Sao Paulo is like most big cities where everything moves fast, walk fast, talk fast, eat fast, live fast. For a place known for its movement, one can never imagine that it can take hours to get anywhere, traffic is heavy and the public transport is too small.

I was born in the 1980’s, when the car industry was developing and people started driving everywhere. The car was a big part of my life when I was living there, with such a huge city and an over crowded population, public transportation is part of the path, but since it’s not take you everywhere, cars were necessary.

The north-south crosstown was a reality early on and it is funny to think that I had breakfast in my car, did my make up sometimes, or whatever it could distract me from just sitting there waiting for the cars to move.

You get to know the city a lot more when you have to cross it on a daily basis so I was always amazed about the mix, mix of colours, mix of people, mix of accents and contrasts. The rich and the poor, the old and the new, the residents or the people just passing by.

The modern and contemporary seat side by side with the old and traditional. The red cycling lane and the green parks mixed with the grey skyline of modern buildings. The city that is always awake, you can do whatever, whenever. It can be loud, and it can be peaceful. Some highways start here, some finish here.

My childhood home, my forever home, the place that allowed me to grow and to dream, and the place I will take with me wherever I go.