Each day our students will blog about some of their experiences on the Brazil Travel Course. Our second entry for Monday, 1/23 comes from Yuan-Che Cheng.
It was no surprise that traffic was awful in downtown Rio on Monday morning. Thanks to the traffic, I had more time to explore and record the sight of streets and the downtown Rio through my camera. On the way to Petrobras, I saw many stadiums and facilities under construction for the 2014 FIFA world cup in and 2016 Olympic game. In order to be the host of those international contests, Brazil is elevating its infrastructure to a whole new level. Although some constructions are still behind schedule, I think that Brazil will complete them amidst its booming economy. During the visit to Petrobras, I realized that even though Brazil has great natural resources, Brazil still faces many challenges. For example, improvements are needed in the condition of its roads, and Brazil needs better oil extraction technology. With that said, one can see that Brazil clearly has made great progress in last few years.
After the visiting of VIVA Rio, I finally figured out a question that had perplexed me in the beginning of the class. Why do Brazilian films keep broadcasting negative image about its own country and making people feel that Brazil is a dangerous and uncivilized country? I think those videos or films are trying to provoke the government and the public to face those serious issues, because the authority has not put too much effort on resolving the crime or violence issues (or we can probably say the government does not have the ability or resource to deal with those problems). By broadcasting the situation in slums through media, it helps the government and people in the world realize the circumstances in slums, and consider providing help for these communities.
– Yuan-Che
–
From Chapman To Brazil 