Copacabana, Rio de Janeiro: 26oC, hottish and sunny.
It is Friday, the end of the working week for most and almost the end of the month. The week has been reasonably good. I have had to choose the templates for all my sites. I have bought a new pair of glasses and am just waiting for them to be ready. I have worked. I have given a lot of classes; it has been a productive week.
Another important point is that now I am only paying one rent, Yasmin’s and Nalva’s, and as I am temporarily living with them, I am saving money, which is very good. When I lived with Nalva in the past, during our common-law marriage, I paid two rents: for where we lived in Flamengo and for the school in Copacabana.
When we separated, initially, I lived in the school for a couple of months and then went to live in Benfica in the north zone of Rio. So, from that moment until I decided to permanently close the school, for approximately six or seven years, I would have to pay three monthly rents: the school in Copacabana, Yasmin and Nalva’s place in Flamengo and mine in Benfica and then later in Copacabana.
It was a lot every month. Some people have problems paying one; I would have to pay three. Now that I have moved in with them, and there is no physical school in Copacabana anymore, I am only paying one, which is a significant relief; a tremendous financial burden has been lifted. I can breathe a little; it is a luxury for me to pay only one rent.
I receive comparatively well for a Brazilian and only paying one rent as the main expense; I have a temporary sense of financial freedom I have not felt for quite some time. Since moving in with Yasmin and Nalva, I have paid off the glasses I had bought with Dona Vera before moving.
I also paid for my new Brazilian ID, which was not cheap. I have also purchased a new pair of glasses for when I travel to England. I have also helped Nalva pay off most of her debts, which I had not known about before.
I also paid for various presents, food, Yasmin’s piercing, etc., for her birthday, and more importantly, besides all of this, I am not broke; I am not looking for money towards the end of the month, which was quite normal in the past.
Usually, at this time of the month, I am looking for a pupil to pay in advance as money has already dried up. This is the first month in a long time that I have not felt the necessity to look for a pupil because if not, I would not have money to buy food.
There were times when I would have to live on very little or almost nothing towards the end of the month, counting the days until the beginning of the new month to receive. My priority has always been paying my commitments, especially concerning Yasmin and Nalva.
Life is full of good and bad times, but living in Brazil, unfortunately, there are more bad times than good. People in Brazil literally work to survive unless they come from a privileged situation or family, and the gap between the privileged and the not-so-privileged is getting more significant, worse and more violent.
Especially in a city like Rio de Janeiro, where the middle and lower classes often live in the same neighbourhoods, the mixture of different class levels is not always good and certainly not homogeneous.
For example, take Ipanema, one of the most exclusive neighborhoods in Rio. Countless films have been produced there, and some of the most famous music in Brazil has been based on Ipanema’s culture, style, and bohemian nightlife.
Despite being home to some of the most highly valued real estate in Brazil, with a value exceeding that of Sao Paulo in some cases, there are at least two or three large favelas or slums within this exclusive neighborhood.
Here, the upper middle class and millionaires share the same neighborhood with many people who live below the poverty line. Both the wealthy and the impoverished can be seen walking side by side in the streets of Ipanema and other neighborhoods of Rio.
Is this a healthy situation for everyone and for society as a whole? And if it is or not, why? And this government that I dislike so much—is it their fault? Or is it just pure ignorance?
If so, when will this ignorance stop and people begin to have a future? At the moment, whole new generations in Brazil are appearing without any future whatsoever. Once again, common sense does not seem to be a factor in these matters. The issues at hand are difficult, intricate, and, unfortunately, complicated.
Those in positions of power enjoy talking and making excuses but often have their own hidden agendas that take priority over helping the people they are supposed to serve.
On Friday, I worked until 5 pm. At around 6 pm, Nalva arrived home, and we went for a walk around Flamengo. While we were out, we bought some “churrasquinho de gato”—barbecue on a spit—and took it home to make sandwiches. We paired the sandwiches with a chilled Camenere red wine, which made for a great end to the night.
In bed by 11.00 pm.
Thank you very much.
Thanks for reading my blog. Check out my other posts and share your thoughts in the comments.
Richard
