Writer's Blog: Thoughts on Rio

Ola!

Last night I came across a website called iamexpat.nl on which I read an article by a professional writer living in the Hague and writing non-fiction in English who argues that living abroad is already an interesting enough subject for anyone who wants to write. So, one need not begin with a whole book right away, but keeping a blog, writing for online sources and so on, is already a good start. She also recommends aspiring writers to just spend 10 minutes a day writing something - even anything that comes into their head - which will help train them to get into the writing mode. So, I thought that's a good idea, and though maybe every day may not work, at least right away, I will try to write little snippets as often as I can (maybe not every time here though). If you have to read all that goes through my head, or anyone else's, so often, I think you will get crazy! One's own thoughts are already enough aren't they?

As this blog was originally set up for Maschmallow's Adventures in Brazil, and I still have much to write about it, I will start with some thoughts on this subject, connected by the first theme: today, Rio de Janeiro.

Rio de Janeiro, as I have written before, is lovingly called the cidade maravilhosa, the 'wonderful city' by the cariocas themselves. Some of you may remember seeing my first entry on Rio, a few months and entries ago, from my first trip there (it's the entry with all the pictures of Rio.. hard to miss). It's strange to think of it now, my first trip to Rio, and I have to say, it is one heck of a city. Random thought occurred to me earlier, you know how people compare Buenos Aires to Paris? I've been trying to think which European city one could compare Rio with, and I still haven't found the answer.

That said, Rio is a beautiful place. Well, maybe not on the first impression as you leave the rodoviaria (bus station) and ride on the bus through the down-trodden areas in the zona norte... but even there, the city seems to have a specific power over the (first-time) visitor. As you make your way from the zona norte through the centro to the zona sul, it's like you enter a different world. Do you see this picture? That's Ipanema, from my first visit there. Some of you already know, I loved Ipanema, it's hands down the most beautiful beach I've ever seen, and just people watching there is very entertaining. Next to Ipanema is Copacabana, which used to be the beach in the past, but is now considered to have lost much of its former flair. Nevertheless, Copacabana is extremely interesting to hang out, as it's full of options for things to do (and generally cheaper than in Ipanema, actually).

I've done an array of tourist things in Rio. I've gone up to the Corcovado to see the Christ statue twice, and I have to admit, it was one of the most amazing sights I've come across in Brazil. I've been to the Pao de Acucar (Sugar Loaf mountain), been to Lapa several times, and once during the day, I went to Niteroi, the neighbouring island, I've been to the centre, Botafogo, lay on the beach in both Ipanema and Copacabana... and I've even been in a favela, Rocinha, which may be pretty much the biggest favela in South America.

Actually, among my first encounters with Brazil was when I followed an introduction course in anthropology back at university, and we read an anthropologist's book about life and gender issues in a Rio favela based on her own observations there (not Rocinha though). Never did I think back then that one day I'd visit a favela, not because I wouldn't want to, but because it didn't even occur to me to think of it... so imagine that. During this course was also when I saw Brazilian movies for the first time, the famous (and slightly infamous) Cidade de Deus (City of God, of course) and Bus 174. Equipped with that knowledge from my studies, I went into the favela (or rather, zoomed up on the back of a motorbike) with a tour group, to have a peek at what life is actually like there. But perhaps I should leave the discussion of Brazilian social and economic realities for later. Let's just say it was a worthy trip to make.

Rio offers many great views and tourist attractions, but what's also great is just finding yourself somewhere random in the city center (in daylight, preferably though!), to just take in the daily life around. After our trip to the Corcovado, we were dropped off somewhere in the center because I wanted to go check out this small pretty colonial church (the most beautiful in Rio, according to the guide book), and the driver dropped us an almost 10 minute walk away from there. So while we made our way to the church, we enjoyed just encountering a new neighbourhood in the city. Check it out. Isn't it pretty cool?
















Then again, I've always been the type who just likes hanging around a place, walking, stopping, continuing, seeing old and new things around, taking in the life. Perhaps people are different in that respect though... and in a city as big and culturally rich as Rio, the amount of things to do is pretty unending. It is a city some don't like, too, I've heard... and some love. The city is indeed very complicated, quite controversial and sometimes challenging... but it's an experience in every way.

So, this was not 10 minutes... I'm gonna try to time myself! Kidding... nothing wrong with writing for an aspiring writer... but I think I will leave it at this just now. Hope you enjoyed my wonderings ;)

Beijos!

Vai, Brasil, Vai!!! Copa do Mundo 2010 no Brasil =)

Oiii galera,

So now it is time to talk about the one and only... the World Cup! Well, at least the one and only every four years ;) I was very lucky for sure to have been in Brazil during the world cup, as Brazil is the reigning 5-times champion (although I was hoping for 6 this year... damn).

Although I heard people say that this year Brazilians were not as confident of victory and therefore less enthusiastic about the games than usually, I still got a pretty good idea of how crazy people get over football here. Brazil played 5 games, and each brought with it many yellow-and-green crowds, flags, and vuvuzellas. The streets were yellow-and-green, the building I lived in had a huge banner with Brazilian colours strung from top to bottom (20 floors!), there were so many decorations around and Brazilian memorabilia to buy... I still have a small Brazilian collection of things from the World Cup, and two T-shirts, both of which were gifts. I still remember the craze in Juiz de Fora, especially in the center, before the first game began. The traffic, the noise, the crowds. Crazy! The day of the game, I would consistently wake up to the noise of the vuvuzellas, hours before the game... and after the games, the main party area in town with all its bars would fill up for hours... it was like Carnaval over and over again. And though I - and others, I'm sure - believe the Brazilian team could (and should next time!) have played better, watching the games with friends was the best part of the experience. Sometimes we would have so much fun with just hanging out with all of us, we'd forget to watch the actual game.

I've watched the games at a variety of places, my first was at the house of one of the teacher's at Saci, whose daughter also studies there. Then, we've had much fun watching the game at my friend Vico's house, disco-ordering the beer to be brought to us rather than going out in search of it ourselves hahaha. And I remember Vico running around the house trying to be a good host as to accomodate everyone to their needs while it was already 3pm, and he hadn't even eaten that day yet.


We watched the third game, against Portugal (which ended in a dissapointing 0-0 score), with a bunch of AIESEC people. It was such good fun, and I remember meeting my friend Tammy beforehand, and it was 11am, and like a good Brazilian football supporter, she had a beer in her hand. Puts a smile on my face to remember it. Though the game didn't deliver a goal, it was still great fun to watch it together with everyone, as you can be sure that Brazilians are rather passionate football supporters.

The best Brazil game in terms of the actual game was a few days later, against Chile. That game did again finish up as usual in one of the bars in the party area, by which moment it was clear that the coming Friday Brazil was actually going to meet Holland in the quarter-final, just as I'd calculated a couple of weeks before. I've been asked a billion times who I was planning to support should that be the case... so let me state this again for the record, that I was actually supporting Brazil, in a Brazilian T-Shirt, on Copacabana beach in Rio... and my Brazilian heart was very sad when Brazil didn't pull through. Boo.

That said, I'd planned the trip before I realized this is when Holland and Brazil would take it down. It's not like I was planning the escape route. And I remember my friend from Holland, Bryley, arriving a couple of days before, bearing all this orange stuff in her bag. LOL. She actually did make us wear the orange glasses, though I kinda wanted to fit in ;) But having realized that the party would be over if Brazil lost, she too, gave in. But, after a promising start for Brazil, the game went a very unexpected way... imagine watching all that on Copacabana beach! In the heat, among hundreds of people, if not more. People were going crazy. And now imagine the sad-faced, heads-hung-down, Brazilians who headed home after their country lost... For a few days after, I would tell people I'm from Russia, and that Bryley is from Australia, and stop there ;)
But if the nation was sad to be kicked out of the cup, the following day was like a party in Rio - fireworks were going off, there were happy cheers to be heard in the street... Ah, the Brazilians were celebrating Argentina's impressive 4-0 falldown (to Germany?) in the Cup. Argentina and Brazil are like a cat and dog when it comes to football. Like Germany and Holland... but bigger!

When Brazil lost to Holland, I got nervous... how was I gonna show my face in JF to all my friends? To people at school? Oh God. But luckily, sensing this was not their year, and admitting that better results were to be expected from the team, Brazilians were very cool about it, and by the time the final had rolled in, I think most had forgotten that Holland had kicked Brazil out. Because we had so famously watched the final - Holland vs Spain - at a Brazilian bar in JF, with our Brazilian friends, who had dressed up in orange clothes just for us... we took up a significant portion of the bar in front of the big screen, taking lots of orange-clad pictures and attracting much attention from everyone else. But I hadnt caught a single look of "oh you stupid people supporting Holland", just lots of curious stares. Hahaha... it was so great.


And a few days before the final in which Holland had sadly lost, Bryley and I had made history by appearing in the sports section of a real newspaper, Tribuna de Minas! I got this random call from a guy called Philipe who wanted an interview about the Dutch final... as I've already been contacted from students of the faculty of communications about the same topic, I thought this was another student. But when we came there, we met a real sports reporter, and a photographer with a huge camera... surprise! :p So, now there is a Sunday-before-the-game issue of Tribuna de Minas, featuring two photos of me and Bryley with Dutch flags, and wearing the afore-mentioned crazy orange glasses... and, of course, there was an interview, too. But, naturally, since the octopus had predicted Spain would win, so it did. Oh sigh. For weeks after, when we said we were from Holland, instead of the usual Dutch liberalism (*cough*), people would talk to us about football, and how sad it was that Holland lost. And me and Bryley would just... shrug our shoulders, hahaha.

I hadn't lived the experience of the Brazilian Carnaval this time around, but with the World Cup, I came pretty close for now. It was sooo great to experience.... and even land a place in the local newspaper. Can't wait for the next one, in... Brazil, of course =D

Hope you guys enjoyed the new story... keep reading ;)

Beijos!