From Clarkston To Copacabana - How I Went From Being A Lazy High Schooler To Volunteering in Rio's Comunidades
Before you start, just know that this is a very long read, I wanted to put all of my memorable stories from Rio de Janeiro and how I ended up there in one post and it turned out to take a whole week for me to finish.
Just 2 months after I graduated from high school, I went to Rio de Janeiro to volunteer with Edumais, an NGO which focused on teaching English to children from underpriveliged backgrounds. It was an incredible experience and I can safely say it was some of the best two months of my life.
It all started when I was in my sixth year of high school, I felt that my school put way too much pressure on its students to get accepted into university and go off to uni straight away. I thought that aged 17, I'd be way too young to go to university, I wanted to challenge myself and see the world a bit before going to university. I had decided to take a gap year so I could have the time to travel the world, I wanted to do volunteering in Latin America because I would go to study Spanish at university and wanted to enrich my knowledge of Spanish.
My dad told me that his cousin told him that I could go to Rio and volunteer, without a doubt I said yes to the thought of being in Brazil rather than Scotland. I knew almost nothing about Brazil, but the thought of being in a place with nicer weather and stunning beaches was simply inviting. However, Brazil is a lusophone country and I had no knowledge of Portuguese except for obrigado. It was at that time I took it upon myself to start learning Portuguese online.
In sixth year, I was just waiting for it all to be over, as I had received my unconditional I no-longer felt the need to study so hard and focused mostly on learning Spanish and Portuguese. Almost everyday I'd be running late for school, but I was still putting full effort in classes. Right after my very last high school exam, I took my uniform off and threw it straight in the bin. I felt a great feeling, a feeling of freedom.
When it came to applying to volunteer for Edumais, my dad doubted that they would accept me as a volunteer, but I was determined to get the opportunity to volunteer. I was given an interview on why I wanted to volunteer with them, I showed the interviewer that I was capable of taking on the challenges, enthusiastic about doing so and willing to do a fundraiser.
When I had received the email that I had been accepted the chance to volunteer with them, I was elated, I was so happy that I'd be leaving rainy monotonous Scotland for the vibrant and sunny Rio.
As a fundraiser, I decided to climb Ben Nevis, the tallest mountain in Scotland. I was warmed by all the compassionate donations made by friends and family members, a huge amount was donated to Edumais and they were extremely grateful for it. Ben Nevis was a tough climb, it was a scorching day and I hurt my leg on the way down, but it was all worth it to help all the amazing young people helped by Edumais.
Before going to Brazil I needed to prepare myself, I had to sort out vaccines, I got a vaccine for rabies which took 3 injections. Without a doubt, I was terrified about going to Rio. Simply make a google search of "Rio de Janeiro" and you'll be met with imagery of gang warfare, drugs and robberies. I was worked up at the prospect of being mugged and did as much research as I could on how not to be robbed.
When it came to packing, I was a complete idiot and overpacked like I was going to live there permanently. A piece of advice, if you're going to be abroad for a couple of mouths the max you should take is three weeks worth of clothes. I made the mistake of taking not just my rucksack, but also a full suitcase worth of all kinds of clothes I thought I needed.
Then the day came, I walked my dog for one last time and then was in a taxi to the airport. When we arrived in Rio, our trip didn't come off to a great start. My dad had received a text message that all our luggage was still in Amsterdam and our luggage didn't arrive to us until our last day in Rio before going to Foz do Iguaçu.
My dad's cousin greeted us at the airport and we took a taxi over to Ipanema, because we had no other clothes, we had to buy some spare underwear. That night we went to a shop called Lojas Americanas, a shop that sold a little bit of everything just like what Woolworths once was in the uk, you could buy a pack of underwear and a toothbrush off the same shelf.
Waking up and opening my curtain to the sight of christ the redeemer was quite something. Because the airline had offered us compensation, we could buy some much needed clothes, we went to C&A and bought some clothes to last us until our luggage would hopefully arrive. Then we took a walk over to Copacabana beach and drank some coconut water right out of the coconut. unfortunately some good for nothing swindler tried to trick me by pouring dirty water on my trainers and tried to clean my shoes. It was at this moment I knew that I had to get some Havaianas in order to blend in with the locals.
My dad's cousin then took me to meet her friend who I'd be staying with for two months and I was also introduced to Marcelo, who works at the building I stayed in. Then that day was spent as a touristy day going around Rio de Janeiro, I got to see the Sambadrome, the Maracanã, the Escadaria Selarón, the metropolitan cathedral and the best for last being Christ the Redeemer.
Christ the redeemer isn't as amazing as you might think up close, it is a mere 38 meters tall. The view from Corcovado, however, is incredible and it was in that moment I had my first can of Guaraná. Guaraná is a Brazilian soft drink made from Guaraná, a fruit only found in the Amazon. I can safely say it is my favourite soft drink after real Irn Bru. Once we got back to Ipanema we want to have dinner at the flat of the woman I'd be staying with, despite the fact that she couldn't speak English, she was a great host.
The next day started with a visit to Ipanema beach to relax in the sun, something us Scottish people can hardly ever do. Then we went to watch the world cup final with Marcelo and his girlfriend. I ate some delicious Brazilian pastels for lunch and washed it down with Guaraná.
As it was a Sunday, it was when the Ipanema hippie fair would be on, a market which has stalls selling all kinds of cool and unique things. I can remember buying a sign there that said "welcome bring beer" on it in Portuguese. Then later on we went to a place near Leblon which is known as "Kilograma" a buffet which I could eat as much Brazilian food as I wanted.
The final full day in Rio before going to Foz do Iguaçu was spent first visiting the Edumais school before I'd start volunteering with them, it made me so excited to start volunteering with them. On our way up to the hill, my dad witnessed a police car with their rifles pointed out the windows zooming up the hill.
After that, we were taken to Jardim Botanico, an excellent place to visit in Rio, especially on a bright day, despite it being right in the middle of a city, it feels like you are in the heart of nature and you can even get a good view of Corcovado from there.
Then, for dinner, we went to a local pub with the woman I'd be staying with and her daughter. I had some feijoada and enjoyed some brilliant Brazilian beer with a football match playing in the background.
After two weeks of travelling through Brazil and Argentina, it was time to get back to Rio, the flight back to Rio from Manaus was a disaster as halfway through the flight, someone had drank too much and collapsed or something and the plane had to go back to Manaus and by the time the plane had landed again the guy seemed fine. Thanks to this nuisance, we had to spend more of our valuable time on a plane when we could have been enjoying ourselves in Rio.
Next morning started with a walk along Ipanema beach in the beautiful sunrise, then my dad took me to a guesthouse where I'd be spending the next week, then we went to Pão de Açucar, any tourist to Rio de Janeiro has to visit this place, the views from the cable car are unforgettable.
Later that day, it was time for my dad to go home, we accompanied him to the airport, it was time to say goodbye. It was at that moment I truly felt like an adult, being on another continent unaccompanied for the first time in my life.
The next morning when I got out of my guesthouse and went for a walk around Ipanema beach I was terrified of being robbed and was watchful of every person coming into my sight. My dad's cousin took me to the other side of the city, I went to the Museu do Amanhã, the building looks mesmerising and is a museum about science and the future of humanity. Then I was taken to the famous Colombo, an old-style café which serves all sorts, I got some coxinhas to take away and then took the underground back to Ipanema. As soon as I got back to my guesthouse, I went straight to sleep despite it only being 5PM, because I was exhausted from what I had went through.
Then it would be my first day as a volunteer, the founder of Edumais, Diana warmly welcomed me as I was walking up the hill on the first day as I was walking up to the school, she showed me around the school and showed me what it meant to be part of Edumais. On my second day I could remember seeing soldiers in camouflaged uniforms as I was leaving and I thought to myself that I better get back to the guesthouse. I remember that evening I went to a pizza restaurant with my dad's cousin and her friend I'd be staying with, I remember agreeing that I'd pay the the taxi, the fare was only about 17 reais (£3.80) I gave him a 20 real note and told him to keep the change and he thanked with an expression of true gratitude.
That Saturday I watched the Hearts first game of the season on my laptop, then I went out to get a Subway for lunch, one big problem? None of the staff could speak English so I had to say everything in Portuguese and then I would try to find Copacabana Fort, I ended up getting lost as I didn't think about using Google Maps at the time, but I got there eventually. Copacabana Fort is not only a great place for views of the city, but there is also a great museum inside about Brazil's military history. Unfortunately, it's all in Portuguese, so I didn't understand everything.
Later on I was invited to the house of the woman I'd be staying with to have some lasagne and then afterwards there was a barbecue going on in the car park of the apartment building and they were all fascinated to talk to me about who I was and what I was doing there. One of them was a Botafogo fan and despite that he said he'd take me to a Flamengo match at the Maracanã.
On the Sunday, I decided to walk across Copacabana beach to go to Leme Fort, I have to say that Copacabana beach isn't a great place to unwind, it's very lively and there were loads of guys trying to sell me weed. Leme Fort is one of the spots you can't miss in Rio, it is where you can get the best views of Copacabana beach and the rest of the city. As you enter you will see soldiers in army vehicles going to work and then walk up a steep hill where you will see some of the most incredible views of the marvellous city. Then after that it was time to go to Kilograma again for dinner and eat Feijoada to my heart's content.
On my second week I went on a tour with my dad's cousin, the tour was about the street art all around Rio de Janeiro, because graffiti in Rio de Janeiro has been legalised, there is a huge amount of it all around and a lot of it is political and commenting on the contemporary events which had occurred in the city. At the end of the tour, I was taken to a shop which sold craft beer,
I also went to the history museum, the museum has exhibits from before the arrival of the Portuguese explorers to the assassination of Marielle Franco, on the Friday I went to Parque Lage, one of the most famous sites in Rio de Janeiro. In my opinion it's more amazing than Christ the Redeemer and feels very jungle-like. Then I spent the rest of the day relaxing at Ipanema beach, I drank some Guaraná and gazed at the view of the two brothers.
On Saturday, Marcelo's girlfriend, Ilara, took me to a samba class so I could learn how to dance like a local, I really did feel like a fish out of water as the instructor's had limited English, but it was that moment I discovered my enjoyment for samba. I spent my weekend at the beach as it was so close to where I stayed, Ipanema was literally a 5 minute walk away and Copacabana was the same on the other side.
On the second week, I started surfing lessons because it was something I always wanted to do, it was insanely difficult on my first lesson, but when I finally managed to stand up on the board it felt amazing.
On a Sunday, I was invited to the house of a friend of my dad's cousin, they live in Santa Teresa, a neighbourhood near to where Corcovado is, despite being in the middle of a big city, it feels like being in the middle of the jungle. There were monkeys that would be swinging on the trees of his garden and he would feed them popcorn, definitely one of the coolest gardens I have ever been in. Later on, we went to nearby café to have some açai as I had never tried it before, I liked having açai, but it is by no means a favourite of mine.
During that week I went to the Maracanã to see Flamengo play Vitória, it was such an amazing experience, despite the fact it was a one nil win against a small team, the atmosphere was incredible and I noticed so many cultural differences in terms of football. In Brazil, it is completely fine to have a beer in the stadium and they eat coxinhas instead of pies.
The next weekend was another Saturday spent unwinding on the beach, however on the Sunday it was raining, so I spent most of the day inside because it was raining. However I did go to the hippie fair and bought a present for my grandparents.
The weekend after, I went and met up with one of the volunteers who was from London, there was a fair going on in the northern zone and we had some drinks afterwards. I got to try some cachaça which was banana flavoured and tasted fairly decent. The next day Marcelo and Ilara took me in their car to Pedra Bonita, it was such a nice place with a great view of some unusual looking mountains. It's used as the location for hang gliding and watched them go off into the skies, a great place for pictures as well, I had my pictures taken with Marcelo and Ilara. When people see them, they think that Marcelo and Ilara are my parents.
At this point, I had adapted well to life in Brazil, I enjoyed the volunteering, staying with a woman who can't speak english and chilling out on the beach. I really enjoyed volunteering and I can remember at every break, the volunteers and I would go to the neighbouring bar. I'd get a Guaraná and a brigadeiro for about 15 reais. The kids I'd teach were great and loads of them were enthusiastic to learn. I even decided to go with Marcelo and Ilara to their samba class up in the comunidade and we'd usually go for drinks afterwards. The community centre in the comunidade had some excellent views of Vidigal and Lagoa as well.
On the Saturday, I went to the art museum, not so much a fan of art museums, but this one was slightly more interesting as it had information on the history of Brazilian culture such as samba and as I was leaving, I was given a leaflet by some campaigners as the election was in just a month. It was just days after Bolsonaro had been stabbed at a rally and political division seemed rife.
That Sunday I went with Marcelo and Ilara to Maré, a neighbourhood in which Marcelo's mum lived. As we entered the area, Marcelo released my seatbelt and told me that if I saw people with guns I should not freak out. When we got there we had lunch, some very nice beef, however I was given tap water which tasted incredibly bitter. Even though I found it difficult to follow their conversations, Marcelo made me feel like I was part of his family, my dad had a Hearts top shipped over from Scotland for him and he told me that he'd buy me a Flamengo shirt. Marcelo and Ilara truly idolised me, for what I was doing as a volunteer for Edumais. We also went to the Flamengo training centre which is open for visitors and is very near Lagoa.
It wasn't just Marcelo who thought that what I was doing was amazing, when I was walking down the hill one day and saw a car pass by. I saw the window open and thought they were going to rob me, turns out the man was a dad of one of the children at the school and he wanted to thank me. The woman I stayed with was a very interesting woman, I enjoyed staying at her flat, however, my bedroom window didn't close properly which allowed for mosquitoes to enter and attack me. This resulted in my arms being covered in Mosquito bites, she also had a dog named Alice who had zero training, she was crazy, but despite that I loved her even though she would routinely attack me.
My favourite classes I volunteered with were the ensino medio students who were aged about 16-18 and their english was much better than the younger students. One of the students was able to tell funny jokes in english which really resonated with me. Before starting on a Wednesday, I'd head to the beach to do a bit of surfing and then get usually get some tacos for lunch at a Mexican restaurant.
When I'd go to the samba classes at the comunidade, I'd be scared to walk up there alone, so I'd meet some of the other people at a halfway point and walk up with them, however when I got up there, I felt safe as I would be anywhere else. On the Saturday, I went to the comunidade for fancy dress party with Marcelo and Ilara. I was dressed in a kilt something that many Brazilians have never seen before and when I was walking in the street, a car honked its horn.
On the Sunday, Marcelo and Ilara took me to Urca, an area near Pão de Açucar which has a nice area to walk around and has the nearby Praia Vermelha (red beach) I thought that this beach was one of the best beaches in Rio and it's a shame I didn't go there enough. I highly recommend this place for visitors to Rio over Copacabana beach as it is much more tranquil. Later on I went to Botafogo where the daughter of the woman I stayed with (Selma) lives, right out of her window, you could see Corcovado and it looked spectacular once it got dark. Selma's daughter, Joana could speak good English and talked to me about travel, she told me she had been to Japan and I was fascinated. She made some great food which had the ingredients of cod and olives.
On the Monday, none of the kids showed up to the class, so we were just able to leave, I went to the beach and drank some coconut water. Then I watched the sunset on Arpoador Rock, a common place for Cariocas to see the sunset. the next morning my surf instructor told me that I had the opportunity to surf on Copacabana beach, so I got down there and caught some thrilling waves, a photographer took a great picture of me and I bought the picture online for just under a fiver. My dad told me it was one of the best pictures of me ever taken.
On Friday, one of the scariest things had ever happened to me, I had explained it in another post, but, long story short, I was walking towards the bottom of the hill, saw two military police with FN FAL rifles, next thing I know they are pointing them at me and yelling at me. I was shaking like a leaf, I didn't understand what they want from me and eventually they searched me and told me I could move along. I was worried that my life would be over, but I continued with my day and went to Leblon shopping to buy a Brazilian football jacket and then went to see the Escadaria Selarón and then hung about at Copacabana beach.
When I got back to Selma's I explained to her what had happened with the police, she was horrified and disappointed in the police, but I started to laugh uncontrollably and we both started to laugh as her I found humour in her reaction. The next day I hung out with Marcelo and Ilara as Marcelo's son, Marcelinho was visiting. He could speak a decent amount of English and he provided some clarity on some things I didn't understand about Brazil and we enjoyed some beers and cachaça together.
On Sunday, I went to Barra da Tijuca, a beach outside of Ipanema, it takes a long time to get to, but it is worth a visit. It is a little less lively than Ipanema or Copacabana, but you can swim in the waves which are quite intense and they will really easily knock you down. It's one of the best beaches in Rio in my opinion and there is a huge police presence there as I saw police walking around with assault rifles.
I wanted to buy a present for my dad's birthday as it would be his birthday when I would go back to Scotland, I decided to buy him a Flamengo jacket, I went to a sports shop and when I went up to the counter to buy it, they asked for my CPF, which is a Brazilian kind of social security number, I thought this was really random and bizarre.
On my last day with some of the students they said that they thought it was amazing that I would come to Brazil to help them instead of just going to the beach. The other volunteers commended me and said it was incredible how I was volunteering at such a young age.
That evening, I joined Marcelo and Ilara to watch Flamengo play Corinthians at the bar, Marcelo was as passionate as I was for football, as I could see him shouting at the TV and banging on the table when Flamengo scored. Sadly, Flamengo lost the match and everyone in the bar had feelings of disappointment, one of them had given me some free whisky because I was Scottish.
On the last Friday of my time in Brazil, I went on a guided tour to Ilha Grande and Angra Dos Reis. It took a good two and a half hours to get there and sadly it wasn't the best weather for it. It was a really cloudy day, but that did not stop me from going into the water for a swim, On my tour, I was accompanied by some tourists from Argentina and I conversed with them in Spanish, as I was donning my Brazil top and spoke Spanish, they had assumed I was South American and it was a complete surprise when I told them I was Scottish. Ilha Grande is quite amazing, just make sure that you go with the right weather and it takes the whole day for a day trip, I woke up at 8 and didn't get back to Ipanema until 11PM.
The next morning when I got out of my guesthouse and went for a walk around Ipanema beach I was terrified of being robbed and was watchful of every person coming into my sight. My dad's cousin took me to the other side of the city, I went to the Museu do Amanhã, the building looks mesmerising and is a museum about science and the future of humanity. Then I was taken to the famous Colombo, an old-style café which serves all sorts, I got some coxinhas to take away and then took the underground back to Ipanema. As soon as I got back to my guesthouse, I went straight to sleep despite it only being 5PM, because I was exhausted from what I had went through.
Then it would be my first day as a volunteer, the founder of Edumais, Diana warmly welcomed me as I was walking up the hill on the first day as I was walking up to the school, she showed me around the school and showed me what it meant to be part of Edumais. On my second day I could remember seeing soldiers in camouflaged uniforms as I was leaving and I thought to myself that I better get back to the guesthouse. I remember that evening I went to a pizza restaurant with my dad's cousin and her friend I'd be staying with, I remember agreeing that I'd pay the the taxi, the fare was only about 17 reais (£3.80) I gave him a 20 real note and told him to keep the change and he thanked with an expression of true gratitude.
That Saturday I watched the Hearts first game of the season on my laptop, then I went out to get a Subway for lunch, one big problem? None of the staff could speak English so I had to say everything in Portuguese and then I would try to find Copacabana Fort, I ended up getting lost as I didn't think about using Google Maps at the time, but I got there eventually. Copacabana Fort is not only a great place for views of the city, but there is also a great museum inside about Brazil's military history. Unfortunately, it's all in Portuguese, so I didn't understand everything.
Later on I was invited to the house of the woman I'd be staying with to have some lasagne and then afterwards there was a barbecue going on in the car park of the apartment building and they were all fascinated to talk to me about who I was and what I was doing there. One of them was a Botafogo fan and despite that he said he'd take me to a Flamengo match at the Maracanã.
On the Sunday, I decided to walk across Copacabana beach to go to Leme Fort, I have to say that Copacabana beach isn't a great place to unwind, it's very lively and there were loads of guys trying to sell me weed. Leme Fort is one of the spots you can't miss in Rio, it is where you can get the best views of Copacabana beach and the rest of the city. As you enter you will see soldiers in army vehicles going to work and then walk up a steep hill where you will see some of the most incredible views of the marvellous city. Then after that it was time to go to Kilograma again for dinner and eat Feijoada to my heart's content.
On my second week I went on a tour with my dad's cousin, the tour was about the street art all around Rio de Janeiro, because graffiti in Rio de Janeiro has been legalised, there is a huge amount of it all around and a lot of it is political and commenting on the contemporary events which had occurred in the city. At the end of the tour, I was taken to a shop which sold craft beer,
I also went to the history museum, the museum has exhibits from before the arrival of the Portuguese explorers to the assassination of Marielle Franco, on the Friday I went to Parque Lage, one of the most famous sites in Rio de Janeiro. In my opinion it's more amazing than Christ the Redeemer and feels very jungle-like. Then I spent the rest of the day relaxing at Ipanema beach, I drank some Guaraná and gazed at the view of the two brothers.
On Saturday, Marcelo's girlfriend, Ilara, took me to a samba class so I could learn how to dance like a local, I really did feel like a fish out of water as the instructor's had limited English, but it was that moment I discovered my enjoyment for samba. I spent my weekend at the beach as it was so close to where I stayed, Ipanema was literally a 5 minute walk away and Copacabana was the same on the other side.
On the second week, I started surfing lessons because it was something I always wanted to do, it was insanely difficult on my first lesson, but when I finally managed to stand up on the board it felt amazing.
On a Sunday, I was invited to the house of a friend of my dad's cousin, they live in Santa Teresa, a neighbourhood near to where Corcovado is, despite being in the middle of a big city, it feels like being in the middle of the jungle. There were monkeys that would be swinging on the trees of his garden and he would feed them popcorn, definitely one of the coolest gardens I have ever been in. Later on, we went to nearby café to have some açai as I had never tried it before, I liked having açai, but it is by no means a favourite of mine.
During that week I went to the Maracanã to see Flamengo play Vitória, it was such an amazing experience, despite the fact it was a one nil win against a small team, the atmosphere was incredible and I noticed so many cultural differences in terms of football. In Brazil, it is completely fine to have a beer in the stadium and they eat coxinhas instead of pies.
The next weekend was another Saturday spent unwinding on the beach, however on the Sunday it was raining, so I spent most of the day inside because it was raining. However I did go to the hippie fair and bought a present for my grandparents.
The weekend after, I went and met up with one of the volunteers who was from London, there was a fair going on in the northern zone and we had some drinks afterwards. I got to try some cachaça which was banana flavoured and tasted fairly decent. The next day Marcelo and Ilara took me in their car to Pedra Bonita, it was such a nice place with a great view of some unusual looking mountains. It's used as the location for hang gliding and watched them go off into the skies, a great place for pictures as well, I had my pictures taken with Marcelo and Ilara. When people see them, they think that Marcelo and Ilara are my parents.
At this point, I had adapted well to life in Brazil, I enjoyed the volunteering, staying with a woman who can't speak english and chilling out on the beach. I really enjoyed volunteering and I can remember at every break, the volunteers and I would go to the neighbouring bar. I'd get a Guaraná and a brigadeiro for about 15 reais. The kids I'd teach were great and loads of them were enthusiastic to learn. I even decided to go with Marcelo and Ilara to their samba class up in the comunidade and we'd usually go for drinks afterwards. The community centre in the comunidade had some excellent views of Vidigal and Lagoa as well.
On the Saturday, I went to the art museum, not so much a fan of art museums, but this one was slightly more interesting as it had information on the history of Brazilian culture such as samba and as I was leaving, I was given a leaflet by some campaigners as the election was in just a month. It was just days after Bolsonaro had been stabbed at a rally and political division seemed rife.
That Sunday I went with Marcelo and Ilara to Maré, a neighbourhood in which Marcelo's mum lived. As we entered the area, Marcelo released my seatbelt and told me that if I saw people with guns I should not freak out. When we got there we had lunch, some very nice beef, however I was given tap water which tasted incredibly bitter. Even though I found it difficult to follow their conversations, Marcelo made me feel like I was part of his family, my dad had a Hearts top shipped over from Scotland for him and he told me that he'd buy me a Flamengo shirt. Marcelo and Ilara truly idolised me, for what I was doing as a volunteer for Edumais. We also went to the Flamengo training centre which is open for visitors and is very near Lagoa.
It wasn't just Marcelo who thought that what I was doing was amazing, when I was walking down the hill one day and saw a car pass by. I saw the window open and thought they were going to rob me, turns out the man was a dad of one of the children at the school and he wanted to thank me. The woman I stayed with was a very interesting woman, I enjoyed staying at her flat, however, my bedroom window didn't close properly which allowed for mosquitoes to enter and attack me. This resulted in my arms being covered in Mosquito bites, she also had a dog named Alice who had zero training, she was crazy, but despite that I loved her even though she would routinely attack me.
My favourite classes I volunteered with were the ensino medio students who were aged about 16-18 and their english was much better than the younger students. One of the students was able to tell funny jokes in english which really resonated with me. Before starting on a Wednesday, I'd head to the beach to do a bit of surfing and then get usually get some tacos for lunch at a Mexican restaurant.
When I'd go to the samba classes at the comunidade, I'd be scared to walk up there alone, so I'd meet some of the other people at a halfway point and walk up with them, however when I got up there, I felt safe as I would be anywhere else. On the Saturday, I went to the comunidade for fancy dress party with Marcelo and Ilara. I was dressed in a kilt something that many Brazilians have never seen before and when I was walking in the street, a car honked its horn.
On the Sunday, Marcelo and Ilara took me to Urca, an area near Pão de Açucar which has a nice area to walk around and has the nearby Praia Vermelha (red beach) I thought that this beach was one of the best beaches in Rio and it's a shame I didn't go there enough. I highly recommend this place for visitors to Rio over Copacabana beach as it is much more tranquil. Later on I went to Botafogo where the daughter of the woman I stayed with (Selma) lives, right out of her window, you could see Corcovado and it looked spectacular once it got dark. Selma's daughter, Joana could speak good English and talked to me about travel, she told me she had been to Japan and I was fascinated. She made some great food which had the ingredients of cod and olives.
On the Monday, none of the kids showed up to the class, so we were just able to leave, I went to the beach and drank some coconut water. Then I watched the sunset on Arpoador Rock, a common place for Cariocas to see the sunset. the next morning my surf instructor told me that I had the opportunity to surf on Copacabana beach, so I got down there and caught some thrilling waves, a photographer took a great picture of me and I bought the picture online for just under a fiver. My dad told me it was one of the best pictures of me ever taken.
On Friday, one of the scariest things had ever happened to me, I had explained it in another post, but, long story short, I was walking towards the bottom of the hill, saw two military police with FN FAL rifles, next thing I know they are pointing them at me and yelling at me. I was shaking like a leaf, I didn't understand what they want from me and eventually they searched me and told me I could move along. I was worried that my life would be over, but I continued with my day and went to Leblon shopping to buy a Brazilian football jacket and then went to see the Escadaria Selarón and then hung about at Copacabana beach.
When I got back to Selma's I explained to her what had happened with the police, she was horrified and disappointed in the police, but I started to laugh uncontrollably and we both started to laugh as her I found humour in her reaction. The next day I hung out with Marcelo and Ilara as Marcelo's son, Marcelinho was visiting. He could speak a decent amount of English and he provided some clarity on some things I didn't understand about Brazil and we enjoyed some beers and cachaça together.
On Sunday, I went to Barra da Tijuca, a beach outside of Ipanema, it takes a long time to get to, but it is worth a visit. It is a little less lively than Ipanema or Copacabana, but you can swim in the waves which are quite intense and they will really easily knock you down. It's one of the best beaches in Rio in my opinion and there is a huge police presence there as I saw police walking around with assault rifles.
I wanted to buy a present for my dad's birthday as it would be his birthday when I would go back to Scotland, I decided to buy him a Flamengo jacket, I went to a sports shop and when I went up to the counter to buy it, they asked for my CPF, which is a Brazilian kind of social security number, I thought this was really random and bizarre.
On my last day with some of the students they said that they thought it was amazing that I would come to Brazil to help them instead of just going to the beach. The other volunteers commended me and said it was incredible how I was volunteering at such a young age.
That evening, I joined Marcelo and Ilara to watch Flamengo play Corinthians at the bar, Marcelo was as passionate as I was for football, as I could see him shouting at the TV and banging on the table when Flamengo scored. Sadly, Flamengo lost the match and everyone in the bar had feelings of disappointment, one of them had given me some free whisky because I was Scottish.
On the last Friday of my time in Brazil, I went on a guided tour to Ilha Grande and Angra Dos Reis. It took a good two and a half hours to get there and sadly it wasn't the best weather for it. It was a really cloudy day, but that did not stop me from going into the water for a swim, On my tour, I was accompanied by some tourists from Argentina and I conversed with them in Spanish, as I was donning my Brazil top and spoke Spanish, they had assumed I was South American and it was a complete surprise when I told them I was Scottish. Ilha Grande is quite amazing, just make sure that you go with the right weather and it takes the whole day for a day trip, I woke up at 8 and didn't get back to Ipanema until 11PM.
The next day I basked in the sunshine at Ipanema beach for what would be the last time I would, for lunch I went to a burger place I really like and when they asked for my name, it came out on the receipt as Kemish. Later on, I joined Marcelo and Ilara to go to the theatre, even though it was all in Portuguese and I struggled to understand the play, I somewhat enjoyed the humour of it. Afterwards, we went to a great pizza place where you could have as much pizza as you wanted.
The last three days turned out as a complete disaster sadly, on Sunday, my wallet keys and phone were stolen, then Monday was spent trying to sort the situation out and thankfully things did workout when Ilara went out of her way to help me receive the money that my dad had wired to me. On my last night, Marcelo had bought me a Flamengo shirt to take home with me and I went to the pub with them to show my gratitude for them being great friends.
On my last day, I couldn't even catch a break, I got searched by the police again and I was foolish enough to be carrying around all of the money I had, Selma came down from the hill and told them to leave me alone, but they said they wanted to see my passport. After twenty minutes at gunpoint, she came down with my passport, the police meticulously looked at my passport and then gave back my money with 300 reais missing. Thankfully, I had enough money to pay for a taxi to the airport, Marcelo organised me with a cool guy who took me to the airport in good time.
Unfortunately my checking-in of my luggage was an absolute nightmare, the woman at the check in desk refused to check in both my rucksack and my suitcase without being given $70 despite my understanding that my dad had paid for my ticket to include 2 checked in bags. I had to then go to customer services who was an absolute jobsworth who eventually referred me to the manager who at least had the compassion to check in my bags. If anyone knows Cristiano who works at Tom Jobim airport, tell him that I give him my thanks.
Thank you for reading this all the way through and in conclusion I have to say that my time in Brazil was worthwhile and a life-changing experience. Would I recommend that you should spend some time in Rio? I can only say that Brazil is not for beginners, Rio is a city that isn't completely safe, but if you make the best of it, you could have the time of your life. My biggest regret is not exploring outside of Rio de Janeiro, I had 3 days off a week, I could have taken trips to go to São Paulo and Our Preto, but I was scared of the prospect of danger. Furthermore, Rio de Janeiro hasn't really got a backpacker scene, it's rather difficult to travel around Brazil and hardly anyone speaks English.
The last three days turned out as a complete disaster sadly, on Sunday, my wallet keys and phone were stolen, then Monday was spent trying to sort the situation out and thankfully things did workout when Ilara went out of her way to help me receive the money that my dad had wired to me. On my last night, Marcelo had bought me a Flamengo shirt to take home with me and I went to the pub with them to show my gratitude for them being great friends.
On my last day, I couldn't even catch a break, I got searched by the police again and I was foolish enough to be carrying around all of the money I had, Selma came down from the hill and told them to leave me alone, but they said they wanted to see my passport. After twenty minutes at gunpoint, she came down with my passport, the police meticulously looked at my passport and then gave back my money with 300 reais missing. Thankfully, I had enough money to pay for a taxi to the airport, Marcelo organised me with a cool guy who took me to the airport in good time.
Unfortunately my checking-in of my luggage was an absolute nightmare, the woman at the check in desk refused to check in both my rucksack and my suitcase without being given $70 despite my understanding that my dad had paid for my ticket to include 2 checked in bags. I had to then go to customer services who was an absolute jobsworth who eventually referred me to the manager who at least had the compassion to check in my bags. If anyone knows Cristiano who works at Tom Jobim airport, tell him that I give him my thanks.
Thank you for reading this all the way through and in conclusion I have to say that my time in Brazil was worthwhile and a life-changing experience. Would I recommend that you should spend some time in Rio? I can only say that Brazil is not for beginners, Rio is a city that isn't completely safe, but if you make the best of it, you could have the time of your life. My biggest regret is not exploring outside of Rio de Janeiro, I had 3 days off a week, I could have taken trips to go to São Paulo and Our Preto, but I was scared of the prospect of danger. Furthermore, Rio de Janeiro hasn't really got a backpacker scene, it's rather difficult to travel around Brazil and hardly anyone speaks English.
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