Settling into Sampa - first impressions

In my last blog I wrote about the trials, tribulations, excitement and adventures of expat life in Buenos Aires. Since moving to Sao Paulo almost three months ago I’ve decided to set up another blog about life as an expat in Brazil. 

I’ve called it Baby Abroad because I do have a baby, but also because life in a new country (even though same continent as before) can be daunting. I’m taking baby steps to adjust to a new life, find my way around and meet new people, especially with a baby. I hope to share some knowledge, pass on some anecdotes, have an occasional moan, sometimes feel a bit smug but always with some good-natured humour.

View of Sampa from our flat

Even though I feel like I’ve only been here two minutes, some things are just as I imagined they would be yet others very different.  

First impressions about Sampa 

1. Hip city

When we told our Argentine friends we were moving to Sao Paulo, many were quick to point out that it was fea (ugly). True, it’s not the most beautiful city, and yes a bit of an concrete mass, but it’s far from fea.

We’re lucky to be living in Pinheiros, which edges on to the very hip neighbourhood of Vila Madalena, with lots of trendies, great restaurants, bars and cafes AND trees. 

2. Weather

We arrived in winter and have seen sun (often blazing) on most days, with temperatures reaching mid-30s - far above the average highs of 21 degrees for this time of year. I dread to think what summer’s going to be like. However, Sao Paulo has an altitude of almost 800m so the nights are cool. 

3. People

Like the weather, most of the people we’ve met here have been really friendly and kind. I often battle with my baby’s car seat/travel system when getting in and out of a car, and several random people have stopped to ask if I needed help.

I've met more expats here which is good, as missing baked beans and Sainsburys (British upermarkets are the best) is a big deal. However, I also want a good balance of local and expat friends.  

4. No hot water tap (?!)

I was utterly confounded to find that a hot water tap does not exist in the kitchen, nor for our washing machine (this is a common issue, not just limited to our apartment). No matter how much Vanish I use, some stains just aren’t budging from my baby's clothes. Apparently, it seems to be the maid's job to scrub dirty clothes for hours on end, instead of just getting hot water installed. However, not all of us have the servant problem.  

5. Terrible pavements

I didn’t think the pavements could get worse than our suburb of Quilmes in BA, but oh yes they can. The pavements in Sao Paulo are dreadful. Unlike Buenos Aires, which is as flat as a pancake, Sao Paulo is very hilly – not so great when pushing a buggy around and when there are steps on the pavement. 

6. Not so crazy

Sao Paulo is a huge city, with the city's population estimated at 12 million and the wider metropolita area at almost 21.1 million. Unsurprisingly, it has a reputation for having some of the craziest traffic in the world. I probably haven't seen it at its worst, but it sounds worse than it actually is. The roads are teeming with traffic lights and the drivers are painfully slow, but so far the traffic has not been as bad as feared. 

7. Baby friendly

This is very similar to Buenos Aires, with preferential queues in supermarkets, banks etc, but quite different from the UK, where no one gives two hoots if you have a child or not. I probably had more of the UK mentality until my daughter was born. Now, it’s great when I’m out and about as there’ll always be someone talking to my daughter, whether in the lifts, doctors’ surgeries or standing at the traffic lights.

On the flip side, you don’t have NCT classes or mum and baby groups like you do in the UK and US so I do rely on strangers to speak to and entertain my baby. 

8. Uber

I‘ve become a bit of an Uber lush. We left London just when the Uber revolution was taking off (although Uber's future in London is now in doubt) and Uber was banned in Buenos Aires so we really were novices when we arrived in Sao Paulo. So far it’s been great, good value for money and the driver always helps me with the car seat paraphernalia. However, it is annoying that the drivers never have much change on them and I get charged for a journey that the driver cancels. Maybe I need a backup cab app... 

9. Affordably modern

What I mean by this is we’re able to live in the centre of a modern city that could be anywhere in the world, whereas we’d never be able to do so in London, many other European cities or the States. 

Sao Paulo is cosmopolitan in terms of people, greater variety of goods and produce (wine and baby formula* being an exception) and also in terms of technology. My husband has to use his fingerprint to withdraw cash, therefore none of this pin business. Which also means I also can’t “borrow” his card to withdraw cash.

* I like to keep formula milk in case of emergencies. Luckily I've hardly had to use it, but I cannot find ready-to-drink formula, it's all in powder form. I find that utterly bizarre as I was easily able to get pre-made milk in Buenos Aires. 

10. Portuguese

I was a bit gutted about having to leave behind Spanish and learn portuguese. Sadly I’m already beginning to lose my Spanish, but Portuguese isn't so bad and it has a nice melodic rhythm here in Sao Paulo.

My life in Sao Paulo already feels so different to the one in Buenos Aires. With a baby I have to be brave and make more of effort to meet people. I guess that's part of the process, we have much to explore and do but I’m hopeful that we’ll advance from baby to toddler steps soon.