7/18/2022 0 Comments yes... there were struggles tooWhew! What a month in Rio.. I had the most incredible time. I mean I know it looks like I am posting a highlight reel, but it truly was that much fun. That is not to say I didn’t struggle at times though! Especially at the beginning. Rio really intimidated me coming in, almost in the same way as when I visited Morocco or India. The stories I read on the internet and all the advice of how to stay safe really got to me when I was still in the phase of the unknown. I was terrified to leave my room or my hotel after the sun went down at 5PM (!!!). If I hadn’t made plans for dinner, well too bad I was going to sit there and only have the chips I could buy downstairs (lol in hindsight). I stayed awake at night thinking someone was going to somehow get in my 7th floor window because there was no lock. I walked around with my phone, money, and other belongings all stashed in different pockets and under my clothes, or at times just left my phone at home because I was way too afraid to lose it. (Honestly, these still are not bad tips on how to lower the chances of a mugging incident - I am fortunate I had no issues at all, but plenty of friends I made had a different story). From the maps I looked up, I thought I would just stumble into a favela and then be in trouble with the law. On that note, the police presence was both comforting and unnerving. So many people made sure to tell me I stood out from the locals, so I walked around probably looking skittish and afraid. Now for some struggles that are more common across all places of travel: the language was HARD! I really thought my tiny bits of Spanish were going to help me understand and communicate. So so wrong. I mean they are similar, but the accents and slang in Rio really make it not transferable. I would think I could guess a word and it’s something not even close, I just had to laugh. It was easier to just start in English because for the most part, people could either speak it or understand. From my experience, they really appreciated any efforts in Portuguese and would go out of their way to be helpful if they noticed you were trying/struggling. Another one, ordering food… if I got one more double espresso when I asked for a grande latte, I think my heart would beat out of my chest from too much caffeine. The cuisine is just so different that it makes it hard to branch out and try other dishes besides the one or two I know I like (and y’all know how much I love food and experimental ordering). I try to just roll with whatever ends up coming to the table, and the friends I made from all different countries actually commented that I was “surprisingly flexible for an American” when things go wrong lol. They all agreed that it gave them a different perception on their stereotype of tourists from the US being stubborn and causing a scene at the smallest inconvenience so hey, at least I could provide that I guess. Lastly, as a digital nomad you are trying to set up your routine in a completely new environment, so just like at home, obviously not everyday will be great or exciting. Things will not always go as planned and there will even be days when every single thing goes wrong. "Vacation Courtney" would let this ruin part of the trip and justify being in a bad mood - but it's all about rolling with the punches of this new normal. Aside from the more typical travel struggles, I still had an amazing time in Rio as a solo female traveler! I hope this post and my others can serve as proof that it is not as intimidating as you may see online. Just take the normal precautions you would in other large cities, do a little research on the food before hand so you can be ready to order and try new things, learn your please & thank you's in Portuguese, and you'll be off to a great start!
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AuthorCourtney Golman Archives
September 2022
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