As I embark on my third week in Rio, I thought I’d take some time to reflect on a few things.
The school is nice; it is essentially in a rain forest.
The other three Canadians in Rio and I were lucky enough to find a living arrangement that accommodates all of us. It's in between Leblon (part of the main strip of beaches in Rio) and Vidigal, in one of the smaller favelas and we are loving it. It certainly has its flaws, but nothing that is impossible to cope with. The most aggravating thing is the Wi-Fi, granted that’s not much to complain about. We all have our own washrooms, kitchens, beds and TVs, along with a communal outdoor shower and two patios for entertaining guests.
Rio De Janeiro is known as one of the most beautiful cities in the world for a reason. I am fortunate enough to live close enough to school that I can walk everyday. The streets are engulfed in trees providing shade and walking along the ocean everyday never gets old. Going to the beach during down time is a wonderful thing; not something that’s really possible in Canada. After a night out, it’s not uncommon to recover on the beach. Beer is cheap, food is relatively inexpensive and the beach bum life style is the norm in the city. Native Rio beach bums are called cariocas. Hopefully within the next few months I’ll be able to blend in as one of them!
Rio is the second largest city in Brazil with a population of over 6.4 million. Moving inwards from the shore, you see a wonderful, beautiful city, surrounded by slums and low income housing known as the favelas. The city itself is beautiful! It's vibrant and there is always something to do; we have yet to go to the same bar twice. During the day, the streets of Rio are safe and tourist friendly however, at night that quickly changes and a walking companion is always a good idea. One of the other students was already robbed in Copacabana, one of the larger towns in Rio.
Having gone to a few favelas already, my personal conclusion is that they are not as bad as they are portrayed to be in the media, but they’re not perfect either. The friction within them is generally attributed to the constant struggle for power between the police and drug cartels, which in recent years has severely dwindled. The general population and even tourists are mostly safe as the favelas are generally friendly. Speaking with some people living in the favela, you learn that it’s actually safer. People in the favela generally do not steal from others within it. They'll venture in to the city first.
Linda, the coordinator of international students at PUC (Pontifica Universidade Catolica) had a great way to describe the favelas, “They’re like volcanos. They are calm and peaceful the majority of the time, but when something goes wrong – it's chaos.” From what I saw, most people were nice and welcoming, but I’m sure there’s another side of the favelas.
I’ve done a lot in my first couple weeks. This really doesn’t do it justice, but I will be sure to post again!