It’s been some time since I last wrote on the blog about the activities On The Road and I have been involved. Almost two years without posting, and gladly this is because of many other projects taking most of our time. Among these many projects, one of them that really caught my attention was the opportunity to work as interpreter for Brigitt Wolf and her Design Thinking approach.

(Brigitt Wolf and I)

Brigitt brilliantly introduced me to Design Thinking during IDEMi October 2012 in Florianopolis – SC. I was so amazed  that it became part of our everyday work.

(BCCenter Design Thinking Project)

On The Road has evolved significantly since my last entry here, and another important step in this evolution was my last visit to New York City. This experience was both professional and personal. The quality and variety range of arts, business, monuments and places makes NYC the Mecca for English learners of any culture. Starting of course with the Central Park, where I stayed just beside during the beginning of my trip.

(Central park during Saint Patrick’s day)

Talking about the professional side of the trip, I’ve been to AMCHAM meetings, where “How to do Business in Brazil” have been discussed and a lot of network and understanding about our culture, opportunities and difficulties, specially in the legal and bureaucratic aspects. Their office is in the heart of  Times Square. There was the first time I handed our new two fold business card, what, by the way, Allexandre Trauer (our designer), was a success.

(AMCHAM - Times Square)

And from the professional / personal perspective, Gi Mazzali and I had an awesome time enjoying the arts NYC has to offer. After studying some English with us, Gi, who is an artist and photographer, was interested in developing some of her skills studying abroad. The National Academy School of Fine Arts was what to seemed to be the best option, and proved to be. Another great experience was to discover Spring Studio, quite close to SoHo where we spent one afternoon drawing the human figure… Simply amazing.

A lot of people go to New York in regular basis for vacations or special events. However, not many truly experience what the city has to offer, truth is most of them just go there for the big city aesthetics and the cool places to do some shopping. Not that there's anything wrong with that, after all capitalism is inherent to US culture, but if one can look beyond the bright lights of the city, you will find yourself in one of the most amazing places in the world to learn.

Due to this trip to US, I ended up spending two days in Boston, visiting a friend in Dudley and closing a deal in Northampton with ILI. In Boston, I stayed in this lovely hostel 4.0 Berkeley, where I got to know the CoLaboratory 4.0, an interesting place where women gather and find support to  develop their own business. It inspired me to develop a new concept in the BCCenter. People can hire a chair here and spend their time working, developing network and receiving advice on Business Strategic Planning.

(CoLaboratory 4.0 - Boston, USA/ BCCenter - Cruritiba, BR)

I’m truly amazed with the opportunities our new place has to offer and how much we can draw from it pushing forward our skills even more.

to be continued...