My teaching schedule usually goes from about 3-8:30 leaving the morning and early afternoon for exploring the city of Rio as well as the Favela I am staying in. Exploring the Favela it is really interesting seeing the comparison of those living in what is considered the middle class versus the lower class. Just within the Favela you can tell the difference, where I'm staying the Favela is considered the middle class neighborhood their is underground sewage and plenty of restaurants and shops to explore. However, the higher up the hill you go in the Favela the more easy it is to see the large amount of poverty. Making my way up the hill, I can see above ground sewage everywhere. Walking around you here what appears to be a waterfall, but in reality all it really is, is the sewage flowing down stream in rat and disease infected waters. A lot of children and adults walk around these streets in no shoes and with very little clothing. However, the sense of community among these people is remarkable. Walking past people, nearly everyone is happy to say Boa Noite (Good Evening) when people pass by. Although a Favela is considered a slum, simply seeing the difference in the Rocinha Favela was quiet interesting especially since such a larger population of Rio lives in Favela's. Although Rocinha is the largest Favela in Rio, I am eager to see the living standards throughout the other Favela's in Rio that are home to over 1 million people within the city of Rio alone. Something also interesting to see is that only a few minutes from the Favela is the Rio district of Leblon, which is considered on the nicest places to live in Brazil, the homes and condo's are huge with sky-rising apartment buildings that look over the Rocinha Favela.
Also, this past week I started playing Soccer daily within the Favela. The field is somewhat small so it is typically 7 Vs. 7 when we play, but it has been a lot of fun. This has been the first time I've played soccer in a few years so my first time back on the pitch was a little disturbing to say the least. However, soon enough I began to gain back my form. The kids playing soccer typically are students that have just graduated high school or are getting ready to graduate. A lot of them speak relatively good English and organization that runs everything helps provide the kids cleats as well as food and drinks when playing. I've been playing each morning Monday- Friday getting my cardio up as well as picking up some Portuguese words and slang.
The past weekend was a good time as well. Saturday I went to see a match in Maracana where the Olympic opening ceremony will take place next year and it was home to the world cup final last year. This stadium is one of the world's most popular and largest, today it seats about 80,000; however, in 1950 when it was built for the 1950 World Cup it once hosted a game that drew a crowd of over 199,000 people. The stadium had been much bigger until the World Cup renovations were added, taking out seats to put in large suites (Thanks Fifa)! However, the place was amazing we seen a match between Flamengo and Gremis. Flamengo is the home team and is the most popular team within Brazil. Since the Brazilian league is right in the middle of the season this game was quiet full, I'd estimate about 55,000 people were their which is quiet a lot considering the city of Rio has four professional soccer teams. The atmosphere was electric as the home supporters stood up most of the game and screamed and chanted the whole ninety minutes. It brought me back to my roots when I get to go to Ohio State football games. Flamengo ended up winning and overall it was definitely worth the experience. The neighborhood the stadium is in, was rather interesting because it is right in the middle of a residential neighborhood, similar to that of Wrigley Field in Chicago. Walking to and from the stadium their are food stands as well as people selling all sorts of Soccer gear and jersey's for the fans. To put it simply, I loved it.
Sunday was another exciting day as well. Coming home from the soccer game I went straight to sleep as I woke up a 5:00AM to go to Angra. Angra is about a 2 hour drive south of Rio and consists of over 350 small islands in the Atlantic Ocean. Upon arriving we hoped on the boat and were off into the see. After about an hour we stopped and could snorkel around the water. I took the plunge into the water and it was amazing there were fish everywhere and all different types, the water was pretty clear and the waves were tame. The next stop was a beach island where we got to swim as well and the same goes for the third stop. These islands were beautiful with each one appearing as a tropical paradise with vast amounts of trees and private docks for those living on the islands. The larger islands are also car less so that provides for a few great hiking trails. The trip to Angra took up most of the day and by the time we got back it was dark and time to go to bed. It's hard to believe I only have a little over a week left in Rio with still so much to do. I'm planning on visiting the site of where most of the Olympic's will be next year in a neighborhood far west called Barra Da Tujica. Also, this next weekend I'm planning on going hiking in the Tujica forest and visiting the Santa Teresa neighborhood of Rio. Also, visiting the beach is a must as well.
This week should be a good one as my classes with the children and adults will continue to progress and I hope to gain a better understanding of the Brazilian education system and how that is affecting the larger inequality gap especially within Rio.
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