Within moments of arriving in Sao Paulo, Brazil, I was taken by the happy, easy-going nature of the Paulistanos. Being from Mexico City, another of the world’s largest cities, I am very familiar with a population that retains a kind, joyful disposition despite the noise, pollution and complications of a megalopolis. There is something different, however, about Sao Paulo and its residents. Visiting the city feels more like being on a tropical island than in a concrete jungle—and it isn’t just because of the city’s thick humidity and lush vegetation. The Paulistanos’ demeanor, which seems to be dictated by a rhythm independent of the city’s traffic patterns, immediately put me at ease during my visit. I was completely charmed by their carefree attitude.
I was in Sao Paulo for the biannual conference of the International Political Science Association (IPSA) with four colleagues who were presenting papers. We spent all day at the University of Sao Paulo where the event was held, attending panels and interacting with political scientists who have devoted their careers to studying elections and democracy. This seemed to be a treat for the four IFES experts I was with. Even in casual conversation amongst ourselves, the topic always found its way back to elections or electoral systems. It was during those moments that my colleagues seemed particularly energized. I mentioned this to one of them, noting how much they seem to relish discussing what they do on a daily basis. He smiled and said it was fun for him to talk about electoral systems with others who understand them as well as he and our colleagues do.
But the trip was not just about elections and democratic processes. I spent half my time navigating Sao Paulo, struggling to understand Portuguese and responding in Spanish to Brazilians who were happy to make as much of an effort to understand me. On more than one occasion, both the Brazilians and I burst into laughter as we tried to make sense of one another. Not once did they seem annoyed by the exercise I was putting them through.
The warm, welcoming attitude of the Brazilians (I can honestly say not one of them was unpleasant in my experience) was never so evident as on the first day of the conference. Sao Paulo was hit by atypical torrential storms that paralyzed the city and its taxi services. Huddled underneath the entrance of the polytechnic school, whose design appeared to be inspired by the architecture of Oscar Niemeyer, we learned no cabs would be available for at least two hours. Resigned, we decided to look for a cafeteria to get a snack—we hadn’t had time to eat lunch and it was already 5 p.m.
On our way to the food court, we passed by a party hosted by civil engineering students clad in t-shirts, shorts and flip-flops. In an instant, they recognized we were foreigners and invited us to join them. They immediately placed glasses of beer in our hands, offered us meat from a large tray of barbeque (I am a vegetarian, but my colleagues said it was truly delicious) and spent more than an hour entertaining us. I was impressed by how interested they were in our backgrounds and experiences—never once did they make us feel like stuffy professionals in contrast to fun, relaxed students like themselves.
When I mentioned we were actually stranded at their university, they quickly helped us find the bus route that could take us back to our hotel. They then insisted on walking us to the bus stop and giving us their cell phone numbers in case we got lost. “But it’s best if you stay with us until the rush hour traffic is over, which will be around 8 pm,” they urged. We thanked them for their hospitality but said we needed to get back—we were hoping to have dinner long before the Sao Paulo traffic subsided.
“Well, then, we’ll take you to the bus stop,” they replied with a smile, “but we are warning you: you’ll just be stuck in traffic. If you stay here, you can enjoy the good music, good food, good beer and good company.”
Twenty minutes later, the bus had progressed so slowly amidst the sea of cars that we decided to jump off and walk back to the hotel instead, even if it would take us more than 30 minutes and we had to cross through puddles and muddy streets. As we saw the hotel in the distance, I thought maybe the future civil engineers had given me some insight into how Paulistanos seem to avoid internalizing the frustrations of urban life: it seems they make the best out of, and find creative ways to transcend, the constrictions overpopulated cities create.
For more information about IFES’ participation at the IPSA conference, or to download the papers, please click here.