Oh, where the subway encounters will take you . . .

So, yesterday Alisa and I decided to try to make our way to a public market in another part of Sao Paulo. As we waited for the subway, Alisa saw a boy who she was convinced was an American. I didn't think so and thought it would be awkward to ask him. The boy and us happened to switch onto the same next subway and get off at the same stop, so Alisa felt she had to ask him if he spoke English. He did! Turns out Stephen is from Sao Paulo but spent a year living in South Africa and so does indeed have really good English.

Wouldnt you know that Stephen is the one and the only producer of Sao Paulo's up and coming underground rock and roll bands. He is absolutely hilarious, with the most emphatic yes' and no's that I have ever heard.

Before we knew it, it started pouring rain...so we quickly headed undercover and began to drink. Stephen bought us our first capirinhia (as well as six other drinks and a variety of food).


His story will be included later. Briefly though: He was dating a girl for the past five years. He moved to South Africa to be with her and she ended up having to come back to Brazil after a few months. Through one of his producing endeavours he was paid with two huge diamonds. He sent them to his girlfriend (remember, five years!) as a wedding proposal. She in turn sold the diamonds and bought a car. They are no longer together.

Within minutes, the two Brazilian men next to us offered us their first bites of food (feeding us with their forks)! People here are truly the most generous people I have ever encountered. We proceeded to move our tables together and share life stories...discussing everything from levitation and energy to powerful, mind-altering plants and Brazilian politics (one of our friends was tortured in the 1970's here in Brazil).


Later that night we met at Stephen's house to prepare for an underground rock show that would feature the bands of Stephen's friends. We thought we were going to a concert that would begin at 11 pm and end at 1 am. Little did we know that their bands would not begin performing until 2:30am. We did our part of being "with the band" by carrying the majority of their equipment (Okay, fine. We each carried one drumstick.). We got on a special list because we were "with the band" and got to cut in front of a huge line of tried and true rock fans. Downside of being "with the band" is we had to wait until the band packed up all of their equipment and didn't get home until 7:30am.

The concert was phenomenal and now we can call half of Sao Paulo's rock crowd our best friends. Really these band members and their entourage are some of the most generous and kind-spirited people we have ever met (we're now sleeping on their floor).