Arrival in São Paulo

I arrived in São Paulo at 6.30am on Monday the 9th April. Things are going well here so far and I've been super busy since I arrived - not so much at work, but with social stuff and adjusting to being in a different country! I haven't done any chargeable work yet and am spending a lot of time trying to sort out admin stuff. Everything takes so long - due both to the language barrier and Brazilian bureaucracy! I'm also meeting lots of people within the firm, so am going out for lunch a lot :-)

The first day I arrived, I had to go for a medical exam and sign some HR forms before I could even sleep after my all night flight! It's a requirement in Brazil to have a medical before starting a new job and I think they wanted me to get it out of the way so that I could start working on the Tuesday (one of the requirements of the work visa is that you officially start working the day you arrive in the country, so I've been on Ernst & Young's payroll since day 1).

Everyone in the office speaks English, but I'm hearing a lot of Portuguese too and I do need to learn it as people generally work in Portuguese. I've started Portuguese lessons and am now taking two 2 hour private lessons each week.

I went to Santos the first weekend I was here to catch up with Douglas and Tatiana. I spent my second weekend here in São Paulo, going out to a boteco (traditional bar with beer, caiprinhas and pagode music) and the cinema.

On the beach in Santos with Tatiana and her sister-in-law, Milena

We have a bank holiday weekend coming up at the end of April so I'm thinking about what I could do then - the trouble is that the touristy places are really booked up! The plan is currently to stay in São Paulo. There's plenty to do here!

Trip back to the UK

Went back to the UK for a couple of weeks on 23rd March to go to Bharti and Priyen's wedding and to collect my visa from the Brazilian Consulate in London.

I crammed in lots of things while back home, including trips to Leicester for the wedding, to Derbyshire to see my Dad, to High Lane to see my Aunt, Uncle and cousins, and Lichfield to see cousins.

I went into London a couple of times to catch up with friends, go to the Consulate, and see people at the Bank of England.  I also managed to do some clothes shopping in London as clothes seem to be more expensive and of lower quality in Brazil.

With Cat and Lizzie at a Vietnamese place on Kingsland Road, Shoreditch

 Laura and Freddie

 Tom on the tube back from dinner in Brixton

A pregnant Jay

My mum giving my Dad a computer lesson when he came to visit on Easter Friday - so funny!

Ashridge with Mum and Mun Yee on Easter Saturday

I left Heathrow at 10pm on Easter Sunday, after a lovely Easter lunch with my Mum and Auntie Muriel.

Departure wasn't entirely trouble free as I had to do some last minute repacking at the airport when I discovered that there was a 5kg weight limit on hand luggage. Luckily my Mum was with me to give me a helping hand!

Weekend trip to Concordia, Argentina

I went to stay in Concordia on the weekend of 16/17/18 March with Maggie, a friend who I met 2 years ago in Salvador, Brazil. Maggie is Argentinian but, like me, she loves Brazil and has been learning Portuguese - so we were like a pair of wannabe Brazilians speaking Portuguese together in Argentina, which her friends seemed to find quite funny!

Maggie, her nephew Santiago, and me on the Friday night shortly after I arrived in Concordia


Concordia is a small town of 240,000 people which is 6 hours North of Buenos Aires by bus. Going there was a great experience for me as it is completely off the tourist trail and gave me a taste of the 'real' Argentina. Maggie was an excellent hostess - she showed me all of the sites in the area and must have introduced me to over 50 people at various events over the course of the weekend, all of whom were very friendly.

Out with the girls from Maggie's Brazilian dance group



There are lots of fazendas (farms) surrounding the town, mostly growing citrus fruit I was told. The town itself still has dirt roads and I spotted the occasional horse and cart (mostly being used to collect rubbish.

Maggie's tortoise...She also had a dog, which seems very common in Argentina. 

Concordia is on the River Uruguay, which forms the border between Uruguay and Argentina. Me padding in the river:

 View of the river from the port

Maggie and me at her friend Marta's country retreat

Sailing club

On the Sunday night, the winning carnaval school did a final parade. We ate in a restaurant right in the middle of the action, so had a great view.

 Castle

Foray to Buenos Aires, Argentina

I went to Buenos Aires mainly to visit my friend Dylan who, after quitting his job, is living there for 5 months to learn Spanish and play tennis. 

Buenos Aires seems very European - it has wide tree-lined avenues, lots of cafes, museums, book shops and theatres. Dogs are also very popular and when you are walking you have to watch out for dog poo.

The food here is great. I've eaten a lot of lomo (filet steak) and ice cream - the dulce de leche (caramel) flavour in particular is really good (if you like sweet things!). 

Buenos Aires is easy to navigate as most of the streets are in a grid arrangement. I've walked around a lot as well as used the tube, buses and taxis. 

Palermo Woods after the rain...

Tulip art in Recoleta.

With Dylan at a monument in Recoleta

Obelisk in stormy weather.

View of the obelisk along Avenida Corrientes (very famous avenue with lots of theatres and book shops along it).

 San Telmo

Jardim Botanico

 Cemeterio  - where Evita is buried.

 Jesuit church

 Malvinas (Falklands) memorial in the Recoleta Cultural Centre.

 Cultural Centre in Recoleta

 Puerto Madero

 Caminito, La Boca

Church on Plaza Mayo in the centre of town.

March of the Madres, the mothers of adult children who went missing during the military dictatorship. The mother's march in the square every Thursday afternoon at 3.30pm demanding information on the whereabouts of their children.

Congresso Nacional

 Casa Rosada, where the government sits.

Pisco sours and dinner at Peru Deli - delicious!

Milonga on Scalabrini Ortiz, in Palermo