I went downtown for an English lesson. Before I got there, I decided to grab something to eat at Mister Sucos, there I was greeted by a woman holding her child begging patrons for money so her little girl could have something to eat. In all honesty, I only had 5 reals, which I needed to buy me something to eat, since I hadn't eaten yet. I told her that I didn't have enough to buy her daughter something to eat. This is usually the default answer on the streets of Rio though, "No, I don't have it." It's hard because there is always someone asking for money. This isn't a novel sight, a woman and her baby. It's everywhere here. To the point where, I've even seen a little 4 year old with a fanny pack strapped across his front working the streets for his mommy or daddy at 1 o'clock in the morning when he should have been sound asleep in bed. That affected me more than any of the other site, this one really got to me. It's almost like people here are numb to the sight of poverty now. When I first got here, I completely appalled and impressed with the blatant gap in classes, but after living here off and on for almost 4 years now, it doesn't even bother me anymore sometimes. I see the same three guys on the corner of my street everyday. The numbness has encroached over me too because you can't help everyone, and I don't want to contribute to any social problems, such as the drug trade. For that reason, I only give food, never money, usually. Today, I broke that rule and gave the woman my change. This whole social divide is another topic in itself that I'm not even going to touch right now.
My ride back on the subway merits mentioning.There was a crazy today! Usually, I only see the crazys on the bus and that is rare, but today I had the pleasure of spectating a woman making a lot of passengers very irritated and uncomfortable. The woman seemed to be in her early forties, with the face and body of a crack user, and agility of a drunk, and personality of a comedian. She would stubble along the car pestering the passengers, but at least only jesting. She tried to read the text of one woman leaning against the center pole, then made her way to a middle aged woman wearing a sleeveless dress, where she started rubbing her shoulders and telling her "Bom Dia!" and asking her how her day was going. When the woman wouldn't respond she decided to dance over to someone else. Basically, she moved throughout the entire car greeting and touching everyone. I prayed to God that she wouldn't see my foreign face and want to touch me. I'm a germaphobe and hate others that I don't know touching me, especially one that seems to be drugged up. With all the luck in the world, she chose the woman to my side to chat with instead of me. That was close! The nice, crazy, touchy lady eventually got off at Siqueira Campos when security boarded.
Anyway, going back to the cute dress, the girl in the cute dress got off at the General Osorio Metro stop with me and even headed in the direction of Copabana, where I was going. It was the perfect opportunity to ask her where she had found that glorious dress. Then I started thinking that it might be weird for me to ask her where she had bought her dress--she might think that I was trying to pick her up. Gosh, that would be horrific! So, I waited for one more karmic sign "yes" or "no" to ask her about the dress. Right as I was about to pass her, she answered her phone, SO I still have no idea where the dress came from. Should have just asked when I had the chance. Lesson to self, don't be so shy!
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