Botafogo, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: 25 degrees, hot, Sunny and slightly overcast.
The last couple of days have been hectic, with flight cancellations, long check-in queues, excess baggage fees, little sleep, and the emotional toll of returning to Brazil after seven months in England.
It may not seem like a long time, but it feels like it is; it influences how you perceive your past, present, and future. I am up early after my first night back. I slept like a log, and I am heading to the park to exercise. The same park where I used to take the dogs ten years ago, and where I used to work out before going to England. It is also the park that overlooks the Bay and Sugarloaf Mountain.
It is warm, about 20 degrees. I skipped for 20 minutes, set up the TRX straps, and did some exercises with them.I lost my footing and jarred my bad knee. I will need to see what is wrong with it. Since the fight in front of Maracana, where four Fleminguistas-Flamengo football fans tried to mug me, during the chaos, they hit and kicked my knee, and it has not been the same.
When I got home, Nalva had already gone to work, and Yasmin was having breakfast. I showered and left for Copacabana. Yasmin wanted to come, but I thought it was better not to. I want to get things done quickly without dragging her along.
I went to the gallery where I had the school in the past, I talked to Dona Vera, where I buy my glasses. We talked about the gallery, trade in general and the problems facing Brazil. I went to see a friend who also has a shop in the gallery, but she was not there. She is Catholic and had gone to Aparecida, a town with what is probably the most famous Catholic cathedral in the state of São Paulo.
I also needed to exchange some money, and the rate was reasonable, but for some reason, I thought it better to wait. I also wanted to buy flowers for Dona Regina and Dona Vera, my pupils, but I thought the flowers were too expensive.
The truth is, I believe or get the impression that everything is much more costly than it was before. I will buy flowers for them tomorrow at the traditional Sunday street fair I used to visit when I lived in Copacabana.
I’m back in Rio, Copacabana, Brazil, but everything feels a bit different, slightly blurry. Is it just me, or is everything genuinely different?I didn’t get to do everything I planned, but it was nice to see the familiar, though somewhat unreliable, Copacabana.
When I arrived home, Cico, one of Nalva’s sisters, had come with Caio, a nephew and Yasmin’s cousin. Now the tiny flat is starting to fill up with people, movement, laughter, and lots of noise and food, making the already small flat seem even smaller.
In the late afternoon, we attended Yasmin’s school’s Festa Junina, a Brazilian folkloric celebration featuring food, drink, and games that showcase the culture of Brazil’s northeast.
There are also tombola games for children, but it is popular with all generations and celebrated nationwide across Brazil. It is one of the most significant cultural events in Brazil in June.
Nalva was already at the school working; she works a lot. When it was time for Yasmin to appear in a presentation, a dance, she came to watch. I have attended many Festa Juninas over the years with Yasmin and Jessica, and for the children, it is quite special, especially during the games, when they usually receive prizes.
I feel that all this no longer has the same shine it once did. I’m trying to say that I believe my heart is still back in England.
After we arrived home, Sinha, another of Nalva’s sisters, had arrived. I am always amazed at how Brazilians can work all day, exhausted, yet still have the energy to dance, celebrate, barbecue, and enjoy themselves through the night and into the early hours.
Cico prepared the meat, which was excellent. I hadn’t tasted meat of that quality in England; I was craving a good, rare, cooked piece of steak, or in Brazilian Portuguese, Picanha. Everyone was in the living room eating, chatting, and laughing. I was too tired, and it was overwhelming when they spoke and listened at the same time.
It’s enjoyable, but I’m still quite exhausted.
I’ve returned to Brazil. I’ve already visited a few places and met some people. I’m still trying to figure out if I truly belong here anymore. I still feel like a fish out of water; perhaps the next couple of days will change that.
The weather is always lovely here in Rio. I adore the people, I carry a lot of history and baggage from living here for so long, but there is a BUT.
I believe that Brazil will only deteriorate, not improve. Everything is dirty and disorganised, and deep down it is an inhumane society full of hypocrisy, governed by a corrupt, filthy government that only cares about itself to cling to power and perpetuate an ideological narrative that ruins many people’s lives.
In bed by 2:00 p.m.
Thank you.
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Richard
