Boots of Mobility: BRB, Brasil!
Some cities look like any other city, no matter where you go. It can be hard to tell them apart.
Sao Paulo, Brazil, however, stands out. It has a style that is a combination of every other style, as though every ten paces was built with different influences, independent of one another. Even the sidewalk does not stay uniform. It’s a patchwork urban world, charming, bright and rambunctious, stitched together with impressive green trees and foliage wherever it can fit.
It was my first time to Brazil after years of wanting to go. Is there a better reason to visit than to attend the League of Legends Brazilian launch party? This was going to be a big deal: Riot had been setting up the offices in Sao Paulo for months in an effort to better serve the hungering League of Legends community and (with a few bumps and jolts) it seems we pulled it off. Now it was time to celebrate with Brazil summoners and I could not have been more excited to go.
As soon as I landed, I felt welcomed. The Riot Brazil team has the same vigor and warmth as the team back in California, and taking a visit to their offices felt like I was at home and comfortable. Brazil has a team that is Riot through and through, and they proved it perfectly that night by throwing a party that had fans pumped.
Over one thousand fans and press showed up to watch a rousing speech from Paulo, the Brazil country manager, and watch the first head-to-head match of Brazil’s leading competitive teams at the time, vTi and CNB. The excitement in the club was palpable.
Best of all, I got the meet the wonderful community in Brazil! I have yet to meet a warmer audience. My Twitter feed was filled with welcoming messages, and every summoner I met had infectious enthusiasm for the game. From one smiling face to another, the language barrier melted away under the weight of shared love for League. They were ecstatic and I felt that energy all night with every person I met, but especially with a lovely girl named Giovanna.
She was bold enough to be costumed for the event, the only invocadora to do so. In a sea of dark hair, her blue and yellow wig caught my eye. She’s saving up to finish the rest of her Sona costume later, but seeing that summoner spirit so purely in her outfit and all the way to the tips of her (Demacian-themed) blue-and-yellow fingernails was an incredible moment. Thank you for talking with me, Giovanna! I can’t wait to see the rest of the costume!
My trip to Brazil was just too short, and I think that I could stay there for months and it would still feel like I wouldn’t want to leave. The warmth of the players and the culture make this an experience I won’t forget.
Tchau, Brazil! I can’t wait to see you all again!
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