Rio Reflections

Wow, it´s easy to see why they call this the ´´Marvelous City´´...Rio de Janeiro. The beaches are amazing, the people are beautiful, there is an energy in the air that can be felt. Music, food, chopperias, fruit juice of every imaginable flavor, the largest urban rain forest in the world, a statue of Jesus Christ so awe inspiring you can´t help but know he´s smiling down on this city and their roughly six million inhabitants. 

The founders of the city,  Portuguese settlers in the 1500´s, stumbled upon Guanabara Bay and thought it was a river.....and it was January, so voila! Rio de Janeiro was born! Never before have I seen a city blend the natural and built environments so seamlessly. San Francisco has hills, Rio has mountains. Not just mountains, but granite spires rising to the sky that provide a view, vista, and perspective from every turn, twist and tunnel in this city. Rio has lots of tunnels and building more, building lots more of everything......buildings, sporting venues, hotels, bus rapid transit, bike lanes, utility infrastructure, and most importantly, building community in the favelas. This is all in preparation for first, the 2014 World Cup, what I think the Brazilians are most excited for; and then for the Olympics in 2016......what the rest of the world is excited for.

In talking with Brazilians, it´s no doubt they know they can compete on a global level. They know they already are. And with Rio in the forefront, the Carioca´s (people from Rio) couldn´t be more prouder of their city, and frankly I would be to. The energy and excitement level is obvious, however, skepticism remains. We had the privilege of meeting with the Rio office of AECOM, who won the commission to prepare the Master Plan for the Olympics. As far as their concerned, they have four years and it will get done. There is a lot of work left to do...emphasis on a lot. The Carioca´s on the other had...think it will get done in classic Brazilian fashion, wait, wait, wait, more decisions, holy moly only two years left!.........work work work work work work work work, ok, done. Only time will tell, but having the opportunity to see both sides of the picture provides a glimpse into this country, its citizens and their general skeptism of their government.

This was even more evident during our visit to the Rochina favela where we learned sometimes the residents of the favela, any favela, would rather deal with drug lords rather than the police. Rochina is a ``pacified`` favela.....meaning the police are in control. Granted, Rio has some 900 favelas, and only 25 are pacified. So there is still a lot of work to be done. However, and more importantly, some very willing, able and dedicated people have given great effort and made great strides in providing social programs, medical clinics, schools, new housing, and sports venues and playing fields for the residents. We walked through Rochina. I never felt threatened. I feel for the residents given their living conditions. But what was most obvious?.....people were happy. That was their life, that is what they know. Once kids get out of school, they come back to the favela to live with their family. It´s tradition, it´s family, and it´s their community.

Brazil is all about community. Building it, living it and be part of it. They are one country united and proud. Two years till the global spotlight starts shining down, will they be ready? Of course they will, and I can´t wait to see how they pull it off.