Freedom

by Julia Horcajo (United Kingdom (Great Britain))

I didn't expect to find Brazil

I’ve always found music to be an essential part of traveling, it creates a unique frame to the experience that you are living, the beat proposes a rhythm and that night in Rio de Janeiro the beat was fast, and the air was damp. We had just landed a few hours ago so we decided to hit Lapa as we had heard it was ¨the¨ place to go for a good night out. I had never seen anything like it, there were rivers of people flowing in every direction, colourful lights illuminated the nearby buildings and street vendors were set every two steps with their steel trolleys full of ice and liquors, ready to prepare the most amazing caipiroskas or the deadliest mixers, although we wouldn't find that out till later. We all chose our poison and started wondering around “careful with your purse girls” one of my friends said, she was always the over-cautious one, we used to give her a lot of grief because of it, but to be fair, her motherly attitude had saved us more times than we could count. I looked up in awe. My mind was having trouble comprehending the contrast between the routine view I was observing that morning from my house and the absolute magnificence of the archway that stood tall in front of me. Those kilometres of concrete had seen centuries of joy and hardship. I was suddenly aware of the history and wisdom those strong pillars contained but will never reveal. Then I looked down, feeling that energy that can only materialise in a place with such magic. I took it all in as I adventured myself into the group of Samba dancers that were playing in a corner. My heart started pounding to the rhythm of the drums, I could not believe the speed at which the feet of those dancers were moving, but it wasn't only their feet, the hips were flawlessly matching the movement creating a seemingly easy performance. A couple of them noticed our excitement and came over to us to try to teach us. Short on breath and after almost stumbling with my own feet I decided to leave the dancing to the professionals. We drank and laughed the night away, surrounded by music and random conversations with overly nice strangers. As we returned home, with my head sticking outside the taxi window, breathing the sea breeze along the Ipanema Beach, I felt a freedom that was smooth like a bossa nova. The kind of freedom you only realise you need when you are so far from where you came from that you can’t even remember your previous life.