Going Home

I'll be honest, I've got mixed feelings about coming home. I'm excited to see my family and to start school again, but I'll miss the adventure of being in another country. This week I flew to Buenos Aires. It was amazing! (I even used and explanation point, so obviously it was pretty cool.) If I had a chance to live there, I wouldn't have to think about it for too long. The city kind of reminded me of Chicago.

I've had some crazy experiences here in Brazil and in Argentina. They make great stories. Odd things usually end up happening to me, and being here was no exception. I think they make me a more interesting and diverse person.

During this internship I've also come to the conclusion that I'd prefer to work for a company that isn't extremely large or when I have my own business don't let it become a giant corporation. I think there are a lot of flaws with that type of organization. Finance isn't so bad, but I think I'd really like to work in a different type of area; say, deciding strategy for the bank or who money should be lent to. I think that would be really awesome.

I'm really grateful I had the opportunity to learn some Portuguese. I think knowing languages will be come increasingly important. I think the next language I'm going to try to tackle will be Indonesian or German. We shall see. Anyway, thanks everyone for reading the blog and hopefully I'll keep writing once I start school again.

Winding Down

Things are slowing down. I have 2 work days left. This internship experience has been great, overall. Somethings didn't exactly go as planned. Being a trailblazer is never easy. In this particular event of my life, I was a trailblazer.

Myself and the other intern spoke with our main boss yesterday and, it was, memorable. There are many analogies of how the internship went. Most involve a football, doorknob, or some other strange object. Perhaps the one I liked best was the one our boss got me thinking about. 

The gist of it was, how many astronauts ended up exploding before they made it to the moon? Guess what, I think the overwhelming consensus is, we didn't make it to the moon. They'll send in the clean up crew to scrape our remains out of the instrument panel. However, we did contribute to a noble cause. The next group they'll be sure to tell not to press the red-skull button or maybe give them more training on how put on the flame retardant booties. It'd be a shame if they canceled the space program just because a few astronauts got fried. It'd be a shame if this internship program never reaches its full potential.

I'm going to miss some people here a lot, but with the miracle of our digital age they won't really be too far away. Overall, I've benefitted a lot from this internship. Having an international work experience has been great. Learning some Portuguese has also been extremely beneficial. I plan to keep up the Portuguese. You can't really go wrong learning another language.

Firsts

In life we always have firsts. This past Friday I wore a complete spandex uniform. I had to edit it a little, but it was interesting. The reason, I was wearing spandex, is because my work went to a interactive circus. It was actually a lot more fun than I thought it would be.

My "act" was to do some gymnastics type stuff on a ring suspended from the ceiling. I did okay. There were photos taken, so, I'll post some once I get them. I'll be honest I'm just really glad I had some pants to cover the bottom part of the spandex suit. There's a few things you don't realize, or fully appreciate, before you put on one of those suits. I would have a hard time being spider man. There are a few things I really don't want to show the rest of the world.

Edit

After reading through some of my past posts I realized something. I need to take some time and carefully read what I've written. If I didn't have an edit capability I'd be completely out of luck. I mostly make errors that involve using similar words that spell check automatically picks up, but completely change the meaning of your sentence. 

I also went to an interesting film yesterday, Romance. It was a Brazilian film that did a take on the Tristain and Isod story. It was pretty good. It was a nice break and great company, wink. 

This weekend has also been great since it has been a long one. I haven't been to work since Wednesday. It's hard to believe I'll only be in Brazil for 4 more weeks. It's been great. I hope something works out for me after this internship. This experience has given me a better view of the world and a better perspective on Brazil. The only way this internship could have been much better would have been getting paid in Dollars.

Bing! Who’s got the throne now!

For some people feeling like a genius comes from high tests score, good grades, or some other lofty achievement. I won't disagree, those are pretty good. I enjoy getting good grades and I hope to be able to do well on the GMAT.

However, I've found something that possibly tops these in terms of making me feel like a genius. In life we all have problems. For me solving these problems make me fell like a genius. Recently, I was confronted with a problem, that for me was akin to Edison getting the light bulb to work.

When I go to the bathroom I like privacy. I'll attempt to "hold it" for 2 hours just so I can return to home base. At school I've located spots that provide privacy and cleanliness. Most of my past jobs have been the same way. Until about a week ago I was finding privacy a rare luxury at my current stint. Apparently, when you work somewhere with 500+ people, in your area and only 2 bathrooms, it's going to be hard to find that desired privacy.

Last week I found my happy place, my secret garden if you will. The traffic in the bathroom is minimal. I can go at almost anytime and nobody will be there. The stalls are large and fairly clean. When people do go to that bathroom it's normally only for a quick drainage, all in all it's pretty great. I won't give too many specifics on the location; I never know who might be reading this. I even go to this bathroom from one direction and return from another, you know, in order to confuse my enemies.

Much like Edison I tried a lot of things to achieve my goal. I'd try to wait until I returned from work to go to the bathroom, this proved uncomfortable. I waited until weird times when I thought nobody would be using the bathroom, there were always people. I imagine Edison's feeling of superiority when his glass bulb first put forth light. When I first gazed upon this bathroom and the privacy it offered me I felt much like Edison, an intellectual superiority. I was smarter than most, I beat the system. I solved one of the biggest issues in my life when I found that bathroom. At that moment I attained genius status, I was MENSA.

Economic Hit Man?!

Every once in awhile you come across an excellent book. It helps define your thoughts, and make you adapt yourself to its principles. Recently, for me this book was, Confessions of an Economics Hit Man. It was great. I think there needs to be driven people in the world. I don't think socialism will work completely. Most of the time 20% of a population ends up controlling 80% of the wealth. There are obviously problems with this.

However, what if this 20% were completely moral and had great social concise and didn't mind being taxed. One of the ideas of economics is that a prohibitively high tax will stifle economic growth. I think we as a society can modify this. In Confession of an EHM the author tells about how certain group just keep growing and expanding, sometimes at the expense of the greater good. As I see it this can be stopped.

I think the rich and driven people need to focus themselves on society as a whole. They should take steps to ensure manageable and sustained growth that includes all relevant parties. If a company wants to expand it's oil field to South America, they can do it, but they need to help the surrounding communities. What's the difference between 1 billion and 800 million, not too much. Imagine what 200 million could do for a local community. I know money isn't everything but it's how we currently store value. By giving back some of the value, people can spread the wealth and reduce the ratio.

People need to let entrepreneurs do their thing. It's a fine balance, but if people are taught young not to be selfish, then we'll go a long way to help things become better for everyone. For me, religion seems to be inseparably tied to this type of action. If more of a majority of the wealthy had morals, I think we'd start to see a monumental shift. Bill Gates and Warren Buffet are going in the right direction.

Basically, the book was great and everyone should read it and decide for themselves.

Why I need to come back to Brazil.

First off I came to Brazil to work and, as it turns out, that's what I've done. I've been in Sao Paulo for 5 months. I've never left the city. People speak of the beauty of Brazilian beaches, amazon, etc. As far as I'm concerned these places don't exist. The fact that I don't have a car, and no friends that like to do what I do, doesn't help matters. 

In the spare time I have on Saturdays I teach English and on Sundays I go to church. Because of this I can't leave. I need to come back and see what Brazil is really about, not just work. I've heard there are amazing things to see, but since I work all week and I've committed my weekends to certain causes, I can't really leave. I think, if I came back for a month or two I'd have a whole different view of Brazil.

Maybe next summer, except I plan to take a GMAT prep course, I'll see the "real" Brazil. I enjoy Sao Paulo, but it's just like any big city. It does rain a lot here which I really enjoy.

Politics

I kind of wish the United States had a better mix of political parties. I don't consider myself a Republican or a Democrat. I think both sides have positives and negatives. 

I like the Democrat approach to overall social issues and I prefer the stance the Republicans have regarding personal choices. I'm with the Democrats on most of their macro goals; be it international relations, health care, etc. I side with the Republicans on drugs, defense, and religion.

My ideal party doesn't exist. I don't agree with the Republicans all the way and the same goes for the Democrats. I guess I'd be the typical swing voter.

Whatever happens in this election, a change does need to happen, and sorry folks, Obama isn't going to be able to solve them all. Each American needs to do their part. As a whole we need to get ourselves out of debt, build better relations with other countries, figure out the solution to the energy crisis, learn to fight the battles that are necessary, strengthen families, and bring back America's can do spirit.

Getting out of debt is possible, it will just take sometime and self control. 

Building better international relations is possible on a personal level. When we take vacations, leave the US, and everyone should at least try to pick up another language. 

Our energy crisis will be solved not by our government handing us the answer, but by us solving the problem. If each house in the US was solar powered how much better off would we be? 

The wars and conflicts the US ends up being involved in probably aren't going to stop anytime soon. As Americans we need to figure out what's worth it. Also, one thing that bugs me are Republicans that say "I believe in defense, so I'm voting Republican." if you believe in defense go join the Army. 

We need remember that we're only going to be as strong as the foundation we're built on. Each individual is a product of their family. If you don't start there, you'll just be playing catch up when trying to fix problems.

The American spirit of creativity and can-do-it-tivness, in my opinion, isn't dead, but merely sedated. We watch too much TV and entertain our selves with meaningless things. I've heard it said the Religion was once considered the opiate of the masses. I think in our day it's entertainment. Great ideas and innovations don't come from sitting around watching celebrities talk about themselves. People need to start innovating and creating for themselves again.

Happy Halloween!

I figured I'd get in one last post for October. Lately at work, I've been helping in the interview process. Itau will have new gringos come January. It's been a lot of fun. The planning and making sure everything works out with the interview schedule has been fun. I think I get my scheduling abilities from my mom. She can schedule like nobodies business.

Also at lunch today I had a Halloween moment. I wanted to run away because I was scared of some of the self-realization that was going on and the giant spot-light that was focused on me. The conversation was centered around my criteria for women. This conversation was with my main boss,  my direct supervisor, and the other intern.

It turns out I might have a little too specific of standards. Basically, I've got it structured into 3 main categories: religiousness, personality and looks. If that was all there was too it I'd be set. However, I've thought about each of those sub-groups for quite sometime, I pretty much have it down to a science. In these sub-groups there are sub-groups. My thought process is a little bit like some of the operational flows I see at work. I know what I'm looking at, but if I gave the flow to anyone else, they'd be clueless.

It's also a moving and switching rating system. I willing to give up somethings if other things are there. For instance, if the personality is really awesome, I'm willing to not care about looks as much. It's a little bit of a Laffer-curve. I'll give up one thing in exchange for another, to a certain limit. I'll admit, it's kind of confusing.

Now it's time to get back to lunch. At lunch I went over what my main looks components were. I'd never really done it before, and it really makes you feel kind of shallow. However, it did clarify somethings. I'm not going to repeat much of what was directly said, because it was weird when I said it at lunch, and I don't think it'll be any better to post it. I might later. Once I have time to make a proper flow diagram. You know properly map it out. Nothing like concrete, visually appealing, presentation material when you're making your point.

Will it Hold

I remember growing up a doctor once called me scrawny. This adjectives still applies to myself. I'm pretty sure it's a mix of the words skinny and brawny. I kind of like to think of myself in this way.

However, this isn't about me. During lunch today I was wondering what it would be like to worry about breaking a chair because you sat on it. Do really overweight individuals think about this often? I don't know. It seems to me like that would be a primary concern for me. The constant apprehension of wondering, "Will it hold?" I couldn't take it.

I might even want to see some sort of measurement on the chairs I sat on, just so I could have the confidence to know it should hold. Yep, those are pretty much the kind of deep thoughts that fill my head. Will it hold?, How much Diet Coke could I drink?, etc.

I think I for my next post I'll explain corporate cafeteria behavior, as I see it.

Economics in Real Life

What happens when Economics touches our daily lives? It's usually going to be something good or bad. Unfortunately, we can't pick the outcomes. We have to take the good with the bad. In my case I've seen some of this first hand. Especially with today's exchange rate.

There are a couple things that will happen when an exchange rate changes rapidly, like what has happened recently. Primarily, the exporters of Brazil will be happy in the long term, if the rate holds. You'd also expect that more tourist from other countries with higher valued currencies will be visiting Brazil, eventually. However, in my case, it isn't great news. I get paid in Reals. This means, I'm not going to come home with much money. I'm not complaining, because the non-monetary value of this internship has been amazing. I would like to note, however, that I've never really seen anything like this happen before, and it's kind of interesting.

The Man with the Stick.

Like every Sunday I have church at 9:30 a.m. Usually, I end up taking a taxi. However, I decided I'd try to get there by bus. I knew the name of the bus and where to wait for it, but I never saw the bus. At this point it was about 9:40 so I decided I'd have to take a taxi.

This meant I'd have to go to an ATM and grab some cash. I went to a grocery store really close to where I live, but their ATM machine didn't seem to want to work. "Okay," I thought, "I know where some other ATM machines are located. I know they work." 

Much like the zebra that stays too long at the watering hole, I had a surprise in store for me. Half way to the ATM some guy, Mr. Crazy we'll call him, asked me for some money. "Unfortunately", I told him "I don't have any." Next thing I know Mr. Crazy starts following me. Weird. The chase was on.

Now he demanded that I take him to an ATM machine. My wheels started to turn faster. He told me he wanted R$ 200. This, I thought was a rather steep demand. It was at this point that I started thinking what I was going to do. I'll be honest, I really wanted to deck the guy. However; it was Sunday, he had a pretty large pointed stick, and he wouldn't take one of his hands out of his pocket. I decided against attacking him.

As Mr. Crazy escorted me to the closest ATM I thought about running, but decided if I ran he'd always be looking for me, and since I live close to that location I probably shouldn't bolt. Mr. Crazy told me about how much his life had sucked and the reasons he needed R$ 200. Some of his reasons were pretty compelling. However, I wasn't exactly in agreement with his manner of achieving his goal.

Once at the ATM we entered into negotiations again. I used my best negotiation skills and little bit of anger and told him he was only getting R$ 20. He shuffled around a little bit and fiddled with  his poking stick. After I gave Mr. Crazy the R$ 20 I parted ways with Mr. Crazy to let him try to get the other R$ 180 from someone else. While I walked away the hilarity and awkwardness of the situation dawned on me. 

Like most things in life you get to laugh and learn from your experiences. I'm just glad Mr. Crazy didn't try to use his stick on me, or whatever else he had in his pocket. Next time I think I just might start running. 

Greve!

It finally happened, the bankers went on strike. There had been talk for quite some time that it would happen, and it finally did. Basically, because I'm an intern, I won't go into work until the strike is over. That means I get a half day off work, at least, not bad.

The fact that I'm going home in about 2 months is also starting to hit me. I have so much I need to do. I need to register for classes, find a place to live, and find a job. I return from Brazil on the 20th, so I won't be able to do a whole lot when I get home. I guess I'll really start thinking about it when November comes around.

Nothing else is new. Yesterday, I discussed with Bia about how I think that something can be 100% true. The best example I could come up with was a color and that she was a woman and I was a man. It was pretty funny. She usually wins, or at least she thinks she's won. It reminds me of some of the discussions I have had with my sisters on certain subjects, I never really win, but I enjoy the moments.

Titles

This has been bugging me for awhile, I can never come up with a good title for my posts. Having an immediate test of ones creativity is unfair, I think. It takes awhile to come up with something good. Sometimes coming up with a title is my biggest deterrent to writing new posts.

Life is good. I've been reflecting on what brought me to where I am today: fate, divine intervention, determination, etc. In all sincerity, I don't know. I'm fairly sure it's a combination of multiple factors.

 

I've never been supper set on one path. I seem to roll with the punches pretty well. I think that as long as your original path is good there is no problem changing direction if a better opportunity is there. Because of this, I think, I'm more prone to get into the type of situation I'm in now.

Yesterday, as I was listening to conference at the chapel, I was amazed, I understand Portuguese. It was a weird experience. If someone would have told me I'd be in Brazil a year ago I'd have thought them a little crazy. I guess that's how life is, you never really know.

I'd also like to discuss some of the things I miss from the good old US of A. These are in no particular order. I miss Wal-Mart/large shopping centers. Shopping here in Brazil is a stressful event, and for a guy that doesn't like shopping anyway, even more so. The isles here are small and so is the selection. Wal-mart is huge and if you can't find what you need there, well, you've got something wrong with you.

I also miss full sized Snickers. The chocolate in Brazil is great but nothing really compares to a snickers. It is, perhaps, one of man's greatest inventions.

I also miss my family. They're great. I miss their support and advice. I miss how my sisters worry that I'm going to keel over from a massive coronary any time they see me eat fast food. I miss playing racquetball with Dennen. I miss hearing about my mom's teaching adventures at BYU. I miss my dad's advice. I miss my grandparents. I miss large family gatherings with uncles, aunts, and cousins. This might sound like homesickness to you, it isn't. It's reality. If you don't miss something, how can you be grateful for it?

Other things I miss are: friends, going to school, riding the bus to campus, paintball, fall, mountains, super fast internet connection, the logan house, living somewhere with more than one room, American money, etc. I'm sure I'll miss a lot of things in Brazil when I leave Brazil as well. I also need to figure out a way to keep improving Portuguese when I get home.

Lucky Number 6

Figured I'd get in one more post before the close of the month. Things are going well. The internship is still going well and the roller-coaster is starting to go through another loop. It's always nice and exciting to see new events unfold.

As an intern I'm going through the process now of trying to figure out how I can work for Itau in the future. It would be awesome. Working in the US for Itau would be great, but working in the Cayman Islands would be even better. They have operations there. I'll have to see how I can get employed there, if at all possible. I don't think anything could be much better than getting off work and being able to go for a walk on an awesome beach.

I also get to add another chapter to my book of disastrous flirting attempts. If you remember my last post. There was a girl I was attempting to woo. Turns out she has a husband. This seems to be the norm for me: either they're married or have a boyfriend, both about the same in Utah; or they are a little too crazy for me and we don't have compatible religious views. I guess it's a good thing I don't have too many targets at work, mostly since going after anyone in my own area/group is prohibited. 

I've also started Portuguese classes. They should prove to be quite beneficial. Hopefully, I can take a few of the clep test when I get back to USU and get a few more A grade credits in Portuguese. As of yet no strike.

Interesting Week

Things have been kind of slow at work. The kind of slow where you really wish analog clocks were the norm, just so you could watch the arms move around. Work normally isn't like that. I usually end up doing project after project, but right now, I'm in a lull. Don came back from the SIBOS. I'm pretty sure he has some stuff thought up for me, he usually does.

I've also been thinking about what I'd like to do for the rest of my life. I like finance but I need to see some people! I know I'm an intern and once I actually get a job it should be better. However, it's never a good sign if you're at a job and you wonder what it would be like to chase down criminals or drive a tank. I also plan on going to graduate school, so whatever my first job is it needs kind of interesting.

On a lighter note, I pulled a Castanza. Basically, if you remember the episode of Seinfield where George leaves his hat at this ladies house so he can go back and get it just to talk to her, I did that. There's a pretty cute girl at work, in a different area than mine, that I want to get to know a little better (wink, wink). I'm trying to be like that advertisement that she can't get out of her head. Maybe a little annoying at first, but after awhile, you can't stop singing it. Anyway, it will at least give me something else to do.

Panic

The financial world is in upheaval, if you haven't noticed. Many of you might ask why. There are several reasons. Primarily, excessive greed. For years we've encouraged this on wall street. People leveraged profits from everything. Financing with debt and hoping that this financed debt could be passed on at an arbitrage profit. It worked for years. A lot of people got what they wanted and nobody was complaining. Too many people wanted to cash in. Wall Street has for years been where some of the best and brightest go to cash in. Unfortunately, these people might have been too smart for their own good, and everybody else's.

The sub-prime loan is part of the problem and many people are going to blame average Americans for this mess. You'll hear people in the states portrayed as morons for getting these loans by some financial professionals. This isn't exactly the case. One only need ask oneself who thought up these subprime loans. It wasn't Billy Jean down at the gas stations. I'm pretty sure not many people thougt, "Hmmm, you know what would be great. If I could get a giant loan and only pay part of my interest payments. I'm sure my house value will appreciate even though Americas population isn't exactly exploding. If I need it I'll have equity in my house and I can just refinance it again." As we can now see this wasn't a good idea.

In all honesty this has been a great opportunity for me. I've seen, what is being called, the biggest financial crisis since the 1930s first hand. My vantage point has also been particularly interesting. I'm in a country that has experienced phenomenal growth recently. Brazil is also tied somewhat to the US. A lot of people also blame the US for all current financial woes, world wide. For me the main question is, how long will this crisis exist? Are we nearing the end? Did the Fed actions temporarily solve the problem? Will the problem snowball and get even worse?

For me the last questions is more pressing. How did the government magically solve this problem? Did the debt disappear? Unfortunately, I don't think so. IN order to solve he problem it will take time and some self control by all Americans. Americans need to learn to save and focus on growth. Once this happens things should start to improve, I think.

Mysteries

It's 12:30 a.m. and not much is going on. The phone starts ringing and I pick it up. This doesn't happen much. Mostly because I'm never home and secondly because nobody knows my phone number. "You're Tyler and you speak Spanish, right?", says a female voice in Portuguese. It was very late, my brain wasn't running at full speed, and I was really confused, but I managed to let her know she had the right guy. 

At this point my mind was racing. Who was this person; someone from work, the hotel front desk, I had no idea. The fairer sex soon made know her purpose, "Do you want some company tonight?" This statement nearly short circuited my brain. Where was I? What was going on? I'm pretty sure she didn't want to talk politics, or have a nice quite game of chess. Yep, she wanted to keep me "company".

I'm the kind of guy that doesn't really believe too much is real in movies. However, after this little experience, I think I can echo Chris Farley's epic words, "What kind of hotel is this?" I have noticed that one of the desk clerks has been given me the old wink and smile when I walked by. Anyway, it's a great story to add to my life, which has been so full of similar stories.

Bovespa Fun

This past week I went to Bovespa. It was awesome! We also went to BM&F. BM&F still has an open outcry trading floor, where people run around screaming orders. There really aren't many left. Mainly because everything is going electronic. It's interesting to see places where large amounts of money and goods come together in one place. It brings many other things together as well. It's pretty fascinating. 

Next week at work should be pretty cool. CustodyConnect is coming to present their product to Itau. It should be interesting, and as usual, I'm probably going to learn a ton. The Portuguese is also coming along a little better. I've found a few people that seem to want to help me learn. I have four months left, so, I'm going to make the most of it. I figure if I'm fluent in Spanish and can show I have an ability to learn Portuguese I should be able to find a pretty sweet job.

One such job that I think would be sweet is international sales, even at Itau. Last week we went to the SCE, or Superindendencia de Clientes Estrangeiros. It was great. This group basically goes all over the world and sells Itau products to other institutions. They have groups all over the world. If I could work for them, it would be pretty sweet. 

September

No real news. The internship is still going great. I've learned a ton so far. I am excited for an up coming meeting. That's right, I said it, I'm excited for a meeting. A group from JP Morgan is coming to present some information to Itau. It should be great. It will be interesting to see the presentation JP Morgan has prepared. It should be pretty good.

The business communications classes have started. The first class went well, I think. We covered nouns. Surprisingly, I think I'm going to learn quite a bit from the class myself. It might even improve my GMAT score when I take the test. The class is going to last for about 12 weeks. We'll end up covering most of the grammar and vocabulary to help the employees improve future English tests they'll have to take.

Olympics!

As the greatest sporting event in the world draws to a close I'd like to thank the athletes. They truly are role models to us all. I've been particularly impressed by the synchronized swimmers. These athletes combined the best and most difficult elements of sport. 

For most of us a sporting event is usually going to end up being slightly embarrassing. Very few people are all around gifted athletes. For example, when I play basketball, not very pretty. It appears that in synchronized swimming one of the elements is to intentionally embarrass yourself. I don't know how they score it but I'm sure that must factor in somewhere. After all there was that scandalous Spanish swim squad. Kudos ladies for trying to swim naked. 

In the spirit of the Olympics I'd like to salute these athletes that show us how much better we can be. Perhaps more sports could learn from synchronized swimming. May I also add, go Canada, and extra points for the embarrassment factor.

Mid-week!

A mid-week post, wow! Anyway, I attended a meeting today, all in Portuguese, of course. It was great. I understood most of what was being said. As it turns out a meeting in Brazil is the same as a meeting in the US. We successfully set a date for the next meeting.

With the growth that's happening in Latin America, Itau, as I've stated Before, is trying to expand. One of the biggest goals for Itau is to achieve a strong regional custody program. In order to do this a few things still need to be done. However, if Itau can manage to pull this off they'll gain a lot of market share. One of the biggest problems they'll face is complacency in how their business currently is structured.

Today I also rode my first metro wave. Many people will never experience this, at least not from where I'm from. In order to explain a little better I'll explain how I caught my first wave.

There was an unusual amount of people waiting for the metro. I, being the brilliant person that I am, decided to position myself in front of all these people. "Yes!", I said to myself, "You're the man and you're going to be first on." As soon as those doors opened the surge began. The people behind me force me into the subway. I'm pretty sure I never even put my feet on the floor. By the time it was over I was pressed up against the opposite door. It really took my breath away. Hopefully, that's not the only surfing experience I have in Brazil, but if it is, it was pretty cool.

The Learning Continues

The above picture really made me laugh. Seriously, who decides to make a sculpture of three naked dudes fighting a snake. If you think about it, no matter the outcome, it's probably going to be bad. This past week has been less hectic than some of the previous weeks. My supervisor was in Chile and Uruguay this week. I still got done a lot of work done, but it just wasn't the same. 

I'm starting a analysis about SWIFT at Itau. The writing process has begun and if all goes as planned I should be able to finish it up by mid-September. A few other project I have going on are the Regional Custody program that Itau wants to strengthen in the Souther Cone and the never ending process flows. On Monday I'm going to get the opportunity to speak with Itau Chile. It appears that I'm going to get to do some translations from Portuguese to Spanish. Vamos ver como va. 

On or more philosophical level, I've had the opportunity to take a look at my inner guiding moral code. I've come to the conclusion that I like it. It provides me with stability. I can still go out with people and enjoy their company, but I don't have to participate in some of the activities that are outside of my moral code. A thought recently came to be; I've been places many people will never go, and other people go places I can't.  It helps me to think about that in a literal and figurative sense. Once you've decided the way in which you're going to live your life things get easier.  One of the things I've decided is that no amount of money will make me change my inner moral code. I'm by no means the poster child for perfection, but I think making this decision now will make me a better person and employee in the future. 

Wow, that really sounds like something Dwight Schrute would say. Well, Dwight is the man. Brazil is great and I continue to learn more about myself and this international world of business.

Brazilian Birthday

I'm now officially a menace, 26 years old. This has been the first birthday I've had in awhile where I couldn't avoid it. Usually, I lay low and let it pass me by. The only people that usually know about it are my family. 

Brazilians celebrate birthdays to the max. Honestly, the attention was kind of weird, but I think I weathered it okay. After work we all went out to Applebee's. It was really good.

The internship continues to go well. The senior management for our division headed out for Uruguay and Chile for a week. Itau is using it's current market position to expand and shore up it's international position. This is part of the regional custody program I'm involved with. These past few weeks I've had the opportunity to research a little bit more on these countries. It's really quite fascinating. Who knows someday I might end up in one of those places. I wouldn't mind it. 

Something New.

I did something I never believed possible. I fell asleep with my eyes open. While I was sitting in corporate actions I dozed off. I remember nothing of what was being said and the other intern I was with said it looked like I'd just spaced out, eyes open the whole time. Either I stroked off, or I was asleep. It was kind of weird. I don't think I can recreate the same results. It might have been a one time deal.

(The animation festival.)

I've been learning a ton. For all that don't know most all financial transactions are done on a system called SWIFT. Basically, it's a type of messaging service made specifically for the financial industry. It's been suggested to me that I learn all I can about SWIFT. I think one of the major benefits of this internship will come from my ability to understand SWIFT. 

Recently, I went to an animation festival. It was pretty cool. The other intern, myself, and Bea made an animation about a dragon and a dog that got a pot of gold from a turtle (yeah the idea was originally mine). I had to leave early, so I have yet to see the final results. Apparently, the final movie is connected in some way to my birthday.

The reason I had to leave early from the animation festival is because a person from my local church congregation invited me over to their house. It was pretty uneventful. However, the walk home was exciting. I was given a huge yellow coat to walk home in. I think it was more to help me not stand out than to keep me warm. Either way, I made it home fine after a 40 min walk at 10:30 PM. It was fun. I probably won't do it again for those of you that are worried I will. There were way to many screaming homeless people for my tastes.

July.

The internship continues to go well. For the past three weeks I've been sitting with all groups and sub-groups in the department. One of our tasks as interns is to write a brief description of what we're seeing. The purpose of this is to better help foreign investors understand the processes at Itau. I think we should be finished with the outlines in two more weeks.

I've also started to do some research on the regional custody program that Itau has. It's fascinating to read about the capital market structures in South American countries. I'm planning to go to some of the local museums, but haven't had the opportunity yet.

I also had my credit card numbers stolen a while ago. Luckily, I caught it in time. It was more of an annoyance than anything else. I really have no idea where they got my numbers. I'm always extremely careful with my card; I never let it out of my sight. 

(At the Japanese festival. Intern, Bea, appointed bank buddy, Me)

That's right, I did it!

For the first time in my life I tried sushi, real sushi. As an upstanding member of society I must admit that I did try sushi once before, at Hogi Yogi. I have no idea how long that morsel sat in the refrigerator. It isn't hard to believe that from that point on I swore off sushi. However, that changed this past Sunday.

I had the opportunity to go with the other inter, Rumiko, my supervisor, to partake of this Japanese delicacy. Much to my surprise, it was excellent. I'm by no means a fish man, but I have to admit if I have to eat it, I kind of prefer it raw.

To comment quickly, I have to admit, that Banco Itau has assigned some excellent people to be our keepers/buddies. For the benefit of Beatriz and Natalia I'd like to make it publically know that they are awesome! If it weren't for their guidance a car or a motoboy'd have squished me within my first week.

The learning process at the bank is going well. I'm finding a few more people that speak Spanish, which is nice. It's amazing to see how much goes on behind the scenes at banks. I don't know if I've said it before, but the size of numbers becomes a trivial thing. There is big, and then there is really big.

I could be Brazilian!

Due to some papers that might have been filed incorrectly I could end up being Brazilian. It appears we applied for citizenship and not just the security card we needed to work in Brazil. The whole process of getting things ready and going through all of the paperwork to get to Brazil has been a difficult task. Sometimes one ended up doing a few steps twice and missing others. However, I can't complain too much, because I'm here. Now, if the can just figure out how to pay me I'll be set.

I've been through a few groups at Itau. I've really enjoyed the FX desk. Everyone speaks Portuguese, but with the Spanish I have I'm able to understand about 70% to 75%. A lot of how much I end up understanding actually depends on the day. If I go to work with a case of the "Mondays", it's rough.

Yeah, I know what you're all thinking, "What's this yokel doing without posting any pictures?" I assure you, there will be pictures. I just have to loose the fear of getting my camera stolen. 

Week 1.

My first week was great. We had a lot of orientation. Being a foreigner in another country is an interesting position. Oftentimes Americans tend to see this from only one perspective. It has been interesting to actually be the foreigner. I think you have to be willing to accept more situations when you're abroad.

Driving in Brazil is intense! It's fast and the cars are smaller. However, everyone seems to do just fine. Personally I'd expect a lot more accidents. Being aware is the only thing that prevent this. I'm pretty sure the taxi drivers have it out for foreigners here. I paid R 43 to get to church. One guy just wondered around the block for a while until he felt he'd achieved his maximum rate. I was about to jump out of the taxi, but decided against it.

This upcoming week I should start to figure out exactly what I'll be doing. Using Access is going to be a big part of the job. Teaching the Business English class and how to write and communicate professionally in English is a part of the job. Well, I'll keep you all up to date on the adventures to come.

Brazil!

(This is a view from where we're staying, the "Manhattan" of Brazil.)

Yep, I made it. I've been here now for 4 days and it has been great. Everyone is really friendly. "Yeah, sure" some might say, "It's just because the people there have to be nice because they're part of the company you're working for." However, I completely disagree. In fact, I went to a cultural training class these past two days and the consensus is that people in Brazil are friendlier than most.

I've had to learn about the kissing, on the cheek, in Brazil. I served my mission to a Latin culture center. I never had to kiss anyone on the cheek and in fact this was prohibited. I'm making up for it now. Other than that I haven't had to adjust too much. I'm also finding it is more important to smile and show your emotions here in Brazil. This is something I'm not particularly use to. However, I think if I can get better at it I'll become a better person for it.

I can truthfully say that Banco Itau is an amazing company. They are concerned about our experience here and see in us a potential asset. The world as a whole is becoming closer and as this happens there will be differences. However, if we can be patient with one another we can all grow. While we appreciate the culture of others and share the good things in our own culture we can all become better for it.

VISA

Yes! It appears I officially got my VISA. It's kind of hard to believe I'm going to be in Brazil by Sunday. I'm really excited. I still need to figure out how I'm going to get some Spanish credit for doing this internship. The other intern I'm going with and I both need to teach a business writing class, in English. I'm a little nervous how it's going to work out. I'm excited for the opportunity and can't wait to get to work.


(I look a little out of it. I was up late and driving most of the day.)

My next blog post should be from Brazil!

It's getting kind of toasty!

The season of death has arrived! Being a red-head I feel it my duty to share with everyone that we fear the sun. It is our enemy, or at least it should be. Fortunately, I'm not a super white red-head. My reasons for heliophobia are common to most red-heads. Primarily it hurts like a mother when you get a really good burn and the sun also takes years off your life.

My next reason is mostly concerned with the aesthetics of being white. If you think about all the places a person sees white as the color of choice they can see that it is worn to stand out. You'll rarely see someone or something in all white, it's not normal. If you've every seen a red-head in the "buff" you know what I'm talking about. Plus our skin has a resemblance to turkey cold cuts.

Some of us try to tan. Usually, this just makes us freckle, or as I like to call it, the slow death. Sure, we could be more tan but we would literally be killing ourselves. There are someways to give the illusion of a tan, the tan in a bottle. I haven't ever used it personally and never intend to. I've decided that most of my body will never see the light of day.

As the summer starts please be kind to us paler folks!




(I'm fairly sure this is what would happen if I was out in the sun too long! per stupidvideos)

Yep...Monday!

Today looks awesome! I've already been through two files and it's only 10:30. It was great. I'm trying to figure out where I'm going for lunch. My usual stop is Smith's. I get a burrito there. However, I've recently found an Albertson's that is close to a Barnes and Noble. I could venture into the unknown of Albertson's and risk the chance of not finding anything good, or go with the sure bet of the trusted heat lamp burrito. The down side to Smith's is I have nothing to entertain me until lunch is over. I should be able to solve this problem within the next two hours, the time left until lunch.

This weekend I had the opportunity to try out a rope swing. Apparently I flail my legs quite a bit. I find this the best way to steer.

The Dentist

Going to the dentist means pain. Yesterday, in preparation for my Brazil internship, I went to the dentist. I had to have two crowns done, because they couldn't wait a year. There weren't any cavities but the dentist figured there was some potential that the fillings would crack or fall out. I am 25 currently and the free ride on my parents insurance is coming to a close. This means "now" was the best time to get any work done, to avoid a trip to Mexico.

The visit wasn't as bad as it could have been. The primary reasons is wasn't that bad were: 1) only one shot 2) I didn't have to have a root canal(still haven't had one yet) 3) my dentist isn't a nut. Granted there was more blood than I usually like to see at a dentist visit. However, it was admirable how the staff tried to hide this from me. The visit was also a relief from working. There is nothing quite like seeing all that stuff fly out of one's mouth. It's also impressive to see how many instruments they can cram in a person's mouth. I wonder if the dental staff ever feel a sense of accomplishment by breaking old records.

Going Digital!

I now own a digital camera. Yesterday, after work, I went and bought one. I'm way excited. The VISA process continues to drag on. I've worked for a government entity and I'm familiar with how uncaring and brutal some of the processes can be...but this is ridiculous. Some of the problem could be I'm not dealing with 1 government but with 2 governments. It appears that they really want to make sure people entering Brazil are up to snuff. Hopefully, this is the last time I'm going to need to turn in paper work.

I want to go see the new Zohan movie with Adam Sandler. It seems like the movie could be really good. There's just something about a cold blooded Musad killer that changes his life and wants to cut hair instead of cutting up people. This kind of situation reminds me of my mission.

#2

Yeah for entering post #2! I just finished going through my weight in paperwork at work. I hate duplicates! Seriously, you only need to print something once. Anyways, I'm getting excited to leave for Brazil. It should be a great experience. I still need to buy a digital camera before I leave. Perhaps my photography skill will improve. Usually, I end up taking pictures of weird things like gum on the street or homeless people talking to lamp posts.

Will I do it?

In reality this endeavor, writing a blog, has a huge possibility of fizzling out. I'm at work right now, I guess it's really more of an internship. I'm not extremely busy. I'm like the guy in Office Space that walks in every day and ends up actually doing about 1 hour of real work. Luckily nobody has asked me if I have a case of the "Mondays"...yet. Believe me, you don't want to finish all your work at once. It makes you feel more productive if you spread it out through the entire day.

I am also getting ready to head to Brazil to participate in an internship with Banco Itau. It's one of those moments in life where the path gets a little bit more interesting. I'm hoping it will be like the Wizard of Oz path and I get to see a bunch of flying monkeys.