The Reality of the Blocos

Today I learned an important lesson: Carioca blocos, the bands that play in the streets of Rio during Carnaval, are not meant for those with any sort of claustrophobia.

Truthfully, though, I didn't know what I was getting into. We'd seen tons of blocos rehearsing during the year but it was nothing like today.

In fact, I was really excited for it. I was even generous enough to help out some clueless American tourists at the bank today, and then impatiently bugged Eli to finish up at work so we could go.

With many a gringo in tow, as usual, we headed just around the block in Botafogo, where there were several blocos today. Lots of people around the city were dressed up, either in full costume (Superman, lots and lots of men dressed like women, a guy dressed as a condom, etc) or with some silly lei or mask or something along those lines. A lot of people really got into it.

I should have taken a hint from looking at pictures from this morning's bloco in Centro, the biggest one in Rio, called Bola Preta. My Canadian friends went dressed up to it, but when they told me it was at 10am I was like no way. Then when I saw this picture and found out it was 500,000 people all crowded into the sweltering, dirty streets of Centro, I was like, phew. I'm not one for ginormous crowds.

So there we were, on some tiny side street in Botafogo, with all these people dressed up, and many of them drinking or drunk. Since I have a solid history of not liking beer and of getting sick from drinking any alcohol in the heat, I decided not to drink. However, it would have been much more enjoyable had I been at least a little tipsy, because it's just one of those things you kind of need to be drunk for.

Out rolled the trucks with the band, and people danced happily in the street, following the trucks' very slow descent to another part of Botafogo. We followed the trucks, along with most of the other people, who danced and sang and drank along the way. Meanwhile, it was incredibly, unbearably hot, though occasionally there would be a five-minute downpour to temporarily cool everyone off, and then it would pass and get hot again. It was also hot because there were hundreds and hundreds of people just packed into a small space on the narrow street.

Within 10 minutes, I could already tell this was not a good place for me to be. Even at the entrance where there were less people would have been better, but at that point the streets had swelled to the point where you could barely get through and just had to follow the crowd as they followed the band. Pretty soon, I began to feel like I was on the verge of a panic attack, and started to slowly unravel. My mind got cloudy and I told Eli multiple times I wanted to leave. Finally, we got to a side street to exit on, where I screamed at Eli and then burst into tears. He calmed me down, and walked me back, where slowly my mind began to clear.

It was a really unpleasant experience feeling like I was drowning in a (hot) sea of people, but it was also really frustrating because everyone else was having so much fun and I felt awful. Brazilians, generally speaking, think of crowds as a good thing: at Carnaval, at the beach, at a club, or at a concert. Americans, too, think of some crowded places as being good, since it means they are popular, like a restaurant or a bar. But other than those Americans who love to binge drink in public, like you can do in Rio, Americans have a much different sense of "crowds." A crowded beach isn't nearly as desirable as a deserted one, and a crowded apartment building isn't as desirable as a big sprawling house on acres of land. Perhaps it is a status thing (and here too, the rich like to buy their space), but Brazilians really fare much better in crowds than we do. They love to chat to people they don't know like they were their friends, and share their joy with everyone around them, stranger or not. It seems they feel more at home in a big group of people, happy to be a part of something.

I, on the other hand, was on the verge of a real panic attack, and it was really scary.

Comments

[Carin]

Yikes! I'm feeling sweaty and anxious just reading this!
I think I'd prefer to see a bloco from my second story apartment, looking down from my window!

[jon]

u are such an American.

In case you didn't know, today there is something a lot bigger than carnival!!!

SUperbowl XLII, Giants vs. patriots. Boston Vs. New york!!!
u better watch

its really crazy here... can't wait for the game.

[Jose]

Olá, descobri seu blog há pouco tempo e achei-o muito interessante. Moro no interior de São Paulo mas viví por quase quatro anos no bairro do Flamengo, zona sul do Rio de Janeiro. Voê fala com propriedade e é referência básica para estrangeiros querendo visitar a cidade.

Como diz o meu chefe (americano): this is a way to kick an ass!! Keep it up!