Visiting the Sao Paulo Central Market

By Fabi Contreras

Before studying abroad, I had only been to two countries. Those two consist of the U.S., obviously, which is where I’m from, and Mexico, where my family is from. Growing up, however, Brazil had always been on my bucket list. So, when I found the opportunity to go there, I had to make sure I could take advantage of it! Being able to study abroad in Brazil, though only for a short time, was an amazing and enriching experience. 

My blog day was on our first day arriving in São Paulo, Brazil. The day was long, tiring, and hot, but breathtaking. We visited many places upon arrival, which consisted of many beautiful landmarks around the city. One of the places we visited was the Central Market, better known as Mercado Municipal de São Paulo, which is what my blog assignment was for the day.

The Central Market was a huge market consisting of groceries with fruit, vegetable, and other fresh stands, small restaurants with delicious food and drinks, and tons of people. We all got to try tons of fresh fruit that I had never seen before, explore the multiple stands at the market, and began to attempt to use our not so good Portuguese. Since this was only our first day in Brazil, it was a little nerve wracking to be in such a big yet crowded place. However, the people of São Paulo helped make us feel welcomed. We got to engage with the vendors, waitstaff, and locals, who encouraged us to use our Portuguese but who also practiced their English with us. Through the featured photos, you are able to see some of what I saw. The full, crowded market, the vibrant, ripe fruit, and gigantic sandwiches! Overall, though our first day was action packed, it was nice to be able to relax and recharge with some food and drink at the market after having such a long flight.