January 01, 2018

The hostel Villa 25 was later turned out to be an absolute stroke of luck. Once there, I meet Marcelo, who, like me, has a fable for Italy. We get along well, share the passion for good food, and are open to other people. In the hostel are mainly young Brazilians who have traveled for New Year's Eve. Since most Brazilians live in their parents' house for a long time, it is common for the arriving friends to stay in hostels. The advantage that the parents have is that they only have to deal with at most their own children. So it also happens that I meet a few Brazilians and I join them to start into the new year at the Copacabana. From a stage on the beach, the beach is sonicated, more than two million people find themselves around the Copacabana. 36 hours after I arrived in South America, I had grown accustomed from 0 degrees Celsius to tropical 30 degrees. T-shirt and shorts around the turn of the year I was anything but accustomed until then.

At the beach the people were voging, individual private tent sites were staked, you could saw children dance and laugh and also crying children who had lost their parents in the huge crowd. And then you saw many good people who show heart and courage and make such events possible. The fireworks exceeded all expectations. On the balcony of the Copacabana Palace, the high society had come together to follow the spectacle of Copacabana and fireworks at Schampus. For 16 minutes, over a distance of an estimated 4 kilometers fireworks were ignited in the sea, so that one had a completely unobstructed view when looking out to the sea. Many were moved to tears and all humans were in the hands or wished at least a happy new year.

January 07, 2018

It reminded me of the style of Portugal, where everything happens later in the streets for example in Lisbon district Bairro Alto. Here in Lapa it seems a lot bigger. Alleys turn into streets filled with people as far as the eye can see. The Latin music carries the rhythm to his feet and intoxicated the lifeblood of the people. To me is presented a modern dance - Brazilian Funk - to which young girls let their mostly voluminous butt wiggle. Everything is concentrated around this part of the body. I can not and do not want to solve my view. In the midst of this art play, I'm not sure myself if I can adapt my movements to the style. My knees are starting to circle and I'm rocking with the rhythm, but I do not want to do a more expressive dance. So I enjoy and I learn.

January 20, 2018

In the next hostel I will arrive later in the evening. In the front yard of the hostel there is a mini-ramp, the young tattooed Brazilian kids take turns. At a snooker table, girls play pool. On the second day I realize that all of the kids of the hostel live there too and spread out on the free sleeping places in the hostel, as far as they are not occupied by guests. The kids are between the ages of 17 and 26 and have found a new family here. The hostel is rented and the hostel is managed by one of the oldest, acting in good conscience. Although it is just a big holiday in Brazil, I still ask myself which of the kids is actually attending school. A young girl named Manu seems to have a special interest and asks her questions at a speed that I have to keep stopping her to understand the questions in Portuguese. As it rains a bit and I want to find out where I can surf the best in Campeche the next day, I ask if anyone wants to go on a discovery tour of the beach. I get my shoes out of the dorm as one of the young kids comes up to me and says to me, "Ela é meu mulher. Entendi !? "It is one of the young kids who was having fun with an Austrian the night before. By no means do I want to bring bad blood into their family and neither do I have any intentions, just because she is still so young and rather needs a father. She later tells me on the beach that she left home when she was 15 because most of the time she was left alone by her mother anyway. She does not speak about her father. I tell her about my interests, which has led me to go alone to Brazil and why I rather stay away from the tourist attractions. My motivation is to get to know the people of this fascinating country, to understand the culture and the mentality and to talk about the worries and hopes of the people living there. At the Christo statue in Rio de Janeiro, I do not experience that and take at most a nice souvenir photo for the holiday album, which every single one of the tourists tries to snap. Together with Manu, we explore their interests because they are not really aware of them. We talk about their dreams and play a perfect day in 5 years. She hugs me, visibly happy, and I take her in my arms. This interpersonal warmth is good for her and I like to give her some of my optimism. The hostel lacks a father figure, a mentor who works continuously with the kids on their development and opens up perspectives. Nevertheless, the hostel has become a new home for the kids, where they have a family who take care of each other and keep the hostel alive. In addition, the kids always get positive wind, which is brought by the travelers. I would like to continue accompanying the project because I see a lot of potential in it. If I re-read this article on a later day of my life, I hereby urge me to support this project.