About Me

Rio de Janeiro, Gardênia Azul, Brazil
At present I am completing an internship within my studies of “Non Profit, Social and Health Care Management” at the MCI, Austria. Therefore I am currently maintaining my domicile in Copacabana, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where I am working with the NGO Salamaleque. Salamaleque provides professional dance classes for children to keep them occupied in their spare time. Some of them attend school, some don’t, but what they have in common is the lack of space to creatively let off steam and enjoy a social network where they learn discipline and experience self esteem. War between drug lords, the militia and the police in the favelas, and the drugs and weapons children are confronted with, are the reason why children can’t play on the streets.My part is supporting the NGO with the management. Before leaving to Brazil I was agonizing about my decision. The flute of violence was augmenting from day to day. But I had taken my decision months before that; I had done a project for this organization before and I was eager to carry out my internship in Brazil. To let you informed about the incidents I am writing here, hoping for some feedback and comments from all of you. Muitos Beijos! Amelie

5 Feb 2007

Ipanema -Niteroi- Gardenia Azul

After having had some time in Ipanema in a Yoth Hostel I am finally living in Gardenia Azul now, the favela wehre I am working. It is a 50 min - 2 h drive with the public bus from the centre, depending on the traffic, the hour, the bus and the busdriver...;-)...so I will spend most of the time here and not go to the center. Life here is quite different from life in the center, of course. I am still working on my portuguese and on my adaption to the brasilian way of life, the food, the heat, the traffic...(it is still very hard for me to cross the streets here because cars, buses and even bikes appear out of nowhere...and VERY fast..)
I am staying with the mother and the brother of Vania, the responsable of the NGO here in the favela, which makes it a lot easier to get to know the plave and the people and to learn the language and the custums....what I am not used to is the way they are taking care of me. Wherever I go, whenever I go....whatever I do...they are informed, they accompany me or they arrange someone to look after me...I have to admit- I love my liberty and the ability to do things on my own- but I will have to change this while living here. The fights between the drug lords, the milicia and the police is getting worse and it is worth a lot lisytening to the inhabitants of the favela and to behave like them. They know what you can do and what the Milicia or the police or the drug lords "allows" and what you shouldnt do...not to make them "not very amused".....so I will continue listening to them carefully....

In Ipanema I had time to enjoy the attractions for tourists, the beach and the night life....as you can see in the pictures......
I have been to "Corcovado"......


And- yes- I went to beach aswell........defenitely a must when trying to be like a "Carioca"........... Here we are at Ipanema Beach- friends I met at the Youth Hostel. It is quite common for Brazilians (from Sao Paulo, Bela Horizonte,etc) to come to Rio de Janeiro even just for the weekend or more......and to stay at the Youth Hostel.



And what shouldn´t be missing is a Samba night.....so we went to a famous Samba dance school in Mangueira
which is placed in a favela named the same, Mangueira. Incredible....
.........the amount of people who fit into this Samba-"Stadium"
.........the heat together with the great humidity (99%???!!!)
.........the music, the drums.."baterias"...about 100 men as seen in the picture below
.........the brazilians dancing samba like crazy....and for hours...uff, i had the hardest workout there..;-)
.........the amount of alcohol they are able to consume...(actually, is Skol beer or water...?? ;-)

In front of the Samba - Stadium, proud owners of tickets ....


Copacabana Beach......

Chill Out in the pool with friends at CJ´s place ...after a long day at the Beach in Niteroi....


Well, and it´s Carneval soon....................very soon.........and everybody´s in Carneval-mood........like Emma, a friend from Ireland ....


The public buses I am using to get to the Centre....but i am not taking the bus you can see below because it is going to "Cidade de Deus", the neighbour favela.....(Have you ever seen the film "City of God"? Well, i d rather dont mix up the buses ....would be too dangerous if i found myself there....









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