7.15

I didn´t get a chance to journal yesterday but I guess we had an eventful day. The plan was to stop in Lapa and then make our way to Santa Teresa after checking out the Carioca Aquaduct – an aquaduct that was built in the mid 18th century to bring fresh water to Rio but is now used as a bridge for a train. Today, it is more commonly refered to as: arcos da lapa – the arches of lapa. Super cool way to repurpuse outdated infrastructure. Anyway, so we got out of the metro and walked into what looked like a super nice area – something we were not used to and had not seen yet. Right when we stepped out of the metro there was a starbucks there to greet us and that was the first clue that the area was well off. So we are walking and I saw a churro spot – Sam had been dying for a churro so I point out the cart on the street. As we are mesmorized by the churros that are rolling around in a cinnamon sugar bath and oh so gently being filled with dulce de leche, these two young boys, probably ages 8 and 6, take advantage of our lustful distraction and keen in on Sams money. She had all of her money out – a lot of cash , credit cards, and a metro card. Jack pot. They aproached us from behind and pretended to sell us candy as they contemplate taking her money. Sam hears one of the boys whispering – take it all, take it all. She gives them 10 reais and they leave. We recieve a stern warning from the churro man telling us never to take all of our money out like that – only small bills.  True. As we are walking and eating our Churros – a little shooken up – these two older boys, probably 16 or 17 pass us and ask if we have anything. Sam gave them her water and I gave them the last bite of my churro which the one boy happily ate. While nothing terrible happen it speaks the current situation in Rio. In cases of extreme poverty kids are out on the streets fending for themselves. Throughout all of Rio there are children on the streets finding ways to get money. Some are stealing, some are selling candy, some are selling beer on the streets at night, some are just simply asking for money. I feel many feelings about this. I feel bad because they are kids and you want to help them but you are also scared of them. I am more afraid of the kids then I am anyone else on the streets. You want to help the kids but there are too many of them to consistantly help, and giving them 10 or 20 reais might help them buy food for one day but it will not change their situation. Ultamately, what I take out of this situation is that I am greatful to be where I am at. I am grateful to have lived such a forunante life. I truly appericate all that has been handed to me. Being in another county is helping me to get to know myself as an American. Prior to this experience when people would ask me what I was – resistant to say American – I would say something like – I don´t know, a mut. I would list the various countries that my ancestors came from but that I have no connection too. I felt that as an American I did not have an idenity, I did not want to be an American. This experience is helping me to get to know myself as an American, I am starting to identify with America and I am learning what it  actually means to be an American.

I may be finding my identity as an American, but I am also falling in love with Rio.

Photos from July 15th

Churros at last

Clothes drying on plants

Entrance to a favela, also called a community

Street art

Street art – the writing translates to –

Women free in thought, free in life, free in…

Street perfromers in Lapa – so cool.

 

Times are tough in Brazil, and they have been. Renato says he feels like his country is an entire continent filled with cultural riches, but gets frustrated spending so much money on daily things. He compared buying basic necessities, things like toilet paper and toothpaste, and ball-parked a cost of maybe $18 in the US, whereas it would be R$100 here because you’d have to pay three types of taxes for the items. Renato casually refers to his politicians thieves, as most other Brazilians do, because the people don’t benefit from all those taxes.

My dad personally had to leave school in the 7th grade to work. He has great difficulty running his garage, but is definitely grateful to have some ability. The government does tell people they have to attend school, but so many people can’t afford to spend time out of work. Surprisingly, these are the effects of a capitalist society, under what is described as blatant corruption. Much of the rich economy does not reach its people, who have no education and no knowledge of what it takes to succeed and invest in themselves except with what they were taught in the small world of their communities. Because of this the streets became home to working and unemployed citizens and their children, who try to earn a living there. How is it home? I’d like to pay attention to that.

The other day I met a guy named Renato that gets along with everyone. He works in a studio space of grafitti artwork that happened to catch our eye as we were passing, but he’s a music producer. Though he comes from the street, he knows how to do business and has a lot of connections to all sorts of people doing well in the art world. So he’ll often be the guy to talk to if neighbors need a lawyer or an opportunity. He talked about times when, crazy enough, he used to be a mediator for drug trafficking groups, and was even able to get a few people employed and out of a life of crime. Those are moments he’s proud of. But he says in the end everyone makes their choice, and he chose music.

Being that he helps out some of his buddies doing well, say by promoting their affordable restaurant, he often finds himself helping his other buddies that are not doing so well. He sometimes will bring in a homeless person, “reaking from the street!” as he described it, for a meal with other well-to-do people. Everyone looks at him funny but they all like him. But he says he had a point where he decided he didn’t need his stuff anymore and decided to give it all away–his nice clothes and electronics, stuff like that. It was a big change for him. He wonders if he’s going crazy sometimes but he admits he does feel happy this way.

The mission in his studio now is to teach kids who don’t have access to opportunities about grafitti, rap, and art. He says these kids grow up with nothing but a struggle around thieves, drug traffickers, and cocaine. With nothing else to rely on, these armed men become heroes to them. He wants to be able to show these kids how real these expressive arts can be for them, so they can look at their choices and say ‘Oh, that’s cool’ and look at the other stuff and know ‘that’s death’.

When I told Renato what I’m up to, he said having a course about paisagismo (Landscape Architecture) would be really cool to have for kids too, and that we should think about his studio in the future. He has since offered to walk with us in the places he knows on our trip, to give us some extra comfort when he’s available. And he convinced me to keep my kind and respectful curiosity, which can get anyone to pry right open. So I will.