Create Your Own
Life is Beautiful. Ahh, Rio de Janeiro. Upon landing, I hear that song in my head (you know the one) and I sense that my fellow passengers just might be hearing it too. "At the copa…Copacabana, the da-da-da-da-da-da….ana". Granted, many of my fellow passengers appear to be returning home from a holiday in the U.S., judging by the lilting Portuguese I hear being spoken all around me, but deep down, I know that they're excited too.
After giving full rein to my jetlagged reverie of what my experience in Brazil will be like, it begins to sink in that I am about to step into a world that is a vibrant mix of traditions, where European, African and Native American religions, cultures and people combine to create a rich way of life that encompasses the ancient, while producing modern architecture, exquisite music and fashion, samba, capoeira (a martial-arts dance form created by slaves brought to Brazil) and soccer mania. Brazil's economy is the largest in South America and in recent years the country has become a major economic and social player on the international scene.
Rio de Janeiro, where I will be calling home for the next 4 weeks, is the country's second largest city (after Sao Paulo), with over 6 million inhabitants (all of them gorgeous…just kidding). During my stay, my mission is to: 1) Teach dance and English at an all girls dance school through one of Rio de Janeiro's many social development programs 2) Avoid being mugged 3) Somehow connect with the sea goddess Iemanja despite being an awful swimmer. (note: In Candomble, the religion transported to Brazil through African slaves and carried on by their descendents, Iemanja is the goddess of creation and inhabits the sea. She is also known as the Great Mother. During New Year's celebrations on Copacabana beach, millions of people throw flowers and cosmetics out to the sea in order to please the vain goddess) and, of course, 4) Party like there ain't no tomorrow…
The volunteer coordinator picks me up at the airport and a smile is still plastered across my face as we wind through the streets of Rio de Janeiro (where traffic seems to flow along efficiently without the regular use of turn signals). On the way, I catch my first glimpse of favelas on the hillsides of the city. The small red brick shacks line the hillsides in intricate patterns and stand out boldly against the famous backdrop of the Christ Redeemer (Cristo) statue. I am awestruck and am determined to get a closer look in the weeks ahead.
Santa Teresa, a picturesque colonial district in the hills of Rio de Janeiro complete with cobblestone streets and quaint local bars that play live samba music on Wednesdays, is in close proximity to about 3 favelas and is where I will be staying for 4 weeks. As one fellow American volunteer confides –“ yeah, when I first got here I was like, what did I get myself into? I can hear fireworks (usually signaling a shake down or event) and gunshots in the distance. But then as I got used to the area, I realized that Santa Teresa itself is actually pretty safe and the way this city is surrounded by hills you can hear gunshots from anywhere. I even went to a baile funk party in a favela.” What!
So, being new to Rio…I needed my American volunteer friend to explain just exactly what a baile funk party in a favela: ”You walk up to the entrance of the favela where armed (I'm talking AK47s) young men walkie talkie inside to make sure it's okay if x number of gringos (this term is used to describe any foreigner) comes to the party. (The ratio of gringos to Cariocas, or Rio natives, is an important factor in whether or not they will be allowed in). Score, their group is let in and crazy dancing, drinking and partying in the streets ensues. These parties are one of the key ways in which the drug trade continues and the drug lords like to ensure that it will be a good time so people keep coming back. Amidst all of the dancing, armed militias dance on roof tops and fire their guns into the air... “ She said it was an awesome time. Maybe even the time of her life... Now I'm thinking Ipanema or Copacabana might be more my scene, but that's definitely a lot to live up to...
Photo Credits: All photos by Avril David except the View from Botafogo Bay, Rio by Celso Pupo; Brazilian Carnival Dancers by Zina Seletskaya; Favela Rocinha by Jose Miguel Hernandez Leon; Copacabana Beach at a sunny morning by Celso Pupo; Christ the Redeemer, Rio by Zina Seletskaya (Agency: Shutterstock)
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