Brace yourselves, this may be a long one...
To think that we've already been in Brazil for over a week, even typing this sentence feels surreal. Just to recap, yesterday we ventured further south (I think) to Santos, a city that hosts the biggest port operation in Brazil/Latin America. This port is a vital aspect to the Brazilian supply chain and you can imagine how critical it was during COVID-19. After exploring the home of the engineers and past artifacts of the port managers, we went to the dock for a boat ride. This tour was very informative as we learned about the different types of shipments that passed through this canal, where the first colonizers settled, as well as platforms connecting Guaruja, the city directly opposite and another key port. Supply chain has probably been mentioned to death in the past few years but it really is integral to getting all the goods we take for granted. With the push towards nearshoring and domestic supply chain, I would imagine this port will be even more integral as Central or South American try to consolidate their international operations closer to home.
Afterwards we grabbed lunch and enjoyed a view of the gloomy beach. Unfortunately, the weather was less than sublime but that did not diminish our enjoyment. We then took a few pictures and went back to Sao Paulo to wrap up the trip and say goodbyes. Dinner at a Bahia-influenced restaurant was absolutely divine and (of course some of the meals reminded me of Ghanaian cuisine). After many hugs and some tears, we bid goodbye to our Brazilian friends and packed up for Rio!!!
Overall, this trip was incredibly enlightening, not only because we learned about many key sectors like healthcare, logistics, e-commerce, and entrepreneurship but that we ventured outside of our North American bubble to witness to progress and discrepancies in developing countries. Also, the cultural difference between the two nations are vastly different, from Brazil which is more community focused and physically affectionate vs Canadians who are more individualistic and like to separate business and pleasure. Although it was a culture shock at the beginning, I ended up looking forward to a warm embrace every time we stepped out.
All in all, this trip was an incredible experience and I couldn't express the extent of my gratitude even if I wanted to. Thank you to Dr. Schlosser and Dr. Azevedo for bringing this trip together and anyone at the university that brought this to life. This was absolutely life-changing and I cannot wait to look back at these memories nostalgically, mentally planning my second trip at this moment.
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