If you’ve got any property in Rio, the time to sell it would have been a couple of days ago. Sea view from the front porch and waterfalls in the backyard could have been added to any real estate advertisement without telling a lie. Is waterbed back in fashion?
No, seriously speaking, not much to make fun of about the situation. It’s all very tragic. And scary. The city is starting to dry up, the streets are clear and the water levels in the lakes are decreasing for every hour. The mudslides will probably continue for another while, hopefully not as unexpected as lately though. But it will take a very long time before everything is back to normal…if ever…for a lot of people. And as it always seems to be, when it comes to forces of nature, it is not the ones who have the most, who loose some of it. It is those who have the least, who loose everything.
I try to always remember how lucky I am: Lots of friends and family, perhaps geographically on the other side of the globe most of the time, but still always there. A job I enjoy and which challenges me and brings me to fascinating places – how about Kellyville, OK for example? Playing the sport I love (except for here, but temporary substitutes can be found) which also brings me to new places – ever wanted to experience dodgy canals in Belgium or swimming pools in Tampere?
However, if I’m ever close to forgetting that all my worries are definite luxury problems (läs i-landsproblem), things like the last few days make it even more obvious. Honestly, I think I must have been one of the luckiest ones off after the total chaos, which was ruling the city for some 24 hrs. I wasn’t even there. I was “stranded” in a nice coastal town with my parents and didn’t even get my toes wet by rain. A small drizzle during the last day, an extra night at the pousada before being able to return to Rio and making sure my parents got on the plane to Europe. Not even worth mentioning in the big context.
I don’t know if the pictures made it worldwide but sports nerd as I am, I have to comment on this guy wakeboarding behind a Hilux (very nice car by the way) on the beachfront on Tuesday. Right where I would normally drive to work, past traffic lights and with road signs in the background. You can call it making the most out of the situation, or being ignorant to the chaos around you, whichever you feel like choosing. Of course, he didn’t help anyone by his few minutes of sports exercise, but for sure, he didn’t make life worse for anyone either. He might even have brought a few smiles to some people’s faces.
No, seriously speaking, not much to make fun of about the situation. It’s all very tragic. And scary. The city is starting to dry up, the streets are clear and the water levels in the lakes are decreasing for every hour. The mudslides will probably continue for another while, hopefully not as unexpected as lately though. But it will take a very long time before everything is back to normal…if ever…for a lot of people. And as it always seems to be, when it comes to forces of nature, it is not the ones who have the most, who loose some of it. It is those who have the least, who loose everything.
I try to always remember how lucky I am: Lots of friends and family, perhaps geographically on the other side of the globe most of the time, but still always there. A job I enjoy and which challenges me and brings me to fascinating places – how about Kellyville, OK for example? Playing the sport I love (except for here, but temporary substitutes can be found) which also brings me to new places – ever wanted to experience dodgy canals in Belgium or swimming pools in Tampere?
However, if I’m ever close to forgetting that all my worries are definite luxury problems (läs i-landsproblem), things like the last few days make it even more obvious. Honestly, I think I must have been one of the luckiest ones off after the total chaos, which was ruling the city for some 24 hrs. I wasn’t even there. I was “stranded” in a nice coastal town with my parents and didn’t even get my toes wet by rain. A small drizzle during the last day, an extra night at the pousada before being able to return to Rio and making sure my parents got on the plane to Europe. Not even worth mentioning in the big context.
I don’t know if the pictures made it worldwide but sports nerd as I am, I have to comment on this guy wakeboarding behind a Hilux (very nice car by the way) on the beachfront on Tuesday. Right where I would normally drive to work, past traffic lights and with road signs in the background. You can call it making the most out of the situation, or being ignorant to the chaos around you, whichever you feel like choosing. Of course, he didn’t help anyone by his few minutes of sports exercise, but for sure, he didn’t make life worse for anyone either. He might even have brought a few smiles to some people’s faces.
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