Okay, so I bounced out of eugene unexpectedly and without warning. I ended up getting a really good deal to change my flight to an earlier date and arrived here about three weeks ago. Today I decided to come post since it is raining and I can't go to the beach. I love it here. Life is super mello and the brazilian people are exceptionally cool. The only people I have found to be uncool are my fellow gringos hailing from places like the states, the UK and australia. But they are easy to avoid as they mostly all go to the same places around rio.
I have an apartment in copacabana, but right on the edge of Ipanema. ipanema is the trendiest place in rio and has the best beach. I haven't seen any other parts of rio outside of zona sul and when I ask my brazilian friends about the downtown and other places they get a puzzled look on their face and ask why anyone would want to go there if they didn't have to. my schedule here is very relaxed. I wake up fairly late, go eat and then go down to ipanema beach for a few hours. After that i usually chill until around six and then I catch a bus to the jiu jitsu academy where I train. Depending on the night, I will either go out or stay in. There is something happening pretty much every night, the only night I have had a hard time finding somewhere to go in monday.
The contrast between social classes is right up in your face in rio. I often walk by the entrance to a favela on my way through ipanema and that is kind of a trip. One street down you see some of the richest people in brazil cruising by in mercedes and generally living the high life while on this street you see excrusiatingly poor people lugging huge jugs of water up the stairs to the hillside where the favela sits. About 100 meters from the entrance to the favela on either side you will find anywhere from 6 to 10 members of the military police armed with CAR-15s and other assorted assault rifles, basically there to protect the wealthy from an incursion of people from the favela and shake down anyone they think can get some money off of.
Anyways, i have to run to meet some friends but I thought i would post and say hello since I lwft without saying goodbye. My portuguese is coming along well.
peace, matt
Hey, Matt, good to hear from you! Thanks for the update and I'm glad you're having a good time. Stay safe.
Posted by: Teka | March 23, 2005 at 04:04 AM
Yes, it's good to hear from you. Feel free to continue posting. (You can even put up pictures if you want.) Ava is also in Brazil right now. Who knows, you might see her there. It's a small country.
Posted by: Kinsey | March 24, 2005 at 07:55 PM
Matt -- Did you ever live in Oregon, by chance? :D I've been looking for an old friend from elementary school
Posted by: Ryan Thompson | May 09, 2009 at 12:31 AM