Brazil: apathy-free zone?

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During my time in Brazil I’ve noticed that young Brazilians seem to lack the apathy that is common in many of their British contemporaries. It is quite normal to see Brazilian teenagers and 20-somethings wearing t-shirts bearing environmental messages: “Save Water!”, “Protect Mother Earth!”. Their British counterparts wouldn’t be seen dead in a t-shirt which was this earnest! They would snort derisively and read out the slogan in a mocking voice. “Oh yeah, ‘Save the Planet’ man.”

Take a look at this:

FREEDOM!

I spotted this as I was walking in Santa Teresa recently and it occurred to me that simple, positive messages like this are quite rare back in Britain.

 

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London Olympics come to Rio

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Wow – the Olympics are finally here! Maybe it’s because I’m so far from home, but I have to say there were times during the opening ceremony where I found myself getting a little choked up. Sometimes you need some distance from your country to fully appreciate its good points (…and forget the bad stuff!).

It has been interesting watching the build-up to the Olympics here in Rio. In the same way that London watched Beijing especially keenly, so Rio has been watching London and wondering how they will cope with the same challenges. And with the Football World Cup coming here in 2014, the phrase imagina isso na copa (imagine this during the World Cup) has become the common response to traffic jams, bad weather or a myriad of other problems.

One of the most prominent aspects to the Olympic build-up here in Rio has been an advertising campaign from the main Sports station here, SporTV. SporTV, part of the Globo empire, have four channels that are being fully dedicated to the Olympic coverage. Their advertising campaign has been built around bringing London to Rio. And what says London more than the iconic red double-decker bus?

Rio Metro London bus

Is that a Metro train or a double-decker London bus?

 

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No one should have to drive past this on their way to work…

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Life isn’t all fun and games when you live in Rio you know? Some of us have to work for a living! I mentioned recently that we are planning to move because my new job in Barra means that it can take 2 hours to get to/from work. Without wanting to moan about it too much (because in reality I’m very grateful to have a decent job that pays the bills) I will say that the long journey can be pretty exhausting. If we take the example of my journey home after a long day in the office, it goes something like this:

Leave the office around 7.30pm and walk 10 minutes to the bus stop. Wait up to 30 minutes for the bus to arrive. Depending on traffic, the bus to Ipanema will take 45-60 minutes. Arrive in Ipanema, walk down to the Metro and take the train for 8 stops. Come up from the Metro and walk up a very steep hill. Total journey time: 1.5-2 hours. And that’s why we’re moving!

The journey home in the evening can be especially boring as (at this time of year at least) it is totally dark, so I can’t even see the scenery. But then on days like today, being able to see the scenery isn’t always 100% positive:

São Conrado and Pedra da Gávea

São Conrado and Pedra da Gávea, glimpsed from the bus as it whisked me along the spectacular Avenida Niemeyer this morning.

 

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How to avoid looking like a gringo

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The word gringo is an interesting one. It exists in both Spanish and Portuguese and generally means foreigner. In some places it refers specifically to someone from the US, but in Brazil it basically means any foreigner. That said, it isn’t an exact science – someone from say, Japan, for instance can be called a gringo (gringa for a female), but in general the term fits better for Europeans and North Americans.

The origins of the word are also open to some discussion. Several Brazilians have told me that the term evolved from the English expression Green Go (this being either a call for foreign armies, generally dressed in green, to leave the country, or an observation that when foreigners arrived in the Amazon, the green (trees and other valuables) was taken away.

The reality is far more likely to be that it came from the Spanish word for Greek, Griego – someone speaking a language that isn’t understood. As in “it’s all Greek to me”.

 

gringo shirt

It’s like you’re walking around with a sign that says gringo…

 

But what is the real meaning behind this word? Should you be offended if someone calls you a gringo? Is it a sign of falta de respeito (lack of respect)?

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The Cheery orange sweepers

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One of the first things that struck me when I returned to London at the start of this year was how naked all the trees looked. I don’t miss the cold British winter much, but there is something rather amazing about the way all the leaves drop in autumn and then return in spring.

bare tree in winter

March 2012, London. Ouch! I always felt sorry for trees in winter. But then they look great when they get a brand new set of leaves when spring comes round.

 

The fact that Rio doesn’t have winters cold enough to make the leaves drop presents a situation that hadn’t occurred to me before I came here. Instead of the boom-or-bust leaf fall situation of a temperate climate, Rio has a steady rain of leaves throughout the year. And that means that there are always leaves to sweep!

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