Sao Paulo Groupies

When we first arrived in Sao Paulo we decided to make a special effort to make Brazilian friends. In all the countries we've lived in, our main group of friends have always been expats! We have made some fabulous Brazilian friends but 6 months down the line I really wanted to find a group where I could meet other mums who had just moved here, and where Sophie could have some playtime with other kids her age. In Sao Paulo it seems that most kids start to go to school 5 days a week from about 18 months.. I don't really want her to start for another year or so.


A friend recommended the International Newcomer's Group and I've been to a few of the playgroups. These are every Thursday morning from 10am-noon and hosted by someone different each time. It's a great way to meet other mummies or daddies, and other children Sophie's age.


Other great groups are the Canadian International Womens' Society (CIWS) which is not just for women! They host lunches, drinks and fundraisers to raise funds for a select number of charities. I helped organise their fundraiser last October and it was a big success, and it was really exciting to see our effort directly impact the lives of others.The Internations group in Sao Paulo is organised by the fabulous Kelly and Mariana. They organise a drinks night once a month at a different venue and the group is a great mix of expats and brazilians - I really like it for this particular reason. They always pick some great bars / venues and everyone is open to meeting new people. The other international group is Gringoes which is mainly a super helpful online forum, and they also organise drinks once or twice a year.




Annette, one of my new fabulous mummy friends, and her gorgeous Cooper, sent us through some advice about where to buy/sell goods and to get some helpful advice on facebook so I thought I would pass these on too.


KidStuff Bazaar
International Newcomer's Club of Sao Paulo
Expats Sao Paulo

Total SP guia

So I've been living in Sao Paulo for almost 8 months now and have just discovered Total SP!!

I found their guide book in Anna's bookshelf and read it front to back in one sitting. It's a great little guide for Sao Paulo - if you're moving here, or if you're just coming for a weekend visit (though you'd need more than a weekend to check out all their recommendations). I've already picked up 3 of them - a copy for ourselves (I think Anna would notice if we had stolen hers) and a couple as cute little presents.

I had to hunt them down - Livraria Cultura, supposedly the biggest bookshop in Brazil, didn't have a copy but I found them in a little boutique bookshop off Oscar Friere. The shopkeeper asked me if I knew the authors as he knew them personally himself. I like that they are a little more homegrown than your Lonely Planets or Rough Guides. All our weekends in Sao Paulo 2011 are already planned!

They also have an online guide with updates.

http://totalspguide.com/