Oi! Today we visited our first school located in Mangueira, the biggest favella in Rio. It is recently pacified (meaning there is an internal, consistent police presence within the neighborhood, rather than a lawless environment run by the drug dealers) and is notorious for its winning samba school.
*Knowledge bomb: Samba is HUGE to cariocas and I’m sure when you think of Rio you may think of Carnival, the big festival of parades and samba right before Lent begins. It turns out that the culprits of this extravagant celebration are the various samba schools/teams. Carnival is the time when these schools come out to perform and showcase themselves by competing against the other samba schools (which are not actually schools but really teams.) Schools like the one we visited today have to adjust their school year calendar to accommodate for kids who are involved in Carnival and samba competitions.
Annnnyways… Jefferson, one of the teachers that went with us today as a translator, used to teach Portuguese at the school that we visited today so he was our “in” to the school. After walking through the dilapidated streets The school was a public school serving students who are very poor and they fight a tough battle of trying to keep kids in school and get them to value education instead of succumbing to the temptation of a “deceptively prosperous” life in drug trade. The number of students from this school who will go to university each year can be counted on one hand and according to the principal the school’s mission is focused more on keeping kids off of the streets and out of trouble rather than having 6 hours of intense academics everyday in efforts to prepare them for college.
In light of this, they are very focused on providing classes and activities that students enjoy and want to come to school for so they put a lot of energy into art, dance, music and sports. It was amazing to hear what high importance physical education holds here and according to the principal it is something the students love and want to have. We visited a dance/music class where only a few students were available that period but the instructor was kind enough to ask his students to perform for us! I kept hoping the whole time that he would ask us to participate……and my wish was granted. I dropped my purse in a heartbeat and got my first taste of the samba as soon as he invited us to join. Lookout Nicole Scherzinger…. J We also got to sit in on a math class which the sophomores were GLAD to have interrupted. Again, even with the language barrier, cultural differences, etc. I am amazed at how no matter where you go, KIDS ARE KIDS! Their spirit was no different than what you might see anywhere else.
Today’s takeaway: It’s amazing how unifying laughter, facial expressions and music/dance can be. The language barrier is a blessing in disguise to an extent because I am way more in touch with the beauty of connecting with other people in these ways that do not involve words. I had the biggest smile ever when I was dancing with those kids and got to see the joy on the faces of everyone in the room. I have always felt a connection to and passion for music and dance but today made me appreciate it in a new way.
Great meal for the day: black beans, kale, and a caipirinha while sitting outside on the Copacabana beach and watching the World Cup on tv. Happiness. Tomorrow Brazil plays North Korea…..I have my Kaka jersey…..DO YOU???!!!
Boa noite…
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