interesting people and interesting places everywhere you look. For around US$1.50, you can take the subway to another part of the city. Some stations are in dire need of an update, so you do need to have some idea of where you are going in case the map in the directory is missing. Of course, you can get good views of the city from a taxi, but you maintain a certain distance from the paulistanos. When you're that close to the locals and hear only Portuguese all around you, it's like you're sitting on the human pulse of the city. You wonder who all these anonymous bodies are, what they do, where they live, where they are going in this sprawling metropolis.

On my first afternoon out in the city, I walked down Avenida Paulista, gawking at all the massive buildings and working carefully through the crowded sidewalks. The heat and humidity were challenging, considering the temperatures in Bloomington had only recently made it to 50 degrees. In need of a break, I grabbed a sandwich and some coffee at Shopping Center 3. Then it was a walk down Rua Augusta to Rua Oscar Freire and back up Rua Haddock Lobo, streets where the richest people shop, dine, and socialize. My own shopping experience on R. Oscar Freire was interesting; every single store had at least one employee who could speak English fluently. While some prices were reasonable from my vantage point as a middle class American, much of the merchandise was well above what I could afford (eg, blue jeans for R$999 and mid-range designer shoes for R$299).

After a brief break to relax my feet, I explored Rua Frei Caneca, the street where my hotel is located. Some blocks are run down, but there are many small cafes, restaurants, and bars that attract a diverse crowd from 20-somethings to the 50-plus. I stopped to eat at Shopping Frei Caneca and discovered a great supermarket - a good option for cheap beverages and snack foods.

Back to the hotel to get some sleep. Another huge day of sightseeing ahead of me tomorrow!