Between Rio’s Heart and Canada’s True North

If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be?

I answer this question after spending a week in Rio, the city where I was born and that holds a huge part of my heart. My first few days brought all that love back to the surface, and I immersed myself in its beauty while showing it to a friend on her first visit to the “Marvelous City.”

We visited beaches, hiked the Sugar Loaf, and took the train to the statue of Christ the Redeemer. We ate pão de queijo, tapioca, and caldo de cana with pastel at one of the numerous street markets. We witnessed samba from the people who breathe and eat and live samba every day on the streets of downtown Rio during happy hour.

We walked around the Botanic Garden, enjoying its safety. We had guava paste with cheese ice cream—a combination so perfect it’s called Romeo and Juliet! And, of course, we took the quaint tram to the Santa Teresa neighbourhood to eat a delicious moqueca (fish stew) at Largo dos Guimarães.

And then, after a tranquil hang gliding flight over São Conrado, we got the news that two slums in Rio were invaded by the police with over 120 killed. The violent reality of Rio was knocking on our door, once again.

From time to time, my son and I talk about places to live and where we would go. Canada is the country, we know that. BC is the province, we also know that. But the city is still a question mark. Despite loving Vernon, we do consider moving up north.

Every time I see pictures of what the north holds, I convince myself that’s the place we’ll end up one day. Not today, not now, but one day. The True North strong and free.