Meu nome é Fateh Singh
Eu tenho dezoito anos
Eu venho da Auckland, Nova Zelandia
Eu realmente curti meu tempo no Brasil
Eu estou levando memórias para a vida

My knowledge about the country remained limited to the passion for football surrounded by controversy of unsafe streets and dangerous people.

Fast forward 10 days, I no longer hold the same perspective. I am eager to return to Brazil, relive my memories and enjoy my friendships.

Sao Paulo is an unique and lively city, full of beautiful graffiti, colourful buildings, music filled streets, small markets and friendly people. It is an extreme contrast between rich and the poor, high rise buildings and small shacks.

I enjoyed the hospitality of Campus B and was extremely grateful for their support throughout the week. Talita and Gabriel were two amazing characters that became highlights of the trip.

Food, Brazil is a heaven for meat lovers. Despite the growing vegan population, the concept is not popular. Generally, Salads are most common but there are a few Middle Eastern restaurants with range of Vegetarian options, my absolute favourite, Quibe de Abóbora.

I absolutely loved the concept of Por Quilo, the canteens offer buffet and charge based on the weight of the plate, the general price for one meal is usually under $10 NZD. I believe this concept could be a success as a lunchbar in NZ.

Another dish I am likely to reproduce is Brigadeiro. Made simply with butter, cocoa powder and condensed milk, the taste is rich and the chocolate balls melt in mouth.

Over the week, I have understood Brazilian culture and tried to adapt to it. Brazilians are respectful and friendly people, they welcome with open arms and are always eager to learn new things. Brazilian culture is all about respect and having fun. They tend to find excuses to party and enjoy Choro, Samba, Heavy rock and Indie pop music. English isn’t common in Sao Paulo, but regardless they encourage learning it. Their faces peak with smile when they hear foreigners speak Portugese.

Another motive for the LA CAPE  Sao Paulo trip was to gain knowledge of doing business in Brazil and NZ-Brazil networks. Brazil is a challenging market with over 90% of the businesses being either small or medium enterprises and with a similar start-up culture to NZ however once established the business has a potentially higher ceiling to expand. Some examples being Natura and Sebrae. I was privledged to learn about the kiwi influence in the Brazilian dairy industry with premium brand, Leitissimo.

It is also equally important to understand that Brazilian businesses are becoming increasingly aware of sustainability and adopting social responsibility, this is managed by Brazilian System B, who encourage businesses to become more eco-friendly.  

It is always great to know that NZ Consulate is strengthening NZ-Brazil connections through education programmes and New Zealand Trade & Enterprise is constantly providing support for the growth of kiwi businesses in Brazil.

 This trip was extremely benefitical for me as I look to incorporate my experience of an International business market and culture to pursue Business as a career pathway.

Gostaria também de estender meus agradecimentos a Young Enterprise por ter concedido a mim e a minha equipe (ASIA NZ) a chance de competir por essa viagem. Agradeço à Nicole e a LA CAPE por financiarem a viagem e à Terry e Lucy por serem incríveis supervisoras.