Sao Paulo, Brazil - report entry for All Around the World in 80 Days contest

soocoolsim

Hello, this is my presentation report on Sao Paulo for TnT_Terry's contest. This blog is a work in progress so I will add to it bit by bit for the deadline tomorrow. Link to contest - http://forum.thesims3.com/jforum/posts/list/740286.page

Link to the Unique Hotel community lot entry and presentation for those who may be interested in viewing - forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/754519/hotel-unique-sao-paulo-brazil/p1

Link to pictures of sims created for this project - forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/754856/sao-paulo-cast-of-characters

I have written my report in a conversational style rather than a formal book report but all the information is based on cited research. Hope you enjoy learning about the vibrant city of Sao Paulo, Brazil.

soocoolsim

Olá! Hello and welcome to wonderful São Paulo city, Brazil’s largest city, capital of the state of São Paulo and one of the top 10 most populated urban areas in the world(1)! I am Mayana Teixeira and my family is pleased to be your host during this leg of your tour around the world.


Image: Wikipedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/São_Paulo


Image (open sharing): Downtown Sao Paulo and Paulista Avenue

I’m so glad you landed at night when the gridlock has died down and the city is beautifully lit up. Like many cities, traffic is very challenging here. Traffic jams on Friday evenings average about 180km (112 miles) and can be as long as 295km (183 miles) on bad days(2).



This vibrant megacity covers 1,225 square miles (3,175 square kilometers) and is home to almost 11.4 million residents who are called ‘Paulistanos’. São Paulo is nicknamed ‘Sampa’ and "Cidade da Garoa" (land of drizzle) and is made up of a very diverse population including people of Italian, Portuguese, African, Arab, Japanese, German, French, Greek, Chinese, Bolivian, Korean and Jewish descent along with a smaller percentage of native Amerindians. The motto is “Non ducor, duco” which translated from Latin means “I am not led, I lead” The main language is Portuguese and over 50% of residents are Catholic, 22% Protestant and smaller groups of other religions including Umbanda and Candomblé. Umbanda is a Brazilian religion that mixes African religions with Catholicism, Spiritism, and folklore. Candomblé is an Afro-Brazilian religion in which music and dance are very important during the ceremonies(3).

São Paulo has high commercial influence and many major corporations, banks and financial institutions have their headquarters here. It is called the "financial capital of Brazil" and Forbes ranked São Paulo #8 on the Top 20 list of the most expensive places on the planet to rent an office(4). In 2013, it was ranked 6th on the Forbes list of the Top 10 Billionaire cities(5) and the economy continues to grow. The currency is the REAL (R$) which currently converts to around $0.45 US Dollar.

This vibrant metropolis is a mecca for entertainment and culture with 410 hotels, 164 theatres, 125 museums, 282 cinemas, 39 cultural centers, 146 libraries, 103 parks and green areas, 10 football stadiums, an auto race track and lots more(6), and hosts over 90,000 events each year including 805 trade fairs and high profile events such as the São Silvestre Race, and the Formula 1 Grand Prix, São Paulo International Motor Show and São Paulo Art Biennial.

Here are a few Portuguese phrases that would be useful during your stay… “bom dia” (good morning); “boa noite” (good evening/night); “por favor” (please); “obrigado” / “obrigada” (thank you – masculine / feminine) and “tchau” (goodbye - pronounced like ciao in Italian). Let’s practice them as we make our way to the amazing Hotel Unique where you will enjoy your stay. Please feel free to use the many complimentary services and amenities throughout the hotel.



For dinner this evening I recommend you try one of the delicious traditional foods like "virado á paulista" (pork chops, beans, rice, and fried plantains) and "tutu de feijão" (cooked beans, sausage, bacon, seasonings and cassava flour). Feijoada is our most famous of Brazilian main courses. It's a black bean stew with smoked meats that takes a full day to prepare.



Recipe links...
http://www.tudogostoso.com.br/receita/26749-virado-a-paulista.html
http://globaltableadventure.com/2010/07/19/monday-meal-review-brazil/

soocoolsim

Good morning, I trust you had a good night and are enjoying our warm weather this morning. It is a lovely 24 degrees C outside. Today you shall tour the city and learn a bit more about the culture in São Paulo. You will also meet my elder daughter, Cassia. But for now let’s have breakfast.



You may wish to try the Brazilian Pao de Queijo (cheese bread) however they are many other choices available in the restaurant since São Paulo is so multi-cultural.

Recipe: http://southamericanfood.about.com/od/breads/r/paodequeijo.htm


Now that we’ve had breakfast, let us drop into the Samba studio where Cassia is taking lessons. She will take you around the city while I am at work here at the hotel. There she is in the pink top. I am very proud of my daughter since she is doing very well at school and has been accepted into the Universidade de São Paulo, one of our excellent universities. This is a great city for international students with a great choice of universities including six which are listed among the highest ranking in the world(7).



Today is going to be very exciting. First we will visit the northeast area of the city to see some Carnival floats. Carnival in São Paulo is much smaller than Rio however it is still very popular and enjoyed by over 30,000 visitors each year just before Ash Wednesday. Celebrations are held at the Anhembi Sambadrome and the top samba schools participate in the parade. Local residents help to create the floats and costumes and unifies the people in pride of their heritage(8 ).




Some links to more family-friendly dancing...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YaUaW8tZsSs

Samba music is well known worldwide because of its link to the Brazilian Carnival. Paulistanos and visitors can however enjoy a great variety in São Paulo from classical, jazz, folk and rock to choro in addition to sampa and other forms of music(9). Our nightlife and entertainment attracts some of the best performers in the world.

Here in São Paulo we like to keep up with the latest fashions as well as enjoy music. Sao Paulo fashion week (SPFW) is an important event which takes place twice a year - once for the spring / summer collections and once for fall / winter. There are many high-end boutiques and malls in our city because of our expanding economy. On the other hand, we can also get low quality goods for a really cheap price which is good since they are many poor also(10).

Paulistanos come from many ethnic backgrounds as you learnt earlier and many of us are mixed. Here is a photo of my family. Our ancestors include native Amerindian, Portuguese, African and Chinese. We are truly a melting pot of culture. You will meet more of my family during your visit and learn about our history.

IN-GAME PHOTO OF FAMILY COMING SOON!

Now that you have enjoyed the floats and music, we can have some lunch. You may like to choose from a selection of street food including Acarajé (fried balls of shrimp, black-eyed peas, and onions), Bolinhos de arroz (fried rice balls), Empadinhas de palmito (small empanadas with a hearts of palm filling) or Coxinha (chicken croquettes that look like drumsticks).



Recipes: http://southamericanfood.about.com/od/exploresouthamericanfood/tp/BrazilianMenu.htm

However if you are not too tired and hungry we can wait a little longer and visit the Municipal Market of São Paulo which we call the Mercadão(11) to eat the popular meal of Lanche de mortadela (bologna sandwich).


Image: http://trendyguide.wordpress.com/2014/03/28/municipal-market-sao-paulo/

Now that you enjoyed lunch we shall take the metrô to explore the downtown and Avenida Paulista area and some of the many attractions in this great city. The metrô is a safe and fast form of transportation around. Estação Luz is the oldest of the train stations of the city and also the busiest.


Image: http://blog-cris.com.br/2014/02/18/146/

Our city was born are here in the downtown (Centro) area and the college still exists from 1554 the Jesuits came to evangelize the Indians and early settlers. The building has often been restored but the architecture is still basically the same.


Image: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cf/PatioColegio.jpg

Several of the historical buildings downtown have been replaced by contemporary architecture however there are still beautiful churches among the skyscrapers including the Gothic-Renaissance style Catedral da Sé which is one of the five world's largest neo-Gothic churches, and Igreja da Nossa Senhora de Boa Morte which means "Our Lady of Good Death” built in 1810. It is said this name came about because African slaves who were sentenced to death prayed there(12).

Images: https://www.flickr.com/photos/dircinha/6950206620/
http://www.trekearth.com/gallery/South_America/Brazil/Southeast/Minas_Gerais/Barbacena/photo874555.htm#

Now you have seen the old, let’s look at some modern important monuments and museums including the Latin American Memorial which pays tribute to the social, cultural, political, and economic integration of Latin America and the São Paulo Museum of Art with its striking red pillars. Of course the Sao Paulo skyline of skyscrapers is pretty impressive as well.


Images:
http://www.crazyplaneat.com/?page_id=886
http://www.iaoo2015.com/en/content.php?MG=4&Mid=27&Sid=9&sub1=1&sub2=1
http://www.hildegoesasger.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/sao-paulo-skyline2.jpg

I hope you have enjoyed the tour today. Please dress up for dinner tonight since we have reservations at D.O.M. It is the most famous restaurant in Sao Paulo and considered the 6th best restaurant in the world. You have already been introduced to traditional Brazilian food however within the greater Sao Paulo area there are over 12,000 restaurants and 15,000 nightclubs and bars so there is a huge selection of other cuisine experiences for you to enjoy during your stay here . It will be interesting to see your reaction to the use of the Jambu herb which comes from the Amazon region. It can cause an electrical tingling sensation on the tongue when you chew it. Enjoy!
D.O.M. - http://domrestaurante.com.br/pt-br/sobre.html

soocoolsim

Good morning, I see you already had breakfast at the Skye Restaurant and are enjoying relaxing at the rooftop pool at the Unique Hotel. At night the pool glows red and that is why it is called the crimson pool. You should take a visit this evening and see how it lights up at night.



You have been introduced to our architecture and today it’s mainly about football. Before we visit the stadium we will take a little side trip to pick up my friend Pelé from the favela.


Image: http://www.geocases2.co.uk/printable/Housing in Sao Paulo.htm

Safety is a great concern especially in certain parts of the city where they are many pickpockets so be very careful where and when you go out since it can be quite dangerous. On the other hand, Brazil is also role model for developing countries who are trying to help their poorest people. Almost a third of São Paulo's population lives in slum-like areas including 1,600 favelas (private or public lands that were originally squatter settlements), 1,100 subdivisions developed without legal land titles, and 1,900 cortiços which are overcrowded, derelict tenement houses. Unlike the richer areas, most of the residents in the favelas are dark-skinned. São Paulo is one of the richest cities but there is great inequality between classes.

At first the government bulldozed the favelas however in the 1980s the policy changed since they recognized it was better and cheaper to improve the conditions within the slums. In 2001 the federal government provided guidelines which provided greater access to social services. Things are better for the squatters now but there is still much work to be done to address the housing issues and bring in electricity, sewage and clean water services. A recent upgrading successes is the Paraisopolis which is São Paulo's second biggest slum housing 60,000 people. The long-term goal now is to remove just 10% of the people from the risky areas instead of the original target to remove 50%.(14)

Now here we are at Estádio do Morumbi(15), home of the São Paulo Football Club(16). It is the largest stadium in São Paulo and largest privately-owned stadium in Brazil. The other football stadiums in São Paulo are Estádio do Pacaembu which is currently used by the Corinthians for their home games, Palestra Itália (known as Parque Antárctica) home of the Palmeiras Football Club, and Estádio Urbano Caldeira (known as Vila Belmiro) home to the Santos Football Club(17). São Paulo is one of 12 Brazilian cities to host the 20th FIFA World Cup in 2014. A large new Arena de São Paulo stadium was built for the games this year and the Corinthians will take it over afterwards(18).



Brazilians live and breathe football every single day of the year. Business closes down during World Cup matches when our beloved national team plays. The bars, restaurants and town squares are totally packed as we root for O Seleção. I don’t know if you would like our football games since they are very loud and aggressive. Sometimes assigned seats can end up being a ‘first-come, first-served; or ‘who's-bigger-and-meaner’ situation.

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We have three other professional football teams in São Paulo – the Corithians (our largest local rivals), Palmeiras (mainly Italian community), and Santos (which became famous because of the great player Pelé)

There have been large demonstrations against the spending for the upcoming game while residents have been hit with increased expenses including a 10% raise in bus fares and financial aid diverted from important services like education and transportation. Sao Paulo and Rio rolled back the bus fares but many are still not satisfied that this is enough. But enough of that. Now we shall see my father’s team practice their enjoyment of this great national sport.



Great shot!


That was fun to see the game but now let’s go back to the Hotel Unique to eat in the food court. Members of the team will be at the trade show booth so you can perhaps take a photo to remember football and diversity in São Paulo.



Look, there is a capoeira dancer. It is not really a dance but Brazil’s own martial art. The music is played on traditional drums and the berimbau (a rod with strings used to keep time). Capoeira came down from the slaves of the Bahia and was banned by the ruling classes. The slaves made capoeira into a dance to keep their art alive. It is only since the 1920s that capoeira came up from the underground and now it is well-known and enjoyed(19).


Image: http://latindancehistory.wordpress.com/

Later today we shall visit beautiful Ibirapuera Park where you can relax and enjoy ad hoc activities in the park.

soocoolsim

Good morning! I hope you enjoyed the extra nap after breakfast to recover from the tour so far. Today we shall relax at the hotel while I tell you a about the history of Sao Paulo.

You have seen modern day Sao Paulo and what a vibrant and multi-cultural metropolis it is. It was very, very different in the beginning… way back to the old days when just the native Amerindians lived here.



In 1532 a group of twelve Jesuit missionary priests travelled up the Serra do Mar to the Piratininga plateau where they found according to the letters sent to Portugal, a "very healthy and fresh land, with good waters". The land were perfectly located up a high flat hill from which they could defend themselves from the attacks of the native Guainás Indians. These priests included Manuel da Nóbrega and they created a makeshift school where they could teach the Indians and colonists in the surrounding area about Christianity. The structure was made by the Indians out of rammed earth in the style of their dwellings and became a pivotal point for the community.



This poor isolated village survived through the cultivation of crops by the native Indians since travelling to the area was difficult for outsiders. During this time the colonists mistreated the native Indians and forced them to work as slaves on sugar cane fields.



Nóbrega tried to bridge the gap in communication between the groups by using children as translators. Singing and magic were also used effectively to get attention.



The Jesuit missionaries were joined by another group including a young novice Jose de Anchieta. More conversions took place until in January 1554 the first mass was celebrated by Nóbrega and Anchieta in a new and modest Jesuit College of São Paulo dos Campos de Piratininga. As more explorers came to the area in search of gold and precious metals relationships began to heat up. Groups of ruthless explorers known as bandeirantes spread out over the territory especially after the discovery of gold brought new settlers in the 1690s. The native Indians (Amerindians) did not prove to be suitable as slaves and many of them were exterminated when they showed resistance.


Image of Domingos Jorge Velho, a notable bandeirante: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File: Domingos_Jorge_Velho.jpg

Because of its location, Sao Paulo became a safe place for tired travelers to stay and it became more populated. Since the explorers needed food and accommodation the local economy grew and the original college and church was reconstructed. On July 11, 1711, the town of São Paulo officially became a city. In the late 18th century the gold ran out and Sao Paulo went back to growing sugar cane. A highway was built from Sao Paulo and the coastline to export the sugar and the city continued to grow with the introduction of coffee crops.

Brazil became independent from Portugal in 1823 and São Paulo continued to expand with coffee production becoming a major contributor. Slaves from Africa were the main source of labour in the plantations and this was eventually abolished in 1988 through the "Golden Law" (Lei Áurea) sanctioned by Isabel, Princess Imperial of Brazil. As a result, thousands of immigrant peasants flocked to the area and additional industries began to emerge to serve their needs. At first these immigrants were mainly European, however they were followed by Japanese, Arabs, Chinese, Koreans and other nationalities.

The development of coffee crops led to the expansion of the railways in 1860 and São Paulo was transformed. There were street lamps using castor or whale oil and the city had a public park. Residential areas sprouted up nearby and dozens of churches, convents and monasteries continued to spread all over the city. The city’s first newspaper was published and culture and economy blossomed. Factories sprouted up and were later replaced by financial institutions, law firms and consulting firms.

São Paulo became a dynamo and a strong political force as they became more prosperous and industrialized. Electricity replaced the gas laps and the first car arrived in 1892. The whole country went through an unstable period including eight years under the dictator Getúlio Vargas and ended with the Second World War. After the revolution ended in 1932 São Paulo rebounded and grew into the largest industrial centre and hive for business and commerce in Brazil.

Today Sao Paulo remains a power-house as you learnt early on. The toil and troubles of our ancestors still remain to some degree however this multicultural city can hold its head high and proud to be world class and cutting edge in very many ways.

Thank you for visiting Sao Paulo, Brazil. May the rest of your tour Around the World in 80 Days be very enjoyable!

Here’s a special treat for you to remember Sao Paulo as you leave...
We are happy from São Paulo (Sampa CriAtiva) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V2R8rbfWECw


Image - http://kids.britannica.com/comptons/art-55084/Sao-Paulo-Brazil

soocoolsim

Research sources:

Sources:

(1) World Population Review - http://worldpopulationreview.com/world-cities/sao-paulo-population/
New Geography - http://www.newgeography.com/content/003054-evolving-urban-form-são-paulo

(2) Forbes - http://www.forbes.com/sites/ricardogeromel/2013/07/12/all-you-need-to-know-about-sao-paulo-brazils-largest-city/

(3) BBC. History of Candomblé - http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/candomble/history/history.shtml

(4) Forbes - http://www.forbes.com/sites/kenrapoza/2012/07/16/the-20-most-expensive-cities-to-have-an-office/

(5) Forbes - http://www.forbes.com/sites/ricardogeromel/2013/03/14/forbes-top-10-billionaire-cities-moscow-beats-new-york-again/3/

(6) Sao Paulo Turismo 2014 - http://www.observatoriodoturismo.com.br/pdf/numeros_turismo_sp.pdf

(7) QS Top Universities - http://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings-articles/qs-best-student-cities/sao-paulo

(8) Sao Paulo Carnival Celebrations - http://www.carnivalbookers.com/brazil-carnival/sao-paulo/

(9) Music of Brazil - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music_of_Brazil; http://www.saopaulo.sp.gov.br/en/conhecasp/cultura_musica.php

(10) Inside Brazil’s Booming Fashion Industry - http://www.businessoffashion.com/2010/08/inside-brazils-booming-fashion-industry.html

(11) Viator Private Tour: Sao Paulo Food and Markets - http://www.lonelyplanet.com/brazil/sao-paulo/activities/food-drink/private-tour-sao-paulo-food-markets

(12) São Paulo - http://wikitravel.org/en/São_Paulo;
São Paulo Downtown http://wikitravel.org/en/São_Paulo/Downtown


(13) Introducing Sao Paulo - http://www.lonelyplanet.com/brazil/sao-paulo

(14) UN-Habitat (2003) Global Report on Human Settlements 2003, The Challenge of Slums, Earthscan, London; Part IV: 'Summary of City Case Studies', pp195-228. - http://www.ucl.ac.uk/dpu-projects/Global_Report/cities/saopaulo.htm

(15) Estadio do Morumbi - http://www.stadiumguide.com/morumbi/

(16) Sao Paulo FC home page - http://saopaulofc.in/

(17) Football in Brazil - http://saopaulo.angloinfo.com/information/lifestyle/sports-and-leisure/football/

(18) Meet the host cities of the 2014 World Cup - http://www.lonelyplanet.com/brazil/travel-tips-and-articles/meet-the-host-cities-of-the-2014-world-cup-south-brazil-and-the-southeast#ixzz2xZ0L2xnk

(19) Sao Paulo Introduction - http://www.geographia.com/Brazil/saopaulo/index.htm

http://latinamericanhistory.about.com/od/thehistoryofbrazil/a/saopaulo.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/São_Paulo

ELIROC

WOW!!!!!!

I'm so impressed!! Are you from Sao Paulo yourself? Or from Brazil?

Great pictures and information about Sao Paulo you have in here, great research!
I love specially the pics about the information of the Jesuits and Nóbrega playing to the natives. Did you create them yourself, using ts3? They're...
A.M.A.Z.I.N.G.

:thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup:

Edit: The pictures of the Samba Schools are sooooo cool!!
Edit2: Gosh I only saw the statium now!!! I'm trully impressed with your creativity!!!

Pallystyle

This was really cool! Love all the detail in your report and the sim pictures. Thanks for all the hard work!

soocoolsim

Hi again ELIROC... thanks for visiting both my posts :-)

No, I'm not from Brazil. For the contest we had to do a lot of research to be able to write the report so I almost feel as though I was, lol.

Yes, I created all the sims as well as the stadium (NO CC) and cretaed my own patterns using CAP for the football outfits with the Sao Paulo logo. I used CC object props for the photo celebrating mass (altar, cross, etc).

I added another post showing closer up pictures of the sims. Have now added to this link above in case anyone would like to see them. I will probably upload the Amerindian lot with the family... just need to find some time to tweak the lot to be more realistic on the interior in addition to the outside.

ELIROC

soocoolsim wrote:

Hi again ELIROC... thanks for visiting both my posts :-)

No, I'm not from Brazil. For the contest we had to do a lot of research to be able to write the report so I almost feel as though I was, lol.

Yes, I created all the sims as well as the stadium (NO CC) and cretaed my own patterns using CAP for the football outfits with the Sao Paulo logo. I used CC object props for the photo celebrating mass (altar, cross, etc).

I added another post showing closer up pictures of the sims. Have now added to this link above in case anyone would like to see them. I will probably upload the Amerindian lot with the family... just need to find some time to tweak the lot to be more realistic on the interior in addition to the outside.

I was born there and I also lived in Sao Paulo for 3 years, so I can tell your work is really good, very realistic and creative. Excellent research.
If you upload them to the exchange, I'll for sure rec'd all of them. I'll be checking your studio from time to time

soocoolsim

Wow ELIROC, that is high praise indeed and incentive to complete my other lots sometime. Thank you :-)

MeaganJo

Loved how you used your sims in your report, thanks for the trip to Sao Paulo, Brazil! Already rec'd!

soocoolsim

Thanks MeaganJo. Appreciate the rec too. It was a fun and learning experience for me :-)