Viagem Brasileira: São Paulo

After a beautiful car ride through the hills of Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo State, I arrived in São Paulo City. I met up with Isadora, another twenty year old Vipassana Meditator. She has already sat four ten-day courses and is starting another once I leave. It wouldn’t be possible to find a kinder, more patient host and she taught me all about São Paulo and the Português language. She introduced me to fruit of the conde, which is now my favorite fruit by far (but its about $5 each) and Calda de Cana, which is even better yet, where you put stalks of sugar can in a big machine and it spits out a cup of pure sugar juice that tastes almost fruity.

We went to visit the woman I got a ride to the city with at a Kabbalah Center and took a “course” that was a bit like a sermon. It was great for my Português because he loudly enunciated every word about how pain and suffering is a signal that we must transform ourselves and we will suffer until we do so. Very few of the participants where Jewish and Brazilians seem open to any kind of belief. Everyone tries everything and has their own unique blend of various traditions. I have seen all kinds of blends of evangelicism, Catholicism, Buddhism, hari krishnaism, ayahuasca drinkism, Candomblé (an african religion), and of course the usual astrology/numerology/tarot stuff. I can't quite make out how you can believe so many things at once but at least its harder to find someone who claims that their religion is the best everwithout any knowledge of the others.

Another night I stayed with a different meditator and talked with her and her friend about politics. Any discussion of politics will have the same subjects. The corrupt government, the inequality, and the fact that everyone complains about problems without doing anything. Well, for the first time I was able to talk to people who actually were doing something. They both worked on conservation projects and her friend was doing research in the Amazon. She has lived in the rainforest for three years studying how replanted areas of the forest develop. It was a relief to see people with conviction and devotion to a cause. There doesn't seem to be many people who think about more than their own livelihood (although I suppose this is a global phenomenon).

After spending a night on a bus, I arrived in Curitiba. It was very futuristic with tubes for bus stops and a veritable army of people in orange costumes that say "Environmental Public Clean-up" with metal tongs to pick up trash. I didn't have much time before I left for the Twelve Tribes, a community of 80 Christians, where I was to live for the next week and a half.