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.