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Meet Gustavo

Plus, what it's really like in Brazil.

By Rachel Tobias

August 16^th, 2016

Meet Gustavo. But first, stop reading the news.

The media are like small children, hungry for attention. What’s truly fascinating is that we know this to be true, yet we still let them get to to us. They employ the cringe or cry strategy; anything else isn’t worth reading. It’s disappointing how dire of a picture the media painted of Brazil prior to the Olympic Games, and how many people opted out of the Olympics because of it. It’s disappointing primarily because it was all pretty much false or a gross exaggeration of the truth. Here’s what it’s really like in Brazil.

It’s winter. And there are no mosquitoes.

I’m more likely to get the Zika virus in my Woodside cabin than I am right now in Brazil. It’s winter in Brazil, and just like anywhere else, that means it’s too cold for mosquitoes. It’s been much colder here than I anticipated; I hadn’t even brought a jacket and had to buy one to keep warm. Of course, there’s the rogue mosquito here and there, but consider this: unless you are pregnant or hoping to get pregnant within the next 2-3 months, the biggest consequence of Zika is basically having the flu. The chances of more severe implications are so unlikely, as unlikely as those of any rare virus you could pick up anywhere, anytime. So let’s just stop talking about Zika.

If you’re smart, you’ll be safe.

Here’s what we have to remember: Brazil is not the United States. It’s as if because the Olympics are taking place here, Brazil and Rio de Janeiro should have all of the qualifications of any safe, flourishing American urban environment. But just like any city in the U.S., Rio de Janeiro has positives and negatives. There is severe and lasting poverty here and throughout Brazil, and poverty is directly associated with crime. The majority of the street robbery and muggings is committed by children who live on the street, and have perfected the art of swiping bags on the run. Of course, there is much more threatening crime, but most of that is more or less isolated to the favelas, from what I can tell, and the over-saturation of military personnel and automatic weapons surely has dissuaded a lot of the anticipated tourist targeting.

It’s very likely you could get mugged on street in Rio de Janeiro, but it’s also very likely you could be pickpocketing while wandering the streets of Rome. If you’re street smart and aware of your surroundings, it’s much less likely that anything bad will happen to you. Some of my pro tips include wearing my backpack on my front instead of my back, not walking with my phone out, having constant peripheral vision and always knowing who is where, avoiding walking alone and always doing so in a group, and of course, staying out of dangerous areas, such as favelas, altogether.

The horror stories you’re hearing about robbery and muggings in the U.S. are horrible and unfortunate. But they represent a very small percentage of the experience here in Brazil. And, for the most part, they’re a consequence of behavior that makes one a target.

Brazilians are the most wonderful people.

On to the good stuff. Brazilians are lovely: warm, welcoming, generous and hospitable. It is a respectful and optimistic culture, polite and helpful, never pushy or rude. I have never felt threatened as a woman walking on the street as I have in many other foreign countries. If you need help, the thousands of Brazilian volunteers posted throughout the city, and anyone else for that matter, are proactively eager to help. I was fortunate enough to be introduced to the most wonderful Brazilian family, who has opened their home to me while I am here; my only regret is that this trip has been so hectic, I haven’t been able to spend enough time getting to know them.

THE LOGISTICS OF THE OLYMPIC GAMES COULD BE BETTER.

My singular complaint about the Olympic Games in Rio is the quality of the logistical planning. I believe much of what has fallen through the cracks is a result of running out of time, amidst essentially complete financial collapse. That said, there are things that make it very difficult as a spectator that I wish had been better executed.

The ticket system is seemingly without rhyme or reason.

Collectible beer cups: yet another thing slowing down the line as people want one they don't already have.

Food at the venues has been a big issue. Particularly in the first week, vendors would sell out of food within minutes. (It was nearly a full week of eating potato chips and cassava biscuits, almost exclusively.) When you can get food, the quality is extremely low; in fact, the cassava biscuits are probably the best thing on the menu. If you’re not already frustrated by the food, you will be by the distribution system. First, you have to wait in a ‘cashier’ line, where you order and pay for the food and drink you want. You then receive a separate ticket for each item that you buy. You then have to wait in individual lines for each item; one line to pick up your cheeseburger, another to pick up your beer, and yet another to get your potato chips. It’s perplexing and painful to know this went so wrong, given how much expertise and efficiency there is in food service at scale for sporting events globally.

Beyond food, transportation in Rio has been the biggest challenge, in my opinion. Uber has been fantastic: reliable, safe, and easy, removing the stress of the trying to deduce which taxis are the ones who won’t rip you off. But even Uber hasn’t been able to navigate the transportation planning and logistics, which change daily. Olympic Park is quite far from downtown Rio and Copacabana/Ipanema, which is where many people stayed. Without traffic, it’s about a 30-minute drive to the Park; but that’s never a scenario that plays out. There is a metro, which is great for getting out to the park, but the ride back (typically very late at night) is pretty miserable, with long lines and packed buses. If you opt to take a taxi or Uber to the Park, which many of us have, there is not designated drop off area, and the proximity to the Park in which Uber can drop customers off changes daily. I’ve been dropped off at the very front entrance on day, two miles from the Park another day, and four miles on a third day. I’ve missed one and a half events thanks to the hours of walking I’ve had to do due to unforseen and uncommunicated street closures. It’s become clear that it’s necessary to budget three hours to get to Olympic Park for a typically 25-30-minute ride. Of course, if you have a special credential or are part of a sponsor group, none of this is relevant, as there is a dedicated lane for cars and buses carrying these lucky passengers.

which brings me to gustavo.

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On the four-mile day, my Uber dropped me so far from Olympic Park, I couldn’t even see it. Luckily, I wasn’t alone; there were dozens of us in the same boat. There is a bus system that runs along the very street I had to walk, but of course, it only lets off at every station between me and the Park, and doesn’t pick up. I was confused, stressed, and upset; I had tickets to the fencing finals and it became clear there was no way I was going to get there in time. I ended up walking with a Rio 2016 volunteer named Gustavo who spoke great English and helped guide me to where I needed to go.

It turned out that Gustavo had studied journalism for two years in Oklahoma, and was finishing up his degree here in Rio. During the Games, he volunteers in Riocentro, the venue that houses badminton, table tennis, and weightlifting. He asked me what I thought about Brazil, and I told him just about everything I’ve already told you. “Can I tape you talking about this,” he asked, as we were walking. Like a good journalism student, he pulled out his iPhone audio recording app and explained he was doing a project for his journalism class about his experience as a Rio volunteer. Happy to oblige, we continued, only interrupted when he told me to quickly put the phone in my pocket as we approached a group of cagey-looking young men that seemed distinctly out of place. I looked at him: “This is Rio,” he shrugged. “You just have to be careful.”

Like I said, the Brazilians are wonderful; without Gustavo, I probably would have wandered in the wrong direction, and I certainly would have done so frantically. Thank you so much to Brazil, to my host family, to the thousands of volunteers like Gustavo who help with a smile, for hosting us and letting us experience everything your country and culture has to offer, both the good and the not-so-good. It’s an experience I will treasure forever and continue to learn from even after I leave.