Brazil was the manifestation of a dream–a realization that your hard work can create a platform for you to live out your dreams.
Before I left Rio, my group and I set our sights on Sugar Loaf Mountain, to get one last glimpse of Rio in its entirety. Additionally, I made sure to see an Olympic venue and the infamous stairs popularized by Snoop Dogg & Pharell.
When visiting Rio, make sure you remain open to the following lessons Sugar Loaf, Maracanã Stadium, and Escadaria Selarón can remind you:
1. You don’t succeed when you achieve perfection, you succeed when you inspire perfection.
When my group and I were at Sugar Loaf Mountain, a friend of mine imagined the astonishment of others when they first “discovered” the land. Rio de Janiero is a beautiful city and the views from two different heights at Sugar Loaf mountain proves that sentiment.
There is always something being done to strive for perfection—a new metro/train line to improve transportation around the city or improved political laws to shift the culture. Nevertheless, the magic of Rio is its ability to inspire perfection in others and ability to inspire you to strive for more.
Looking out over the city, you realize the blessing that it is to travel the world and ultimately inspires you to see more of the world.
2. Find a medium or outlet to speak your emotions, your feelings, and your thoughts.
One thing that continued to intrigue me as I walked through the streets in Rio was the street art. If you have the opportunity when in Rio, let the art speak to you and let the art on the walls entertain you.
While walking the streets or driving down the streets in Las Vegas or Los Angeles, street art isn’t a common sight—the crispness of new buildings or plain walls speak the messages of maintenance and minimalism. Nevertheless, its inspiring for the people of Brazil (South America) to use walls as a means to express emotion and feeling. Find beneficial ways to express your emotion and feelings.
3. What happens on the inside of us, is what gives us our true value.
Determined was an understatement when it came to describing my seriousness with seeing an Olympic venue in Rio. Fortunately, I had the opportunity to walk around MaracanĂŁ Stadium, the location of the 2016 Olympic opening and closing ceremony.
After exiting the subway station (approximately 45minutes from Ipanema to the Stadium), I didn’t know what to expect. The stadium is walking distance from university and adjacent to local neighborhoods.
I came to realize that what happened on the inside of the stadium—the manifestation of history—is what bestowed the stadium with its value. It’s what happens on the inside of us that gives us our true value.
4. Leave your mark, but make sure you enhance the canvas.
Another attraction that magnetically pulled me to Rio were the infamous stairs popularized by the Snoop Dogg and Pharell “Beautiful” video.
Interestingly, Selarón’s Steps are lodged somewhere in a local neighborhood with locals assumingly living in homes as you trail the stairs.
Chilean artist Jorge Selarón as a “tribute to the Brazilian people” designed Escadaria Selarón , or Selarón’s Steps. Visiting the attraction around 4pm on a Saturday and it was not as crowded as I expected it to be; nevertheless, it was hotter than I expected it to be (given the sweat molecules visible in the above photos).
Given that these steps tribute various cultures and cities from around the world (supposedly there’s a Las Vegas tile), this piece of art is inspirational. The art that is Escadaria Selarón highlights the importance of leaving your mark wherever you go; nevertheless, making sure your mark beautifies the canvas.
As mentioned in my first culture capsule about Brazil, Rio de Janeiro was a dream. Living out my dream that was travelling around Rio de Janeiro, I internalized that:
- Along your journey in life, you will dream, dream bigger.
- Along your journey in life, you will live, live better.
- Along your journey in life, you will explore, explore more.
- Along your journey in life, you can do good, do GRAYT.
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