Birds chirping, geese flying overhead, the serene settings of London’s suburbs are delightfully refreshing. Certainly, a change from the bustling of daily life on the over side of the world in the city of São Paulo, Brazil.
As a boy, the winters were cold, they seemed to last forever, and extreme conditions like snow to build snowmen were regular events. Nowadays though it seems quite mild in comparison. Yes, a few early January days hit minus centigrade during the night and early morning while generally speaking the weather has been pretty warm compared to my childhood. One day it reached 17 degrees centigrade.
One thing that stands out missing in São Paulo is the lack of unblemished land such as parks and natural beauty spots. In the town in which I was born, green is abundant, parks are enormous, landscapes are not laden with unsightly creations which inhibit eyesight, and has been since as long ago as I remember.
Beautifully well-kept parks are in every direction, so residents can keep abreast of nature and everything it offers. Birds of many species are to be seen regularly like herons’, Egyptian and Canadian geese, swans, ducks, ravens, magpies, etc. Owners, sometimes with as many different varieties as four of five species of dog, let them off their leads so they can run around at their own leisure.
There are also many spaces that local residents turn into recreational areas or community gardens. This is where social services and welfare come together to unit the community spirit alive and well in all of us. These areas need local government approval which is usually forthcoming to help the inhabitants improve living conditions while introducing strangers into the group.
Written by Carl Boniface
Vocabulary builder:
bustling (busy)
unblemished (flawless)
inhibit (hinder)
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