Brazil. 500 years through the eyes of a child
#diary
Nataly Osmann

In this country I found some amazing people, felt the freedom and fear, and had a lot of fun. For almost a year I couldn’t find the right words to describe everything you could possibly emotionally experience in Brazil. I tried my best. I was writing down and then deleting my thoughts and memories again and again, trying to put them the right way but it was all in vain until I realized that words is not enough to explain Rio; you should live it, experience it, get to know it yourself. Therefore, instead of reading the following text, you really need to consider buying your tickets to Rio right away. It would a be very Brazilian gesture.

We’d always wanted to visit Brazil, and then found a perfect reason – the World Cup Finals (I still hope that it was not Murad’s excuse). In our itinerary we had Rio, the Amazon and Iguazu Falls. We flew all over Brazil from north to south and had the total number of flights of 10, including Moscow!

We were absolutely shattered on our way to the hotel after a long flight from Moscow and almost unconsciously were gazing around. On the way from the airport we passed dark and dangerous favelas where, as we knew, even the police didn’t dare to come. The guide told us that earlier inhabitants of favelas would force the bus drivers to stop the buses with tourists going from the airport and rob them, apologizing and explaining that they needed money to feed their families.

Photo: @muradosmann

Photo: @muradosmann

We reached the hotel without any incidents. At the hotel they told us that we were staying in two different rooms. And while we were trying to sort this issue out to, arrived a big group of Chinese tourists. Everything merged into one big noisy mess and then I heard the sound of drums. For a moment I wondered if I was going crazy, looked at Murad and by his facial expression I realize he could hear them too!

Suddenly, I saw two half-naked samba dancers wearing feathers and rhinestones, with shiny smiles, and drummers around them beating a rhythm, and all this right in the lobby of the hotel, in between dozens of suitcases, onlookers and the Chinese delegation! I was really shocked, hypnotized by the rhythm, atmosphere, and in a few minutes I forgot about the fatigue and the fact that I was wearing a sportswear and started dancing with the half-naked dancers. While Mur caught a moment and made a video! The most interesting fact is that the dancers’ bodies had far from ideal shapes but they were moving and shaking them in the way that even I thought they were the sexiest women in the world. That was the magic of dance! That was Brazil!

Photo: @muradosmann

Photo: @muradosmann

After a little rest Mur and I went to the most famous beach of Rio –Copacabana. By the way, it’s all lined up with black and white paving stones for a reason. Nearby, in the city of Manaus (located in the North of Brazil) is a confluence of two rivers the Rio Negro (it has dark colored waters) and the Amazon River (it has light colored waters), which flow together but don’t mix for a 2 km. They do not mix for several reasons: in the Rio Negro there are plenty of minerals and in the Amazon there is a lot of clay, consequently, the density of these rivers is different, so the mixing process doesn’t take place immediately. So the paving stones are laid out on the beach at Copacabana in honor of this grand natural phenomenon.

Photo: @muradosmann

I’m telling it in a lot of details because eventually we flew to Manaus, and we saw the process ourselves. But will tell you about it a little bit later. There are many more other legends, which you can enjoy about the beaches of Rio.

Photo: @muradosmann

People living in Rio are called Cariocas. And the name has, probably, already became a common noun because the locals here have a bright personality, they are emotional and quick-tempered. They are easy to fall in love with, easy to communicate to, and they live easily as if they were in some sort of celestial dance all the time.

When I was preparing for our trip to Rio, I read all I could find about this city. And once I came across the story of one Russian guy who lived for several years in the most dangerous areas of Rio, his name was Slava (there are more than 700 favelas, inhabited mostly by very poor people). In a couple of hours, inspired by Slava’s life, I found with a help of social media and arranged a meeting with him in Rio.

Photo: @muradosmann

When we met, for the first ten minutes of conversation with Slava on the way to favela, we had time to discuss Dali’s works and Kant's psychology. He struck me with his depth and simplicity at the same time. To tell the truth, I expected to see an uneducated bully. At the age of 16, Slava left the Soviet Union to conquer Europe and America. He has seen a lot in his life. "You know, he said, I lived in different countries, but only now I’ve finally realized that people are the same everywhere, and they all are interested in the same things in life."

Slava has experienced everything: hard times in London and love in Canada, but only after he moved to Brazil, he finally felt free. "When my wife and my child left me, I had nowhere to go. I had no friends or family. I really understood what it meant to be alone. Life was teaching me some tough lessons but was a good student. I lived for several years in favelas and, you know, I was an absolutely happy man. The main thing is to follow their rules, and don’t get involved with the traffic" – said Slava smiling.

Photo: @muradosmann

Photo: @muradosmann

So, the first favela we entered (by the way, certain favelas can be entered only with a prior authorization, because there are a lot of weapons and drugs) was Vidigal. You had a feeling like we were in a different reality, "stone jungle" where people survive in conditions, which seem to be impossible. But, of course, people who have spent their entire lives there do not think so, for them it’s just an everyday life. I was taking pictures of everything I could. But Slava warned me it was quite dangerous to take pictures of people without their permission. I still took a chance.

The streets in favela were dirty and felt like they smelt of hardship and poverty, and you would probably be surprised to see a wonderful gothic style church and big modern football pitch in the middle of this chaos. Well, I was. The Brazilians are erratic and passionate people. For them nothing is more important then the faith in God and love to football.

Photo: @muradosmann

The Statue of Jesus Christ is one of the main tourist attractions of Rio and one of the Seven New Wonders of the World. So, from all of the favelas around the hills, you can see Jesus guarding the city! Even in the most "dark", lost faith, ruthless places of this city you feel the presence of God.

Photo: @muradosmann

The main dish of the trip was, of course, the World Cup. It is difficult to write about it – the intensity of emotions is too high! Tears and laughter, joy and aggression, elation and desperation and all in one place and at the same time. I was "lucky" to be between the Argentinian and German fans, so I definitely experienced the whole range of emotions!A topic of football is a very special one. In Brazil even in the most godforsaken slums there is a football pitch, and probably at this very moment the next Ronaldinho is playing in one of them.

In general, The World Cup played a positive role in cultural life of Brazil. Many favelas became peacefull, there are a lot of police on the streets, and the tourist industry passed a certain test: it is not so easy to withstand such an influx of tourists. Given the fact that the locals, to put it mildly, do not like the process of FIFA organization, Brazil has withstood a testing experience. The Olympic Games next year is the new challenge for the Cariocas.

Photo: @muradosmann

Surprisingly, "Instagram" is very popular in Brazil, and the first local resident who showed us the city was a popular photographer from Rio called Paulo. He was a Carioca. Paulo was studying in a private school and by local standards was considered to be from a wealthy family. He invited us to a meeting of Instagram lovers that took place right on the beach where there was a football match. In Rio, as I said, everybody played football everywhere.

Photo: @muradosmann

Our friend Paolo took us to downtown and said that we would be surprised. I noticed he removed his watch and put it in the trunk. On my remark about this gesture he calmly replied that it was better not to tempt the locals.

We arrived at the strangest Catholic church I’ve ever seen - The Metropolitan Cathedral of Saint Sebastian (about 79 percent of inhabitants of Rio are Catholics). To say that this place was strange was to say nothing. From the outside concrete barricades were similar to an industrial pyramid but as soon as you let yourself in you could be amazed by the breathtaking. On all the walls of the building there were mosaic "rivers" in a shape of a cross stretched right up to the top of the ceiling, creating a feeling of disappearing somewhere in the sky. The sunlight was percolating through stained-glass “rivers”. It made me feel a bit dizzy.

Then we went to another tourist destination, Selaron Steps (Escadaria Selarón).

Photo: @muradosmann

I dressed up for the next picture to be taken. Making a way through the crowds of tourists we were looking for the best angle to shoot. Normally we wouldn’t go in prime time, but we were told that in Rio tourists were everywhere and at any time of the day. Once upon a time this place was another poor neighborhood before an eccentric man called Jorge Selarón started decorating the area around his house with bright tiles (coming back to the theme of childhood, Brazilians paint and decorate their houses in all kind of possible ways). People really liked it. So, he hadn’t stopped at just decorating the house, he decorated with colored tiles the whole street with a lot of stairs on it. The tourists started coming to the place, bringing tiles as a gift from all over the world. Unfortunately, on January 10, 2013 Jorge Selarón was killed right on his doorstep. And the street and the stairs have become a new commemorative attraction of the city.

Brazil gave us another man who had a great impact on our lives. It's Andre. He accompanied us to the Amazon and Iguazu Falls on the border with Argentina. Andre became a Tibetan monk at the age of 5 years. It happened when he was traveling with his father in Japan and happened to meet extraordinary men in orange robes. He declared that he wanted to live with them and that he had dreamed about them every night! After a couple of years of long negotiations his parents let him take the monastic path! Years later he returned to secular life, in Rio. Our friend Andre told us about the carnival. Many Cariocas don’t like it and try going to another countries or to get away from Rio during the carnival. He said that at this time more than 5 million people filled the streets.

Photo: @muradosmann

Any trip for me is more than just flying to another country, trying local food and enjoying the sights with a professional camera in order to not to miss the moment. Of course, with the help of our project Follow Me To we show the beauty of the world as well as indescribable and inexplicable cultural heritage and its wonders. And people who live in these countries play a vital role in developing or destroying a lot of the sights and culturally important objects, as well as the nature.

Photo: @muradosmann

Brazil is a relatively young country, it is only 500 years old and most of these years it spent being a colony. And what can we say about a young country? We can only admire it and its locals who, no doubt, are just like children. They are fond of holidays and festivals, for example the Carnival. Here the passion for football is not even a hobby; it is a meaning of life. We’ve got a lot to learn from Brazil and its people, because as they say a child’s eyes are always clear.

Photo: @muradosmann

Photo: @muradosmann

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