A Hockey Story

Hockey in the streets of Rocinha----

I would love to put more fotos here of the kids but my connection is so slow that it takes about 10 minutes for each one to load..my internet connection is not so good, at least today..

I had the oportunity to go and live in Canada for a bit and I grew to love hockey. Its a very special sport. Canadians passion for hockey is much like what Brazilians have for football (soccer). When I returned to the favela, I brought some hockey sticks back as I thought it would be fun to teach a little street hockey to the kids. Kids are very open minded here and after seeing the Olympic games here on the televisions in the favela, I knew people would like my idea.

I started getting interest after walking through the favela few times just with a stick and ball. Kids would come to me and ask to "try". So, I would give them the stick and show them how to hold it and how to use the ball. They enjoyed it but everytime I would pass by this area the kids would ask about hockey and the sticks and when they could play. I told them that I needed to get more sticks and that I would try to get some.

I have 5 hockey sticks and now about 70 street hockey balls thanks to one visitor from New Zealand, RICHARD HARRI. He has visited my favela twice and this last time he returned with a bag full of these balls. Now I have to get sticks and nets..I decided to post these fotos also to thank the person who Richard purchased these balls from. They will be put to good use as soon as we can get these kids sticks.

I will let you know how it turns out..

Exchange student: Samantinha

foto: Sam and good friend Amy


- Can you tell me your name, where you are from?

My name is Samantha, and I am from Los Angeles, CA.

- Why did you come to Brasil?

I came to Brazil to study abroad through my college. I studied for a year at PUC-Rio.

- When you arrived where did you live?

I lived with a host family I was placed with in Sao Conrado for the first 6 months.

- How did you find out about favelas?

I found out about Rocinha through a friend I was studying with. She told me about how her brother taught English in Rocinha at Instituto Dois Irmaos (i2i), and then arranged a tour with Zezinho to look around before we started teaching.

- Why did you decide to move into a favela (Rocinha)?

I decided to move to Rocinha because I was paying a lot of money to live in a room, and I wanted more freedom to have people over. I was also already there a lot. I went to the gym there, taught there, and most of my friends lived there.

- Before moving here what did you know about favelas?

Before moving to Brazil, nothing much. I had heard about them, but also heard that they were extremely dangerous.

- Since living here, have you impressions of favelas changed much?

Yes, I can only speak for Rocinha, because I haven't spent much time in other Favelas, but Rocinha was a huge city, but felt safer to me than Copacabana.

- What do you like about living in the favela?

I liked that I could be close to all of my friends, and pay less than other places in Zona Sul to live by myself. And I liked being close to the beach and to my school.

- What don’t you like?

Living in Rocinha as a Gringo(a) is very different from being raised there. I had a very privileged life there. I could leave if I wanted to or stay. It is not as easy for people who live there. They are judged differently than I would be for living in a Favela.

- If you had a magic wand and could change anything, what would you change about the favela?

The fact that the children and adults who live in Rocinha don't have the social mobility or options that other classes in Rio do.

- Has your experience been worthwhile?

Yes, I enjoyed teaching and living there. I am moving back to Rio in september!

- What advice would you give someone who wanted to move/stay here?

That you should maybe check it out and see if that is the pace of life you would like to live in before you make the move.

- Would you come back to live here again?

I plan to live in Rio with my boyfriend and so I am not moving back to Rocinha. But it was great for that period of my time in Rio.

- Anything else you would like to comment about regarding life here?

It is a complex community, full of good and more complicated aspects, and residents that deserve the same level of respect as all other members of Rio.