Brazil and it's many layers (2021)

I had long been fascinated by Brazil. I have several ravel board on Pinterest and very arbitrarily I started curating pictures of scenic locations in Rio. Then I started following Brazilian musicians, artists, photographers, content creators on social media. And over the years, several Brazilian friends and acquaintances in Toronto spoke highly of Brazil, but even in their stories I could hear how complicated it was. A country that's at once blessed with beauty and bereft with broken politics and violence. Then, post-pandemic in 2021, a friend suggested the idea that we visit. I didn’t hesitate.

First visits are always a little romantic. In Rio, the beaches stretched out against the skyline, mountains dropping into water. Urca, Pão de Açúcar, Christ the Redeemer, watching from above. The light shifts constantly: warm, golden, always slightly unreal. Neighborhoods blurred by in my memory: Ipanema, Copacabana, Lapa, Recreio. The parties were out of this world.

What I love knowing everywhere I go is the little truths about relationships between residents of the most popular cities. Cariocas (locals from Rio) and Paulistas (from São Paulo) carry a friendly animosity that’s hard to avoid. Paulistas believe Cariocas to be too argumentative and arrogant; that arrogance is not quite unwarranted what with Rio being one of the most visually stunning places in the world. Cariocas on the other hand view Paulistas as overly formal and all work, no play.

I mostly stayed in Copacabana. It’s beautiful, but insulated—shielded from the deeper realities of the city. The kind of place where your Airbnb is walking distance from the beach but also behind three locked doors. I was aware of my privilege the entire time.

I didn’t experience any danger firsthand, but the warnings are constant. Don’t use your phone in public. Don’t wear jewelry or accessories. Don’t dress like a foreigner. One person told me straight up, “Look poor.” Being that alert all the time is distressing. It doesn’t ruin the trip, but it changes the texture of your stay. At one point I got into an argument with my friend where I snapped, "Well, how are we supposed to ask for an Uber if you keep telling me to put my phone away?" But he was only looking out for me. Little instances like that are inevitable when travelling with a friend, when navigating uncharted territory. But all those cheeky Tik Toks about friendships that survive an overseas trip together survive forever are true!

Every time I travel, I am amazed by the universe of cultures that we never get to experience. Before I went to Brazil, I didn't know about Anitta - now a well known international star, of course, but back then I had no idea who she was until I heard her music and was in love! Then there are more independent artists like Lagum, Melim, Anavitoria, Ananda that offer some of the best music I've ever heard in my entire life.

In the end, Brazil and everything it offers and represents mesmerized me enough to go over and over again. I've been there three times since my first times and I'm sure I will go again in the future.