For many, getting to know Brazil is a dream… And living in it too!
And I even understand… After all, the country where I was born is big, rich, full of natural beauty, with a cheerful and hospitable population, with a fertile land, and several other benefits that it would take me a long time to list them all.
But if you want to visit Brazil, or make your new home from here: escape from Rio de Janeiro (and that's goes for you who live in RJ too)!
The question I ask you is: with more than 120 countries that are visibly a more interesting option to live or open your own business… Why choose Brazil? And with more than 25 states in Brazil… Why Rio de Janeiro?
In this article, I'll show you that it doesn't make any more sense, be or to become a carioca.
And don't worry: this is not the text of a hater, but the text of someone who has lived in Rio since he was born, and knows how the environment here can be suffocating.
I ask that if you intend to come to Rio de Janeiro, read this article until the end.
I also ask that if you have had "wonderful experiences" with Rio, please disregard what I say here. After all, some really can have the luck I never had, being a carioca.
"Rouge will always be rouge, and a fool is a fool"!
This expression was used in a song by the samba composer "Bezerra da Silva".
In music, he extols the superiority of a guy who "knows what he wants". In the same lyrics, he says that "the rogue is not tied to a single woman".
As time goes by, you'll realize that "rogue" is definitely the type of person that irritates me the most.
In short, this is the type of person who will always try to get along, whatever the cost, not caring in the least about ethics or moral values, for example. So, whether it's for his benefit or someone close to him, the rogue won't mind stealing, cheating, lying, cheating, or becoming a criminal, even if he has no need for any of that. And as if that wasn't enough, they are still extremely narcissistic. Humility doesn't seem to be in their vocabulary.
Basically, I just described 99.9% of Brazil's politicians!
And speaking of politics: this is the meanest class in our country. And guess where are some of the worst...
To have an idea, in the past 5 years, 8 politicians were arrested or removed from office, due to corruption. That is: of those who were convicted, as some were acquitted or are still on trial.
And I only counted the ones from the state, or the capital… There are still suspects in other cities here!
And if the problem were just the politicians, the situation would be lighter. But here, even a good part of the population has the bad habit of treating rogues as "heroes" or even "gods".
Believe me: one of my teachers spoke of one of the biggest drug dealers in Brazil, as if he were someone amazing! And I used to live with an aunt of mine, who used to say the good and old "he stole, but he did something ", to defend one of the most corrupt politicians.
Did you find it strange? This is just the beginning...
A place that isn't silent !
Do you spend most of your life indoors? Yeah… Maybe Rio de Janeiro isn't a place for you.
After all, "silence" is not part of the local vocabulary either.
Whether you're sleeping, working out, studying, or working in Rio de Janeiro, you better go preparing your headphones… You'll need it!
Recording videos can also be a very complicated task.
So, if you plan to come to Rio de Janeiro, get ready to hear gunfire, fireworks, barking, crying or howling from dozens of nearby dogs, people talking to the entire block, and terrible music at the highest volume.
Here, noise pollution is a tradition!
Quality of life ?! Does that exists ?!
Public transport vehicles are almost always crowded or destroyed (not to mention the almost constant traffic jam of the main highways), potholed roads, streets smelling of old oil, sewage or urine, neglect and disrespect for nature…
All of this is just a small part of the current state of our infrastructure.
Houses from the "My house, my life" project, for example, portray the level of local architecture very well: poorly planned houses, moldy or cracking structures, unfavorable locations, buildings with high internal temperatures, and another hundred problems that it's not worth commenting on this video.
In 2019 (and over the last 20 years), we faced serious problems with the distribution of piped water: the water was dirty, and it smelled like sewage. The treatment company spent millions to solve the problem.
And that, in the houses where the water arrived, since several times, pipes in certain places burst, wasting liters of water and leaving several houses without supply.
And for the summer of this year, there are still rumors about the possibility of a lack of water and energy in several cities in Rio de Janeiro... At the time of this article, some places in prime areas are already facing a lack of water.
At least the issue of manholes exploding and injuring several pedestrians has been resolved…
Blood River
This, to me, is the saddest and scariest part of Rio de Janeiro: violence.
According to data, Rio de Janeiro registers more deaths than births, daily.
Brazil has already registered around 65 thousand homicides per year, where Rio De Janeiro, was considered one of the most dangerous states in Brazil, together with some states in the Northeast. Queimados, a city in the Baixada Fluminense, was for a long time at the top of that list.
Today, those statistics have dropped… But safetyness hasn't improved. It turns out that with the advance of COVID-19, many people stayed at home, avoiding these tragedies.
In addition to violence, there are numerous cases of vandalism and theft. Recently, important parts of one of the main railways in the state simply disappeared. And when I say "recently", I mean a few hours ago (12/2). And this is not the first time this year.
This kind of thing has even happened to cultural heritage, which despite its size, no one seems to have noticed the thievery.
Worst of all, many who entered here simply didn't come back to tell the story... Some lost their lives in the midst of shootings, and others had their lives ripped off because of some material good (like a simple used cell phone that the criminal wanted to steal). And almost always robbery statistics (robbery followed by murder) appear in record numbers here in Rio de Janeiro.
Lunatics prices
The cost of living in Rio de Janeiro is one of the highest in Brazil. Renting a house in Nova Iguaçu, for example, can be more expensive than renting an even larger one in Curitiba (the capital of Paraná, with several tourist attractions). And both buying and renting properties where I was born can be more expensive than many properties in Portugal, even with the current astronomical exchange rate of the euro against the Brazilian real.
Public transport once again appears on this list. This time, it even has the most expensive fare in Brazil!
Taxes are also extremely high and meaningless, which ends up suffocating new projects.
Even if you get a job offer here, you're likely not to be able to handle such high expenses… It's really all unreasonably expensive.
A friend's advice
I really didn't want to be saying all this. I loved my hometown, and had plans to build my career here... Today, I simply dislike being a carioca.
I'm looking forward to getting out of here!
And if you say that Rio de Janeiro is wonderful, but while you were here you stayed at Hotel Fasano, Hotel Sheraton or Copacabana Palace: no… You don't know Rio de Janeiro.
Barra da Tijuca, Recreio, Leblon, Búzios and Copacabana are just small pieces of one of the most chaotic and disorganized states in the world!
Want Carnival? Go to some northeastern city...
Do you want to know the sights? Photos, movies and videos, they can show you.
Want a place to live? Espírito Santo, Rio Grande do Sul, Paraná, Santa Catarina, Minas Gerais… Just choose. There is no lack of better alternatives.
It's a lot more serious than it looks, believe me. So much risk with such exorbitant prices ,in addition to the lack of empathy (especially from the government) which is absolutely unnecessary.
And if you've lived in Rio de Janeiro for some time: are you waiting for; that what will happen to you, to realize that you need to get out of here? Losing someone you love, or losing everything you have (including your own life)?
I believe you.
A Pastor I know has a Ministry in San Paolo and he visits Churches all over Brazil and brings back many stories of poverty, crime and corruption, as well as stories of miracles, acts of faith, and testimonials.
I know some pastors who also do this kind of work. But really, I can't stay here anymore. I'm already saving money to go to another state at least.
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