By pw916
Community. It can be a place, group of people, or a feeling that makes you feel like you belong. Having been in Rio for about a month and a half now I've been slowing piecing together my new life and forming part of the community here. Below are some photos to visualize what and whom I am surrounded by.
If I'm not at school or on the street, I'm at home. My roommates are important because they are whom I come home to every night and they are the closest, most immediate resource I have if I ever need anything.
The exchange community here at PUC is ginormous and vibrant. There are about 500 of us here, but I am closest to those who did the Intensive Language course in January. Here we are at the top of the Dois Irmãos mountain. The other exchange students open my eyes to new opportunities in the city and are a great way to gauge how my perspective and experience of Rio is developing over time.
My Brazilian friends are the magic key to the doors of Brazilian culture. I met my friends playing beach volleyball on the beach of Ipanema, and they are the ones who correct my Portuguese, take me to the cool places around town, and make sure I am enjoying my time in the city they are proud to call home.
This view from Corcovado (mountain upon which Christ the Redeemer stands) proves that the integration of the natural and urban beauty is what makes Rio so breathtaking. The city itself, with all of its triumphs and problems, is also a component of my community. The cariocas (Rio natives), the public transportation, the beaches, the hidden trails through the forest, the juice bars on every corner are all factors that comprise my day-to-day here.
An inanimate object as part of my community? Yes! And it's because my camera allows me to capture my community. When I've got my camera I look for things to photograph, which makes me more conscious of the details that surround me and more attune to every moment I spend here - at home, at school, and everywhere else.