Emilia's Summer

Emilia woke up as the sun shone into her room, falling on her face. She sat up on the bed and rubbed her eyes. Another summer day was here.

Emilia was on her summer holiday. It had started two weeks ago, but she was already bored. The idea that she would only be returning back to school in forty-five days was horrifying.

Emilia lived in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. She was the only child of divorced parents and resided with her mother in Jardim Botânico, an upscale neighborhood.

Even though Emilia lived with her mother, she was closer to her father. Emilia had always had more interests in common with him. He was inquisitive, hungry for knowledge and had a logical mind, just like her.

They looked alike too. Emilia's mother was of Portuguese descent while her father had Danish ancestry. Nonetheless, Emilia looked entirely Scandinavian like her dad. They both had fair skin that had to be protected from the sun, blond hair and blue eyes. In the summer, Emilia's nose and cheeks became covered in freckles; the same thing happened to her dad. When they were together, people could often tell that they were father and daughter.

Emilia's two best friends were away for the summer. Both of them were visiting relatives in other cities, and so Emilia was mostly on her own. Now that she had lots of free time, she liked spending it at the nearby botanical garden that the area was named after. She usually strolled by the palm trees and the cactuses and stopped to look at the lilies on the water. She also went to the Tijuca National Park, essentially a forest within the city, and explored its many hiking trails.

Emilia also had a journal where she documented her daily life and various thoughts. Oftentimes, she would write about her walks and observations that she had made. For instance, about a new hiking trail that she had taken.

In the evenings, she usually went to the Rodrigo de Freitas Lagoon. The lagoon was next to her home, and she liked going there when the sun was setting. Then, when it was raining, she preferred staying inside and reading.

Emilia also liked getting on a bus and driving around Rio. It didn't really matter where the bus was taking her; she simply loved seeing the city. She especially liked driving through the city's many shantytowns (or favelas as they were called in Brazil). In Rio, affluent areas were located right next to the slums. It was a curious phenomenon. Was there another city in the world where that was the case? Emilia didn't know.

Since the summer had begun, she was especially drawn to the favelas. They captivated her. It was probably because life in them was so different than life in her own neighborhood. When driving through one, she couldn't help thinking about what life was like in a favela.

What was it like to live in a house that seemed to be falling apart? What was it like not to have running water or functioning toilets? What was it like to suffer from malnutrition and diseases because you didn't have enough money for good food and medical care? What was it like to have trash lying outside your doorstep since the garbage collection service wasn't operating?

Emilia had spent her whole life in a bubble of safety and security. Because of that, favelas seemed otherworldly and mesmerizing.

And so, two weeks had passed. On the fifteenth day of the holiday, in the morning, Emilia once again hopped on a bus. One more time, she was traveling through the rich areas such as Copacabana, Urca and Ipanema and slums like Rocinha, the biggest favela in Brazil. After that, she went back home and read a book about Brazil's colonization.

In the evening, Emilia went out for a stroll. She walked to the Rodrigo de Freitas Lagoon. She sauntered by the lagoon, looking at the ripples on the water. At that moment, two people who were clearly tourists came up to the water and started taking pictures. People who were here for the first time probably found the lagoon spellbinding. But Emilia had been here so many times that it had become ordinary.