Copacabana, Rio de Janeiro: 22oC, sunny, overcast, and raining.
It is Tuesday, and it has been raining heavily from last night until early morning. Because of this, it is a bit of a lazy day for me. Although I am working, giving classes, studying, etc., without doing exercise outdoors, the day does not seem the same.
Instead of getting up at half past four, it was almost six today, which was late for me. I did some exercises in bed before getting up, and as soon as I got up, I made my bed; my day has not begun until I have made my bed; it is essential to start the day well, and making your bed helps a lot.
No matter what you do in the morning, you can go for a walk or to the gym, the supermarket, etc. and come back home, but without the bed made, something is not right; your day has not begun well.
I have already taught Yasmin this habit. She knows that before doing anything in the morning, she must make her bed. Teaching bad habits to our children is easy. Because of this, the world is full of people enslaved in bad habits and routines who do not know how to proceed. The power of a healthy routine and good habits work wonders for improving your life and your future.
After Yasmin and Nalva had left, I quickly cleaned and tidied the flat for the rest of the day. I had a shower and changed, and the classes began. In the afternoon, I had to go to Copacabana to pay another bill; while I was there, I visited a friend who has a shop that does clothes repairs and adjustments.
The shop has four seamstresses, and with all of them together, lots of women are together in a confined place; for me, it is a provocation to talk a lot of nonsense with them, which always results in a lot of laughing and joking. I love to provoke the girls in the shop. I think it makes them feel exemplary, special, and valued.
They are incredibly hardworking, working extremely long hours, many times to support the rest of their families.
Besides their long hours in the shop, there are another two or three hours of daily commuting between their homes and the shop in Copacabana. They never complain, and you won’t hear any victimization from them despite their challenges.
They work hard and long hours but remain happy, generous, and good-hearted. They are modern-day warriors!
I buy them a box of chocolates whenever I go to the shop. It is not expensive, and they are very appreciative of this simple gesture. I appreciate their friendship; they are very special, and I look up to them. I hope they reach their goals because they deserve it, although living in Brazil is more complicated than it already is.
Brazil is full of exceptionally good, hardworking, generous, and kind-hearted people. However, the country is now governed by evil and malicious people who lie, cheat, and steal to guarantee their future and their family’s future, using poverty as a tool for their own personal gain and wealth, fundamentally to control power.
The Brazilian people, as I have already mentioned, are diligent workers but are poorly managed. The people at the top of the pyramid in Brazil are either inadequately prepared, dishonest, or just plain stupid. Until now, in Brazil, in 2023, we still inherit the feeling of cheap labour, and because it is cheap, it does not matter if it is efficient, sound, or of quality, etc, or not; it is cheap, and so is okay.
This has been apparent to me in all levels of Brazilian society. As Brazil is trying to become a significant international player, it needs to resolve specific basic fundamental issues in its society to be at the level of more developed countries and their respective cultures.
One such problem that has not yet been resolved in Brazil is fundamental education, where public schools are churning out unprepared teenagers with shockingly low academic levels and preparation. And how can a country have a future in such a situation with the new generation coming up at an utterly unprepared level? It is perverse!!!
After leaving the girls, I had already done what I had come to Copacabana to do. I am still stunned by the differences between Copacabana and Flamengo. I love living in Flamengo again; it is such a beautiful, calm neighbourhood, not crazy like Copacabana.
I prepared a light dinner for Yasmin in the evening as Nalva was doing her culinary course. I made my bed in the living room at about 9 pm and was trying to get off to sleep by nine-thirty.
In bed by 10 pm.
Thank you very much.
Thanks for reading my blog. Check out my other posts and share your thoughts in the comments.
Richard
