26 November 2012

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.

05 November 2012

i will feel like a loser if i go back to my country

Hey guys, this is what I found on my Google Analytics tools. And this is what someone googled. And this is exactly my case. Or I telling this to myself. It would be too easy to go back to my country and get a well payed job in some big bank. And rent a realy good loking apartment near to downtown close to good restaurants and also to my normal middle class friends with the same interests and topics as I have. But it's gone because of to feel like a loser and don't have nothing.

Actualy it's one year that I've came here and I have to say it was a hell of a year. I experienced a lot and I realized what has value for me personaly.

Last monht I've been working and collecting new wisdoms. I've met some interesting people like: http://bigglobetrotter.blogspot.com who is my fellow compatriot. And also I'm still working in hotel and I've met there some other Czech who's living in São Paulo for 8 years. What a coincidence!

Finally I'd like to say that I'm not giving it up and I will continue staying here in Rio de Janeiro.


23 September 2012

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.

20 September 2012

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

11 September 2012

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

19 August 2012

Hotel stuff

I got big news... After hard work on carrying furniture on favela I got a new job. In hotel here in Gavea. It's luxury and close to my house. Salary 1000 BRL. Tomorrow I will start at 7.30.

With this job helped me my old boss and some girl called Rachel who was working in that hotel before me. I carried a bed for her house with owner of store and he mentioned for her that gringo here needs a better job because he speaks other languages and this job could do 95% favelados of Rocinha. :D And she told us that she works in some little hotel where owner is a french and for sure needs someone who speaks english.

Yeah I met with that guy and he said ok that I can start work on monday. What is ironic that the girl who helped me got fired for money robery in hotel. Life is in circles :D

14 August 2012

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