August 2007 Archives

Now, having put some time behind me - and with the day-to-day of being back squarely surrounding me...what did I really come away with? What could've been better? Worse? What could I have handled better? What did I really learn? Hm...I mean, I am a bad bytch, but other than that....

C.R.E.A.M. This I could definitely have handled better, but I know better next time. Traveling doesn't have to be super-expensive, but it does come with a price. Today's price...and it behooves one to find out what today's price is. Our student advisor suggested $XXX dollars would suffice for the entire trip, and I spent 3X that. Google is a tool, and I could've easily done my due diligence to find out how much money I really needed to take with me. The other thing is that I needed to have fund a-v-a-i-l-a-b-l-e, meaning if I didn't have cash: ATM, Credit Cards, a family member, good friend, supportive husband or financier would've sufficed. But I seem to have burned a lot of those bridges (for better, no doubt) in the last few months. I know better next time.

Speaken ze Portuguese? We were advised that fluency in foreign languages (or even a baseline of "how do I get to the bathroom?") isn't necessary for foreign travel. No, it's not necessary. But imagine being in the US, and trying, in broken Spanish, to ask the clerk making minimum wage at Mickey D's how to get to the bathroom - and their response. Psssht. Extend that to shopping malls, street vendors, policemen, cab drivers and the average person that bumps into you on the street. They were considerably more gracious in Argentina and Brazil than I imagine any US citizen would be. My advice: try to learn at least a little of the native language wherever you travel.

theREALRealWorld:: I could easily regale you with gossip...drunken nights, partying, drunken hookups, drunken clumsiness and injuries, folks getting pissed off and verbally berating each other - but then what would we learn? We've seen all this stuff often enough on TV, so there's no need** to recount the glory gossip details here. Suffice it to say that although the parties on reality shows always say "it's the editing", the producers can't edit in what didn't happen.

I...don't...want....to...leave.... :-(

theMantra:: After sitting on the beach baking for 8 hours, then having a leisurely steak dinner, with caiprinhas (of course), I come to realize that no matter how painful some of the trip, company visits, rooming with strangers, and being in a mini-hipped seat for 11 hours may have been, I really do not want to leave.

But, my professors won't let me sell my return-ticket for a one-way for Hammy. So honestly, at the airport, I grab some alone space. I take the opportunity to absorb the last 13 days, which were kind of a whirlwind, and get my mind right to go home. I literally had a mantra in my head, to make the trip more pleasant, a list even:

1. I have kids.
   
2. My kids need me.
   
3. I'm finishing my MBA.
   
4. I only need one more class.
   
5. I have a house.
   
6. I like my house.
   
7. I have a good job. Wait, GTFOHWTBS...I can find a job, hell. Start over at #1.
   

The flight home is pretty much uneventful. But coming back through customs is worthy of a mention.

Why You Should Never Smuggle Anything:: Let me frame this for you: US-Argentina, typical US moderate massage, while Argentina kinda waves their hands over you, then lets you go with a stern glance. Argentina-Brazil: pay your taxes, get your weight up (down) and they wave their hand over you as well. Brazil-US? Full blown deep tissue massage, with a colonic thrown in for good measure. I really thought US Customs was going to cavity search us all. US citizens go through immigration, bag reclaim, then Customs AND TSA - Again?!!! Like, I'm really going to have a bomb on the plane, bring it off, and then blow up the airport instead. Sheesh.

But given all that...who in their right mind gets caught with illegal substances going through airport check-ins these days? I mean, is it that NECESSARY to save money on your weed connection?

Ahhhh...the Beaches. I look forward to chilling with no agenda, no rush, and no reason to do anything but lounge. With that in mind, I wake up late, eat a late breakfast, and lazily put on some water-tolerant gear to take in the beaches in Rio.

Ipanema and it's Boys:: I was unaware of this before traveling to Brazil, but Rio has a healthy, active gay community - and it definitely has its markers. Now, Brazilians are pretty uninhibited, and very friendly, so as we walk and I ogle (a little), I'm struck by the beauty of the location, and how beautiful....wait, let me stress this...


BEAUTIFUL (bodies below the jump)

I know...you want the nekkidness...but u have to wait for it....lol. It's coming...below the jump.

Sendas:: Apparently, it takes no time whatsoever to get used to the "big pimpin'" lifestyle. 'Cause honestly, when our professors told us we were visiting a grocery chain called Sendas - I was expecting a trip to the corporate headquarters, to meet with the Marketing VP, and then some samples of the flagship Senas products. Methinks the trip went to my head just a lil bit.

We ended up going to the 'hood (?) - a local Sendas in Leblon. According to the regional manager of this area, who also served as our guest host for this visit, Leblon is a neighborhood in "transition", with lower income favelas nearby, but also many middle income households in the area as well. This was apparent even as we approached the store, as street vendors outside offered us 2 for $1(real) empadas, with a free Guarana drink thrown in.

This visit was pretty colorful, as you can see even from their website (at right). According to our host, Brazilian love "everything exaggerated" - from the way advertising is presented in their mailings, to the way that food is presented in the store. He showed us a fresh seafood counter that rivaled that flying fish market in Seattle. We also saw that they sell liquor (LIQUOR!) in the store, as well as fresh, local favorites, like the corn-based Bolo de milho Carioca (corn cake).

theInformalEconomy::He also expanded on our knowledge of the "Rio way of life". It's not all sandy beaches and thong-clad big bootied chicks, by a long shot. 50% of the grocery industry revenue is generated by the "informal" (bootleg) economy. So, between farmers that sell directly to consumers (literally the empada-selling dude) to those who buy/sell fake merchandise - they cut deeply into the formal economies market share, and therefore - the bottom line.

UGH - life has me hemmed up....I'm playing catch up again. I started 6 posts like 2 weeks ago, and am just now finishing them. The full story is below the jump, along with my trouser sock obsession.

Petrobras:: Back to the schoolwork, we still have planned company trips to attend to. So, we're scheduled to visit Petrobras, the Brazilian oil refinery, and a direct competitor of YPF/Repsol of Argentina. So this visit is to really contrast the companies, and get Brazil's take on their industry position, etc.

Now, after yesterday's festivities I gotta be honest - my brain has kinda checked out. Yeah, I'm an MBA, and I have an interest in technology, and development in emerging economies, but I also like fun. Knowledge is great, but I'm daydreaming of helicopter rides and caiprinhas....lol. But I'm also distracted by the fact that a sister is BR-IZOKE, and after yesterday's little subway fiasco, I'm focused on getting that taken care of.

But the Jokester is here to entertain us - see pic at left. He's one of our tour guides for Petrobras, and speaks NO English at all. What he does speak is the international language - love! Yes, he's quite the charmer, flirting with the students, managing to crack jokes in Portuguese and Spanish, and overall keeping us engaged. He's a few months from retirement, and plans to expand his music business immediately after. There you see him hugging his imaginary girlfriend ;-)

Helicopters, cable cars and an Angela Bassett look-a-like: oh my?!

Sugarloaf:: it pays to know someone who's traveled to your destination, because they're sure to hip you to the best places to eat, sightsee, chill out, etc. My friend B told me to make sure I check out Sugarloaf before I leave, and my professors organized a 1/2 day trip to Pão de Açúcar. This name of this cluster of mountains literally translates to Loaf of Sugar - for it's resemblance to a mound of sugar. However, did my friend B mention the cable car to the top, or the helicopter ride, particularly given my fear of heights??? Somehow B managed to miss all of that - and I'm sure this was accidental (yeah, right).

I had no idea until we arrived, and the cable cars literally hovered about 1000 feet above us. Methinks B did me a favor.

Not one to puss out at the last minute (and with a lil prodding from a classmate who's also afraid of heights, yet parasails (crazy kid), of COURSE I have to get on. The view is beautiful. You can see both Ipanema and Copacabana beach, lagoons, most of Rio, Corcovado and the Cristo Redener (Christ the Redeemer statue) from the cable cars going up Sugarloaf. I'm cool, the ride is only like 3 minutes, so I'm happy I faced my fear. We take a few pics, and then another classmate (crazy kids) suggests a helicopter ride around Crist Redener.

Hellous Nouous. An acrophibic sister (with a lint-filled wallet) has her limits.

But the convincing doesn't let up, and I sign up for what I'd though 2 minutes prior, as madness. 5 of us sistas sign up for the helicopter ride. Each copter should comfortably seat 3-4 (excluding the pilot), but with the sista booties, we opt for 3. (aside: I also had no idea what the Portuguese translation for "booty weight limit" was, so better to be safe, than have a bootylicious inspired tragedy, yanno?).

Just in case you're really curious about the ride, it's very smooth. It's scarier to watch, than to actually ride. It's sorta like an elevator with multi-direction. Except when it banks - then you can lose your lunch...lol.

Anywho, the views were crazy!!!! It's really hard for me to describe, but I have to say this was one of the most memorable experiences I've ever had in my life. I tried to snap pics as I enjoyed the ride, but my camera's batteries kept dying, so I was switching (no-look) batteries between snapping pics. The whole thing was AMAZING.

aside: how can you possibly take a bad pic from a helicopter? All the pics that I managed to take with my lil bootleg digital, batteries running out and all, came out CRAZY...just look: (crazy pics after the jump)

Baby...I'm a star! Who knew I'd be in pictures? Ok, touring a movie studio...ok so I wasn't actually in any scenes...stop hating! :-)

Telenovellas & a language admission:: I didn't pick up Spanish or Portuguese before I left, and I've never been dedicated to watching the Spanish/Portuguese soaps. So going into this, and with Rede Globo (TV Globo) as the company I needed to write a mini-dissertation about, I had to do a bit of background research. Oh, and try to pick up some Portuguese along the way.

For you, the quick and dirty: the novellas are very popular in many Spanish and Portuguese speaking countries, more popular than other programs, and translated into many languages...so their market penetration is off the charts. More people will probably recognize Paraiso Tropical than will recognize Flight of the Conchords, even if it is my new favorite show, but I digress. I had to get a leg up on the telenovellas, and one of the companies responsible for their popularity.

theTVGloboPresentation:: we got some background on the company, it's founder, it's signifigance to the Brazilian culture, and the many shows it produces. TV Globo's the leading network in Brazil, responsible also for the Live Earth broadcast in Rio, Jornal Nacional - a national news program (that also tried to sink President Lula's chances in the 1989 election - more later), the telenovellas, futbol (with contracts with many soccer tournaments and championships), the Pan American Games 2007, World Cup, and Formula One Racing. Whew, that's a mouthful. It's imitated by Rede Record (who's also trying to steal their talent), and President Lula isn't happy with the programming - hence the Brazilian Broadcasting Company (a state-owned competitor).

More pics after the jump....

why I love TAM:: Can I just say that despite some luggage mishaps, I love TAM Airlines?

We leave Buenos Aires early Sunday afternoon, for a 2 hour flight to Rio. Again, there is much stamping of passports, immigration and customs checks, and much of me thinking I should really have smuggled something.

Aside: ok, yes - I'm new to international travel, but can I just say I was so ecstatic to get more stamps in my passport, I didn't know what to do. They blew out 4 pages between the trip to Uruguay, and going from Argentina to Brazil....*grins sheepishly*. I'll complain about having no pages MUCH MUCH later....

So, back to why I love TAM. About 10 minutes after takeoff, the stewardess come by bearing.....Lunch? No, on TAM you do not get a bag of peanuts during your 2 hour flight. You get beef bourginon, with risotto, a ceasar salad...and Malbec. And even though I'm not a big fan of Argentine wine (yet - I'm still working on it), I do appreciate that their "lunch" was about a kazillion times better than Delta's dinner. The stewardesses were very nice, even with my unbearable Spanish (and my even more horrible Portuguese). And the one steward - Marco - was to-die-for (although I think he was the legendary Boy from Ipanema). The luggage thing...well...let's just say that some candy, another classmate's outside zipper pocket, and a checked bag were casualties of this trip.

Another aside: yes, I am aware of the TAM flight that crashed...we discussed this while drinking the Malbec. The consensus was we were glad to not be flying near Sao Paulo. The Malbec didn't remove any fears we may have had about flight safety, but it did numb them a bit. The most eventful thing on our flight was lunch.

More after the jump...

So now that I've been in Argentina for a week, who am I to pass up on an opportunity to see ANOTHER country (and get more stamps in my passport....lol)?!

Our professors, needing a break from us, kindly suggest a day trip to Colonia, Uruguay for our Free Day. Although my funds are depleting (I will post a lessons learned with some notes about real costs later), I decide to take advantage of the opportunity - it may never come again.

So, for about $50USD i buy a ticket for Colonia, and much stamping and customs/immigration checking ensues. It almost makes me wish I'd actually smuggled something. We end up on a large passenger catamaran traveling from de Puerto de Buenos Aires, and 45 minutes later, we arrive in Uruguay.

More sexxiness below the jump...

Got tango? If not - it's below the jump

Universidad Católica:: One of the cool things about being an international student is the opportunity to interact with students and professors from universities in other countries. So, Professor Marina Cunningham of Pontifica Universidad de Católica shared with us Argentina's Foreign Commerce Outlook. The quick & dirty is that they're focusing their efforts heavily on facilitating the export process for small & medium sized Argentine businesses. We got a brief tour of the college, and then we walked along the Rio de La Plata riverbank in Puerto Madero, until we arrived....

it's below the jump....lol

ARCOR:: ok, how's about Willie Wonka's factory as a stop on your trip to another country? Yes, we got to visit the Arcor headquarters, and sampled some of the candy manufacturer's best loved chocolate products. Arcor produces sweets, including chocolates, biscuits, candy, biochemicals and other food products, and is the leading producer of corrugated packaging (boxes, etc.) in Argentina. Arcor was also heavily affected by the Argentina financial crisis of 2001 (notice a theme here?) but has managed to continue successfully despite those setbacks....

...note: while the presentation was absotively stirring, it was repetitive...and I temporarily lost consiousness, then recovered by eating several Bon A Bon's. And yes, they are the shiznit. My diet is completely BLOWN. The only saving grace is that my professor (who we've lovingly renamed Magellan, because of his penchant for leading us on long walking journeys exploring Buenos Aires) refuses to call a cab for any trips less than 12 miles, so working out is unnecessary.

running Magellan joke:
me: "Where are we heading? Are we lost?"
classmate: "Who the hell knows, we're following Magellan."

Our days keep getting busier and busier, and we're covering a lot of ground in a short period of time, so I apologize for how sparse the posts are.

Plaza de Mayo:: This stop on our trip was an interesting kluge of contrasts. On the one hand, the Plaza de Mayo is considered the city center, with great historical signifigance in the Casa Rosada, Cabildo, City Hall and the Metropolitan Cathedral of Buenos Aires. On the other hand, this square is also a place of protest - and 5 protesters where shot here during the Argentine Financial Crisis of 2001.

As a matter of fact, as we approached the Metropolitan Cathedral, some indigenous people from the southern provinces of Argentina were marching through the square, to protest fiscal spending (heavier in urban areas than the rural provinces) and unemployment Although the square faces city hall, and both the Senate and Congress are nearby, the Catholic Church has more influence than the grass roots groups representing the provincial people, so they hold their protests to get the attention of the Cardinal, and hope the Cardinal will sway the politicians. We could not take pictures of the protest at all, for this would attract the attention of the military police, and we'd be jailed.

Metropolitan Cathedral of Buenos Aires:: after listening to the protesters, we entered the cathedral. It was the middle of mass, so again - no pictures, but you can find pictures on Wikipedia. It was at once moving and strange, because I felt like we (as tourists) were invading their space. All the parishoners (sp) were deeply moved, and some cried (particularly the indigeous people) as they listened silently, or prayed to the statues of Mary in the hall.

It's weird, but by Day 3 I'm getting used to the time change and the hours we're putting in. We're up at about 7 ish (6AM EST), getting ready etc - even though it's pitch black out. We normally don't get in before 11, and don't go to sleep until well after 12, go figure?
Breakfast at Hotel Presidente:: I gotta say this about Argentineans: they eat and they love their beef and sweets. Breakfast in the hotel is complimentary, and so not your typical "Continental" breakfast. They serve pastries...wait, I must say that again...they serve PASTRIES. Everyone you can imagine, from honey laced croissants, to cheesecake, from fruit tarts, to a choclate lattice raspberry pie, from cookies and sweetbreads, to fruitcake. Oh yes, since this is an "American breakfast" they add a few slices of ham, cheese, scrambled eggs, and mini hot dogs, and even some fruit and cereal, but the pastries are outta control. Many a day i've had to skip it, and stick to the yogurt....lol.

Simmons:: we visit the Simmons plant in the Gerli barrio of Buenos Aires (note: barrio actually translated to neighborhood). We tour the plant, and they also share quite a few of the impacts of the Argentine Financial crisis, and also discuss their relationship with the American companies: Sealy, it's american Simmons counterparts, etc. Then we get to watch the mattresses as their being built from start (literally from the wire used to make innerspring coils) to them being wrapped in plastic for distribution. We head from there, to YPF.

So yes, this is a study abroad class, and most of our days are focused on schoolwork, which is really about getting background information about the countries and companies we're visiting, and the people of the area. My second MBA concentration is in International Business, so the goal of the trip is to gain a wealth of knowledge about the international business environment, and issues impacting these areas.

AmCham:: For Day 2, we walk over to the American Chamber of Commerce in Argentina. We're greeted by the Adminstrative Director Eduardo Alsado, who gives us an overview of the business and economic perspective, and discusses how AmCham encourages foreign direct investment into Argentina by providing services to both Argentine firms and American investors. It was an interesting presentation, and an excellent preface for company visits we have planned for the remainder of the week. The AmCham building also offered a beautiful view of Avenue Viamonte - there are more pics on Flickr.

Ok, so yes - I'm SO far behind. I'm posting this on like day 3 of our trip, although it says Day 1. We've been REALLY busy, and I haven't had an opportunity to think straight.

Where to begin? Hm...maybe the beginning.....

We meet at Hartsfield airport at 6-ish for our 8:40 flight. Needless to say, between our late arrival and plane delays, we don't leave Atlanta until nearly 11PM, but this should be par for the course for most travelers. I'm prepared for my 10 hour flight, with books in hand, snacks in purse, and MP3 player in ears.

Or so I think.

Two things I forgot:
a) it's a 10 hour flight. Getting up and walking around is essential.
b) There's just no way to get comfortable enough to read quietly in coach. The seats are a bear for a 5'8" woman on an empty flight, and international flights are not empty.

So, I pretty much fall asleep over Florida, and wake up over Rio de la Plata. About 45 minutes later we're in Buenos Aires, finding our bags.

Travel Tip #1 - keep an open mind about everything:: this is VERY important, but I think my class is a good example of this. You have to remember that the whole point is to get AND stay out of your comfort zone.

Travel Tip#2 - pack your patience:: we spent a whole lot longer standing in line, waiting for planes, currency exchanges, baggage, buses and customs clearance than most people are normally used to. You have to be ready to hurry up and wait.

San Termo:: So, we get to our hotel, get settled in, get acclimated - and we're set free for our first playday. Me and a few colleagues head to San Termo, for a street fair/artists market and in search of authentic food. While we're there, we run into not one, but two bands - a traditional Tango orchestra, and the other was this:

I had a good time in San Termo, browsing the street vendors' wares, picking up a few souvenirs, mingling with both locals and touristas and getting acclimated. We walked around for a while, then spent the rest of the evening eating empanadas and drinking wine @ Cafe Nefertiti. It was the perfect end to the first day.

It's less than 24 hours away...and....

• I'm not packed....
  
• I'm not prepped...
  
• I'm doing homework...
  
• II'm eerily calm
  

aside: It's been a LOONG day.

I was going to share some tips for packing light for a trip like this, but....frankly....I'm not motivated. However, OneBag.com has a good one bag checklist.

That's it I think. In less than 24 hours, I'll be on my flight, and on my way. I'm not sure when I'll be able to post again, but as soon as I can, I'll upload pics and provide details. Wish me luck ;-)

Ha! Did you think your girl had it all together for this trip? Yeah, so did I..until it was time to put the nails in the planning coffin...

I went to Walmart in search of a travel iron, and some other sample size stuff from my shopping list. It then occurred to me that I'd neglected to tell Hammy's teacher about my trip. Along with the garbage man, mailman, Wall Street Delivery Person, etc....you get the idea. So I had a lil anxiety incident at BigBlue, and phoned-a-friend for a lifeline:

me: It just hit me. I'm terrified.
friend: girl, please - you have it under control.
me: I don't, I swear.....
friend: whatever...I am so ENVIous of you
me: I'm freaking completely out...I've been wandering around in Walmart for 20+ minutes, and I can't find any irons.
friend: why?
me: beCAuSe I’m scAReD I’M goNnA leAVe thE oVeN On,oR fOrGEt to PlAn FoR soMEthInG, LiKe I FOrGOt to CaLl HaMmY’s ScHOOl aNd I dON’t HaVe a WiLl aNd WhAt If sOMeTHinG hAPpENs aNd ThEy CaN’T gEt IN ToUCh wiTh Me or tHEchaOs aNd HaMmY’S dAD is MIA
friend: ooo-kaaaaay. Got Vicodin?

I proceeded to wander around the housewares section of the store for another 25 minutes, until I spotted a clerk carrying a returned ironing board, and I followed her until it was put back on the shelf in the (lo and behold) laundry aisle! So much for cool & collected. aside: how could travel stuff add up to $100, all in tester size amounts?

I felt like I was falling out of a plane, so I reached out to a friend who travels a lot, and his response; Go home, get some sleep. You'll be fine in the morning. The thing he so aptly pointed out to me is that living, i mean really living, means you take risks. Mitigate all you want, but the limb has GOT to be stepped out on.

That's it...I'm officially tossing my lists in the trash. Maybe if I 'wing it" a lil more,,,,,

Yeah, after having made 6-7 phone calls to get this all straight, the cellphone tips are post worthy.

International roaming is the ultimate hustle, and TRUST ME pays your cellphone provider WAY more than your little monthly bills. Here's the breakdown of how myCellPhoneProvider* gets you:

• roaming: applies to all calls - incoming, outgoing AND calls rolled to voicemail. If you get a call AT ALL, you get charged for 1+ minute. Even if you add a plan (such as I did), there's still a pay-per-use fee (albeit reduced) on top of the flat rate for roaming. And even if you don't add a plan for international roaming...YOU STILL HAVE TO NOTIFY YOUR PROVIDER YOU'RE TRAVELING, or your phone simply won't work.
  
• text messages: international text messaging is NOT included in text messaging bundles. And is $.50/msg. Unless you add a bundle...
  
• internet access: can you say - not bundled? It's a pay-per-use charge (mine's $.0195/KB) and given my having Gmail, Yahoo Mail, Yahoo IM, etc installed on my phone, I use data heavily.
  
• calling CustomerService: make sure you get their International Customer Service number before you leave, or else you will get hit with the roaming AND long distance charges for the call.
  

Let's say it all together now...nicccccce! The charges have already started to accrure before you even leave home. But here's the kicker...you may be inclined to try other options while you're out of the country. Two suggestions:

• rent-a-phone:: yes, you can rent a burner while you're there. However, I've heard the cost is like $50-75/day, on top of the long distance charges.
  
• callingCard:: but you still need a line (landLine?) to use it.
  
• internationalSimCard:: yes, you can buy a SIM card in the local country, but you a) have to have your CellphoneProvider unlock your phone b) they won't do it if you've been behind in your bill the last 90 days (*smiles, embarrassed* - which I'm always late paying) and c) may not work based on your phone's model, and the available cellphone networks where you're traveling.
  

Again, say it with me now - niccccccccce! Ok, I gotta go - need to email my entire contact list to tell everyone NOT to call me unless it's an absolute emergency. Maybe I should just turn the dayum phone off.

My to-do list is shrinking, so the tasks may seem a lil mundane, but the coordination efforts are worth noting...

• babysitter coordinated
  
• transportation to-from school coordinated
  
• housesitting coordinated
  
• WSJ suspended
  
• emergency contact lists & emergency medical information distributed
  
• workload wrapped up & tied off
  
• Hammy's packed & luggage given to sitter
  
• Hammy's hair cut & jet fresh for school
  
• last minute appointments made for: hair, nails, doctor (in that order...lol)
  
• volunteer organizations notified
  
• vacation messages and auto-responses set up
  
• ride to airport confirmed
  
• copies of passport and tickets distributed
  
• >am I forgetting anything?
  

Don't get me wrong, I'm still going to feel like I left a burner on when I leave, but I'm trying to handle everything before the 25th hour. Trying being the operative word at this point.