It's So Much More

There is a reason Rio de Janeiro is called "Cidade Maravilhosa". It's so much more than beaches full of multi-colored umbrellas, women clad in bikinis, and men lying out in speedos. Rio is the bus never being on time, forcing you to be twenty minutes late to class, wanting to get upset but then scanning your eyes upward toward the mountains that sit perched above the city, so calm and tranquil. The wind brushes past your face and you forget what you were even angry about. Rio is a Carioca asking you "Tudo Bem?" Or how are you? Instead of "what do you do?" Two words that will put a smile on your face even on your worst day. Rio is walking home from class on a Wednesday night to see the Botequos completely packed with people sharing bottles of beer while they excitedly chatter over the futebol game they are watching together. Rio is turning into a morning person even if you're the crabbiest version of yourself when you hear your host mom say "Bom Dia!", both words sounding like a song that will start off your day "booooom deeee-a!" Rio is taking a taxi to meet your friends on a Friday night and rolling down the window to feel the breeze rush across your face, putting your head out of the window as you drive by Lagoa, catching a glimpse of Cristo lit up in all of his ethereal beauty perched upon Corcovado mountain. Rio, you either love it or hate it - but how could you hate it? It's a city that will move its way into your soul over night, grabbing you by your heart when you're not looking, and changing your life forever. People say New York is the best city in the world - I wonder if those people have ever lived in Rio, because I've lived in both and I'll challenge that assertion any day. Rio - it's so much more than you could ever imagine.