domingo, 14 de março de 2010

Tupã






Tupã is my hometown. Located about 530 km west of the State Capital, the City of São Paulo, Tupã has a population of 60 thousand. I was born and grew up there. I first left it when I was 17 and went on a exchange student program in 1982, to the USA. Back home, I left it again to preparatory school for college, first to Londrina, State of Paraná, for just 2 months, and then to São Paulo, where I live since then, for 26 years now.


Part of my family still live in town, so I use to go back, at least once a year. In the past I would come home more often. After so many years living in São Paulo, I do feel it is my home now. But whenever I come back to Tupã, I still feel myself at home too.


This last time I was in Tupã, I visited two places especifically to take pictures. The first is a new place. It´s the square built in 2008 in tribute to the 100 years of the japanese immigration to Brazil. There is a large japanese community in town, as well as a portuguese and spanish communities.


The second place is a very old one. The old railway station, now abandoned, and waiting to be transformed soon in a museum. It reminds me of the good old times when we traveled by train, and the economy was on growth and commodities were transported by trains.