Local tyre shop on side of highway
All eight Nuffield scholars have been busy blogging in their spare time, so rather than invent the wheel, head to http://www.nuffield.com.au/sb_links.html and you can follow the guys reflections from their travels around the world. Rhys, Bryan, Damien, Dave, Ryan, Ray, Natalie and Crosby (Canadian) were on our trip. The group got a good airing in Brasilian media, through Global Rural television, Channel Rural television and a couple of regional newspapers.
While Brasilians love their phones and technology, they too suffer from poor reception and 3G coverage is left to private companies to develop without government support/pressure. Wi-fi is freely available in most cafes etc, although finding information through the internet has been difficult. Getting a good old paper map of Brazil is still as difficult as in 1997 – as is getting a bottle of water rather than coke at the bus station.
Its great to see agriculture playing a major role in local economy. Having one or two degrees of separation from farming is normal - its great! My 'brasilian brother' Anderson has always been playing around with computers and after doing a bit of general software programming has been snapped up by a farm to build and manage a software program to take account of all the in's and out's of a local farm. He looked at me like I was crazy when I suggested they package the software and sell it to others - its a driver of business not a product in itself.
I am proud of my 'brasilian sister' Aline who is studying to enter federal public administration. At the age of 28, she's closed her law firm with the desire to make systematic changes rather than represent individuals. Most people who stick with it, study for three years to pass 'the test'. Her life at the moment involves 6 hours of video conference seminars as part of a class with 400 satellite classes across the country who talk back to the Sao Paulo-based teacher via Twitter and email.
Overall, the Brasil I have seen so far has developed a lot and towns seem fresh and happening. Public spaces like the central park (a feature of all towns) have manicured gardens, plenty of new cars getting around, and lots of known businesses - like Bayer, John Deere, Michelin. Good that there is still plenty of local business happening as well. Many local friends have opened their own businesses - either in professional services, retail shops or buying franchises.
Brasil has always had an excellent bus network linking the country together and now, with the growing middle class, you can pretty much catch a plane fairly cheaply anywhere within the country as well. A local friend said that the 4% rental return he is getting on a house in a rural city - which has achieved 30% capital gain in 3 years is 'okay'.
While Brasilians love their phones and technology, they too suffer from poor reception and 3G coverage is left to private companies to develop without government support/pressure. Wi-fi is freely available in most cafes etc, although finding information through the internet has been difficult. Getting a good old paper map of Brazil is still as difficult as in 1997 – as is getting a bottle of water rather than coke at the bus station.
Its great to see agriculture playing a major role in local economy. Having one or two degrees of separation from farming is normal - its great! My 'brasilian brother' Anderson has always been playing around with computers and after doing a bit of general software programming has been snapped up by a farm to build and manage a software program to take account of all the in's and out's of a local farm. He looked at me like I was crazy when I suggested they package the software and sell it to others - its a driver of business not a product in itself.
I am proud of my 'brasilian sister' Aline who is studying to enter federal public administration. At the age of 28, she's closed her law firm with the desire to make systematic changes rather than represent individuals. Most people who stick with it, study for three years to pass 'the test'. Her life at the moment involves 6 hours of video conference seminars as part of a class with 400 satellite classes across the country who talk back to the Sao Paulo-based teacher via Twitter and email.
Overall, the Brasil I have seen so far has developed a lot and towns seem fresh and happening. Public spaces like the central park (a feature of all towns) have manicured gardens, plenty of new cars getting around, and lots of known businesses - like Bayer, John Deere, Michelin. Good that there is still plenty of local business happening as well. Many local friends have opened their own businesses - either in professional services, retail shops or buying franchises.
Brasil has always had an excellent bus network linking the country together and now, with the growing middle class, you can pretty much catch a plane fairly cheaply anywhere within the country as well. A local friend said that the 4% rental return he is getting on a house in a rural city - which has achieved 30% capital gain in 3 years is 'okay'.