Rocinha described by LA Times

Yeah guys, things are going more or less well and I'm enjoying my life. But besides my life there are many interesting things. I found some article about favela in LA Times  http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-brazil-favelas-20121125,0,4302500.story?page=1

I have to admint that this article is incredibly correct article. Right now favelados are complaining about police units and also cocaine isn't that easy to buy.

Other things is that after so called pacification of Rocinha and police's takeover went prices of houses up. Normal 2-3 bedrooms house close to public transportation is now around 100.000 BRL and the same house costed 30-40.000 BRL on time of my arrival 6 months ago. Over 120% of growth.

Rocinha blackout

The part of hill where I've been living had today more than 15 hours blackout. No internet... Whole nearby transformer was burned aproximately in 2 AM and technicians of local electric company called Light (I don't know why Brazilian use english words if they even can't pronounce it at all) wasn't able to came here around midday. And without internet it sucks.

So I started to read book called Ater Dark by Murakami that I borrowed in hotel. Luckily in english. It's my first meeting with Murakami and after almost entire day blackout and around 100 pages I have to say that I like it.

In this book he is extraordinary detail describer. Scenes that he's describing are let's say at least mysterious.

After complete reading I will post here more what I think. Right now I have to check like million things on internet.

Police was killed in Rocinha

It has been couple days that here in Rocinha that the member of police unit was killed here on the hill. It looks like police unit and two gangsters were confronted face to face in one little street in part called Terrerão. The bandidos jigged up and one shot police man in the face which on the way to hospital died.

Police striked back with bothering every person on streets of Rocinha. The gangster who killed the man was found two days after the incident in one sewer in Botafogo which is nearby neighborhud.

And today was also the big Day for Rocinha. After all day police chopper in the air and black uniformed police on streets patroling was inaugurated the UPP. This is Unidade da policia pacificadora do estado Rio de Janeiro - pacification police. Right now is more than 700 members of police in Rocinha.

Yeah, right on police :D

About hotel job and new shoes

Hey,
it was a long time that i didn't post nothing. I've been busy and actualy I don't like posts without subject. I'm not able to write about bullshit as a lot of bloggers do only for get readers.

I have so many news. My job is outstanding. I'm working in 5 stars boutique hotel in Rio de Janeiro as hotel staff with owners' promises to become a sub manager. Hotel has only 5 employes so it should be easy to manage it.

Owner is suprisingly nice guy and with his wife are making great couple. They are living in a hotel more than 8 years. I assume that life in work is very exhausting for them and also with the same people.

There is also 2 guys working 8 years but without life force. Their life is only to go to work to have money for beer. On one side I get it when you realize that your life is meaningless and your only important thing to do is clean shit of others (but just for the record people on other side of this barriere feels way to more important than is needed). But on the other side they actualy don't want to do nothing and more or less are satysfied with their lifes.

And than is there one iliterate girl. She is very warmhearted but itt's very dificult to explain her something simple like that she has to prepare 3 different eggs for 3 different people. And cheif of kitchen who is realy the laziest man i've ever seen. Actually he is going for work only to sleep. When he has to do something he starts to complain. I've heard from the owners' wife that he asked for rising the salary. He isn't even able to answer to phone and ask the calling party what he/she wants.

I'm still living in Rocinha. Sometimes I guide the clients of the hotel to show them this place. Of course  everybody is scared to death of violent behavior of residents :))

Oh yeah and I bought new shoes for R$ 99,00 in Copacabana

Job in favela Rocinha

Hey there, I got a job here in Rocinha. In a furniture store where we bought bed and some other stuff. Owner is good man who knows all that stuff about giving workers 30 brl per day for carrying realy heavy things and deliverying in their homes. But in a country where is minimal salary around 625 BRL per month (300 USD) is this realy good.

For someone it's difficult to deal with it because it's the worst kind of job that you can get it here, worst paid and after 10 hours shift you are completely broken. It's not like czech expats in USA because in USA even with minimal salary can live with european standards. Here is favela. Nothing here  reminds european standards. And it's way beyond brazilian standard.

But as I noticed inside of their favela's houses there is lot of comfort of middle class like plasma TV and airconditioning system and Xbox :) But of course there's a lot of poverty when people has nothing and they are living in shanty houses.

When you carry furniture you will get attention of people because they never seen white man with blond hair and blue eyes doing this kind of job.

And other news: as I wrote before there is many police officers with submashine guns. One night I was in local bar drinking beer and police was checking on me. With a serious face I had to pull off my T-shirt and they checked my balls :D

Reconstruction of the favela house

I have delay of writing my blogposts almost because of reconstruction my (ex)girlfriends' house here in Rocinha. This is something that I never did except wall painting so I'm a bit slow. I was without internet connection and used internet only for important things like doing some SEO for my other websites.

So about that house reconstruction, i will post photos when i will have more time. My (ex) girlfriend has house in Rocinha, but it was occupied by tenants. But since she is in Brazil more than 7 months she asked her house back.

House was totally broken and I've been told that I can fix it. I didn't hasite and did whatever I could. I took almost 3 weeks but I'm "proud" of me...

Yeah and for the record, tomorrow I'm going to Ipanema again ask for new job. Wish me good luck ;)

Job in Rio de Janeiro 2

Heh, working in Rio de Janeiro isn't that easy as I tought and wrote here :) I was working for one man who wants to make a tourist agency in Rocinha. I was creating the site and helping him to create structure of his company because evidently he doesn't know anything about earns and costs. But after some time I realized that he always leaves me when I asked money. Aftere 100x asking money he told me that unfortunately he right now doesn't have money to pay me but he is trying to get sponsor of his project. Men it sucks. I stoped doing everything for him. I once again believed someone that it will be OK.

Sometimes I live (you too) in dream that everyone is pure and has the best intentions. But the reality is only ilusion and this was my excuse for not holding my life in my own hands. I'm sure that I knew it but I didn't admit it.

And Brazil has one advantage: if you make a mistake, you will know imediatelly. What I want to say is that after making mistakes there will be no dealey after misteke and before reality will notice you. This means for me that I will loose other 5kg of my weight.

Projects on internet are in advantage stage of making money but money is too small for debiting and what is more important when I'm not brazilian resident I don't have any accounts here. I'm solving that problem too but during all the restrictions have to wait more than I can handle without the food.

So I have to find a job. I noticed a lot of people that I know for "helping" me find the job. But I know that I have to make this alone.

For any qualified and unqualified type of work you have to submitt a CV. So I made my CV in portuguese. I spend hours to send my cv on internet, but if someone rarely responded and asked me if I have carteira de trabalho, he thanked me for my time and when I have my docs all right I can call him again. This sucks.

What remains is print out my curriculum and go for street. I've visited almost 50 businesses for offering my services. Should be noted that I can work on any possition in their business and my portuguese is advanced but until now is without responce. It's/I'm starting to be crazy.

So wish me good luck I'll go for street once again.

Flat in favela Rocinha Rio de Janeiro

I was able to start cleaning my new "flat". This is how it looked before. Especialy the terrasa.

When I'll finish the cleaning, I'll give a complete look.

Favela da Rocinha - is it for gringos?

Brazilians have terrible fear of favelas. I mean brazilian from middle class. When I told them that I will move to favela It was a lot of explaining why.
Why white men want to live in the worst place in Rio de Janeiro in first place? Well, when is your situation in Brazil worsening, you have to stop bleeding. I mean stop spending money when you are not earning money. Is it obvious?
I spread the word and I got home... One guy in local radio want me to improve website of his radio because he is spending too much money for paying one guy from Minas Gerais (other state in Brazil). This guy is without the shame ask for unacceptable money. After stating that noone will pay more money, he's beginning threatening. He doesn't want to provide information for webhosting and even doesn't want to change administration profile in domain registering page.

One advice - be aware of brazilien piranhas not favelas.

Long story short - radio man offered me if I want to stay in second floor of his radio. And I didn't hasitate any minute and accepted imediately.
Let me describe it. It's cobertura in Rocinha. Cobertura means this http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penthouse_apartment but it is all in Rocinha style and all is for FREE.

I have to do a lot of cleaning in my new apartment because noone lived there for long time but I'm happy that I have place to stay.

Weather in Rio de Janeiro in May

It's strange I'm from middle Europe and i feel cold in tropical clima. Last few days was quiete rainy and as you've noticed it was really cold. There's several reasons why:
- houses are opened
- usualy I don't wear jacket here
- when it's raining and I don't have umbrella I get wet.

Temperature is 20 but because of all this humidity looks like 15 or less.

Rio and summer

Summer here was very hot. And it was pretty long. For person from middle Europe was twice that difficult because of humidity and the fact that in Europe was winter.
Right now it's beatiful fall with a lot of sun and occasional raining. I'm not sweating anymore. The worst time of year is gone. Sea looks pretty good. Waves are bigger than usualy. It's surfing time. In our city will start surf championship. But unfortunately I will move in Rio de Janeiro. Right now things are becoming dificult and I have no reason to stay here in this small city.
I was doing some research of renting flats there. Looks like the most cheaper "flats" are in slums :) A couple days ago I was visiting favela da Rocinha. The biggest slum in Latin America. It was awesome. I never felt something like that. The city has its own life. According to all information you can feel save in that kind of slums. It's much safer than in Copacabana where people are assaulted.
I will give a try. There's no reason why spend money on flats in other parts of Rio when I have chance to live in Rocinha.
I think that Brazil accepted me with open arms. But I have to say that there is nothing that I was thinking. Nothing is so easy. There's a lot of oportunity for making money here but the path is full of obstacles and people who doesn't have enough money like me will suffer here.